Music festivals and events can set the stage for sustainability

When it comes to entertainment, fans contemplate who they will pay to see in concert, what they will wear to the event, and who they will invite to accompany them. But when masses of people gather, there is always potential for high volumes of waste and environmental damage. With sustainability taking a front seat culturally these days, event organizers are starting to pay attention to ways they can green up their events to provide eco-friendly concerts and festivals. From fans, to artists, to organizers,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/music-festivals-and-events-can-set-the-stage-for-sustainability
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Hidden in the Vinhedo rainforests of Brazil, this glass house was built for a scholar

The architects at Atelier Branco Arquitetura were asked to build a glass house that could accommodate the owner’s need to think and read and peace away from the bustling cities of Brazil. The owner, a famous political scholar, dreamt of a structure that was neither a permanent residence nor a vacation home, but a lush and peaceful escape. The main structure was built entirely out of reinforced concrete and the floors were made from long Garapeira wood boards. Coming from the main road,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/hidden-in-the-vinhedo-rainforests-of-brazil-this-glass-house-was-built-for-a-scholar
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Earth Day 2019 wants to inspire you to protect endangered species

This year's Earth Day theme is all about protecting the millions of species that call our planet home. The diversity of life on Earth is being increasingly threatened, however, by human activity, which is causing the biggest extinction event since the dinosaurs died out some 60 million years ago. The global crisis in the animal kingdom is directly connected to causes largely created by human pursuits. This includes activities like deforestation, poaching, trafficking, agriculture, pesticides, and...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/earth-day-2019-wants-to-inspire-you-to-protect-endangered-species
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Rammed earth addition brings light and energy savings to a Melbourne home

When a growing family needed extra living space, they turned to Australian design studio Steffen Welsch Architects to create an eco-friendly extension for their California Bungalow home. For the main construction material, the architects used rammed earth—a material with low embodied energy and high thermal mass—and created an arced extension that curves to capture warmth and light from the sun. Passive solar principles also largely dictated all parts of the design process, from the zoning and...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/rammed-earth-addition-brings-light-and-energy-savings-to-a-melbourne-home
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Designers build a frozen igloo shelter in a geodesic dome shape

Related: + geodesic

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/designers-build-a-frozen-igloo-shelter-in-a-geodesic-dome-shape
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Modern farmhouse-inspired dwelling in Melbourne is largely self-sufficient

Desirous of a “low-tech, country life,” a couple reached out to Brunswick-based architectural firm MRTN Architects for the design of the Trentham Long House, a contemporary home inspired by the traditional farming structures that once inhabited the Australian countryside. Located north of Melbourne, the dwelling consists of an elongated structure topped with a gable roof. To meet the client’s brief for a largely self-sufficient home, the architects optimized the thermal performance of the build,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/modern-farmhouse-inspired-dwelling-in-melbourne-is-largely-self-sufficient
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Solar-powered eco hotel in Portugal offers surfers ocean views from green-roofed bungalows

Related: + Noah Surf Hotel Via Uncrate Noah Surf Hotel, eco hotel

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An old Brooklyn sugar refinery becomes creative office spaces

A historic waterfront factory has been given a new lease on life thanks to New York-based architecture firm ODA and Triangle Assets. Located at 10 Jay Street in DUMBO, New York City, the project explores both adaptive reuse and historic preservation in its transformation of the former Arbuckle Brothers sugar refinery into creative office spaces. The sensitive renovation updates the building to modern standards while carefully preserving its history, from the restrained industrial-inspired material...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/an-old-brooklyn-sugar-refinery-becomes-creative-office-spaces
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Local, natural materials make up this eco-friendly jungle refuge in Tulum

Mexican architectural firm Jaquestudio recently completed a new boutique hotel nestled in a leafy paradise within Tulum, Mexico. Carefully sited to preserve nearly three-quarters of the existing jungle vegetation, the Jungle Keva is an environmentally friendly retreat that minimizes site impact and the use of plastics. Moreover, the hotel is built of locally sourced natural materials that tie the building to the landscape. Designed to mirror the Tulum environment, Jungle Keva features five...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/local-natural-materials-make-up-this-eco-friendly-jungle-refuge-in-tulum
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This passive house in the Czech Republic uses technology to recycle heat

A unique location and environmentally-friendly passive house design are what define this lovely home on the Czech Republic/German border. 750 meters above sea level and in the middle of a ridge within the Ore Mountains, it almost looks like a modern farmhouse from the outside. On the inside, however, you’ll find a sleek, clean design with light colors, glass and wood. The rustic home was built by Stempel & Tesar Architects and is a certified passive house. A passive house technique dramatically...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-passive-house-in-the-czech-republic-uses-technology-to-recycle-heat
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A post-earthquake home in Mexico is built of compressed earth blocks

In the aftermath of the Puebla earthquake that struck central Mexico in September 2017, Fundación PienZa Sostenible and Love Army México tapped Mexico City-based firm Francisco Pardo Arquitecto to design a home for a family who had lost their house in the disaster. Working in close collaboration with the Guzman family, the architects created a new and more earthquake-resistant dwelling that not only caters to the family’s needs but also offers improved living conditions. Named Casa Karina after...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-post-earthquake-home-in-mexico-is-built-of-compressed-earth-blocks
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Energy-efficient light bulb production could take a major hit

The production of energy efficient light bulbs just took a major hit. The Trump administration is looking to get rid of Obama-era laws that encouraged light bulb companies to make energy efficient bulbs. If the regulations are rolled back, then experts warn the bulbs will increase energy bills and lead to additional pollution. The bulbs in question were not originally included in President George W. Bush's 2007 law, which pushed for more LED bulbs. These products include decorative globes, often...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/energy-efficient-light-bulb-production-could-take-a-major-hit
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160-square-foot off-grid Elsewhere Cabin invites us all to live a little simpler

Related: + Via

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The problem with coffee pods and the eco-friendly alternatives to use instead

Many Americans have become accustomed to using single-serving brewers to make their morning cup of coffee. Not only are these coffee pods, commonly known as K-cups, convenient to use, but they come in an assortment of flavors and coffee types to meet anyone’s taste. While K-cups are a convenience of modern times, they come with a dark side. The vast majority of these plastic pods end up in our landfills every year, contributing to the growing problem of plastic pollution. Fortunately, there...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-problem-with-coffee-pods-and-the-eco-friendly-alternatives-to-use-instead
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Boutique Ibiza hotel sports a checkerboard facade to take in cooling breezes

Barcelona-based studio Ribas & Ribas Architects has transformed an old apartment building into Hotel Sir Joan Ibiza, a contemporary and chic boutique hotel designed with sustainability in mind. Located in the heart of the Spanish island of Ibiza, the building has been restyled to include 38 rooms and suites dressed to reflect the island’s nautical elements, from stripped wood yacht floors to porthole-inspired vanity mirrors. Its eye-catching checkerboard-like facade features openings that take...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/boutique-ibiza-hotel-sports-a-checkerboard-facade-to-take-in-cooling-breezes
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Kooshoo introduces the first plastic-free, sustainable hair ties

Amid growing concerns of plastic waste around the world, one company has created sustainable hair ties that are better for the environment. Made from organic materials like cotton and rubber, Kooshoo has come up with the world's first plastic-free hair ties that are completely biodegradable. These hair ties come in a variety of colors and styles and are made with sustainability in mind — from the way the materials are sourced to how the products are manufactured. Natural Materials According...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/kooshoo-introduces-the-first-plastic-free-sustainable-hair-ties
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A series of cylindrical volumes break up this modernist home in Mexico

Related: + Garrido Lizarraga Arquitectos Via World Architecture Garrido Lizarraga Arquitectos, House O + I, cylindrical volumes

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Zaha Hadid Architects breaks ground on an eco-sensitive multimodal bridge in Taiwan

The world’s longest single-mast, asymmetric cable-stayed bridge has broken ground in northern Taiwan. Not only engineered for minimal visual impact, the bridge is also designed to host a wide range of transit options. Designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, the world record-breaking Danjiang Bridge will span approximately 3,000 feet across the mouth of the Tamsui River. The structure’s single-mast design is also meant to minimize site impact to the riverbed as part of an effort to protect the estuary’s...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/zaha-hadid-architects-breaks-ground-on-an-eco-sensitive-multimodal-bridge-in-taiwan
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A solar-powered luxury home blends into a Pacific Northwest landscape

When a client commissioned Seattle-based architectural practice Hoedemaker Pfeiffer to design their new home, they asked that the design take inspiration from a stone-and-wood retreat that they had lost to a fire decades ago in the hills of Appalachia. As a result, the new build takes cues from the client’s former property as well as its location on a remote forested plateau atop a steep hillside in the San Juan Islands. The dwelling, named Hillside Sanctuary, is built of stone and wood volumes...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-solar-powered-luxury-home-blends-into-a-pacific-northwest-landscape
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Coal prices continue to rise, becoming more costly than solar and wind alternatives

Coal prices are on the rise in the United States. The vast majority of coal production now costs more than wind and solar energy. Unless the price of coal production drops quickly, experts believe the fossil fuel will have to be replaced in the near future. "Even without major policy shift we will continue to see coal retire pretty rapidly," Mike O'Boyle, who authored a new study for Energy Innovation. "Our analysis shows that we can move a lot faster to replace coal with wind and solar." The...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/coal-prices-continue-to-rise-becoming-more-costly-than-solar-and-wind-alternatives
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9 ways to introduce nature into your dull work space

Your home, office, or home office can be your sanctuary even when deadlines loom. Mitigate the stress of your work surroundings by bringing the intrinsic calm of nature into your office space. From the selection of natural elements to decor choices, there are many ways to connect with nature even when you’re trapped between four walls. Here’s some inspiration to help transform your work space into a lively zen zone. <!--more→ Set a theme     It’s easier to pull...

