Inhabitat

GO BACK TO SCHOOL WITH AN AMAZING NEW SOLAR BAG!

If you want to put your best (and greenest) foot forward as you start the new school year, we’ve got something that will help – a lot. We’re giving away a fantastic Back to School Prize Package (worth over $500) packed with green school supplies to one lucky winner – and it could be you! This amazing bundle includes 7 awesome 100% recycled hardcover notebooks in assorted colors and styles by ecosystem, a 100% recycled binder, tabs and binder pouch from Naked Binder, and to top it all off, an amazing solar-powered bag by Sakku (worth $450) that keeps all your gadgets charged up using power from the sun!

ENTER HERE >

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Post tags: back to school, contest, eco bag, eco binder, eco notebook, eco school supplies, ecosystem, giveaway, green back to school, green bag, green binder, green notebook, green school supplies, naked binder, photovoltaic bag, sakku, sakku solar bag, sakky, solar bag, solar powered bag

Read the rest of Gorgeous Green Tree Home Takes Root in Bulgariahttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: Bignatov Studios, brownfeild redevelopment, Bulgaria green building, geo source, geothermal heating, Green Building, green house, ground source heat pump, Ignatov Architects, solar heating, solar thermal

Read the rest of Miami’s Only LEED Gold Tower Can Withstand 300mph Winds!http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: "leed", "sustainable architecture", 1450 Brickell, eco design, eco office, eco skyscraper, eco tower, green architecture, Green Building, hurricane resistant design, hurricane winds, LEED gold, Miami, Sustainable Building

Read the rest of Garden City K66 is a Pixelated Modular City Filled with Terraceshttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Eco Architecture, garden city k66, green architecture, green city, green space, Ljubljana, modular, modular housing pixelated city, ofis architects, pixelated, prefabricated, Slovenia

These gorgeous Fractal Gardens was created by Legge Lewis Legge for the International Garden Festival in Métis (Québec, Canada). Composed of a group of 21 low planters on wheels, the garden can be rolled and arranged into infinite patterns. The set consists of seven planters comprising three different shapes and plantings. Each “diamond” contains two angles that are multiples of 1/14th of 360°, allowing the pieces to fit together both symmetrically and asymmetrically.

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Post tags: canada, fractal garden, Gardening, green design, International Garden Festival, Legge Lewis Legge, rolling planters, sustainable design

We’ve seen a lot of cool applications for Tyvek, but never one that drew its inspiration from the Rococo period – until now! Named after the palace of King Louis XIV, the Grand Trianon is a chandelier made from the lightweight, recycled material. Not only is the green light fixture super easy to transport (think about this in comparison to an actual full size crystal chandelier), but when it’s lit, it emits a soft twinkling glow.

+ Grand Trianon Tyvek Chandelier

Via Treehugger

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Post tags: Artecnica, eco design, eco lighting, grand trianon, green design, green lamp, green lighting, Paula Arntzen, Recycled Materials, rococo, tyvek

If you’re on a budget but still love the look of modern design, IKEA is a popular place to find that affordable furniture fix. But could you imagine yourself going “vintage modern” by purchasing second-hand IKEA products? Just a few days ago IKEA launched a new program in Sweden that offers used IKEA pieces online, and they intend to extend this idea to other foreign outlets. Peter Agnefäll, CEO of IKEA Sweden told the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, “It is about taking an environmental responsibility for how our products are used in the longer term and making it easier for our customers to do their part for their responsibility towards the environment.” We’re not too sure about the quality and life span of most IKEA furniture, but we do appreciate the gesture as the big-box company tries to reduce waste with a more sustainable business venture.

