Freedom for 5 moon bears held captive for 21 years on a bile farm

This Monday non-profit group Animals Asia removed five moon bears that had been captive for over two decades from a farm in Vietnam. They were being held for 21 years, receiving regular bile extractions until their rescue from the southern town of My Tho, according to the group. The NGO transported the freedom five 1,050 miles by truck over the course of the week to Vietnam's Tam Dao National Park. They were eagerly awaited at the Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre, an expansive and lush sanctuary dedicated...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/freedom-for-5-moon-bears-held-captive-for-21-years-on-a-bile-farm
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Solar-powered POP-UP Park takes over underused Budapest square

Hungarian design studio Hello Wood has teamed up with the Municipality of Budapest City yet again to revive a forgotten public space with a dazzling summer haven that’s free and open to all 24 hours a day. Located beside City Hall Park, the temporary park is Hello Wood’s latest POP-UP Park, a short-term urban intervention with eye-catching street furniture. This year’s version is inspired by the Mediterranean with its use of olive trees and wave-shaped seating. This year’s...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-pop-up-park-takes-over-underused-budapest-square
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Architects transform a derelict lot into an urban oasis in New Delhi

Related: A lush rooftop oasis flourishes on this renovated Art Deco townhouse in Mexico City + Harsh Vardhan Jain Architect Via Archdaily Harsh Vardhan Jain Architect

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/architects-transform-a-derelict-lot-into-an-urban-oasis-in-new-delhi
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Net-zero home brings sustainable design to a walkable Iowa City neighborhood

A 1960s home has been reborn into an eco-friendly abode with an impressive net-zero energy footprint. Designed by local architecture firm Neumann Monson, the Koser II is a single-family home that combines forward-thinking sustainable strategies within a contemporary envelope in a leafy and walkable Iowa City neighborhood. Powered by solar and geothermal energy, the home doesn’t sacrifice comfort or luxury in its pursuit of energy efficiency—it even includes a beautiful backyard pool. Covering...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/net-zero-home-brings-sustainable-design-to-a-walkable-iowa-city-neighborhood
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This beautiful tiny home doubles as a tasty doughnut shop

Related: Tiny Heirloom unveils ‘The Goose’ — a custom tiny home with stunning interiors + Tiny Heirloom Via New Atlas Tiny Heirloom, Kentucky Donut Shop

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-beautiful-tiny-home-doubles-as-a-tasty-doughnut-shop
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California legislature passes historic bill to achieve 100% clean energy

California is going all in on clean energy. Legislators just passed a bill that puts the state on a path to become 100% reliable on clean energy by 2045, making it the largest economy in the world to enact such an environmentally friendly policy. Governor Jerry Brown has until the end of next month to sign the bill and make it official. This is not the first eco-friendly move in the California state legislator. The state previously had a goal to become 50% reliant on clean energy by 2030, a goal...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/california-legislature-passes-historic-bill-to-achieve-100-clean-energy
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Bees addicted to pesticides much like smokers to nicotine, scientists say

Bees have developed a likening to pesticide containing plants according to a recent study. The affinity exhibited by the bumblebees is similar to an addiction smokers face with nicotine found in cigarettes. Apparently, the more pesticide-laced pollen that the bees ingest, the more they crave the tainted alternatives. The contaminated nectar is potentially harmful to bees and unfortunately, researchers are finding higher quantities entering bee colonies than before. Related: Canada moves to ban...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/bees-addicted-to-pesticides-much-like-smokers-to-nicotine-scientists-say
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New images show greenery engulfing Singapores tropical skyscraper

When we last saw local design practice WOHA Architects’ 30-story Oasia Hotel Downtown, the tropical skyscraper had only begun to sprout the lush landscaping that would later overtake the building’s facade. Now, a little over a year-and-a-half later, we’ve been treated to new images of high-rise that’s become increasingly enveloped in creeping vines. This combination of nature and architecture is continued into the building’s embrace of indoor-outdoor spaces, particularly in the sky gardens,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/new-images-show-greenery-engulfing-singapores-tropical-skyscraper
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Off-grid Glass Cabin is built of recycled materials on reclaimed Iowan prairie

Indianapolis-based architecture and design studio atelierRISTING recently completed the Glass Cabin, a family retreat that operates off the grid with minimal site impact. Designed and built by the architect on land belonging to a sesquicentennial farm in northeastern Iowa, the property is elevated off the ground to minimize disturbance of the grasslands and floodplain. Built in the shape of a wood-framed pole barn, the low-maintenance building is powered with solar energy. Set in a...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/off-grid-glass-cabin-is-built-of-recycled-materials-on-reclaimed-iowan-prairie
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A charming net-zero cottage in Cornwall asks $845K

A quaint cottage in the English countryside that’s been treated to a sustainable transformation has recently hit the market for £650,000 (approximately $838,000 USD). Set within 11 acres of a private nature reserve in the small town of Lostwithiel in Cornwall, England, this beautiful retreat offers an idyllic return to nature with a minimal environmental footprint. Updated by Guy Stansfeld Architects, the zero-energy abode is powered by solar energy as well as a ground-source heat pump for heating...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-charming-net-zero-cottage-in-cornwall-asks-845k
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Natural stone and an expansive green roof blend the stunning Gozu House into the Andes Mountains

Related: + Opus Studio Opus Studio, Gozu House

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/natural-stone-and-an-expansive-green-roof-blend-the-stunning-gozu-house-into-the-andes-mountains
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Montana judge to rule on first grizzly bear hunt in 40 years

This week a U.S. judge will hear the arguments case presented by Native American tribes and animal activists for the protection of recently demoted Yellowstone area grizzlies from the endangered list. The removal of the grizzlies' protection status has caused states such as Montana, Idaho and Wyoming to launch trophy hunting expeditions in and around Yellowstone park for the first time in over 40 years. All in all 700 american bears are at risk of staring down the barrel since their elimination from...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/montana-judge-to-rule-on-first-grizzly-bear-hunt-in-40-years
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Look out, meat industry - flexitarianism is on the rise

With all of the meatless options on the market, it’s not surprising that flexitarianism is on the rise. Unlike vegetarianism, which completely excludes meat from the diet, flexitarians simple cut down on how much meat they eat on a weekly basis. What are the benefits of eating less meat? Research has found a correlation between eating less meat and losing weight. Flexitarian diets can also help prevent certain health issues like high blood pressure and diabetes. Given these health benefits,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/look-out-meat-industry-flexitarianism-is-on-the-rise
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This elegant vacation retreat rises from the pink earth in Mexico

Mexican design studio Taller Héctor Barroso crafted a cluster of pinkish holiday homes that appear to emerge straight out of the earth. Dubbed Entre Pinos after the surrounding pine forest, these modern blocky volumes derive their natural appearance from local soil that covers the exterior and interior brick walls. The soil used had been recycled from the onsite excavations for burying the foundations and help blend the buildings into the landscape. Located in the idyllic town of...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-elegant-vacation-retreat-rises-from-the-pink-earth-in-mexico
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Eco-minded Melbourne brewery breaks the mold for sustainable beer production

Related: + Urban Alley Brewery

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/eco-minded-melbourne-brewery-breaks-the-mold-for-sustainable-beer-production
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Massive green-roofed home in Brazil features a series of ramps

Sao Paolo-based Una Arquitetos has completed a massive home in the municipality of Cotia that unites its various volumes beneath a lushly planted green roof. Named the House in Cotia, the modern home is set on a 2,600-square-meter property near the woods and takes advantage of its private setting with glass curtain walls throughout. The home is built predominately of concrete, metal and glass, yet the interiors are fitted with natural materials for a sense of warmth. Set on a challenging...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/massive-green-roofed-home-in-brazil-features-a-series-of-ramps
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Europe officially has more than one million electric cars

More than a million electric cars can now be seen on the streets of Europe as sales surged in the first half of 2018. The benchmark has been reached in Europe faster than in the United States, where the it is set to be realized later this year, especially since it has been fueled by growing attraction for Tesla's latest model. Europe and the U.S. trail China by nearly a year as it reached one million electric vehicle sales in 2017, however due to the size of the Chinese marketplace, the achievement...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/europe-officially-has-more-than-one-million-electric-cars
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Scientists find air pollution leads to a significant decline in cognition

Turns out pollution affects more than just the environment. New research shows there may be a correlation between significant air pollution and cognitive decline in humans. Scientists hope their research will lead to changes in how countries deal with excessive air pollution, especially in heavily populated urban areas. The study was performed in China over the course of several years. Over 25,000 people were included in the study, hailing from 162 different locations. The researchers published...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/scientists-find-air-pollution-leads-to-a-significant-decline-in-cognition
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Award-winning luxury townhouses boast energy-efficient, passive solar design

