Perfect for emergency preparedness and cute to boot, this adorable penguin eco flashlight would make an excellent addition to any home. The bright light eschews a landfill-bound battery for a pump powered kinetic charger that provides an hour of light for each minute spent pumping. Capable of functioning as either a nightlight or a flashlight, it’s also a great way to teach growing tots about renewable energy. Head on over to Inhabitots for full scoop!
Coastal erosion is one of the most daunting problems that a seaside city or county can face. The loss of shorelines and coastal areas due to storm activity can be a devastating event, with damages ranging in the millions of dollars. There are a number of methods used to try and contain such erosion, but a new technique is seeking to establish a thriving underwater ecosystem in process. Marine scientists in Alabama are utilizing tons of oyster shells to create a barrier reef that will serve as a habitat for sea life, filter the water, and protect the coast.
These sleek solar-powered lofts are part of a stunning adaptive reuse of an old textile warehouse in San Diego. Designed by Jonathan Segal Architecture the 20,000 square foot block receives 50% of its energy from photovoltaic panels and integrates a variety of urban living environments for a mixture of very low income (50% of the median), affordable and market rate units. A paragon of efficient modern minimalism, the Union is a truly beautiful project that recognizes that one of the best ways to build green is to revitalize something old to become new.
The new Yellow Treehouse Restaurant by New Zealand based Pacific Environments Architects Ltd. (PEL) is a stunning architectural feat perched high above a redwood first. Appearing for all the world like an enormous chrysalis grafted onto a 40-meter-high redwood tree, the project is constructed of plantation poplar slats, redwood balustrading milled at the site, and makes extensive use of natural lighting throughout.
Note to skaters – according to the Science Channel, skateboards have replaced furniture as the leading contributor to maple deforestation. The Canadian maple takes 40 to 60 years to mature before it can be cut down to make your decks. The good news? BambooSK8 is a true-green company that makes first rate skateboards that are durable, sustainable, and even stronger than maple.
What if a single inexpensive upgrade could significantly cut your car’s emissions while simultaneously increasing its fuel efficiency? That’s the enticing concept behind the Blade, a chromed-out exhaust filtration module that wouldn’t look out of place on the most pimped of rides. From filtering particulate matter to increasing catalytic converter efficiency, the Blade it makes some pretty incredible claims, but is it truly a shining silver bullet aimed at the black heart of our carbon churning car culture - or just another piece of green-washed bling out to pilfer your pockets?
Mazda’s aggressively styled KAAN concept vehicle represents an innovative foray into the future of racing. A finalist in this year’s Design Los Angeles Automobile Design Challenge, the all-electric car envisions a transit system where vehicles are propelled by roadways imbued with “a sub-level electro conductive polymer” powered by solar panel farms in the Mojave desert. The emission-free vehicle sports a sleek aerodynamic profile and is powered by electric motors encased within wheels infused with electric pickups.
We have heard of cars and planes using biofuels, but we must admit that we never thought we’d hear of a bio-diesel powered flying car! Designed by Gilo Cardozo, the Skycar is a vehicle that has been attached to a paramotor that can actually fly! To prove its capabilities the vehicle will be chartering a voyage from London all the way to the Sahara!
Frequent passerby in the neighborhood of Santa Margarita, Spain may find themselves a bit lost when they can’t seem to find the white wall they just passed by. Appearing at first as a simple sheet of folded paper, this beautiful white-walled building features a facade of panels that open in brilliant pops of color. Designed by Romera y Ruiz Arquitectos, “Ocho casas inscritas y tres patios” is a sustainably constructed social housing complex with a facade that changes according to the wishes of its inhabitants!
Recently New York’s visionary Hearst tower was honored as the winner of the prestigious 2008 International Highrise Award. Constructed by Inhabitat favorites Norman Foster and Partners, the LEED gold-certified structure showcases a stunning array of sustainable strategies that have led to it being hailed as the greenest skyscraper in the New York skyline. We got the scoop on the Hearst tower’s sustainable features at last weekend’s Net Impact conference, where Hearst Director of Corporate Real Estate and Facilities Planning Brian Schwagerl gave an in-depth look at the iconic tower’s innovative solutions.
What with gas prices being as high as they were this summer, we didn’t go on as many road trips as we would have liked to. If we had a camper like the Verdier Solar Powered Camper, we definitely would have embarked upon more road trips to beautiful National Parks and done it in eco-style. Verdier’s eco-RV is based upon a classic VW Westfalia that has been upgraded with many green elements, like a hybrid engine, solar panels and a lot of high-tech systems that makes this bus a hippy’s Pimp My Ride dream come true.