Via Time

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Post tags: "green furniture", ikea, ikea furniture, second hand furniture

Typical of industrial construction, precious metals such as gold, platinum and palladium are sometimes lost given the difficulties of effectively extracting them. However, researchers from the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham have found a way to use microbes, similar to the common soil bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, to recover palladium from useless industrial waste. Researchers hope that by using such forms of bacteria, high quantities of precious metals can be recaptured and recycled for use in industries. While the whole process to reclaim this little bit of metal seems overly tedious, the end result holds considerable value. Palladium itself is one of the most precious resource metals on Earth, boasting unique chemical properties. This metal can in fact be used as an active element in autocatalytic converters able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


Read the rest of Bacteria Harvests Precious Metals to Produce Clean Energyhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: bacteria green catalyst, bioscience bacteria palladium, bioscience bacteria precious m etal, gold bacteria, palladium bacteria, palladium microbes, precious metals bacteria

Get ready for super-charged solar cells! MIT researchers announced this week that they have developed self-assembling solar cells that can be broken down and rebuilt repeatedly, much like plant cells. The solar cells constantly renew themselves, which means the technology could ultimately lead to longer-lasting commercial cells.

Read the rest of MIT Develops Self-Assembling Solar Cellshttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: chloroplast, green design, Gulf oil spill, MIT, plant cells, Solar cells

We love seating arrangements that inspire people to play, but these stools designed by Marina68 are especially awesome thanks to their quirky nature. Set side-by-side or stacked on top of one another, these charming little stools look like a swarm of cute critters ready to run around the room. Each Tupa Stool is compact, easily movable — and best of all — made from recyclable cork, which makes them a stylish and sustainable way to add a bit of fun to your living room.

+ Marina68 Studio

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Post tags: cork furniture, cork seating, cork stool, green seating green furniture, marina68 studio, recyclable stool, tupa stool

In a bid to one-up their competition, Hyundai has announced that they will sell hydrogen fuel cell cars starting in 2012 – three years before Toyota, Honda and the rest of the competition. Seeing that renewable energy is becoming decidedly cheaper and that hydrogen fuel cell cars are more commercially viable than they were a year ago, Hyundai has said that will deliver the world’s first series production fuel cell vehicle in 2012, with 500 hydrogen vehicles rolling off the line that year and more afterwards.

Read the rest of Hyundai To Sell Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars In 2012http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: honda hydrogen, hydrogen fuel cell cars, hyundai 2012 hydrogen cars, hyundai hydrogen fuel cell, hyundai hydrogen vehicle, hyundai ix35, toyota hydrogen

Richardsville Elementary, a new LEED Platinum School in Kentucky, is getting extra credit by being the first zero energy school in the nation! Opening this month to much anticipation, the facility is a cornucopia of green building strategies and efficient technologies. The bread and butter of the school’s success are tremendous efficiency gains coupled with a 300 kW thin-film solar array. Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects have done and astonishing job of reducing the building’s energy consumption to one fourth of a typical school without breaking the bank.

Read the rest of America’s First Zero Energy School to Open This Monthhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: Daylighting, first zero energy, geothermal heating cooling architecture, Green Building, ground source heat pump, Kentucky green school, Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects, zero energy building, zero energy school

With California’s proposed statewide ban on plastic bags swept aside as collateral damage of the state’s broken political system, American Samoa emerged as the first U.S. state or territory to ban plastic bags at all retail stores. The landmark bill was signed into law last week and will take effect on February 23rd of 2011.

Read the rest of American Samoa Becomes First U.S. Territory to Ban Plastic Bagshttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: american samoa, garbage patch, julia brownley, plastic bags, San Francisco, taotasi archie soliai, waste and recycling

Just when you thought things were getting better in the Gulf of Mexico, another oil rig has just exploded. This morning around 9:30 am CDT a commercial helicopter reported that an oil production platform exploded 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana. All 13 of the workers are accounted for, although one has been injured and is en route to the hospital. The Coast Guard has deployed multiple helicopters, an airplane and several Coast Guard cutters to the site. This oil rig was apparently not producing any oil, but it is not clear if there is or will be a leak. This newest explosion, five months after the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, occurred 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay on a platform owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy

Via CNN

Photo © Wikimedia Commons

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Post tags: deepwater horizon, gulf of mexico, oil rig, oil rig explosion, oil spill

Since 1961 when President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by executive order, thousands of volunteers have traveled to developing countries to implement programs that range from AIDS education to information technology and environmental preservation. Now they’ll be adding another task to their list: the implementation of renewable energy. The US government just awarded the Peace Corps with $1 million to start a program that will bring clean green energy to developing communities in Central and South America.