Melbourne Design Studios has dramatically transformed a row of townhouses in the historic, post-industrial neighborhood of Richmond, Melbourne. The six bespoke urban homes—named ‘No Two The Same’—are strikingly contemporary with light-filled interiors, handsome facades and a bevy of sustainable features that have earned the project an average 7 Star NatHERS Rating across all townhouses. The sustainable development was recently awarded Building Design of the Year at the 2018 Building Designers...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/award-winning-luxury-townhouses-boast-energy-efficient-passive-solar-design
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The Edge of the Rainforest holiday home stands true to its name

First constructed in 2003, the RLC Residence was simply known as a holiday home, a place to for family and friends to gather for leisurely vacations in the lush greenery of Noosa’s National Park on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia. It was lovely and luxurious but lacked a connection with its idyllic surroundings. Mim Design of Melbourne recently renovated the house to bond it with the forest and sea, creating a sublime sanctuary in a magnificent tropical setting. Focusing on bonding...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-edge-of-the-rainforest-holiday-home-stands-true-to-its-name
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DIY kits help explorers transform Sprinter vans into rugged adventure vehicles

Related: This pop-up camper transforms any truck into a tiny mobile home in seconds + Zenvanz Via Uncrate Zenvanz, adventure vehicles, diy adventure vehicles, environmentally-friendly bamboo, adventure vehicle DIY kits,

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/diy-kits-help-explorers-transform-sprinter-vans-into-rugged-adventure-vehicles
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19 mayors, thousands of buildings, zero carbon emissions by 2030

A coalition formed by 19 mayors of major U.S. cities including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. have proposed a plan that will ensure all new buildings be net-zero carbon by 2030. The mayors are part of an extraordinary group of climate sustainable cities pledged to climate action known as the C40. Together, building and construction account for 39% of energy related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions globally, as well as 36% of final energy use. The initiative is part of a longer...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/19-mayors-thousands-of-buildings-zero-carbon-emissions-by-2030
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'The Great British Bake Off' is back this time, with a vegan week

The Great British Bake Off usually features an assortment of diary, bread and meat products slathered in more butter and cream than imaginable. But this year, the British cooking competition will feature a special vegan week to help promote healthier eating in what producers feel is a move in the right direction. The show, which kicks off its ninth season next week, will bring 12 amateurs to the kitchen to see who can bake the best traditional meals. The contestants this year include a talkative...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-great-british-bake-off-is-back-this-time-with-a-vegan-week
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This eco-friendly prefab home was built in just 28 days

Sao Paulo-based engineering and construction company SysHaus and Brazilian architecture firm Studio Arthur Casas have designed and installed the first-ever SysHaus, a modular family residence that features a wide array of eco-friendly features. Prefabricated from 100% recyclable materials, the São Paulo house was constructed in just 28 days using proprietary technology that the designers say “doesn’t generate excess materials or utilize water.” The energy-saving elements of the house include...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-eco-friendly-prefab-home-was-built-in-just-28-days
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Historic Chinese granary is transformed into a chic mountain resort

A cluster of historic Chinese rural buildings has been saved from the ravages of time by Shanghai-based architecture and interior design studio Ares Partners, who have transformed six of the structures into the new MIYA | LOSTVILLA Huchen Barn Resort, an elegant and modern hotel tucked in the mountains of Ningbo’s Huchen township. Surrounded by stunning views, the sensitively restored architecture is complemented by modern furnishings and new buildings, covering a total site area of 5,430 square...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/historic-chinese-granary-is-transformed-into-a-chic-mountain-resort
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This striking, gorge-inspired Sydney home celebrates outdoor play

Soaring ceilings and natural light define the Iron Maiden House, a contemporary home that pays tribute to the local site context in Sydney’s lower North Shore. Designed by Darlington-based CplusC Architectural Workshop, the Iron Maiden House was created for a family of five and offers generously sized rooms that spill out to outdoor-facing areas. The dwelling’s asymmetrical mountain-like forms mimic the appearance of a natural gorge and even feature a series of linear ponds that cut lengthwise...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/striking-gorge-inspired-sydney-home-celebrates-outdoor-play
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Kroger plans plastic bag phase-out by 2025

The Kroger supermarket conglomerate announced on Thursday that it is planning a phase-out of plastic bags at its nearly 2,800 locations as part of its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste commitment. The company owns an extensive list of retail centers throughout 35 U.S. states, including popular chains such as Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer and Ralphs. Related: UK bag tariff halves plastic bag marine litter, reduces sales of plastic bags by 86% In environmentally heroic fashion Kroger is making a "bold move...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/kroeger-plans-plastic-bag-phase-out-by-2025
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Chicago snags green city spotlight for second year running

A new study has revealed Chicago to be the greenest city to work in within the United States. About 70% of the Windy City's office spaces are certified for environmental efficiency, up from 66% last year. Other top cities include runner-up San Francisco, Atlanta, Lost Angeles, and Minneapolis/St. Paul. Related: BIG weaves green roofs into a mixed-use development on stilts in Miami The annual survey is taken by the United States Commercial Real Estate Services (CBRE Group) and evaluated in...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/chicago-snags-green-city-spotlight-for-second-year-running
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Looking for a conversion van? Then this is the site for you

It is hard finding the perfect conversion van online, especially if you have a limited budget. Until now, you had to pour through several different sites, like Craigslist and online forums, to find a decent deal on a conversion van. But a new website hopes to make finding the conversion van of your dreams easier than ever. There are a lot of ways you can get a conversion van on the cheap. You can purchase an old van and convert it yourself, DIY style, or buy a kit that does most of the work for...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/looking-for-a-conversion-van-then-this-is-the-site-for-you
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Reebok develops plant-based sneakers made of cotton and corn

In an act aimed squarely at sustainability in an industry known for heavy environmental impact, Reebok has created the first shoe made from plant-based materials. The Cotton + Corn initiative, announced in 2017 by the sporting-goods giant, touted the decision to move to plant-based materials as a way to clean up both production and post-consumer use in an industry that has always relied on petroleum in manufacturing. <!--more--> In addition to using organic cotton for the shoe’s...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/reebok-develops-plant-based-sneakers-made-of-cotton-and-corn
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This couple converted an old school bus into a stunning tiny home

When Kai and Julie went to grab a cup of coffee in Berlin, their home city, they had no idea how that beverage break would change their lives. The couple saw an old school bus offered for sale and decided it would be ideal to transform it into a moveable tiny home. They’d been mulling tiny home options for a while but the aspect of being able to change locations at will was paramount.   Kai and Julie also agreed that cooking and comfortable sleeping were high priorities. Free-flowing...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-couple-converted-an-old-school-bus-into-a-stunning-tiny-home
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Exotic pets are most likely to be released in the wild and become invasive species

With import of Fish and Wildlife regulated reptiles exceeding one million individuals each year, it comes at no surprise that many of these animals are finding their way out of the house and into the wild where they are threatening natural ecosystems. Exotic pets can be extremely endearing and are bought cheaply when they are small babies by impulsive pet owners and collectors. The problem is when these animals get too large to handle, or are cast off by wavering attention spans, and they make their...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/exotic-pets-are-most-likely-to-be-released-in-the-wild-and-become-invasive-species
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State of emergency in effect as Hurricane Lane barrels toward Hawaiian coastline

Hurricane Lane is swiftly moving along its course towards Hawaii where hurricane warnings are in effect for Maui and Hawaii, also called the Big Island. A hurricane watch has also bee issued for Kauai and Honolulu's island of Oahu that are said to be hit by the hurricane as well. According to the National Weather Service the storm has now been downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane and is making landfall today. Related: After three months, Kilauea eruptions might be over The weather agency reported...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/state-of-emergency-in-effect-as-hurricane-lane-barrels-toward-hawaiian-coastline
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Recent figures reveal Spain's human population is now outnumbered by pigs

Environmentalists are alarmed by recent data that reveals Spain's pig population has outnumbered its human one by nearly 3.5 million. This is the first time the farm animal's numbers have exceeded the country's human population which sits around 46.5 million. The pork industry's water consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, and nitrate discharges, which result from waste products that contaminate surrounding ground waters, are the main concerns. Related: Muscle-packed pigs in Cambodia raise alarms While...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/recent-figures-reveal-spains-human-population-is-now-outnumbered-by-pigs
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Studio Puisto transforms an old bank into a modern hostel in Finland

Helsinki-based design firm Studio Puisto Architects have turned an old bank building into the new and chic Forenom Hostel Jyväskylä in the heart of Jyväskylä’s downtown pedestrian precinct. Completed in December 2017, the adaptive reuse project imbued the dated building with a modern refresh that oozes warmth and comfort with its predominate natural materials palette. During the renovation process, the architects carefully preserved elements of the original design, such as the vault, as reminders...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/studio-puisto-transforms-an-old-bank-into-a-modern-hostel-in-finland
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Lume Traveler offers panoramic sky views from an open roof