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Rammed concrete home in Portugal boasts passive design features and a green roof

Related: + Via

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/rammed-concrete-home-in-portugal-boasts-passive-design-features-and-a-green-roof
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Stanfords sustainable scholars building embraces the California landscape

A former parking lot has been converted into the Denning House, the new home for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program at Stanford University. The University and the Denning Family tapped New York City-based architectural firm Ennead Architects to design the building as a gathering place for graduate scholars hailing from international backgrounds and diverse disciplines. Wrapped in timber and surrounded by California oaks, the Denning House has a treehouse-like atmosphere and sustainably embraces...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/stanfords-sustainable-scholars-building-embraces-the-california-landscape
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Analysis of Wikipedia searches reveals high wildlife conservation trends

A recent study analyzed billions of Wikipedia searches and found that the public’s interest in plants and animal species is often linked to the seasonality and migration patterns of wildlife. The findings contribute to a body of research that uses internet search data to understand and gauge the public's interest in environmental topics. Researchers believe this information can ultimately help guide more effective wildlife conservation campaigns. The study: Wikipedia searches and species The...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/analysis-of-wikipedia-searches-reveals-high-wildlife-conservation-trends
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15 fresh ideas for leftover fruit that will reduce your food waste

With 40 percent of America’s food going to waste each year, it has become a major factor in climate change because most of it ends up in landfills and then releases methane, a major greenhouse gas. We all have the best intentions when we make trips to the grocery store, and the plan is never for the food to end up in the trash. But, many of us still find ourselves trying to figure out what to do with food that is on the verge of spoiling because life got in the way, and you didn’t have...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/15-fresh-ideas-for-leftover-fruit-that-will-reduce-your-food-waste
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National Weather Service claims 2019 flooding could cause record-breaking damage

The historic flooding that has been devastating the Midwest may be the start of a new trend. Last week, the National Weather Service released the flood predictions for 2019 and it does not look good. Towards the end of spring, the flooding could spread to over two-thirds of the United States, causing more record-breaking damage. The vast majority of rivers and lakes in the Midwest are at elevated levels, increasing the likelihood of flooding over the next few months. This includes the Missouri...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/national-weather-service-claims-2019-flooding-could-cause-record-breaking-damage
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Robots weave a 100% carbon-fiber love shrine for Chinas countryside

In the countryside of Zhejiang, China, Shanghai-based design studio Wutopia Lab has completed the Shrine of Whatslove, a robotically woven carbon-fiber structure devoted to love and marriage. Created in collaboration with digital construction team RoboticPlus.AI, the Shrine of Whatslove takes the shape of a red triangular pavilion evocative of a giant bird’s nest. Billed as “China’s first all carbon-fiber structure” in Zhejiang, the installation is built from 7,200 meters of continuous carbon...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/robots-weave-a-100-carbon-fiber-love-shrine-for-chinas-countryside
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This cabin offers outstanding views of Oaxaca from a massive, cantilevering terrace

Related: + LAMZ Arquitectura Via Archdaily LAMZ Arquitectura , Teitipac Cabin

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Ennead designs a striking nature preserve to protect Chinas most important river

Ennead Architects and Andropogon Landscape Architects have won an international competition for the Shanghai Yangtze River Estuary Chinese Sturgeon Nature Preserve. The proposed design takes the shape of an undulating sculpture mimicking the curves of Asia’s longest river while referencing “biomorphic anatomy.” The building will be clad in translucent PTFE panels and engineered with sustainable, energy-efficient technologies such as geothermal heating and cooling loops. The purpose...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/ennead-designs-a-striking-nature-preserve-to-protect-chinas-most-important-river
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The environmental secrets the fashion industry does not want you to know

The fashion industry has grown in leaps and bounds over the past few decades. Having greater access to the latest trends in fashion is great, but the industry as a whole could do a lot better lessening its environmental impact on the world. Some of the biggest issues with the fashion industry are microplastics used in production, child labor violations, and new disposable fashion trends, which put more waste into landfills around the world. If you are curious about how the fashion industry...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-environmental-secrets-the-fashion-industry-does-not-want-you-to-know
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A beautiful brick home is embedded into the Brazilian countryside

Related: + Estúdio Penha Via Archdaily Estúdio Penha, Quinta da Baroneza House

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-beautiful-brick-home-is-embedded-into-the-brazilian-countryside
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Designers recycle aluminum production waste into functional ceramic decor

The red clay ceramics produced by the design team at Royal College of Art and Imperial College London may look like the creation of any standard potter. However, these are not your everyday bowls and teapots. In fact, they are the result of a process that uses a by-product from aluminum production that transforms the so-called red mud into a raw material suitable for making kitchen wares. <!--more→ Bauxite residue is a by-product from the refining of alumina, which is a precursor to...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/designers-recycle-aluminum-production-waste-into-functional-ceramic-decor
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Mount Everest's melting glaciers expose the bodies of long-lost climbers

Close to 300 climbers and explorers have died trying to summit Mount Everest, and the bodies of those that remain on the mountain are starting to become exposed due to melting glaciers. Around two-thirds of the people who have passed on the mountain are believed to be encased in the ice and snow. Authorities are starting to remove exposed bodies on the Chinese side of the mountain range and efforts are picking up as spring arrives. To date, over 4,800 mountaineers have summited Mount Everest,...

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Risky geoengineering research deemed safe, blocked by US

In early March, a study by Harvard, MIT and Princeton claimed that releasing sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere to cool the climate could be safe if gas injections are limited to only cooling temperatures by half of what is needed to stop global warming. About two weeks later, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia blocked a United Nations proposal to commission further research on the emerging technology, called geoengineering, a move that both supporters and opponents of the technology see as blatant protection...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/risky-geoengineering-research-deemed-safe-blocked-by-us
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Biodegradable tableware made from wheat bran debuts at Toronto's Green Living Show

This week, Toronto citizens learned that wheat bran is good for more than enhancing digestive regularity. An innovative Polish company displayed its disposable, biodegradable tableware at Toronto’s Green Living Show made from unprocessed wheat bran. While an ordinary single-use plastic plate could take 500 years to break down, Biotrem’s tableware biodegrades through composting within a single month. They’re made from compressed wheat bran, a by-product of the cereal milling process. Biotrem...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/biodegradable-tableware-made-from-wheat-bran-debuts-at-torontos-green-living-show
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Chilling light installation visualizes sea level rise caused by climate change

Ghostly white bands of light are illuminating the coastline in the Outer Hebrides to the show the potential rise in sea levels that could be wrought as a result of unchecked climate change. The collaborative and site-specific art piece, named Lines (57° 59 ́N, 7° 16 ́W), is the work of Finnish artists Pekka Niittyvirta and Timo Aho. The environmental art installation is embedded with sensors that measure the rising tidal changes and activate three synchronized light lines during times of high...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/chilling-light-installation-visualizes-sea-level-rise-caused-by-climate-change
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Europes first underwater restaurant opens its doors in Norway

Europe’s first underwater restaurant, “Under,” has just welcomed its first guests to an extraordinary Snøhetta-designed environment that embraces stunning seabed views. Located at the southernmost point of the Norwegian coastline in Lindesnes, Norway, Under is a partly submerged building that rests directly on the seabed 16.4 feet below water. The monolithic building also serves as a research center for marine life and its rough concrete envelope will, over time, become habitat for an artificial...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/europes-first-underwater-restaurant-opens-its-doors-in-norway
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An old office is transformed into the Netherlands' most sustainable renovated building

In Amsterdam South, a newly renovated office building with a shimmering silver roof has achieved BREEAM Outstanding, a green building rating that arguably makes the property the most sustainable adaptive reuse project in the Netherlands. Formerly a neglected office complex, the empty building was transformed in the hands of Dutch architectural firm Benthem Crouwel Architects and now serves as the energy-positive offices for Goede Doelen Loterijen (Dutch Charity Lotteries). A major goal of...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/an-old-office-is-transformed-into-the-netherlands-most-sustainable-renovated-building
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Keep your pantry stocked with these staples for a plant-based diet

Switching to a plant-based diet is a lifestyle change that requires a lot of meal prep and planning. In a world of convenient pre-packaged food, stocking your pantry with healthy, plant-based products isn’t easy. It takes time to figure out the right pantry staples, and it takes even more time to figure out how to use those items when preparing snacks and meals. If you are new to the vegan lifestyle and are looking for some help with setting up your kitchen, here are some pantry staples...