Read the rest of Peace Corps to Start Clean Energy Program in the Americashttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: clean energy in central america, clean energy in south america, clean energy in the developing world, green energy in central america, green energy in south america, green energy in the developing world, peace corps, renewable energy in rural areas, renewable energy in the americas, renewable energy in the developing world

Are you a resident of Hong Kong? Are you having trouble breathing because of the dense air pollution? Have no fear, Fresh Air is here! The Clean Air Network, a Hong Kong based awareness group is selling bottles of Fresh Air for just 25 cents to local residents. With Hong Kong’s air quality three times as bad as New York City’s and twice the level of London’s, it’s high time they start doing something about it. Check out the mock — yes, that’s correct, the bottles of air aren’t real — infomercial after the jump.

Read the rest of Hong Kong Activist Group Selling “Fresh Air” for 25 Cents a Bottlehttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: air pollution, air pollution china, air pollution hong kong, air quality hong kong, chinese air pollution, fresh air campaign, hong kong clean air campaign, how bad is hong kong air quality

WIN A BACK TO SCHOOL SOLAR BAG BUNDLE WORTH OVER $500!

Headed back to school and need some help getting inspired? Inhabitat is here to help! We’ve got an awesome eco back-to-school package that we’ll be giving away to one lucky winner in our Green Back-to-School contest. You may have noticed we ran a contest like this last week on Inhabitat… Well it was so popular that we decided to do another one and really up the ante this time. So if you didn’t win in the last contest, now you have another chance! We’ll be giving away an amazing bundle that includes 7 awesome 100% recycled hardcover notebooks in assorted colors and styles by ecosystem, a 100% recycled binder, tabs and binder pouch from Naked Binder, and to top it all off, an incredible solar-powered bag by Sakku (worth $450) that keeps all your gadgets charged up using power from the sun!

Read the rest of BACK TO SCHOOL GIVEAWAY: Win a Solar Powered Package (worth $500)!http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: back to school, contest, eco bag, eco binder, eco notebook, eco school supplies, ecosystem, giveaway, green back to school, green bag, green binder, green notebook, green school supplies, naked binder, photovoltaic bag, sakku, sakku solar bag, sakky, solar bag, solar powered bag

Read the rest of Amazing Mineral House is a Multi-Faceted Micro Home in Japanhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: atelier tekuto, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, Japan, japanese micro home, micro home, mini home, reflection of a mineral, sustaianble architecture, Sustainable Building, tekuto, tiny house

If you’re fed up with the balancing act of taking groceries home on your bike handlebars, or are still a little too proud to go for that front anchored basket, then the PUMA Mopion just may be the stylish cycling solution you’ve been looking for. Although Puma is best known for their sweet kicks, this beloved brand has been busy pumping out a portfolio of bikes, and their latest design created with KiBiSi and Biomega is one beautiful green ride. Offering all the convenient features of both a commuter and cargo bike in one sleek aluminum frame, the Mopion could easily be considered the cool new Cadillac of bikes.

Read the rest of PUMA Debuts Mopion Commuter Bike With a Serious Cargo Holdhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: biomega, KiBiSi, PUMA, puma bicycle, puma bikes, Puma Mopion

Read the rest of Undulating Green-Roofed Hotel Opens in Norwayhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", eco design, eco hotel, green architecture, green design, green roof, hotel, JDS Architects, norway, stavanger, Sustainable Building, two seasons hotel