Just when you thought campers couldn’t offer more awesome options, along comes Lume Traveler, an inconspicuous aluminum trailer with a simple feature that lets you gaze at the sky through a 6-foot long convertible moon roof in the top of the camper shell. Imagine lying on your back in a comfy double bed and simply retracting a 6 ft. x 3.6 ft.Sunbrella fabric panel that covers most of the camper’s roof, revealing a sweeping view of the sky, day or night. Gaze at constellations, count falling...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/lume-traveler-offers-panoramic-sky-views-from-an-open-roof
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Solar-powered Austin home can save owners nearly $100K in energy costs

This sculptural home in Austin is a scene-stealer, for more reasons than just its good looks. For starters, the dwelling—named the Vista Residence—is powered with a 15.4-kiloWatt rooftop photovoltaic system that not only covers an estimated 90% of the home’s annual energy needs, but is expected to help save homeowners more than $94,000 in energy costs over the next 30 years. Miró Rivera Architects designed the abode with many energy-efficient features for long-term cost savings that include...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-austin-home-can-save-owners-nearly-100k-in-energy-costs
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Locals protest tourism development in Komodo dragon sanctuary

Recently announced tourism infrastructure plans for Indonesia's Komodo National Park has ignited a string of protests from locals and activists. The park is part of the Pacific Coral Triangle and spans over 29 pristine islands which have been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. As such, the area is supposedly protected from development under Indonesian law which is why residents of the administrative region of the park, known as the West Manggarai district, are in uproar over the plans. Related:...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/locals-protest-tourism-development-in-komodo-dragon-sanctuary
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A breakup in the Arctic's strongest sea ice is recorded for the first time ever

Never before seen was the splitting of the oldest and thickest sea ice in the Arctic zone north of Greenland. The waters found there are so cold that they have been frozen for as long as records exist – even during the summer months. The ice found here is usually compact and unbreakable as a result of the Transpolar Drift Stream which pushes ice from Siberia across the Arctic Sea where it packs up on the coastline. For the second time this year the normally icebound waters cracked open to reveal...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-breakup-in-the-arctics-strongest-sea-ice-is-recorded-for-the-first-time-ever
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Unusual ellipse-shaped home celebrates a return to nature in Vietnam

There’s no question that the healing powers of nature can do wonders for our well-being, which is why the client behind the V4 House asked Hanoi-based design studio TNT Architects to create a home that felt peaceful and rural despite its suburban setting. In response, the architects created a dwelling that celebrates a return to nature with an immersive garden, swimming pool and unusual pavilion-like form. Located in Vietnam’s Nghe An province in the Nghi Loc district, the V4 House offers a strong...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/unusual-ellipse-shaped-home-celebrates-a-return-to-nature-in-vietnam
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This eco-hotel in Costa Rica will be completely solar-powered by 2019

Splurging on vacation is part of the fun. Check into Cala Luna Boutique Hotel & Villas in Costa Rica and you’ll enjoy the best of everything with the added bonus of knowing you’re leaving no nasty carbon footprints behind.   Cala Luna was one of the first luxury hotel resorts to embrace ecological concerns and sustainability. Renowned for its far-reaching renewability standards and goals, the tropical sanctuary is devoted to the local neighborhood and surroundings and is proud...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-eco-hotel-in-costa-rica-will-be-completely-solar-powered-by-2019
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Bioclimatic home optimizes thermal comfort and energy efficiency in Cancun

International architecture firm sanzpont has designed a bioclimatic home sculpted by site conditions in Cancun, Mexico. Currently under development, the single-family home—dubbed the T&N Villa—will occupy prime waterfront property within the subdivision “La Laguna 1” in Puerto Cancun. The contemporary building’s sculptural form is largely informed by the architects’ varied site analyses, which include thermal radiation studies and data collection on climate analysis to determine optimal...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/bioclimatic-home-optimizes-thermal-comfort-and-energy-efficiency-in-cancun
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Bolivia creates a nature reserve for world's rarest macaw

The Blue-throated Macaw is one of the most critically endangered species on the planet with only about 300 remaining in the wild. The species of parrot is indigenous to Bolivia where Asociación Armonía has partnered up with the American Bird Conservancy, the International Conservation Fund of Canada, the IUCN Netherlands and the World Land Trust to create the first protected area for the imperiled macaw. Related: Endangered green and loggerhead turtles make Mediterranean comeback This beautiful...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/bolivia-creates-a-nature-reserve-for-worlds-rarest-macaw
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New study finds food waste will increase to 66 tons per second if left unchecked

Immediate action is being called for as a new analysis reveals an alarming rise in food waste projected by 2030. The study was conducted by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) who warns that food loss will increase over 30% in the next decade if changes aren't made to the way we produce and handle food consumption. A total 2.1 billion tonnes of food are projected to be thrown away or lost (in the case of perishables); this amount equates to a colossal 66 tonnes, or 132,000 pounds per second. Related:...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/new-study-finds-food-waste-will-increase-to-66-tons-per-second-if-left-unchecked
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Spectacular town hall doubles as a bridge in Denmarks Faroe Islands

When Copenhagen-based Henning Larsen Architects was tapped to design the Town Hall in Eysturkommuna, they knew that there would be no point in trying to compete with the sublime Faroe Islands setting. Sculpted by wind and volcanic forces, the lush Nordic landscape instead provided inspiration for the building, which doubles as a bridge over a river and appears like a green-roofed extension of its surroundings. Blurring the line between nature and building, the Town Hall pays homage to traditional...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/spectacular-town-hall-doubles-as-a-bridge-in-denmarks-faroe-islands
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This dreamy Malibu beach house is designed to withstand climate change

Ask 20 random people what their dream house is and the majority will likely respond, “A house on the beach where I can hear and see crashing waves.” If you have enough money, you can make that vision a reality with House Noir, a spacious, 3-story seaside home in marvelous Malibu, California. Built on sandy Las Flores beach just steps from the mighty Pacific Ocean, House Noir not only has awesome views of the mountains,sea and Catalina Island, architects Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA)...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-dreamy-malibu-beach-house-is-designed-to-withstand-climate-change
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Rammed earth walls tie this modern home to the Arizona desert landscape

Architect Brent Kendle of Kendle Design Collaborative married architecture with the desert landscape in Desert Wash, a site-specific home that sweeps the natural environment indoors through walls of glass and rammed earth construction. Designed for an active family of four, the 6,700-square-foot abode in Paradise Valley, Arizona takes its name from the property’s existing desert dry wash, a biome located at a drainage area prone to severe flooding events. To embrace the natural landscape and mitigate...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/rammed-earth-walls-tie-this-modern-home-to-the-arizona-desert-landscape
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This canopy walkway elevates Shenzhen library-goers into the treetops

A new pagoda-like library in China’s megacity of Shenzhen sweeps visitors above the tree canopy with an elevated walkway. Located in Xiangmi Park, a densely forested area originally used as an agricultural research center, the Xiangmi Park Science Library celebrates its verdant surroundings with a “treetop walk” and an abundance of glazing. International architecture and design firm MLA+ led the design of the library and visitor center while ZEN landscape architects handled the landscape design....

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-canopy-walkway-elevates-shenzhen-library-goers-into-the-treetops
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The Nugget Plus camper van has all the amenities you need for life on the road, including a toilet

Compact camper vans have come a long, long way since the 50s and 60s when the only amenity was a mattress tossed on a cold steel floor. RVs upped the ante with stoves, sinks, and makeshift showers and toilets but the traditional vans had no toilets, a major inconvenience for many who love living on the road.   Westfalia and Ford have joined forces and designed the Nugget Plus, a camper van that has the normal trappings of a kitchen along with a double bed in the pop-up roof and one that...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-nugget-plus-camper-van-has-all-the-amenities-you-need-for-life-on-the-road-including-a-toilet
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13 shipping containers are reborn as a new restaurant on Treasure Island

On the heart of San Francisco’s man-made Treasure Island, a chic recently opened restaurant has popped up inside a series of recycled shipping containers. In a nod to the city’s history as a major port, local design firm Mavrik Studio crafted the new eatery—named Mersea after an Old English word that means “island oasis”—out of 13 shipping containers as well as a variety of other materials found on the island, such as reclaimed wood. The decision to use cargotecture was also a practical...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/13-shipping-containers-are-reborn-as-a-new-restaurant-on-treasure-island
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Endangered green and loggerhead turtles make Mediterranean comeback

For 10,000 years, green and loggerhead turtles have been nesting on the Mediterranean coast of Cyprus. In the last 100 years they have been hunted to the brink of extinction. Thankfully, due to pioneering conservation efforts made by Cypriot marine biologists, their endearing reptile compatriots are seeing a bounce back in numbers this year. Related: Turtle hatchlings spotted on Mumbai beach for the first time in nearly 20 years The ancient marine animals hatch on Cyprus's Lara Beach before...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/endangered-green-and-loggerhead-turtles-make-mediterranean-comeback
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Thailand bans the import of e-waste