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Costco to be the first major retailer to cut Roundup from the shelves

Moms Across America, a grassroots community of concerned citizens began a campaign to eliminate the sale of Roundup from three major retailers after the recent court decision to uphold the Johnson V. Monsanto lawsuit that concluded exposure to Roundup contributes to non-Hodgkins lymphoma. After gathering 89,000 signatures on the petition to remove the products, they sent a letter to Home Depot, Lowe’s, and Costco. In a big win for the organization and the public as a whole, Costco responded that...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/costco-to-be-the-first-major-retailer-to-cut-roundup-from-the-shelves
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'Funnel-shaped' cabin in an Ecuadorian forest is made of locally sourced wood

Related: + Emilio Lopez Via Dwell Emilio Lopez, Cabana Don Juan

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/funnel-shaped-cabin-in-an-ecuadorian-forest-is-made-of-locally-sourced-wood
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8 ways to make your bathroom more eco-friendly

An outdated bathroom isn’t just an eyesore, but it can also be quite harmful to the environment because old toilets and faucets waste a ton of water, most of the materials aren’t sustainable, and the water heaters use way more energy than needed. In recent years, there have been significant changes in the world of bathrooms because many environmentally-friendly fixtures, decor, and accessories have hit the market. If it is time for a bathroom remodel in your home, take the opportunity...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/8-ways-to-make-your-bathroom-more-eco-friendly
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Questlove and Live Nation are bringing an Impossible plant-based Cheesesteak to a venue near you

Questlove is teaming up with Live Nation to create a plant-based version of the classic Philly cheesesteak. The Questlove Cheesesteak is made from Impossible 2.0 Meat — which was made famous in the Impossible Burger — and will be featured in 40 venues across the country. Live Nation plans to introduce the Questlove Cheesesteak sometime this summer. Once the plant-based cheesesteak hits the entertainment company's venues, it will be one of the only places in North America where people can...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/questlove-and-live-nation-are-bringing-an-impossible-plant-based-cheesesteak-to-a-venue-near-you
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A climate-sensitive concrete home is carefully embedded into hilly terrain

When Medellín-based architecture studio Juan Manuel Peláez Arquitectos (JUMP Arquitectos) visited their client’s property in nearby Colombian town of La Ceja, they were so impressed with the landscape that they resolved to minimize alterations to the site. To that end, they adapted the built forms to the uneven terrain by splitting the residence—dubbed the C47 House—into three gabled volumes united by two glazed bridges. Built of concrete, the homes take advantage of the material’s thermal...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-climate-sensitive-concrete-home-is-carefully-embedded-into-hilly-terrain
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Truman's wants to eliminate single-use plastics in the household cleaner industry

The household cleaning aisle at the store features dozens of spray cleaners for different surfaces, and the ingredient lists are a mile long with chemical names that are impossible to pronounce. While many of those cleaners are effective for getting rid of dirt and germs, some of the chemicals inside are environmental hazards. Then, there are the plastic bottles, which get thrown into the trash once they are empty, adding to the plastic pollution problem. As the marketplace shifts to products...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/trumans-wants-to-eliminate-single-use-plastics-in-the-household-cleaner-industry
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A micro home with a green roof sits atop a granite wine cellar in rural Portugal

Related: + Via Dezeen Pavilion House, green roof

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-micro-home-with-a-green-roof-sits-atop-a-granite-wine-cellar-in-rural-portugal
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Drones are the new cost-effective way to monitor the environment

Conservationists, researchers, and volunteers have spent countless hours on the ground keeping tabs on water quality in rivers across the country. Their work has been instrumental over the years, and new technology, in the form of environment drones, is making their jobs a whole lot easier. These unmanned aircrafts, referred to as drones or UAVs, are easy to control and have become cost-effective in recent years. Environmentalists are using them to monitor the environment from the skies and...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/drones-are-the-new-cost-effective-way-to-monitor-the-environment
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MVRDV-designed market in Taiwan will grow food on a massive green roof

Hot on the heels of their bold “Times Square” proposal for Taiwan’s capital, MVRDV has broken ground on another project—this time for the island’s southern city of Tainan. Created in collaboration with local architectural firm LLJ Architects, the Tainan Xinhua Fruit and Vegetable Market is a new wholesale open-air market that will not only serve as an important hub for the city’s food supply chain, but will also serve as a new public destination. The landmark building will be topped with...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/mvrdv-designed-market-in-taiwan-will-grow-food-on-a-massive-green-roof
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Hen Harriers on the verge of extinction due to gamekeepers killing illegally

A new study reveals that hen harriers are being killed at an alarming rate on UK grouse moors. Scientists found that gamekeepers are eliminating these birds, which are on the verge of extinction in England, because they hunt red grouse. Conservationists have been tagging hen harriers in the UK for several years and discovered that 72 percent of the birds involved in studies have come up missing. The researchers believe the majority of these birds were killed illegally. Sadly, 83 percent...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/hen-harriers-on-the-verge-of-extinction-due-to-gamekeepers-killing-illegally
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Boxy volumes anchor a beautiful home into a rocky cliffside

Related: + YH2 Architecture Via Archdaily YH2 Architecture, House Dans l'Escarpement

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/boxy-volumes-anchor-a-beautiful-home-into-a-rocky-cliffside
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The FLEXSE tiny house module is built from 100% recyclable materials

A tiny and deliciously cozy prefab has popped up in St. Petersburg, courtesy of local architectural practice Smart Architecture Laboratory (SA lab). The charming compact building—dubbed FLEXSE—is the firm’s first prototype for tiny modular housing and is modeled after a traditional Scandinavian BBQ house. Designed with flexibility in mind, the FLEXSE prototype was prefabricated in a factory, assembled on-site, and built entirely of recyclable materials. Defined by its organic elliptical...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-flexse-tiny-house-module-is-built-from-100-recyclable-materials
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Proposed $1 billion underwater pipeline will send fracked gas to NYC

There is a war brewing over the development of a new underwater pipeline in New York City. The proposed project would send fracked gas to the city, a move environmentalists claim would greatly contribute to global warming. An Oklahoma company called Williams has proposed an ambitious plan to construct a 23-mile pipeline from Pennsylvania to New York. The project, which will cost around $1 billion, will connect with an existing pipeline underneath New Jersey, carrying gas all the way to Queens. According...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/proposed-1-billion-underwater-pipeline-will-send-fracked-gas-to-nyc
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This gorgeous LEED Platinum winery is made of reclaimed wood

Related: + Via Dezeen repurposed materials, energy, LEED

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-gorgeous-leed-platinum-winery-is-made-of-reclaimed-wood
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Climate change causing Nebraska's worst floods on record, damage visible from space

Amid growing concerns about the negative effects of climate change, Nebraska is facing one of its worst flooding catastrophes on record. Following historic levels of rainfall and flooding, the governor of Nebraska, Pete Ricketts, has officially declared certain counties disaster areas as officials deal with the situation. “This really is the most devastating flooding we’ve probably ever had in our state’s history, from the standpoint of how widespread it is,” Ricketts shared. The...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/climate-change-causing-nebraskas-worst-floods-on-record-damage-visible-from-space
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Site-sensitive Woodhouse Hotel promotes agricultural tourism in Guizhou

In China’s southwest province of Guizhou, Shanghai-based architectural practice ZJJZ has completed the Woodhouse Hotel, a government-backed agricultural tourism project that consists of ten single-story timber cabins embedded into the hillside in the remote village of Tuanjie. As one of the first projects carried out under the government’s policy to help alleviate rural poverty through environmentally sensitive tourism, the Woodhouse Hotel was designed and constructed with as little site impact...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/site-sensitive-woodhouse-hotel-promotes-agricultural-tourism-in-guizhou
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A solar-powered home in Maine rises above the sand dunes on wooden stilts

Related: + Via

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-solar-powered-home-in-maine-rises-above-the-sand-dunes-on-wooden-stilts
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Are bioenergy facilities the solution to the growing garbage problem?

