National Parks are being trashed during the government shutdown

As the government shutdown continues, many National Parks are suffering from a lack of staff, as well as a complete disregard for the rules by visitors. According to multiple reports, some parks - like Yosemite National Park in California - are being overwhelmed by trash, vandalism, human waste, and destructive off-roading. “It’s a free-for-all,” says Yosemite worker Dakota Snider, who added that the heartbreaking situation is the worst he has seen in his four years living there. The...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/national-parks-are-being-trashed-during-the-government-shutdown
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7 eco-friendly insulation alternatives for a green home

Insulation is an important part of any home. Not only does it retain heat during the winter by restricting air flow, but it also reduces the cost of heating and cooling throughout the year. For more than a century, most new homes were built with fiberglass insulation, but that has caused some problems. Fiberglass consists of plastic layers that are reinforced by a blend of recycled materials, like glass and sand. While that helps with conserving energy, the particles in fiberglass insulation can...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/7-eco-friendly-insulation-alternatives-for-a-green-home
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Solar-Powered smart home in LA can be remotely controlled with a phone

Los Angeles-based general contractor and real estate development firm LA Build Corp has recently completed a single-family custom home that combines luxury modern design with energy-saving smart home technologies. Located in West Hollywood’s Kilkea Drive, the contemporary dwelling is equipped with a full home automation system that allows the homeowners to control multiple aspects of the house—from the sound systems to the window shades—with a touch of a button on their smartphones. The house...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/solar-powered-smart-home-in-la-can-be-remotely-controlled-with-a-phone
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UK bans pet stores from selling puppies, kittens

In an attempt to protect animals from exploitation, the United Kingdom has passed a new law banning third-party commercial retailers from selling puppies and kittens. The UK government wants to crack down on “puppy farms” and make things more difficult for dealers who seem to have no regard for animal welfare. There was overwhelming public support for the ban of third-party sales, and Animal Welfare Minister David Rutley says that the new law “is part of our commitment to make sure the nation’s...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/uk-bans-pet-stores-from-selling-puppies-kittens
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Massive shipping container shopping center to pop up in Warsaw

Nearly three hundred shipping containers may soon be given a new lease on life as a massive pop-up shopping center in downtown Warsaw, Poland. Designed by local architecture practice Szcz and commissioned by investor Nowa Epoka Handlu, the cargotecture proposal would transform a 2.6-acre site into one of the world’s largest shipping container retail complexes. Named Implant, the three-story modular building would house approximately 80 tenants and host mixed programming from retail and restaurants...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/massive-shipping-container-shopping-center-to-pop-up-in-warsaw
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Gorgeous new Apple store is powered entirely by renewable energy in Paris

The latest Apple store designed by Foster + Partners has opened in a beautifully renovated 19th-century building on Paris’s Champs-Élysées. Powered with 100 percent renewable energy, Apple Champs-Élysées draws energy from the photovoltaic panels integrated into its kaleidoscopic roof light and collects rainwater for reuse in the bathrooms and irrigation systems. Described by Apple as the tech company’s “grandest Forum,” the retail location blends historic architecture with contemporary...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/gorgeous-new-apple-store-is-powered-entirely-by-renewable-energy-in-paris
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Tham & Videgrd Arkitekter designs Swedish vertical village built from CLT

Stockholm-based architecture practice Tham & Videgård Arkitekter has unveiled designs for a new housing typology in Gothenburg, Sweden, that will be built from cross-laminated timber. Named the “vertical village,” the project is a “solid timber” iteration of the firm’s previous development by the same name that had been designed for Stockholm in 2009. Like its predecessor, the Gothenburg “vertical village” champions a dense and family-centric development built around a series of...

from Inhabitat - Green Design, Innovation, Architecture, Green Building https://inhabitat.com/tham-videgard-arkitekter-designs-swedish-vertical-village-built-from-clt
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