Over the course of the next six months, Thailand will ban the import of 432 types of scrap electronics also called e-waste. E-waste includes any device with an electric cord or battery and recyclers often mine these trash deposits for valuable metals such as gold, silver and copper. The devices can also contain hazardous and polluting chemicals however, such as lead, mercury and cadmium. The announcement was made official by the country's Environment Ministry as Thailand has been struggling to deal...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/thailand-bans-the-import-of-e-waste
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Photovoltaic glass clads a sustainably minded residential tower in Melbourne

Melbourne based architecture firm C. Kairouz Architects recently completed The General, an eight-story building that’s said to be Australia’s first-ever large-scale residential structure to use photovoltaic glass on its facade. Located in the inner-suburb of Northcote in Melbourne, the building comprises 87 apartments as well as mixed-use commercial space on the first two floors. Thanks to photovoltaic glazing as well as a slew of other energy-efficient systems and resource-saving measures, The...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/photovoltaic-glass-clads-a-sustainably-minded-residential-tower-in-melbourne
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MAD reactivates an abandoned Japanese tunnel using surreal immersive art

How do you bring young people back into Japan’s rural areas? One popular answer seems to be with art and architecture. In one of the country’s latest rural revitalization efforts, Beijing-based design studio MAD Architects was invited to reactivate the long-forgotten Kiyotsu Gorge Tunnel in the Niigata prefecture. Created for the 2018 Echigo-Tsumari Triennial, this series of permanent artistic interventions aims to help bring back “the cultural energy that once empowered the region.” Set...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/mad-reactivates-an-abandoned-japanese-tunnel-using-surreal-immersive-art
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This gorgeous tiny home is perfect for entertaining guests

Related: Tiny Heirloom unveils ‘The Goose’ — a custom tiny home with stunning interiors + Modern Tiny Living Via Treehugger Modern Tiny Living, tiny home, clover tiny home,

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-gorgeous-tiny-home-is-perfect-for-entertaining-guests
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New study finds glyphosate in kids' cereals and snack bars

A recent study by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) tested 45 conventional oat products such as popular kid's cereals, oatmeals and granola bars. Of the products tested, popular brands such as Quaker, Cheerios, Giant and Back to Nature all made it to the table. The results were alarming, to say the least, as 43 of the products - rounded out to 95.5% - contained glyphosate weedkiller in them. Of the 43 products that indicated traces of glyphosate 31 were above the EWG's Health Benchmark of safe...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/new-study-finds-glyphosate-in-kids-cereals-and-snack-bars
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Canada moves to ban bee-killing pesticides

Environmentalists scored a victory in Canada on Wednesday, securing restrictions on two crop chemicals that have been posing threats to bees and aquatic insects. The Canadian government's Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), branched under the division 'Health Canada,' has agreed to impose constraints on the pesticides, slowly phasing them out of appliance over the course of the next three to five years. Related: EU approves complete ban on bee-killing insecticides Thiamethoxam, produced...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/canada-moves-to-ban-bee-killing-pesticides
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The Boomer makes a big bang in the tiny home market

Not everyone goes gaga over tiny houses at first sight. Claustrophobes run in the opposite direction, likely to never return, but many feel the need to take a tiny house for a test drive, so to speak, before making a commitment. Build Tiny’s newest design, The Boomer, is aimed to fill the short-term rental niche made popular by Airbnb to offer a try-out before going all-in.   The Boomer comes ready to roll – or not. All the amenities of a modern home are standard in this model, including...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-boomer-makes-a-big-bang-in-the-tiny-home-market
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BIG weaves green roofs into a mixed-use development on stilts in Miami

Bjarke Ingels Group has unveiled designs for a massive mixed use development that’s elevated into the air on thin stilts. Located in the central Miami neighborhood of Allapattah, an industrial, working-class district mainly comprising produce suppliers, the major complex will serve as new landmark city destination. Dubbed Miami Produce, the project will activate the site with urban farming, restaurants, storefronts, co-working offices, co-living apartments and educational programming. Covering...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/big-weaves-green-roofs-into-a-mixed-use-development-on-stilts-in-miami
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This solar-powered, off-grid California guesthouse is 100% self-sustaining

Set in one of the last remaining undeveloped coastal areas in California, the Off Grid Guest House designed by architect Dan Weber of Anacapa and designer Steven Willson of Willson Design is a stunning showcase of sustainable and low-impact design. The contemporary home is nestled into a steep hillside in a wildlife preserve and perfectly perched to offer breathtaking, nearly 360-degree views of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding landscape of rolling hills and rocky outcroppings. Due to its remote...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-solar-powered-off-grid-california-guesthouse-is-100-self-sustaining
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Trump Tower river violations incur a swift lawsuit by Illinois attorney general

Attorney General Lisa Madigan has pledged to combat the infractions made by the Trump International Hotel & Tower to the Chicago River. The lawsuit was filed in the Cook County Circuit Court in Illinois this Tuesday against the construction conglomerate. The Illinois Chapter of the Sierra Club and Friends of the Chicago River groups have also joined the counteraction n working with the attorney general's office. The suit cites infringements made to the Chicago River under the EPA's U.S. Clean...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/trump-tower-river-violations-incur-a-swift-lawsuit-by-illinois-attorney-general
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A beer crisis is brewing in Germany as bottle recycling slows amid heatwaves

With summer still in full swing breweries around Germany have been scrambling to keep up with the demand of beer from their hot and thirsty customers. While the brewmasters have enough of the bubbly beverage to go around, the problem is they are running out of bottles and cans to distribute their goods. Related: The world’s largest beer brewer invents low-carbon beer bubbles While there are approximately 4 billion beer bottles in circulation within Germany, the hot summer months leaves many...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-beer-crisis-is-brewing-in-germany-as-bottle-recycling-slows-amid-heatwaves
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Singapore, the City in a Garden, sets an example for a green planet

Singapore has transformed itself from a polluter's paradise to an environmental dream-city in the past 50 years. From afar, the country's landscape looks like any other modern city with abounding skyscrapers etched into its skyline. On the inside however, a green heart has grown at the center of the city that has spread among the surrounding community, into the minds of its people and up the walls of its buildings. This heart was Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, often called 'Chief Gardener', who pushed...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/singapore-the-city-in-a-garden-sets-an-example-for-a-green-planet
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A striking timber home with a green roof disappears into a Mexican forest

Related: Living Trees Grow Through the Ceiling of Cadaval & Sola-Morales’ Tepoztlan Lounge in Mexico + Cadaval Sola-Morales Via Wallpaper Cadaval Sola-Morales, Casa de Roca

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-striking-timber-home-with-a-green-roof-disappears-into-a-mexican-forest
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Energy-efficient Guitar House embraces indoor-outdoor living in Calgary

Near downtown Calgary, the Guitar House is a contemporary and compact home that celebrates music, family living and the natural environment. Designed by local architecture practice Alloy Homes, the family residence embraces an indoor-outdoor lifestyle with a natural material palette and ample triple-glazed windows and doors that provide seamless connection with the landscape. Its compact footprint on a tight, urban site was also informed by the clients’ desires to preserve the property’s existing...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/energy-efficient-guitar-house-embraces-indoor-outdoor-living-in-calgary
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Architect Stefan Hitthaler breathes new life into a 1970s UFO-inspired chalet

A UFO-inspired house may be one of the last things you’d expect to see in a quaint German village in southern Bavaria, but the Space Age-era mountain chalet fits surprisingly well in its forested surroundings. Charmed by the unusual mountain chalet, which had been designed by Innsbruck-based architect Josef Lackner in 1973, Bruneck-based architect Stefan Hitthaler has given the five-sided building a modern refresh and expansion for better usability and comfort. The remodeled chalet is used as a...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/architect-stefan-hitthaler-breathes-new-life-into-a-1970s-ufo-inspired-chalet
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France plans to make recycled plastic bottles less expensive

France has announced that it will intensify regulations on plastics use according to its Environmental Ministry. The movement includes making bottles manufactured using recycled plastic less expensive with the aim of deterring companies from introducing new plastics to the market. The government is also in the works of negotiating increased taxes on landfill while reducing those to value-added recycling activities. Related: Coca-Cola rewards recycling in the UK with half-priced theme park tickets Junior...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/france-plans-to-make-recycled-plastic-bottles-less-expensive
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Court orders Monsanto to pay $289 million in cancer trial

Weedkiller company Monsanto was ordered to pay $289 million to a school groundskeeper, Dewayne Johnson, who accused the Bayer subsidiary of giving him cancer. On Friday, a California jury ruled that the company acted with knowledge that risks of cancer were possible when allowing their weedkillers such as Roundup to remain on the market with no hazard indications. The sum consists of $39 million in compensatory damages with the remaining $250 million accorded for punitive damages. Related: Unreleased...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/court-orders-monsanto-to-pay-289-million-in-cancer-trial
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UNStudio unveils twisting Green Spine high-rise proposal for Melbourne