Do you know where your garbage goes once you throw it out? For many people - especially Americans - once their trash leaves the house, there is no more thought about where it goes or what happens to it. As soon as a sanitation worker picks up your garbage, there is no reason to think about the serious problems that massive amounts of waste can cause. Every year, Americans discard about 250 million tons of resources, making them the largest generator of waste on Earth. Approximately 136 million...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/are-bioenergy-facilities-the-solution-to-the-growing-garbage-problem
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Escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life in these bamboo huts built on a remote Vietnamese beach

Related: + ICON Via 3D printed home

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/escape-the-hustle-and-bustle-of-everyday-life-in-these-bamboo-huts-built-on-a-remote-vietnamese-beach
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Crucial animal protection laws for the sage grouse being eliminated by the White House

The White House is eliminating crucial animal protection laws for the sage grouse. The protections, originally put in place by President Barack Obama, are being rolled back to open millions of acres of land for gas and oil development. Conservationists warn the move could land the sage grouse back on the endangered species list. Donald Trump's administration’s new plan targets 8.7 million acres of Sagebrush Focal Areas, an important habitat for the sage grouse and hundreds of other wildlife....

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/crucial-animal-protection-laws-for-the-sage-grouse-being-eliminated-by-the-white-house
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NYC considers Manhattan land expansion to fight climate change

On Thursday March 14th, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York City unveiled a $10 billion plan to prepare lower Manhattan for the inevitable invasion of sea level rise predicted with climate change. The plan was announced alongside the release of the Lower Manhattan Climate Resilience Study, which provides a complete assessment of predicted climate risks, including sea level rise, storm surge, extreme rainfall and heat waves. The plan includes extensive construction of permanent and smartly integrated...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/nyc-considers-manhattan-land-expansion-to-fight-climate-change
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Green-roofed timber dwelling in Austria is built with recycled materials

In the historic Austrian village of Purkersdorf, Vienna-based architectural practice Juri Troy Architects has completed the L House, a timber home named after its L-shaped form integrated with sustainable design elements. Built with numerous recycled materials, the house forms a strong connection with nature from its green roof to its large windows that sweep views of the bucolic outdoors in. Nestled into a southern slope above the village of Purkersdorf, the 3,450-square-foot L House boasts...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/green-roofed-timber-dwelling-in-austria-is-built-with-recycled-materials
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Can Florida save its prized Everglades from climate change destruction?

Half of all Floridians will live underwater by the end of the century, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency’s predictions. In a disheartening article in The Guardian, researcher and author of Rising, Elizabeth Grant instructs Floridians to flip a coin – heads and your home is under the sea. A combination of population explosion, unsustainable development and sea level rise also threatens to destroy Florida’s prized Everglades, but the newly elected Republican Governor, Ron...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/can-florida-save-its-prized-everglades-from-climate-change-destruction
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Old Swedish farm is reborn as a cozy woodland cabin holiday home

Swedish architectural practice Wingårdh Arkitektkontor converted a large old farm in the south of Sweden into a holiday home with a cozy woodland cabin atmosphere. Commissioned by a family who reside in the nearby city of Malmö, the countryside retreat was fashioned as a luxurious escape into nature built predominately with timber and designed to embrace views of the lush forest through floor-to-ceiling glazing. The adaptive reuse project—dubbed Kvarnhuset (The Mill House)—has respected the...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/old-swedish-farm-is-reborn-as-a-cozy-woodland-cabin-holiday-home
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Baby turtles officially return to the beaches of Mumbai after largest beach clean up in history

Olive Ridley baby turtles have officially returned to the beaches of Mumbai, and it is all because one of the world’s largest beach clean-up efforts. Last summer, conservationists watched as over 80 baby turtles made their way across Mumbai’s Versova Beach, which was previously home to a massive garbage heap. “I had tears in my eyes when I saw them walking towards the ocean,” Afroz Shah, an activist in Mumbai, shared. It has been a few decades since the baby turtles have had access...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/baby-turtles-officially-return-to-the-beaches-of-mumbai-after-largest-beach-clean-up-in-history
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Solar-powered home takes advantage of cooling ocean breezes in Los Angeles

Crafted to embrace spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, the Ziering Residence is defined by its dramatically curved architecture and walls of glass. Local practice SPF: architects designed the contemporary house that’s perched high in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles and engineered to take advantage of passive systems, including cooling ocean breezes and the thermal mass of concrete floors. The home also reduces its energy footprint with rooftop solar panels and solar hot water...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-home-takes-advantage-of-cooling-ocean-breezes-in-los-angeles
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Activists trying to prevent the vaquita porpoise from extinction

Researchers just confirmed the sad news that only around 10 vaquita porpoises remain in the wild. Unless immediate steps are taken, these sea creatures will undoubtedly become extinct over the next few years. Vaquita porpoises are among the ocean’s smallest cetaceans and they only reside in the northern Gulf of California. The update on population numbers comes after news of the first vaquita death this year. Scientists are expected to release more information on that front later this week. The...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/activists-trying-to-prevent-the-vaquita-porpoise-from-extinction
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Kodasema unveils gorgeous prefab floating tiny house

Related: + Kodasema Via Designboom kodasema prefab floating house, prefab house

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/kodasema-unveils-gorgeous-prefab-floating-tiny-house
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Brazilian Biodiversity Information System is bringing Brazil's biological diversity to the internet

As one of the most biologically diverse countries on Earth, Brazil is taking steps to consolidate all of the nation’s biodiversity data and information into one place to support scientific research, as well as decision-making and creation of eco-friendly public policy. In an effort to achieve those goals, the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovations, and Communications (MCTIC) has created the Brazilian Biodiversity Information System (SiBBr), which is an online platform that gives free...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/brazilian-biodiversity-information-system-is-bringing-brazils-biological-diversity-to-the-internet
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A modern timber house in Indonesia celebrates mummified wood

When Banding-Based architectural studio Aaksen Responsible Aarchitecture was asked to renovate an old house in the West Java neighborhood of Kiaracondong in Indonesia, they made a surprising discovery. During the demolition process, the architects found that the wooden roof truss structure was in very good condition despite its age thanks to a culturally significant type of timber, a kind of Albizzia wood that’s been mummified to improve strength and durability. Described by the architects as a...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-modern-timber-house-in-indonesia-celebrates-mummified-wood
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UN predicts dire future for planet unless people change their ways NOW

The United Nations’ newest Global Environmental Outlook reinforces the worries of everyone concerned about the environment and our planet’s future. The 708-page report, released last week, examines human-inflicted woes on air, land and water. Scientists urge humans to change their ways—immediately—before we render Earth inhabitable. To those who have been paying attention to the planet’s decline, this report will not be news. But seeing all this human-wrought destruction in one enormous...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/un-predicts-dire-future-for-planet-unless-people-change-their-ways-now
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IKEA teams up with London artists to upcycle old furniture into funky abodes for birds, bees, and bats

Related: + Via Dwell wildlife homes, upcycling, ikea, ikea wildlife homes,

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/ikea-teams-up-with-london-artists-to-upcycle-old-furniture-into-funky-abodes-for-birds-bees-%e2%80%8band-bats
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Mobile, off-grid micro home can be configured into 20 different layouts

Related: + Via

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/mobile-off-grid-micro-home-can-be-configured-into-20-different-layouts
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Shellworks upcycles leftover lobster shells into biodegradable bioplastics

Four design students at The Royal College of Art & Imperial College have created a biodegradable and recyclable bioplastic using an unusual material—lobster shell waste. In a initiative dubbed Shellworks, the team—Ed Jones, Insiya Jafferjee, Amir Afshar, and Andrew Edwards—has developed new manufacturing machines to produce what they believe is a sustainable replacement for single-use plastics. The malleable bioplastic is extremely versatile and can be adjusted in thickness, transparency,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/shellworks-upcycles-leftover-lobster-shells-into-biodegradable-bioplastics
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New Humane Society report shows animal testing labs kill thousands of dogs annually

The Humane Society of the United States just released a report on their investigation into widespread animal testing. The inquiry lasted a little over three months and discovered that tens of thousands of dogs are being killed annually in the name of product testing. The study uncovered laboratories across the United States where scientists are using beagles and hounds to test toxicity levels in drugs, dental implants, and pesticides. Over the course of 100 days, one undercover operative recorded...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/new-humane-society-report-shows-animal-testing-labs-kill-thousands-of-dogs-annually
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Reduce food waste with your new best friend Meal Prep Mate

In a world filled with convenient fast-food wherever you go and a focus on instant gratification, it can be a serious challenge to eat healthily and keep your food waste to a minimum. For many of us, our busy lives cause us to make daily food decisions that fill our diets with high-calorie processed foods which are often wrapped in single-use packaging. However, with a little preparation and planning, you can not only eat healthily, but you can reduce food waste while saving time and money. The...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/reduce-food-waste-with-your-new-best-friend-meal-prep-mate
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LEED Platinum home generates net-positive energy in Oregon

