Not content with energy efficient bulbs, Philips is taking things further in its quest for a truly green light source. Its latest offering from the Microbial Home project is the ‘Biolight,’ a light design inspired by the science behind the luminescence in fireflies and various deep sea creatures.

The light is comprised of a wall of glass ‘cells’ containing a live bacterial culture. Each individual cell is linked to a food source (of methane) that could potentially be sourced from household waste making it even more sustainable. The result is a soft green glowing light.

It's also a living product and is completely independent of the electricity grid and needs no wires. Biological products like this could potentially be self-energising, self-repairing and adaptive to environmental problems, and could change the way we live and how we communicate. In the mean time, though, it's possibly the most ‘green’ light source we’ve seen.

For more information on the Microbial Home, check out the Philips Design website here.