Dutch architecture practice UNStudio and Australian firm Cox Architecture have unveiled “Green Spine,” their proposal for the $2 billion Southbank Precinct overhaul in Melbourne, Australia. Selected as part of a shortlist that includes the likes of BIG and OMA, UNStudio and Cox Architecture have envisioned a twisting, greenery-covered high-rise for the 6,191-square-meter Southbank by Beulah site. The mixed-use development will be integrated into the urban fabric with a wide array of programmatic...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/unstudio-unveils-twisting-green-spine-high-rise-proposal-for-melbourne
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Treehaus combines contemporary design and passive energy in the Utah forest

If you were lucky enough to have a treehouse as a child, you understand the thrill of having the wonders of nature at your fingertips instead of admiring them from afar. Now you can live every day in that wonderland in a home just put on the market in Summit Park, Utah by Park City Design + Build. With three diverse levels strategically stacked on top of each other among a pine grove, the home’s black cedar cladding makes a low profile against the lush greenery. The simplistic lines of the exterior...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/treehaus-combines-contemporary-design-and-passive-energy-in-the-utah-forest
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Dilapidated garage turned into gorgeous tiny art studio

Related: + Sue Prue Via Apartment Therapy

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/dilapidated-garage-turned-into-gorgeous-tiny-art-studio
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Brazil meets a major emissions goal two years ahead of schedule

Brazil has just announced that its 2017 greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation have been cut way below its 2020 goal. The internationally agreed climate change target was set during the 2009 Copenhagen Accord to combat climate change and entered into effect in November 2016 through the Paris Agreement. This past Thursday, Brazil's Environment Ministry has reported that 610 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) were eliminated from deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest in 2017. This...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/brazil-has-met-a-major-emissions-goal-two-years-ahead-of-schedule
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Dominica makes historic pledge to combat plastic pollution

Many countries enforcing harsher regulations on plastic production on use from special labeling to consumer taxation, but the island nation of Dominica is pulling ahead in the pack-ing race by announcing that it will ban styrofoam and common plastics by 2019. With less than five months left to go the heroic stand plans to eliminate the use of single-use items such as plastic straws, plates, forks and knives as well as styrofoam cups and containers effective this January. Related: Shocking Caribbean...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/dominica-makes-historic-pledge-to-combat-plastic-pollution
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Century-old Iowa warehouse is transformed into LEED Platinum offices

Des Moines-based Neumann Monson Architects has breathed new life into a historic industrial warehouse in Iowa by transforming the 117-year-old building into LEED Platinum multi-tenant offices. Commissioned by Blackbird Investments, this environmentally friendly renovation process not only involved salvaging and reusing original elements in the century-old building, but also inserting energy efficient systems including a combination of geothermal and solar energy systems that have helped the project...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/century-old-iowa-warehouse-is-transformed-into-leed-platinum-offices
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This modular family home has its own indoor pond

When a young family shops for a home, they often want a simple floorplan and open spaces for kids to play and for parents to relax and entertain. This low profile home located in a central neighborhood of Cordoba in Southern Spain is logically configured and easily adaptable to changing requirements as the children grow up and family needs change.   The design caters to the natural sunlight and cool breezes of the area, with windows all around and a spacious yard, decks and balconies for...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-modular-family-home-has-its-own-indoor-pond
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Zaha Hadid Architects unveils designs for sculptural Maltese tower

Zaha Hadid Architects is bringing their modern, sinuous designs to Malta, a nation renowned for its historic sites. Set to become the tallest building in the country, the Mercury Tower would soar to 31 stories and a height of 112 meters in Paceville on the main island’s northeastern coast. The mixed-use tower will twist to separate the programmatic functions and to optimize views of the sea. Zaha Hadid Architects’ Mercury Tower will take over a 9,405-square-meter site that had...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/zaha-hadid-architects-unveils-designs-for-sculptural-maltese-tower
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Take a trip to the shire in this tiny 'Hobbit House' on wheels

Related: + WeeCasa Tiny House Resort Via Tiny House Talk WeeCasa Tiny House Resort, Hobbit Tiny House on Wheels

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/take-a-trip-to-the-shire-in-this-tiny-hobbit-house-on-wheels
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Court orders EPA to ban pesticide that causes learning disabilities in children

After over a decade's long battle the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has finally scored a victory in securing the ban of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. It was announced yesterday that the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has issued a court order to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the chemical agent due to neurodevelopmental effects. This comes after a 2017 petition denial filed by PANNA (Pesticide Action Network North America) and the NRDC to "revoke pesticide tolerances...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/court-orders-epa-to-ban-pesticide-that-causes-learning-disabilities-in-children
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Save local wildlife with a stylish FrogLog in your pool

The worst thing for pool owners in the sweltering summer months is going out for a swim to cool down and enjoy time with their friends and family only to find a critter has made it into their splash-zone. Call it a thing of the past by investing in a FrogLog! The stylish invention with an endearing name protects local animals and keeps pools sanitary. A win-win product, the floating lifeguard is easy to use and highly effective. Related: This modular outdoor swimming pool from Finland could make...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/save-local-wildlife-with-a-stylish-froglog-in-your-pool
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BIGs massive Lanescraper building may become Australias tallest tower

Bjarke Ingels Group has unveiled designs for the Lanescraper, a supertall building proposal that has been shortlisted for Melbourne’s Beulah Tower competition. Envisioned with a footprint of over 2.5 million square feet, The Lanescraper aims to serve as a bustling mixed-use destination housed in what could be the tallest tower in Australia. The $2 billion project would see a dramatic redevelopment of the post-industrial Southbank neighborhood, so-named after its location south of the Yarra River....

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/bigs-massive-lanescraper-building-may-become-australias-tallest-tower
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Solar-powered home cuts a bold and sculptural silhouette in Melbourne

When Melbourne and Paris-based architecture firm Ola Studio was tapped to create a suburban single-family home in Melbourne, they based their design around the clients’ love for art as well as the industrial loft-like spaces of converted warehouses they were accustomed to. The end result is a partly gabled home that pays homage to its surrounding local and historic context while exuding an undeniably contemporary appearance. The house, named Ross, is powered using a solar photovoltaic array and...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-home-cuts-a-bold-and-sculptural-silhouette-in-melbourne
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Striking yellow PVC-clad pavilion is a sustainable shelter designed for the end times

Related: + Via

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/striking-yellow-pvc-clad-pavilion-is-a-sustainable-shelter-designed-for-the-end-times
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This riverfront pier is revitalized after Cyclone Maria ravaged Rockhampton

Woods Bagot phto Florian Groehn   When Cyclone Maria hit Rockhampton and Queensland in 2015, the whole community quickly began restoration efforts. The community joined forces to rebuild and repair local homes and businesses and now one of the most prized community assets, the Rockhampton Riverside Precinct, is getting a major makeover that everyone can enjoy.   The massive 7.4+ acre riverfront pier site suffered from neglect even before the cyclone hit but its potential...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-riverfront-pier-is-revitalized-after-cyclone-maria-ravages-rockhampton
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Prefab holiday cabins boast spectacular coastal views in Tasmania

If you’ve ever dreamed of visiting Tasmania, you’ll want to put Freycinet’s newest additions to your bucket list. Nestled inside one of the country’s oldest National Parks, this unique hotel recently saw the completion of its nine Coastal Pavilions, a series of prefabricated one-bedroom cabins designed by Liminal Studio that blur the lines between inside and out. Inspired by the spectacular surroundings, the pavilions are fitted out with a natural material palette, full-height glazing and...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/prefab-holiday-cabins-boast-spectacular-coastal-views-in-tasmania
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The World Wildlife Fund created a fake store to call out Singapore's ivory laws

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), also know as the World Wide Fund for Nature, revealed on Tuesday that it is behind the fake online ivory shop Ivory Lane in Singapore. The wildlife charity set up the store, which received widespread international disapproval, in an effort to shed light on Singapore's local ivory laws. The legal framework set up by the government continues to facilitate the global trade of illicit ivories, something the WWF is attempting to alter. Related: Illegal ivory trade continues...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-world-wildlife-fund-created-a-fake-store-to-call-out-singapores-ivory-laws
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Shanxi combats air pollution in China with smog curbs to 2020

Shanxi province in China is the country's primary coal mining hub and a major industrial manufacturing region. The region is now planning to voluntarily curb production of the regions goods over the course of the next three winters in an effort to cut down on smog pollution and improve air quality. This is part of a 2018-2020 anti-pollution crackdown which hopes to take proper measures in improving the environmental state and reputation of the world's second largest economy. Related: Reforestation...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/shanxi-combats-air-pollution-in-china-with-smog-curbs-to-2020
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BIG completes an energy-efficient sculptural skyscraper in Shenzhen

Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group, the new home for the Shenzhen Energy Company has just reached completion in the business center of Shenzhen, China. Conceived as a new social and sustainable landmark in the heart of the city, the striking office development comprises two towers—one rising 220 meters to the north and the other to a height of 120 meters in the south—both of which are linked by a 34-meter-tall podium. Dubbed the Shenzhen Energy Mansion, the skyscraper is wrapped in an undulating...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/big-completes-an-energy-efficient-sculptural-skyscraper-in-shenzhen
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HW-Studio transforms a warehouse into a food market in Mexico

When local architecture practice HW-Studio was tapped to redevelop an abandoned warehouse into a food market in the Mexican city of Morelia, the firm looked to site’s extant conditions and the surroundings for inspiration. HW-Studio founder and lead project architect Rogelio Vallejo Bores was born and raised in the city and loved the site’s sense of solitude—a quality that he says is uncommon in the downtown of any Mexican City. As a result, he and his team used a minimalist design and material...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/hw-studio-transforms-a-warehouse-into-a-food-market-in-mexico
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Abandoned house gets a gorgeous, energy-efficient refresh

Few homes undergo the tribulations of Boston Villa and surface as an architectural prize winner. For years, the house stood abandoned, serving indigent wanderers as a shelter. Dean and Lisa saw promise in the property and halfway into the preliminary stages of rebuilding Boston Villa, someone set it afire. The couple remained undaunted and Nest Architecture forged ahead with the overhaul. The first phase was tearing down walls to let natural light and air flow freely. This demolition opened...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/abandoned-house-gets-a-gorgeous-energy-efficient-refresh
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Locally salvaged zinc panels clad a seaside getaway in Chile

Designed by Chilean architecture firm Ortuzar Gebauer Arquitectos, the Coo Lodge is a seaside getaway that’s tied into the surrounding landscape history with its weathered zinc cladding. Sourced from old construction sites, the reclaimed metal plates have been oxidized to a reddish color similar to that of the ground color. Located on the beach with spectacular views of the sea and distant volcanoes, the building was constructed to feel like an extension of the landscape. The zinc-clad...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/locally-salvaged-zinc-panels-clad-a-seaside-getaway-in-chile
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This tiny Victorian cottage on a wildflower meadow belongs in a fairytale

Related: + Via

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-tiny-victorian-cottage-on-a-wildflower-meadow-belongs-in-a-fairytale
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Solar-powered home takes advantage of Silicon Valleys mild climate

San Francisco-based architecture firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson recently completed the Los Altos Residence, a modernist family home for a couple who strives to be environmentally conscious. Located in Los Altos in northern Silicon Valley, the home and adjacent guesthouse boasts an energy-efficient design that follows passive cooling principles and is equipped with renewable energy systems. The low-slung residence mimics the Northern California ranch style home with a distinctly modernist slant marked...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-home-takes-advantage-of-silicon-valleys-mild-climate
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Champagne could lose its classic taste due to climate change

Our celebratory bubblies are now being significantly changed as a result of climate change. The seasonal shifts in temperature that have become more and more peculiar over the years are affecting grape production in regions around the world. Champagne grapes depend on a very cool climate and chalky textured soil in order to produce the crisp fruity taste it is known for. The zesty acidity that leaves drinkers with a unique punch is equally responsible for the sparking wine's ability to age. Pairing...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/champagne-could-lose-its-classic-taste-due-to-climate-change
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After three months, Kilauea eruptions might be over

After 88 days of continuous eruption Mount Kilauea on Hawaii's Big Island has finally stopped emitting lava. Fissure 8 at the base of Kilauea Volcano has been the longest lasting and most destructive magma emitter of the two dozen fissures that formed throughout the continuous eruption. Reports from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have announced as of Monday that, "This morning's overflight crew saw a weak to moderately active bubbling lava lake within the fissure 8 cone, a weak gas plume,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/after-three-months-kilauea-eruptions-might-be-over
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Escape to the Redwoods in this recently renovated Sea Ranch timber cabin

If you’ve ever dreamed of staying in The Sea Ranch community, here’s your chance to spend the night in one of the original mid-century cabins recently restored by Oakland-based design practice Framestudio. Originally designed by San Francisco Bay area architect Joseph Esherick in 1968, the Timber Ridge Sea Ranch Cabin was created as part of the Demonstration Homes, a project led by developer Oceanic to show how the local design guidelines could produce a beautiful and low-cost getaway. Renovated...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/escape-to-the-redwoods-in-this-recently-renovated-sea-ranch-timber-cabin
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A California beacon of sustainability gets a LEED Platinum refresh

An inspiring beacon for recycling in El Cerrito, California has recently received a sustainable revamp that includes newly minted LEED Platinum certification. Redesigned by Berkeley-based architecture practice Noll & Tam Architects, the El Cerrito Recycling + Environmental Resource Center (RERC/Center) was overhauled following extensive community involvement and now features a more user-friendly environment with educational opportunities and a greater holistic approach to sustainability. The...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-california-beacon-of-sustainability-gets-a-leed-platinum-refresh
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A minimalist home in Portugal emphasizes stunning valley views

  João Ferrand photog MJARC Arquitectos Architects and their clients are often surprised when the visions they share verbally quickly dissipate when they’re transformed into renderings, specs and floor plans. But when MJARC Architects met with a couple who wanted them to design a house in Dour Valley in Marco de Canaveses, Portugal, it was a euphoric meeting of minds. All parties shared the same vision, a pristine and absolute articulation of architecture and art dedicated to the...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-minimalist-home-in-portugal-emphasizes-stunning-valley-views
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Nissan debuts pop-top and fully-electric camper vans for summer adventures

Related: This tiny timber cabin was built from construction waste for under $30K + Metabaukunst Via Curbed Metabaukunst

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/nissan-debuts-pop-top-and-fully-electric-camper-vans-for-summer-adventures
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Escape the stresses of city life with the off-grid Into the Wild cabin

Slovakian architecture studio Ark Shelter has recently unveiled their latest iteration of their beautiful Ark Shelter—a tiny, self-sufficient unit that can be placed almost anywhere you please. Dubbed the “Into the Wild” cabin, their newest shelter typology embraces the outdoors from all sides with large walls of glass. Developed from three years of research and development, the Into the Wild cabin offers modern comforts with minimal landscape impact. Prefabricated in a factory...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/escape-the-stresses-of-city-life-with-the-off-grid-into-the-wild-cabin
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Modern LEED Gold home embraces outdoor entertaining in Aspen

Aspen’s historic West End neighborhood is best known for its ornate Victorian houses, but one residence in particular is turning heads for its modern award-winning design and LEED Gold certification. Local firm Rowland + Broughton Architecture & Interior Design designed the ground-up home—dubbed “Game On”—that splits a historic landmark lot with a neighboring late 19th-century home. The new residence incorporates environmentally friendly and energy-efficient features throughout, from...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/modern-leed-gold-home-embraces-outdoor-entertaining-in-aspen
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The warmest ocean temperature in a century was just recorded in California

Researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography recorded the warmest sea surface temperature ever recorded at a pier in San Diego on Aug 1. The Institute, affiliated with the University of California San Diego, has been collecting data on sea surface temperatures at the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier since 1916. The 2018 level surpassed an unusual record from over 90 years prior in 1931 tallying up a whopping 78.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Related: Ocean heatwaves have risen by more than...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-warmest-ocean-temperature-in-a-century-was-just-recorded-in-california
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Hood River retreat boasts minimal environmental impact

Lovers of the Columbia River Gorge will swoon over this beautiful vacation retreat perched right on Neal Creek, just an hour outside Portland, Oregon. Designed by Portland-based practice Paul McKean Architecture to embrace the outdoors, this two-bedroom weekend getaway was crafted to maximize valley and water views while minimizing impact on the natural environment. The owners—both outdoor enthusiasts—sought an environmentally friendly home that they now serves as a vacation rental available...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/hood-river-retreat-boasts-minimal-environmental-impact
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Japan considers adopting daylight savings time for 2020 Summer Olympics

This summer's heatwaves in Japan have claimed 120 fatalities and countless hospitalizations in the hottest and most humid months, July and August. The turmoil has caused government and Olympic officials to consider the benefits of adopting daylight savings time to ensure that athletes have a safer time competing during cooler hours in the upcoming games. The 2020 Olympic games are set to be held in Tokyo from July 24 until Aug 9, followed by the Paralympics from Aug 25 until Sept 6. Prime Minister...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/japan-considers-adopting-daylight-savings-time-for-2020-summer-olympics
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Beautiful Wellington Welcome Pavilion glows like a lantern at night

Calgary-based architecture firm Studio North led a team of architecture students from the University of Toronto Daniels School of Architecture in a design build seminar to realize a stunning new Welcome Pavilion for the village of Wellington, Ontario. Erected in just two weeks, the compact 100-square-foot structure is both sculptural and functional, featuring geometric CNC-milled cutouts inspired by barn quilts, a local craft and tradition unique to that area. The Welcome Pavilion offers shelter,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/beautiful-wellington-welcome-pavilion-glows-like-a-lantern-at-night
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Breezy Ecuadorian brick home on stilts embraces cool tropical winds