Built for clients who wanted a home with minimal site impact, the Live Edge residence is an environmentally friendly beacon that boasts not only LEED Platinum certification, but also generates more energy than it consumes on an annual basis. Nestled into a bluff among rock outcroppings and juniper trees in Oregon’s Deschutes County, the luxury dwelling is the work of Salem-based firm Nathan Good Architects. Drawing inspiration from the rugged landscape, the architects fitted the contemporary house...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/leed-platinum-home-generates-net-positive-energy-in-oregon
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Santa Barbara home is surrounded by wooden screens for natural climate control

Indoor-outdoor living never looked so good! This modern design by Shubin Donaldson takes full advantage of the beachy climate of Santa Barbara, California. Wooden screens and a central skylight flood the entire space with natural sunlight while keeping the space protected from the ocean winds. “Environmentally, the home is cooled passively by ocean breezes, lit evenly during the day by daylight, and Ipe wood screens minimize sun load on the extensive view windows,” report the designers. The...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/santa-barbara-home-is-surrounded-by-wooden-screens-for-natural-climate-control
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Air pollution is killing Europeans at an alarming rate

New research reveals that 800,000 people die prematurely from air pollution in Europe each year, and confirms a previous study that dirty air kills 8.8 million people per year globally. The study, published in the European Heart Journal, urges Europe to phase out fossil fuels. Scientists used three sets of data to reach their conclusions: population density and age, exposure to air pollution and the health impacts of foul air. While the lungs are the initial body part to suffer, once pollutants...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/air-pollution-is-killing-europeans-at-an-alarming-rate
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1950s fire lookout tower in rural Idaho is converted into a dreamy Airbnb rental

Dressmaker and designer Kristie Wolfe previously built a Hawaiian treehouse on a shoestring budget, as well as a hobbit house in Washington State. Her latest project is a fire lookout tower dating back to the 1950s, which she has renovated into an Airbnb rental. Related: + Crystal Peak Lookout + Kristie Wolfe Photography by Eva Seelye Crystal Peak Lookout, Hobbit Hole, Crystal Peak Lookout in North Idaho, unique airbnb stays,

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/1950s-fire-lookout-tower-in-rural-idaho-is-converted-into-a-dreamy-airbnb-rental
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Solar-powered home puts an eco-friendly twist on the farmhouse vernacular

When architect Paul O’Reilly of the Australian architectural practice archterra was asked by his mother to design a modern farmhouse, he delivered a handsome dwelling that not only takes inspiration from traditional barn architecture, but also deftly addresses the region’s climatic extremes with its site-specific, energy-efficient build. Aptly named the Farm House, the roughly 2,000-square-foot abode features a gabled roofline, veranda, and timber cladding to mimic traditional barns, while the...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-home-puts-an-eco-friendly-twist-on-the-farmhouse-vernacular
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Panda Express introduces vegan options

Good news for suburban vegans and those who find themselves trapped in airports or mini-malls: The Chinese fast food chain Panda Express has added its first vegan entrees. Vegan diners at all 2,000 locations can soon safely chow down on Panda’s chow mein. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has long been chipping away at Panda Express’ resistance to offering any dishes sans chicken broth or animal-derived seasoning. Supporters of the animal rights group contacted Panda 234,000...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/panda-express-introduces-vegan-options
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Adobe brick combines with wood in a low-carbon villa in Chiang Mai

Architectural practice Chiangmai Life Architects has completed a striking villa that blends elements of traditional Thai architecture together with environmentally savvy construction practices and modern amenities fit for 21st-century living. Located in the mountains of northern Thailand, the project, dubbed the ‘Earth & Wood Villa,’ was built primarily of locally sourced natural materials from the self-made adobe bricks to the exposed timber elements throughout. In addition to mountain vistas,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/adobe-brick-combines-with-wood-in-a-low-carbon-villa-in-chiang-mai
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Plastic waste has met its match with the viral #Trashtag challenge

It is rare when a social media challenge actually results in a physical change to the environment, especially when it comes to picking up plastic waste. But a new viral challenge has thousands of people from around the world coming together to clean up places that have become overrun with plastic. The new challenge, #trashtag, encourages people to clean up litter and share photos from before and after the clean-up job is over. So far, tens of thousands of individuals have participated in the...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/plastic-waste-has-met-its-match-with-the-viral-trashtag-challenge
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Quirky youth hostel in Taiwan is made from reclaimed materials

Related: + Via

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/quirky-youth-hostel-in-taiwan-is-made-from-reclaimed-materials
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Meatless Mondays are coming to public schools in New York City

Public schools in New York City are starting a meatless Monday program for student lunches. School officials hope the eco-friendly initiative will boost health among the student population and serve as an example for other districts to follow. "People are going to look at this, and they’re going to start to emulate what the New York City schools are doing," NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio shared. According to Huffington Post, the new program will be implemented in 1,800 schools in the city and...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/meatless-mondays-are-coming-to-public-schools-in-new-york-city
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This distillery helps you make delicious, carbon-negative cocktails

Ever think about how your happy hour is affecting the environment? Manufacturing alcohol in the United States creates harmful carbon dioxide that can wreck the earth’s system of natural resources, and a massive amount of materials needed to package and distribute alcohol (bottles, plastic caps, etc) end up in the trash. Los Angeles-based Greenbar Distillery, however, is changing the game entirely with its carbon negative company model. One of the world’s largest selection of USDA-certified...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-distillery-helps-you-make-delicious-carbon-negative-cocktails
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Students around the world join climate strike on March 15

On Friday, March 15th, tens of thousands of high school and middle school students in more than 70 countries plan to walk out of their classrooms and protest outside of their nearest town and city halls. Young people are uniting around the world in combined climate strikes and though they hail from vastly different places, they are all demanding that their leaders take radical action to curb green house gas emissions. How did the climate strikes start? The international youth climate strike...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/students-around-the-world-join-climate-strike-on-march-15
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This Brazilian beach house is made from locally-sourced natural materials

The architects at MNMA Studio have created a natural beachy oasis made of eco-friendly elements in the region of Pontal do Cupe, Pernambuco of northeastern Brazil. Head architects Andre Pepato and Mariana Schmidt used natural materials such as eucalyptus, certified wood, calcium carbonate rocks and even twigs to complement the concrete structure. The people of the Pontal do Cupe region have limited access to building materials and methods, so the beach house helps to symbolize an innovative and...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-brazilian-beach-house-is-made-from-locally-sourced-natural-materials
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These marbled Bluetooth speakers are made from non-recyclable plastic waste

They said that this plastic couldn’t be recycled, but UK-based company Gomi found a way nonetheless. Each speaker is made from about 100 non-recyclable plastic bags of multiple colors, creating the individualized unique look. The sustainable design company won a 10,000-pound grant from the Environment Now Programme in January 2018 to kickstart the project and were funded further by the Santander Big Ideas Competition later that year. Co-founded by Brighton-based sustainable designer Tom Meades,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/these-marbled-bluetooth-speakers-are-made-from-non-recyclable-plastic-waste
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Green-roofed NY home taps into passive solar with contemporary style

New York-based design firm Slade Architecture has reconciled a client’s need for privacy with their desire for connection with the landscape in the Link Farm House, a contemporary home that splits the public and private areas into two perpendicular volumes. Located on a 220-acre organic farm in Dutchess County, New York, the expansive home engages the bucolic surroundings with a glass public-facing volume balanced atop a grassy knoll and a lower, private-facing volume built of locally sourced stone....

