Gorgeous billboards by street artist Kelsey Montague are being turned into bags

Fans of Kelsey Montague, an artist best known for her murals of sprawling angel wings, flocks of dragonflies, and other flights of fancy, will soon be able to tote her work wherever they roam. After a stint as a featured artist for Rareform, a company that turns billboards into one-of-a-kind bags and other accessories, Montague will receive its signature treatment. Montague followed the footsteps of fellow artists Tyler Ramsey and Milton Glaser when she participated in Rareform's...

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Oregon just approved the nations first tax on bicycles - and cyclists are furious

Because bicycling is good for one’s health and results in fewer cars being on the road (reducing carbon emissions), one would think governments would go out of their way to encourage more people to commute in such fashion. Right? Wrong. In Oregon — a state which is known for its avid bicycling culture, the nation’s first statewide bike tax has been approved. The new excise tax will require consumers to pay $15 in tax on a bike that costs more than $200 and has a wheel diameter of at least...

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The Indian startup pioneering new battery swapping system for country's electric buses

One of the hassles associated with electric vehicles is how long it takes to charge them. But in India, an energy infrastructure startup has partnered with the country's second biggest truck manufacturer to pioneer a solution: a battery swapping system. The target to start is electric buses, which could stop at stations reminiscent of today's petrol pumps to avoid having to spend a lot of time charging. Related:

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Porsche's new EV chargers top up Mission E batteries by 80% in 15 minutes

We're still about two years away from the arrival of the Porsche Mission E electric car, but Porsche has already started installing the 800-volt chargers that will power it. Porsche recently installed two 800-volt chargers in Berlin that have the ability to recharge an EV's batteries up to 80% in a mere 15 minutes. The 350kW chargers are twice as powerful as the 145kW chargers that Tesla's Supercharger network uses. Although Porsche's new charging stations, Tesla refuses to be out done, since...

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Caltech scientists accelerate part of carbon sequestration process by 500 times

Carbon sequestration, or removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it long-term, could help us fight climate change. It's a complex chemical reaction, but a team of scientists led by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) just made a breakthrough in speeding up a slow part of the reaction. Study co-author Jess Adkins said, "This is one of those rare moments in the arc of one's career where you just go, 'I just discovered something no one ever knew." Related:

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Solar-powered prefab homes for struggling millennials can be set up in a day

An increasing amount of people in the United Kingdom make too much money to qualify for social housing, but not enough to buy a house. Prefabricated homes manufactured at the Legal & General Leeds factory could meet housing needs for that group, largely millennials, and the first ones recently popped up in the London area. The

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HonoMobo's container homes can be shipped anywhere in North America

HonoMobo built an entire collection of flexible, multi-use living units out of reused shipping containers. You can use the structures as a backyard cottage, garage suite, weekend getaway or combine them to create apartments and multi-family developments. The fact that you can simply order HonoMobo houses online makes them even more appealing to homeowners. Related: You can order HonoMobo’s prefab shipping container homes online + HonoMobo Honomobo shipping container home,

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"Crown jewel" wildlife refuge is about to be decimated as Trump starts border wall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eTg6FQT5hM A 2,000 acre wildlife area known as the “crown jewel” of the national refuge system is about to be gutted as Trump begins construction on his border wall. US Customs and Border patrol has quietly been preparing to start the 18-foot tall border wall in the Santa Ana National Refuge in southern Texas, according to an anonymous official. The refuge is home to 400 bird species and the endangered ocelot, but if the wall is constructed as planned, it will...

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Taipei transforms subway cars into ultra-realistic swimming pools and sports fields

Related: + Via This is Colossal Taipei Subway Cars

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Vertical Line Garden engulfs visitors in a flurry of colorful kinetic tapes

Canadian design studio BACKOFFICE found a surprising and fun new use for commercial barrier tape for the Vertical Line Garden, a kinetic installation bursting with color that changes dramatically with the light and wind. Developed for the 2017 International Garden Festival in Quebec, the Vertical Line Garden offers a twist on the formal traditional garden, using “contemporary ready-made means and hyper un-natural materials.” The multi-sensory and interactive pavilion comes to life as the pavilion’s...