Ecuadorian architecture firm Natura Futura Arquitectura has completed the Stilts House, an elevated residence that opens up to the outdoors with a perforated brick facade. Located in General Vilamil, a coastal canton of the province of Guayas, the Stilts House celebrates the UNESCO-recognized region’s superb climate and culture of great craftsmanship through its site-specific design. Built of local natural materials and concrete, the home spans 1,722 square feet across two floors. Named...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/breezy-ecuadorian-brick-home-on-stilts-embraces-cool-tropical-winds
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The net-zero Lightbox 23 boasts sustainable features and stunning views

  Lightbox 23/Steelhead Architecture Going green enough to earn a coveted Net Zero Certification from Earth Advantage is an outstanding accomplishment. When the eco-friendly star also offers views of Portland, Oregon’s Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Adams, it’s elevated to magnificent. Steelhead Architecture designed and built the Lightbox 23 2-unit dwelling in inner NE Portland with nearly every energy saving feature that you can imagine…without compromising comfort, beauty or design. The...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-net-zero-lightbox-23-boasts-sustainable-features-and-stunning-views
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Towering prefab cabins envisioned for Iceland's rugged landscape

Related: Solar-powered glass PurePod cabins provide the ultimate connection with nature + Bartosz Domiczek Via Uncrate Photography by Bartosz Domiczek Bartosz Domiczek, Northern Wisps Cabins, cabin designs, norway cabins, futuristic cabin designs, Ronen Bekerman's Cabins 3d Challenge,

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/towering-prefab-cabins-envisioned-for-icelands-rugged-landscape
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Twisting tree-like sculptures redefine a public space in Montreal

Giant twisting tree-like sculptures have sprouted in downtown Montreal—and passersby are welcome to climb to the top of its gnarled canopy. The striking art installation is the latest work of local artist Michel de Broin, who was invited by the City of Montreal to help activate the recently developed International Civil Aviation Organization Plaza (ICAO). Dubbed Dendrites after the branched projections of a neuron, the large-scale artworks are clad in weathering steel and are equipped with metal...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/twisting-tree-like-sculptures-redefine-a-public-space-in-montreal
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This 3D-printed device could help its users breathe underwater

Underwater breathing mask conceived for an aquatic future Japanese designer Jun Kamei has invented an underwater breathing mask constructed through 3D printing. The material scientist foresees complications arising from rising sea levels caused by climate change and is determined to help people adapt to what she perceives will be an aquatic future. The effects of these growing tides are said to affect between .5 and 3 billion people globally, with drastic implications for highly populated urban...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-3d-printed-device-could-help-its-users-breathe-underwater
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Embrace sustainable travel in this solar-powered A-frame cabin

Related: These tiny steel cabins in Joshua Tree epitomize off-grid design “With the Nolla cabin, we want to offer visitors the possibility to experience modern cabin life in the realm of nature, with minimal emissions. An ecological lifestyle does not only require giving up unsustainable commodities, but also discovering modern, sustainable solutions that can be used instead. This has been an essential part of the design process”, says Falck. “Finns are known for spending time at their...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/embrace-sustainable-travel-in-this-solar-powered-a-frame-cabin
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Prefab open-air theater pops up with speed in a London park

Completed in just seven months, the Regent’s Park Open Air Theater in central London is yet another example of how prefabrication can be a fantastic solution for site-sensitive projects strapped for time. Local architecture firm Reed Watts Architects designed the theater using a lightweight cross-laminated timber (CLT) panel system. Set amidst protected Royal Parks trees, the cultural institution houses new rehearsal studios and a catering kitchen, marking the first time the theater’s operations...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/prefab-open-air-theater-pops-up-with-speed-in-a-london-park
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Mountain Heroes cyclist aims for world record to fight climate change

Michael Strasser, famous cyclist and the first to join the UN Environment's Mountain Heroes Campaign, has now been cycling for just over 10 days and 19 hours. His goal? Establishing a new world record by cycling form Alaska to Patagonia through the longest overland route. The 14,300 mile (23,000 kilometer) and nearly 610,000 vertical feet (185,000 vertical meters) Ice2Ice expedition is not just about immense feats of strength and stamina, however. The expedition seeks to demonstrate how sustainable...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/mountain-heroes-cyclist-aims-for-world-record-to-fight-climate-change
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Abandoned 400-year-old Greek ruins transformed with brilliant bursts of color

Artists Thomas Granseuer and Tomislav Topic of the multidisciplinary German design practice Quintessenz have transformed ancient stone ruins in Kagkatika, Greece into a spectacular work of art that straddles the line between the analog and digital worlds. Commissioned by the Paxos Contemporary Art Project, Quintessenz crafted a large-scale art installation using 120 mesh layers of varying colors. Dubbed Kagkatikas Secret, the colorful artwork flutters in the wind, creating an extra dimension to the...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/abandoned-400-year-old-greek-ruins-transformed-with-brilliant-bursts-of-color
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Treetop House combines the best of two worlds

There’s nothing as special as being with family – until you need to be alone. The family of five who contracted with Ben Callery Architects was delighted when Ben so easily grasped they wanted that concept incorporated into their house. He also understood it was vital that the design had to commune with nature, include as many views as possible of the lush parkland being the site, and incorporate as many aspects of sustainability as possible. Ben knew the kitchen was the favorite family gathering...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/treetop-house-combines-the-best-of-two-worlds
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Lake house in Chile built with reclaimed wood melts into the forest

Related + Juan Pablo Labbé Via Archdaily Juan Pablo Labbé, Casa LM

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/lake-house-in-chile-built-with-reclaimed-wood-melts-into-the-forest
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Lemurs are now the most endangered species of primate on the planet

Approximately 94% of the 111 species and subspecies of lemur are under threat of extinction in their indigenous country of Madagascar - and the only place they exist outside of captivity. Of the remaining lemur groups only 6 are not listed under high risk of extinction in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. This retrogression was revealed by a Primate Specialist Group that has been analyzing current threats to the survival of lemur populations...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/lemurs-are-now-the-most-endangered-species-of-primate-on-the-planet
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Handsome timber-clad extension embraces Australias great outdoors

When the clients decided to add a modest expansion to their existing home in Eganstown, Australia, they were looking for more than just extra breathing room. Enlisting the help of Melbourne-based emerging design practice Solomon Troup Architects, the extension was envisioned as a way to more fully embrace the expansive hillside landscape. The resulting structure—named the Limerick House—does just that while referencing the outdoors with its natural materials palette. Covering...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/handsome-timber-clad-extension-embraces-australias-great-outdoors
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Man converts old ambulance into a traveling tiny home on wheels

Ebay may be filled with junk that could be turned into treasure, but one man took it a step further by converting an old ambulance into a beautiful tiny home. Related: + Via Little Things Converted Ambulance Tiny Home

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/man-converts-old-ambulance-into-a-traveling-tiny-home-on-wheels
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These bold, eco-friendly bathrooms reduce water usage by 80%

Hong Kong-based design practice Ida&Billy Architects have completed an unusually eye-catching bathroom redesign for a Guangzhou shopping mall that boasts striking looks and sustainable elements. Crafted with human comfort in mind, these renovated toilets at the Taikoohui mixed-use development are almost a destination in themselves due to the colorful patterned aesthetic, sculptural clean lines and adherence to eco-friendly principles. In addition to the use of recycled materials and gray water...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/these-bold-eco-friendly-bathrooms-reduce-water-usage-by-80
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The Goldtree House is designed for sustainable family living

When kids hit their teens, your house suddenly feels smaller. The atmosphere is hectic, groups of friends traipse in and out, and parents often retreat to a bedroom for peace and quiet. One clever family with teenage twins not only had their home remodeled to accommodate these changes, they even planned ahead to have a private apartment for themselves down the road. Hartree and Associates Architects designed the changes to the 1950s home in East Fremantle, Australia based on the homeowners’...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-goldtree-house-is-designed-for-sustainable-family-living
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Architects build their own rammed-earth office around existing trees

Related + Equipo de Arquitectura Via Archdaily Equipo de Arquitectura, Earth Box,

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/architects-build-their-own-rammed-earth-office-around-existing-trees
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Heres your chance to stay at the first Airbnb on the Great Wall of China

If the climbing the Great Wall of China is on your bucket list, here’s your chance to check it off and take part in a one-of-a-kind overnight experience. Airbnb has teamed up with the Beijing Tourism Development Committee to bring the Great Wall onto the hospitality service site as a temporary lodging option. However, making a booking is not as easy as it typically is on AirBnB—hopeful guests will have to enter a contest for a chance to win. Working together with historians and...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/heres-your-chance-to-stay-at-the-first-airbnb-on-the-great-wall-of-china
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Stay in a dreamy treehouse inside an ancient English forest