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/green-roofed-ny-home-taps-into-passive-solar-with-contemporary-style
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Wildlife conservation aided by a Chesapeake Bay retriever named Train

A Chesapeake Bay retriever named Train is playing an important part in wildlife conservation. Train, who was too energetic to make it as a drug dog, is lending his nose to sniff out endangered species by smelling their poop. Train is helping conservationists like Karen DeMatteo track down some of the world's most elusive animals, such as oncillas and jaguars, by finding their scat in the wild. DeMatteo and her colleagues are focusing their research in Argentina, and Train is helping them discover...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/wildlife-conservation-is-getting-help-from-a-chesapeake-bay-retriever-named-train
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OMA unveils designs for zigzagging residential towers in Brooklyn

OMA’s New York office has unveiled striking designs for the Greenpoint Landing mixed-use towers—two dramatically stepped buildings that appear to be two jagged halves of a whole. Designed to frame views of Greenpoint and vistas of Manhattan beyond, the project is “a ziggurat and its inverse…carefully calibrated to one another,” says OMA Partner Jason Long. Greenpoint Landing, which is expected to break ground in August of this year, is located in the Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood of...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/oma-unveils-designs-for-zigzagging-residential-towers-in-brooklyn
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Transparent bubble domes in China allow guests to immerse themselves in nature

Related: Via World Architecture bubble domes

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/transparent-bubble-domes-in-china-allow-guests-to-immerse-themselves-in-nature
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An urban wetland springs to life among Bogotas high rises

An open plaza in Bogota’s northeastern business district has been radically transformed from a place of pure pavement to a vibrant urban wetland. Colombian architecture firm Obraestudio completed the project in 2016 in the Santa Barbara business center to revitalize the outdoor common space shared by the Torres Unidas Building, Scotia Bank, Samsung, AR and W Hotel towers. Covering an area of over two acres, the architects injected a lush aquatic landscape into the public-facing plaza, creating...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/an-urban-wetland-springs-to-life-among-bogotas-high-rises
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These 5 animals are being consumed into extinction

Humans have a long history of wiping out animal populations, and we continue to do so even to this day. According to a new study published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, people around the world are eating hundreds of mammal species into extinction. And, if we don’t make some changes, the authors of the study warn that the food security of hundreds of millions of people could be threatened. Currently, we are in the middle of mass extinction that rivals the wiping out of the dinosaurs...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/these-5-animals-are-being-consumed-into-extinction
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This sleek lamp provides light and grows food

As the population of the planet continues to explode, the ability to produce enough food is a continual discussion. Not only are we busy finding ways to make enough of the right kinds of foods to sustain the masses, but we’re simultaneously investing in opportunities for the backyard, or living room, gardener to grow their own foods. <!--more→ With urban lifestyle in mind, start-up Benditas Studio has created a lamp that doubles as a vegetable garden. Brot, a dual functioning lamp/garden,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-sleek-lamp-provides-light-and-grows-food
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Finland plans to complete its coal ban one year early

Finland is following through with its coal ban initiative and making it a top priority over the next ten years. The country promised to eliminate its reliance on coal by 2030, and Finnish Parliament just pushed through a motion to start the ban a year earlier than the previous goal. One year may not seem like much, but moving the ban up means Finland will be completely coal free in the next decade. The move also means that the country will have to increase its phasing out program by around...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/finland-plans-to-complete-its-coal-ban-one-year-early
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These sustainable tiny cabins offer a serene escape in nature just 2 hours from NYC

Related: + Via Dezeen Lushna Petite Reflect

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/these-sustainable-tiny-cabins-offer-a-serene-escape-in-nature-just-2-hours-from-nyc
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Taiwan introduces one of the world's most comprehensive plastic bans

Taiwan aims to be completely free of plastic bags and all single-use plastic items, such as utensils and beverage cups, by 2030. But first, the straws. Starting this year, chain restaurants will be restricted from giving straws to customers for in-store use. Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Minister Lee Ying-yuan announced the new policy at a press conference last month. “"We aim to implement a blanket ban by 2030 to significantly reduce plastic waste that pollutes the ocean and...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/taiwan-introduces-one-of-the-worlds-most-comprehensive-plastic-bans
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Singapores new-build, first net-zero energy building opens its doors

Opened earlier this year, the newly completed NUS School of Design & Environment 4 (SDE4) is distinguished as Singapore’s first new-build, net-zero energy building school. Developed by the School of Design and Environment at the National University of Singapore and designed by Serie + Multiply Architects with Surbana Jurong, the six-story multidisciplinary building is located on a hillock along Clementi Road near the southern coastline of Singapore where it joins a larger campus redevelopment....

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/singapores-new-build-first-net-zero-energy-building-opens-its-doors
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Trader Joe's ditching single-use plastics for more eco-friendly options

An increasing number of grocery stores are ditching single-use plastics to help curb the amount of synthetic materials that end up in landfills around the world. Trader Joe's is the most recent business to reduce plastic use in stores across the country, a move that comes after a Greenpeace initiative that garnered close to 100,000 signatures. In 2018, Trader Joe's vowed to use more sustainable packaging to help decrease the 1 million pounds of waste it generates annually from plastics. A big chunk...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/trader-joes-ditching-single-use-plastics-for-more-eco-friendly-options
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Trump administration wants to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list

Government officials in the U.S. are looking to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list. The move, proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, would allow states in the Lower 48 to lawfully hunt populations of the gray wolf. "Recovery of the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) is one of our nation's great conservation successes…" a spokesperson for the Fish and Wildlife Service shared. According to NPR, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is publishing the...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/trump-administration-wants-to-remove-the-gray-wolf-from-the-endangered-species-list
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COBE unveils LEED Gold-seeking affordable housing units in Toronto

Danish architectural firm COBE has unveiled a new mixed-use residential development in Toronto designed for LEED Gold certification. Created in collaboration with Toronto-based architectural firm architectsAlliance, the project will comprise three buildings—two designed by COBE—set in West Don Lands, a former industrial area on Toronto’s waterfront. The housing development will consist of 761 market rental apartments including 30 percent affordable rental units, indistinguishable in design...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/cobe-unveils-leed-gold-seeking-affordable-housing-units-in-toronto
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Remote holiday home champions raw materials and minimal environmental impact

Built to embrace the outdoors and radiate a sense of warmth, the Aculco project is an idyllic holiday home set in a pristine and remote landscape in Aculco, Mexico. Mexico City-based architectural firm PPAA designed the dwelling for two outdoors-loving brothers who had discovered the site on a rock climbing trip. Given the property’s isolated location and natural beauty, the project challenged the architects to use locally sourced materials and to minimize the visual and physical impact of the...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/remote-holiday-home-champions-raw-materials-and-minimal-environmental-impact
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Energy-efficient 'tiny tower' home is organized like a full-scale skyscraper

US architecture firm ISA Related: + ISA Via World Architecture tiny tower, urban design

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/energy-efficient-tiny-tower-home-is-organized-like-a-full-scale-skyscraper
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New sweet potato dye spares bugs and pleases vegans

Nobody wants to die—even a bug tries to run rather than being squashed. So cochineal beetles are rejoicing this month as the Hansen sweet potato proves a viable alternative for producing the carmine color crushed beetles have long added to foods and cosmetics. Chr. Hansen, a bioscience company based in Denmark and founded in 1874, developed and commercialized the Hansen sweet potato™ Ipomoea batatas. “For the first time, we’ve created a whole new variety of vegetable to create the...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/new-sweet-potato-dye-spares-bugs-and-pleases-vegans
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Is cargotecture the future of construction? What you need to know for your next project

The construction industry has been through a lot of changes in recent years because of the rise in popularity of green buildings, the push to use more sustainable materials, and the efforts to reduce waste. One of the innovative ideas that has come along in building construction is cargotecture, a term that first popped up in 2003 to describe a building constructed in part or in full by using recycled shipping containers. There are millions of shipping containers all over the world just...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/is-cargotecture-the-future-of-construction-what-you-need-to-know-for-your-next-project
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Rammed earth ties a contemporary home to the rocky New Zealand landscape

Emerging out of the landscape like a series of boulders, the Kanuka Valley House set into a lush valley in Wanaka, New Zealand mimics the large schist rocks that punctuate the pristine landscape. Wellington-based architectural practice WireDog Architecture designed the angular home for a winemaker and his family, who wanted the house to respect the beauty of the natural landscape. To that end, the architects not only modeled the building off of local rock formations, but also used a natural material...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/rammed-earth-ties-a-contemporary-home-to-the-rocky-new-zealand-landscape
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Jaden Smith launches Water Box to aid with the Flint water crisis

For the past three years, the First Trinity Missionary Baptist Church has been battling the Flint water crisis by handing out clean water to locals. Volunteers with the organization started giving out bottled water every day of the week, but as donations decreased, they now distribute water over the course of three days. During donation days, the church usually runs out of supplies within a few hours, leaving many residents without access to clean water. The situation is disheartening to the volunteers...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/jaden-smith-launches-water-box-to-aid-with-the-flint-water-crisis
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A circular home in Germany produces biogas for self-sufficiency

When a German pioneer in the field of biogas technology commissioned Korbach-based Christoph Hesse Architects, he had an unusual request: a round house. Drawn to the shape of a circular room, the client also found that a round form had the optimal proportions for supporting biogas production, which he would use to power his home. Dubbed Villa F, the project was envisioned as the “first link of a local heat grid” powered by biogas to encourage widespread adoption and reduce dependence on fossil...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-circular-home-in-germany-produces-biogas-for-self-sufficiency
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Climate change is wreaking havoc on Italy's olive harvests

Italy is facing a major climate change crisis as the country’s olive harvests continue to decline. Italy’s olive industry has witnessed a 57 percent decrease in olive production, and climate scientist claim that extreme weather is the main cause of the crop shortage. Olive tree farms across Italy have been devastated by weather-related events this past year, including heavy rainfalls, unpredictable frosts, droughts, and powerful winds. All of these weather patterns coincide with what climate...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/climate-change-is-wreaking-havoc-on-italys-olive-harvests
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TemperPack raises $40M to combat plastic foam waste

