When you think about cutting-edge environmental technology, an oil pump probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. The SmartJack may not change that impression, but it does offer an energy-efficient, economical alternative to conventional regular see-saw beam pumps for extracting oil from the earth. Created by Strategic Power Solutions, the SmartJack is 30% smaller and lighter than conventional pumps, and it reduces both power consumption and emissions by 50%, according to the company.

While beam pumps were designed about 100 years ago, the SmartJack is a pump built for the modern, politically volatile world. It can be fitted with armor plating to protect the pump controls and well head, and has remote wireless control and monitoring from anywhere via an ISP or satellite network. May I suggest some solar panels as well? No one likes our dependence on fossil fuels, but if you've gotta pump (and we will for a long while), the SmartJack looks like the greenest way to go.