A magical treehouse retreat has opened its doors in the village of Lee in England’s stunning North Devon region. Built largely by hand, this luxurious three-room rental is dressed in a combination of reclaimed and modern materials. Set inside remote woodland, the Treehouse Retreat immerses guests in a private paradise in nature without sacrificing modern comforts. Built to sleep two, the two-story Treehouse Retreat is clad in locally sourced cedar charred using Shou Sugi Ban, a Japanese...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/stay-in-a-dreamy-treehouse-inside-an-ancient-english-forest
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Egypt set to open its first solar farm - and it's the largest in the world

Egypt, the most populous Arab nation, has long relied on environmentally taxing fossil fuels. Over 90% of electricity is generated from oil and natural gas in the country that subsidizes fossil fuels making them a cheap option for its 96 million citizens. However, the government plans to change courses and put itself on the clean energy map with the inauguration of the world's largest solar park, the Benban Complex, under construction in Egypt's Western Desert and said to open next year. The first...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/egypt-set-to-open-its-first-solar-farm-and-its-the-largest-in-the-world
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UK bag tariff halves plastic bag marine litter, reduces sales of plastic bags by 86%

The sale of plastic bags has fallen by 86% according to reports from the "big seven" supermarkets in the United Kingdom. Statistics on individual consumption assess a decline from 140 bags per person to 19 as a result of the government charge - an elimination of 300 million bags. The 5p - roughly 0.07 USD - tariff introduced in 2015 seems to be working in the favor of marine ecosystems which receive nearly all of the plastic waste after human handling. Scientists at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/uk-bag-tariff-halves-plastic-bag-marine-litter-reduces-sales-of-plastic-bags-by-86
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This groovy 'Sculpture Home' in California can be yours for just $1.4 million

sale of an out-of-the-ordinary sculpted home, which is a livable piece of art, just one block away from the Pacific Ocean. The home is monolithic dwelling with a sleek design, curvy walls and is absolutely unique. I have attached some photos for your review. Related: Unique asymmetrical home in the Netherlands takes a novel approach to sustainability + Sculpture Home Sculpture Home

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-groovy-sculpture-home-in-california-can-be-yours-for-just-1-4-million
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An award-winning winery in British Columbia elegantly steps down a hillside

After having completed the Mission Hill Winery in the heart of British Columbia, Seattle-based architecture practice Olson Kundig Architects was tapped yet again for the design of its sister winery, Martin’s Lane. Set into a steep hillside in the picturesque Canadian city of Kelowna, the newest von Mandl Family Estates winery features a design that follows the existing topography to facilitate a gravity-flow winemaking process. In addition to production facilities, the winery—which has won awards...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/an-award-winning-winery-in-british-columbia-elegantly-steps-down-a-hillside
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This stunning underwater art museum is now open in the Maldives

British environmental artist Jason deCaires Taylor recently completed his latest work that’s his most stunning to date—The Sculpture Coralarium, presented as the world’s first semi-submerged tidal gallery space. Located in the middle of the Maldives’ largest developed coral lagoon at the island resort Fairmont Sirru Fen Fushi, the partially submerged art gallery is primarily experienced in the water and guests are invited to snorkel and swim their way to the installation. The museum’s human-like...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-stunning-underwater-art-museum-is-now-open-in-the-maldives
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Tiny Heirloom unveils 'The Goose' a custom tiny home with stunning interiors

Related: + Tiny Heirloom Via New Atlas

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/tiny-heirloom-unveils-the-goose-a-custom-tiny-home-with-stunning-interiors
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LEED Gold hub for artists and activists takes over an abandoned NYC firehouse

An abandoned firehouse has been reborn as the newly certified LEED Gold home for the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute (CCCADI) in Harlem. Developed by CSA Group NY Architects & Engineers in conjunction with real estate agency Denham Wolf, the cultural center celebrates New York City’s Afro-Caribbean and African-American populations with exhibition and performance spaces, meeting and community rooms, a media center, classrooms and office space. The adaptive reuse project...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/leed-gold-hub-for-artists-and-activists-takes-over-an-abandoned-nyc-firehouse
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A budget-friendly bamboo house was completed in just 10 months

Brazilian architecture firm Vilela Florez designed Casa Bambu (Bamboo House), a breezy contemporary home in northeast Brazil that takes its name from its striking use of bamboo for fishbone-patterned exterior paneling. Covering an area of nearly 2,000 square feet, this holiday home was built on a limited budget of 80,000 Euros (approximately $93,140 USD) with a tight design and construction deadline of ten months for a couple who spends most of the year on a sailboat traveling through the Mediterranean...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-budget-friendly-bamboo-house-was-completed-in-just-10-months
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Previously stable zones of Antarctica are now falling victim to climate change

Unlike its counterpart, West Antarctica, which has long been decimated by melting ice caps, East Antarctica used to be a safe zone on which scientists could depend on as a constant while they solved the more pressing destruction in the western zones. This is no longer a reality according to research unveiled last week in the Geophysical Research Letters journal from AGU100, an organization focused on the advancement of earth and space science. Despite the higher elevation and colder temperatures...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/previously-stable-zones-of-antarctica-are-now-falling-victim-to-climate-change
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Deadly heatwaves may make parts of China uninhabitable by the end of the century

It is no surprise that the world's most populous country, China, is also the largest polluter on Earth. However, for individuals living in China's northern plain, the most densely populated region on the planet, it may come as a shock that their homes may become uninhabitable by the end of the century. The region is expected to be subject to aggressive heatwaves that could kill even the healthiest of individuals in a matter of hours. The country will be gambling with the lives of their citizens --...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/deadly-heatwaves-may-make-parts-of-china-uninhabitable-by-the-end-of-the-century
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This modular outdoor swimming pool from Finland could make a splash near you

Reclaiming the waterfront with outdoor swimming pools isn’t a new concept, but Office for Peripheral Architecture (OOPEAA)’s latest design stands out from the pack with its modular and scalable design that can be applied in a wide variety of settings. Declared the winner of an invited architecture competition organized by Töölö Urban for the Allas Sea Pool Family, the Finnish architecture firm’s proposal was selected for its embrace of the outdoors and incorporation of local culture. Dubbed...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-modular-outdoor-swimming-pool-from-finland-could-make-a-splash-near-you
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New Airstream trailer is built to tackle off-roading for 40K

Want to tackle rough roads in style? Airstream, the makers of the iconic “silver bullet” trailers, has just unveiled the new Basecamp X Package, a compact camper specifically designed to tackle rugged roads. The all-terrain Basecamp X Package comes with a convertible and multifunctional rear space that delivers style and the comforts of home to any adventure off the beaten path. Clad in shiny aluminum panels, the Basecamp X Package is the more rugged cousin of Basecamp, a tiny...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/new-airstream-trailer-is-built-to-tackle-off-roading-for-40k
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Truly get away from it all at this gorgeous eco-resort and yoga retreat

A lot of people consider “getting away from it all” going to Vegas, NYC, Tokyo or Dubai, but that’s really just getting away from where you are, immersing yourself in chaos, where the “all” is larger than ever. For the ultimate getaway where your “all” includes no phones, TV, Wi-Fi, Starbucks, or air conditioning, head to Xinalani, close by Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico. Nestled in between a flourishing jungle and incredibly translucent Banderas Bay on the mighty Pacific Ocean,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/truly-get-away-from-it-all-at-this-gorgeous-eco-resort-and-yoga-retreat
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Casas Melhoradas explores sustainable and affordable housing in Mozambique

Mozambique is one of the poorest countries in the world—while its capital, Maputo, suffers from infrastructural challenges and urban sprawl. In hopes of initiating sustainable urban development in the city’s informal settlements, Johan Mottelson and Jørgen Eskemose of the Institute of Architecture, Urbanism & Landscape, at KADK (The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts Schools of Architecture, Design and Conservation), the Mozambican NGO Estamos and Architects without Borders, Denmark have...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/casas-melhoradas-explores-sustainable-and-affordable-housing-in-mozambique
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Old Victorian home in Brooklyn gets incredible Passive House retrofit

Related: The United States’ first Passive Plus House generates nearly all the energy it needs + ZH Architects ZH Architects, Ditmus Park, Ditmas Park Passive House, passive homes, passive home design, passive architecture, ditmus park passive redesign,

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/old-victorian-home-in-brooklyn-gets-incredible-passive-house-retrofit
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Neubau converts a shipping container into a light-filled porters lodge

Cambridge-based architecture practice Neubau has turned a shipping container into a porters’ lodge and reception center for Hughes Hall, a college that had, until recently, been the only college of the University of Cambridge in England to not have a porters’ lodge. The architects turned to cargotecture as an architectural solution to the client’s brief for a fast and temporary solution that wouldn’t detract from the neighboring Grade II-listed building. Completed in just a little over a...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/neubau-converts-a-shipping-container-into-a-light-filled-porters-lodge
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