If you’ve purchased a TV or other appliance in the past few decades, you’ve experienced the massive chunks of polystyrene foam that came with it. Plastic foam as it is known, also commonly called by the brand name Styrofoam, has dominated the packaging and insulation industries for many years and brought with it tons of waste. Taking an estimated 500 years to break down, the product leaves much to be desired from a sustainability standpoint. There is no doubt that plastic foam is one of the least...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/temperpack-raises-40m-to-combat-plastic-foam-waste
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Vegan dog food company continues its international expansion

V-planet, the San Francisco-based company which manufactures 100 percent vegan products for dogs, has just expanded its market to Israel. Israeli shoppers can now buy vegan pet food through Vegpet, v-planet’s online store. Why Israel? “Israel is one of the most vegan-friendly countries in the world with more self-identified vegans per capita than any other country,” said Lindsay Rubin, vice president of v-dog. “With so many consumers interested in transitioning their dogs to a vegan diet,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/vegan-dog-food-company-continues-its-international-expansion
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A solar-powered houseboat designed for the water-loving adventurer

Related: + Via

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-solar-powered-houseboat-designed-for-the-water-loving-adventurer
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International Women's Day Spotlight: Meet the 8 women leading the change for a better world

International Women’s Day is on March 8th, and it's just one of the 365 days per year that it is important to recognize and celebrate the contributions of female leaders. Below are eight women from around the world who are making headlines for their innovation and impact in environmental, conservation and sustainability fields. Melina Laboucan Massimo Indigenous Rights & Clean Energy Campaigner (Canada) Massimo, a member of the Lubicon Cree First Nation, grew up in a small community where...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/international-womens-day-spotlight-meet-the-8-women-leading-the-change-for-a-better-world
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Rugged Wilderness House optimizes bush views and passive solar principles

Drawing inspiration from the midcentury Case Study houses, Osmington-based Archterra Architects designed the Wilderness House, a contemporary elevated home with treetop canopy views. Located on a secluded bush block in coastal banksia woodland near Australia’s iconic Margaret River, the home was created to take advantage of its rich and remote environment with large windows and a natural materials palette. The client’s desires for long-term durability and low-maintenance also informed the design...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/rugged-wilderness-house-optimizes-bush-views-and-passive-solar-principles
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Add this all-in-one natural skincare to your bathroom counter

Imagine having silky smooth, intensely hydrated skin, even in the dead of winter. This dream can be a reality with Lalicious, a brand we discovered earlier this year at the Indie Beauty Expo. We instantly fell in love with the company’s whipped sugar scrubs, body butters and our personal favorite, a magical product known as the “velour body melt.” With a passion for luxurious, cruelty-free skincare at an accessible price point, Lalicious has made a permanent home in our daily skincare routines. Many...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/add-this-all-in-one-natural-skincare-to-your-bathroom-counter
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Cove launches the first 100% biodegradable water bottle

Officially launched in California on February 28, 2019 and targeted to expand to new markets throughout the year, Cove brand 100% biodegradable water bottles have become available as a sustainable plastic alternative. Cove offers an eco-friendly solution for water on the go at every phase of production and regardless of the disposal technique used.   <!--more→ Single-use plastic water bottles have made the headlines in every fight for sustainability for years for good reason--they...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/cove-launches-the-first-100-biodegradable-water-bottle
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Ultra-modern ski chalet pays homage to Ontario's traditional farmhouses

Toronto-based + Atelier Kastelic Buffey Related: + Atelier Kastelic Buffey Via Freshome ski chalet, Alta Chalet, ski chalet design, ski chalet toronto,

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/ultra-modern-ski-chalet-pays-homage-to-ontarios-traditional-farmhouses
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LSU researcher creates biodegradable plastic beads for Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras would not be the same without its plastic beads. For the past 200 years, people have given out freebies to parade attendees in New Orleans, starting with nuts and glass ornaments back in the day to the plastic beads partygoers have grown accustomed to today. While the colorful beads have become a staple for the iconic celebration, the leftover Mardi Gras beads end up littering the streets of New Orleans and eventually make their way to the city’s landfill. Fortunately, one researcher...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/lsu-researcher-creates-biodegradable-plastic-beads-for-mardi-gras
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Green school in Bali shows students how to live sustainably

The goals of the Green School are anything but small, yet they are simple: Take care of the local community and teach children to be stewards of our planet and leaders of sustainability in the future. <!--more→ The baby of John and Cynthia Hardy, the Green School was inspired after the retired couple viewed the Al Gore film, The Inconvenient Truth. With four children of their own, the couple decided to make a difference and, in 2006, broke ground on a new type of school, an educational...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/green-school-in-bali-shows-students-how-to-live-sustainably
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Scientists invent a solar panel that produces hydrogen

Scientists in Belgium have invented a solar panel that produces hydrogen as a source of fuel to heat homes. Using moisture in the atmosphere, the solar panel converts sunlight into hydrogen gas, producing somewhere 250 liters of gas every day. The team of scientists, lead by Professor Johan Martens, have been developing their hydrogen solar panel for the past ten years. When they first started, they were only able to produce small quantities of hydrogen gas, but now the gas bubbles are visible...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/scientists-invent-a-solar-panel-that-produces-hydrogen
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A ceramic facade blends this dome home into the Spanish coastline

Related: + Enric Ruiz-Geli + Cloud 9 The Stgilat Aiguablava villa, Enric Ruiz-Geli, Cloud 9, lightweight, sustainable structures.

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-ceramic-facade-blends-this-dome-home-into-the-spanish-coastline
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Drones: the future of ocean conservation

Unmanned systems, or drones, are increasingly used in variety of fields from border patrol, to cinematography, to science to just plain showing off your cool new toy with neighbors. With rapidly improve technology, durability and artificial intelligence, these unmanned systems can save ocean conservation practitioners significant time and resources by collecting data, mapping species and covering huge areas of ocean impossible to reach by boat. “Drones are fundamentally changing the way we monitor...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/drones-the-future-of-ocean-conservation
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China hopes to bring solar power to space

China is looking to be the first country in the world to install a solar power outlet in space. Scientists at the China Academy of Space Technology are working on a new technology to make space solar power a reality and hope to have something in place by the year 2050. The story of China's ambitious solar power initiative was first published by a newspaper ran by the country's Ministry of Science and Technology. The scientists working on the project believe that installing solar power in space...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/china-hopes-to-bring-solar-power-to-space
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Uber transforms 19th-century industrial buildings into hub for futuristic tech

A row of historic industrial buildings long considered at-risk of collapse has been saved thanks to Uber. The Uber Advanced Technologies Group R&D Center, a group that develops experimental and futuristic transit projects, including self-driving technologies, is now housed within part of San Francisco’s Pier 70—the best-preserved 19th century industrial complex west of the Mississippi. A sensitive undertaking, the adaptive reuse project breathed new life into the decrepit structures yet stayed...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/uber-transforms-19th-century-industrial-buildings-into-hub-for-futuristic-tech
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Johnson & Johnson offers Acuvue contact recycling program

Figuring out what is or is not recyclable is an ongoing struggle with program availability differing from one location to another. On the other hand, we aren’t even aware of many recycling programs available for products we dispose of frequently. Contact lens wearers, for example, have had some return returnability in past years by finding specific drop locations or mail-back options for used contact lenses. Now Johnson & Johnson has made the process easier for 3.7 million contact wearers in...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/johnson-johnson-offers-acuvue-contact-recycling-program
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Green-roofed home in Atlanta offers a digital detox with lush nature views

Designed to focus life on the outdoors, the Split Box House in Atlanta is a quiet nature-inspired retreat for a family eager to escape from the distractions of the digital world. Designed by local architectural practice DiG Architects, the green-roofed home emphasizes both energy efficiency and indoor/ outdoor living throughout. In addition to lush landscaped roofs that help mitigate stormwater runoff and energy consumption, massive low-e windows flood the interior with natural light to reduce dependence...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/green-roofed-home-in-atlanta-offers-a-digital-detox-with-lush-nature-views
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New hope for plastic recycling with IBM's VolCat technology

Think how much more material would be reused if plastic recycling didn’t entail washing, sorting and individual processing. Now IBM researchers have developed a new chemical process called VolatileCatalyst that eliminates these steps. VolCat recycling grinds up plastics, adds a chemical catalyst, and cooks them at temperatures above 200 degrees Celsius. The chemicals eat through polymer strands, producing a fine white powder ready to be made into new containers. By heating PET with ethylene...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/new-hope-for-plastic-recycling-with-ibms-volcat-technology
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Denver-based company helps you fulfill your van conversion dreams

Related: + Oasis Campervans Via Apartment Therapy van conversion, Oasis Campervans