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Dog rescues drowning baby deer in the most adorable video youll see today

We already knew dogs are saviors to humankind, but it turns out they are heroes to other species, as well! This was made evident when recently, a golden retriever rescued a baby deer from the water off the coast of Long Island, New York. The dramatic ordeal was captured on video and has since gone viral. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suh2ggzLm_U This past weekend, a pooch named Storm was out for a walk with his caretaker Mark Freeley when he “plunged into the water and started swimming...

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Innovative retractable sliding glass enclosure extends over pool for year-round fun in Maine

Turkish company Libart has installed an innovative retractable wall system for an outdoor pool in XXX. The sliding aluminum and glass structure can be extended out over the pool to protect it in inclement weather or opened during sunny days. The flexible architectural system .... Related: Sliding Walls Transform This Tokyo House Into an Office For the pool Libart installed a high-walled, 4-piece sectional design called Evolution Freestanding. The glass panels not only provide a...

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LAGI announces location for 2018 renewable energy design competition

Oil refineries and rigs aren't typically considered beautiful. But as the world transitions to more renewable sources of power, what if grid-scale energy could double as an art installation? That's the dream pursued by the Land Art Generator Initiative (LAGI), which holds a design competition every two years to present visions for energy-generating art able to power hundreds of homes. 2016's winners included ethereal sailboats that harvested both wind for power and fog for water, and whale-like installations...

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Greenbuild: The world's biggest green building expo is coming to Boston

The world's biggest conference dedicated to green building is coming to Boston this November, and you won't want to miss it. The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo will bring together experts, professionals and leaders in sustainable building for mind-blowing exhibits, learning activities, a Net Zero zone, and pavilions with the latest in green building technology.

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Climate change could transform one of Africa's driest regions into a wet one

Climate change is often connected to heat waves and hot temperatures. But researchers recently found almost the opposite could happen in a dry region of Africa: the Sahel. The area sprawls across multiple countries and is considered a transitional zone between the Sahara Desert and more humid regions to the south, and itself is prone to extreme dryness. But climate change could suddenly cause this region to experience heavy seasonal rainfall. Related:

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New genetically engineered yeast that could clean up heavy metal pollution

A genetically engineered version of the fungus in your bread and beer could help clean up the environment. A team of seven Romanian and Norwegian scientists developed yeast that could clean up heavy metal pollution - and their research revealed the most effective strains are able to soak up 80 percent of metal ions. Related:

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Magical Cape Cod-style cottage perched on NYC rooftop goes on sale for $3.5M

Related: + Via NY Post NYC rooftop cottage, nyc real estate, nyc cottage for sale, nyc rooftop terrace, East Village rooftop cottage, East Village penthouse apartment, Gale Barrett Shrady, magical cottages, nyc penthouses, nyc design, nyc architecture, nyc secret buildings, east village cottage, rooftop gardens.

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World's first solar-powered hot air balloon visits UK school

Bristol was recently named the best place to live in Britain so it was natural that schoolchildren living in the coolest city in the UK just got a glimpse of the one of the coolest energy sources in action with the arrival of the world's first solar-powered hot air balloon. The balloon actually took its maiden voyage back in 2015 but on Monday youngsters from the Hannah More Primary School got to learn about how renewable energy can power global transport -- even a hot air balloon.   ...

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Vietnam's longest cable-stayed bridge lights up with 16.7 million colors

A prism of colors bathes the recently completed Nhat Tan Bridge in Hanoi and turns it into an illuminated work of art. Philips Lighting partnered with Vietnamese construction company, the Sun Group, and installed their cloud-based Philips ActiveSite lighting management system with Philips Color Kinetics which can create a staggering 16.7 million different colors. The new luminous landmark– Vietnam's longest cable-stayed bridge– crosses the Red River in Hanoi and connects the city to...

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Elon Musk has a simple plan to power the US entirely on renewable energy

With all the talk in the US about bringing back more coal and opening more oil reserves, it can be discouraging for those of us dreaming of a sustainable energy future. But Elon Musk, who is always looking at what we can do, rather than what we can't, has laid out a feasible plan for moving the US entirely onto renewable energy. Speaking at the National Governors Association meeting this week, Musk talked about powering the entire country with just 100 square miles of solar panels.  

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