As fears of global warming induced population displacement are steadily realized, the allure of waterborne aquatecture becomes more and more enticing. Designed by Alexander Asadov, this incredible floating Aerohotel features a lighter-than-air aesthetic that sits serenely atop an elegant system of supports. Conceived as an elevated aquatic structure replete with hanging gardens, the space-age floating island preserves the entire extent of the ecosystem beneath it, contrasting with man-made islands that disrupt their immediate environment with tons of gravel fill.
Think being an eco mom means wearing tie-dyed hemp baby slings over mom jeans? Think again! Its now easier than ever to be glamorous, green, and maternal at the same time - and eco parent acessories company Fleurville is making it even easier with their stylish environmentally sustainable handbags for sassy moms on the go. We’re giving away one beautiful Fleurville Lexie Tote (shown above - a value of $165), on Inhabitots as part of our reader survey. You need to be a registered Inhabitots reader to enter the raffle contest, so if you aren’t and you want this bag, register here, and then enter the reader survey >
With a distinct urban and rock ‘n roll feel, Brooklyn-based Wrecords by Monkey creates unique handmade accessories using reclaimed vinyl records. The company, made up of friends Patrick Chirico and Brian Farrell, was started in 2004 when the two started to make jewelry in their dorm hallway at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Their first and signature product, the Wrecord bracelet, ranges in styles from quirky to sophisticated– some even glow in the dark! Today, the duo’s work has come to include bracelets, necklaces, earrings, rings and t-shirts– all eco-chic items for the music lover.
Last Sunday, clothes were swapped along with opinions and eco-style tips during theVictoria & Albert Museum’s Ethical Fashion Day. From thought-provoking presentations to a fashion show, it promised to be “a day dedicated to your fashion choices and the principles and practicalities of ethical fashion.” Inhabitat was on the scene to partake in the fashion fun and soak up the discussion on current issues facing the fashion industry today. The full day’s program can be found online.
When it comes to mobiles, everyone knows that they can make great nursery decorations and playthings for babies, but sophisticated, abstract mobiles can also function equally well as artsy decor for grownups. Such is the case with Frazier & Wing’s beautiful recycled magazine mobiles. Made from hundreds of paper cut-outs from old magazines, and strung in linear cascading forms, Frazier & Wing’s chandelier-esque mobiles make a stunning centerpiece for any room: nursery or grownup.
In the rush to create ultra-modern bamboo chairs, entertainment centers, desks, wallets, and other generally eco “stuff,” the pure beauty of natural forms is sometimes lost in modern design for industrialization. So it is blissfully refreshing to mentally reconnect with exhibit Tickling Thicket at Oakland Gallery, Johansson Projects, where artists Katy Stone and Yvette Molina use innovative painting techniques to create spellbinding, ethereal natural forms.
Landscape is a term that has possessed a variety of related definitions in the past. At Sculpture Center’s group exhibition, Degrees of Remove: Landscape and Affect, landscape is “as an interpreted notion of space.” The exhibit questions how perceptions of landscape have changed since technology has made it possible to engage in landscapes far removed from our physical locations– or if we can really engage in them at all. Curated by Sarina Basta and Fionn Meade, the exhibition will run until the end of this month and has a corresponding film series at Anthology Film Archives.
If you’re a fan of modern prefab architecture and you’re raising rugrats, now you can get your little ones on the prefab mod action with the Mini Modern Prefab Playshed. Part Case-Study home, part play-house, the Mini Modern Prefab proves that kid’s design can be fun and sophisticated at the same time. Architect Ryan Grey Smith, known for his adult-sized Modern-Shed is bringing prefab to preschoolers with his Modern Play Shed, a smaller but no-less awesome version of his original design. Better than any treehouse or playhouse we’ve ever seen, it comes fully loaded with a sloped shed roof, dutch doors, 12 windows, and more.
When they were first commissioned to create a “Bahaman” seaside cottage on secluded South Stradbroke Island, Brisbane-based Arkhefield was faced with a few interesting challenges. The design had to be livable all year round, made from materials strong enough to withstand the harsh climate conditions, yet remind its inhabitants of memorable vacations spent on exotic islands. The resulting design stands out as a modern, sustainable interpretation of a Bahaman cottage that capitalizes on the site and celebrates volume but is also capable of isolating, re-orienting and shutting down against inclement weather when necessary.
Photo by Sean Powers, University of South Alabama
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