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/denver-based-company-helps-you-fulfill-your-van-conversion-dreams
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An earth-bermed hobbit house with two glass arches hits the market for $190,000

Related: + Edina Realty Via Curbed

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/an-earth-bermed-hobbit-house-with-two-glass-arches-hits-the-market-for-190000
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Andrew Wheeler confirmed as new EPA administrator

Andrew Wheeler is taking over the reigns as the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Wheeler, who used to work as a lobbyist for the coal industry, became the 15th EPA administrator after a Senate vote confirmed his appointment. Shortly after the vote, Wheeler took to Twitter to post his thoughts on becoming the new EPA administrator. Wheeler thanked several politicians for helping him obtain the appointment and vowed to move forward with President Donald Trump's agenda. "I...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/andrew-wheeler-confirmed-as-new-epa-administrator
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Afghanistans Chihilsitoon Garden is restored with rammed earth architecture

The Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) has breathed new life and purpose into the Chihilsitoon Garden, a historic cultural destination in Kabul, Afghanistan that was in ruins for nearly three decades. Founded in the 19th century, the Chihilsitoon Garden had once housed visiting dignitaries such as U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, but suffered looting and damage during the internecine conflict of the early 1990s. Now restored to its former glory, the Chihilsitoon...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/afghanistans-chihilsitoon-garden-is-restored-with-rammed-earth-architecture
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A series of geometric, sustainable treehouses is imagined for the Italian Dolomites

Milan-based firm Peter Pichler Architecture Related: Stunning wooden Oberholz Mountain Hut branches out of the mountainside like a fallen tree + Peter Pichler Architects Via Archdaily

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-series-of-geometric-sustainable-treehouses-is-imagined-for-the-italian-dolomites
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Water pollution inspires the Lake Erie Bill of Rights to improve water quality

Residents of Toledo are fighting back against water pollution in Lake Erie. Residents in the Ohio town voted in a Lake Erie Bill of Rights to help protect the lake from human waste, a move that has been criticized by the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation (OFBF). The piece of legislation, dubbed LEBOR, basically gives the lake the same rights as humans. If the measure stands up in court, residents will be able to sue individuals and businesses on behalf of the lake. Citizens in Toledo hope this will...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/water-pollution-inspires-the-lake-erie-bill-of-rights-to-improve-water-quality
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UNStudio unveils sustainable vision for The Smartest Neighborhood in the World

In Helmond’s Brandevoort District in the Netherlands, an exciting new development had boldly declared its plans to become “The Smartest Neighborhood in the World.” Known as the Brainport Smart District (BSD), the tech-savvy and sustainable initiative has taken one step closer to reality thanks to the recently unveiled spatial plans created by an UNStudio-led design team. To be developed in phases across the span of ten years, the Brainport Smart District will be a one-of-a-kind mixed-use neighborhood...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/unstudio-unveils-sustainable-vision-for-the-smartest-neighborhood-in-the-world
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Plastic pollution is causing reproductive problems for ocean wildlife

Plastic pollution is becoming a major problem for ocean wildlife. Organisms that ingest plastics are subject to hormone disruption and issues with reproduction that affect their overall health, a new study finds. Wildlife around the world is exposed to plastic pollutants called endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). Not much is known about how these chemicals affect marine environments, though scientists have been studying them for years. According to The Guardian, killer whales, for instance,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/plastic-pollution-is-causing-reproductive-problems-for-ocean-wildlife
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The Refill Shoppe enforces zero-waste packaging, provides bulk refill solutions for myriad household and beauty products

With the nearly constant conversation about zero waste and minimization in general, single use packaging is a hot topic. For many consumables, customers don’t seem to have many options in avoiding packaging waste. Think about the liquid products in your home and you’ll know what we’re talking about here. Shampoo bottles, hand soap containers, dish soap, cleaners, bubble bath and massage oils are just a few commonly-used items that come to mind. One company has taken a stand against single-use...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-refill-shoppe-enforces-zero-waste-packaging-provides-bulk-refill-solutions-for-myriad-household-and-beauty-products
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Supreme Court will make historic Clean Water Act ruling

This Fall, the Supreme Court will make a momentous decision on whether groundwater polluters are in violation of the U.S. Clean Water Act. The upcoming case is in response to a 2018 verdict in Hawaii, which ruled that a wastewater facility was in violation of the Clean Water Act by polluting groundwater. However, Maui County in Hawaii argues that the Clean Water Act only covers “navigable,” above-ground waters,” while states govern groundwater. The ruling will have wide implications about what...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/supreme-court-will-make-historic-clean-water-act-ruling
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Indonesia builds a resilient "living shoreline"

The Demak District on Indonesia’s most populous island of Java is four years into a five-year plan to restore its disappearing and degraded shoreline. In a collaborative and holistic approach to green-infrastructure, sustainable development and nature restoration, local and international partners have successfully completed many integrated components to build back the shoreline. This "Living Shoreline" will create natural defenses against further erosion while increasing economic opportunities...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/indonesia-builds-a-resilient-living-shoreline
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Biodiversity decline puts food supply at risk

Biodiversity decline around the globe is hurting our capacity to develop food. A new study from the United Nations found that biodiversity is a key element in producing sustainable and secure food sources — such as crops and livestock — and it is in a decline due to several factors, including climate change. Scientists working with the Food and Agriculture Organization arm of the UN discovered that biodiversity has dropped across three levels: ecosystems, genetics, and species. Without...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/biodiversity-decline-puts-food-supply-at-risk
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A historical 16th-century building in Austria gets a green makeover

When architectural studio Peter Ebner and friends was tapped to design a building with two residential units in Salzburg, Austria, the firm not only had to contend with an abandoned historic property onsite, but also the challenge of pushback from the local community. Although the existing 16th-century building had been neglected and for years, fear of change to the building’s historic appearance sparked anxiety among the community and drove the architects to take an especially sensitive approach....

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/a-historical-16th-century-building-in-austria-gets-a-green-makeover
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Architects design gorgeous forest-enveloped home with lounge space on its green roof

Related: + MF Architectos Via World Architecture Casa Spain green roof

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/architects-design-gorgeous-forest-enveloped-home-with-lounge-space-on-its-green-roof
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Oceans are dubbed the 'ultimate sink' for plastic waste

Plastic waste has officially reached the deepest levels of the world's oceans, which are now being dubbed as the ultimate sinks for pollution. Scientists discovered organisms that had ingested microplastics at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, which descends over 6,000 meters. The Royal Society Open Science journal published the findings of the study, concluding that all marine environments have now been affected by plastic waste. Many of these microplastics come from substances that do not biodegrade...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/oceans-are-dubbed-the-ultimate-sink-for-plastic-waste
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Breezy brick home in India houses multiple generations under one roof

New Delhi architectural practice Vir.Mueller Architects recently completed the Singh Residence, an experimental house built primarily from brick. Located in Noida just outside New Delhi, the home serves as a prototype for stylish and comfortable multigenerational living that’s not only sensitive to Indian culture and aesthetics, but also makes use of energy-efficient passive cooling. The home was created as a model for adaptable and replicable residential development across India. Spanning...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/breezy-brick-home-in-india-houses-multiple-generations-under-one-roof
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Poor air quality found at over 2,000 sites across the UK

A new study shows that close to 2,000 sites across the U.K. have poor air quality due to excess pollution. The cities most affected by high levels of toxic gas were in Wales, England and Northern Ireland, all of which were tested well beyond what is considered safe. One of the main culprits behind the alarming numbers is nitrogen dioxide, a gas that is considered one of the most harmful of urban pollutants. Kensington, Chelsea, Leeds and Doncaster all tested high in nitrogen dioxide in 2017....

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/poor-air-quality-found-at-over-2000-sites-across-the-uk
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The environmental problem with toilet paper and what to use instead

Having easy access to soft, fluffy toilet paper is one of those modern conveniences that make life in the 21st century that much sweeter. But, did you know that using this luxury could be doing more damage to the environment than if you drove a large, gas-guzzling SUV? On average, every American use three rolls of toilet paper every week (28 pounds per year), which means that just four percent of the world’s population is responsible for 20 percent of total tissue consumption, and this is...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/the-environmental-problem-with-toilet-paper-and-what-to-use-instead
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This Ecuadorian home uses the natural elements of rammed earth as a foundation

Rammed earth is a building technique that uses packed raw materials from the earth like gravel, sand, silt or clay to build walls and foundations. Casa Lasso, designed by Rama Estudio in San Jose, Ecuador utilized the rammed earth approach (or “tapial”) to create five strong walls made of natural elements to both protect the home from strong winds and improve the thermal quality inside the home. Much of the furniture and shelving in the kitchen and bedroom is built into the structured wall,...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/this-ecuadorian-home-uses-the-natural-elements-of-rammed-earth-as-a-foundation
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