Inhabitat

ALTERNATIVE ENERGY: Rain Power

Trying to find alternative sources of energy has proven to be an extraordinary feat, allowing us to use everything from sun to the motion of the ocean. But there is still one plentiful source of renewable energy which has so far remained pretty much untapped: rain. Getting energy from falling water droplets might seem like an obvious, ‘why didn’t I think of that’ idea, but so far no-one has really exploited this plentiful (albeit somewhat unreliable) energy source. Now a team from CEA/Leti-Minatec has created a system that is capable of recovering kinetic energy from the impact of falling raindrops.

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Transportation Tuesday: Zero-Emissions ZENN Car

If you are in the market for a small low speed urban vehicle for everyday use, ZENN, a zero-emission, no-noise vehicle might just be your answer. Available in most parts of the United States, it’s a compact car that’s as green as it is useful. According to the EPA, the ZENN is capable of achieving a whopping 245 miles per gallon!

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Using Kites to Pull Cargo Ships Across the Seas

A few months ago we reported on future attempts to use a kite to move a cargo ship across the ocean. But just last week, the MS Beluga set sail on its maiden voyage from Bremerhaven to Venezuela where it showed, quite successfully, that wind power might just be the future of nautical transportation.

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VIDEO: The Secret Life of Cellphones

Our friend Lloyd Hicks has made a great that’s a perfect lead-in to our upcoming Greener Gadgets Conference this Friday. We talk a lot about the under-recycled cell phone, but with videos like this, we’re starting to think there’s hope. While it brings to light issues like product life-cycle, materials, and the impact of these objects on the environment, we can’t help but believe there are possibilities for improvement (we’re even hosting a cell phone recycling center at Greener Gadgets!). Watch the video for the full story, and check out the Secret Life of Cell Phones website for even more info.

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Anti Smog Architecture: A Catalyst for Cleaner Air in Paris

Architect Vincent Callebaut’s latest project balances public galleries, meeting rooms and gathering spaces over canals and abandoned railroad tracks in the 19th Parisian district. The prototype uses green technologies and techniques but is more than just an example of sustainable design. Callebaut’s ‘Anti Smog: An Innovation Centre in Sustainable Development’ is a catalyst for cleaner air.

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Win $2500 in Greener Gadgets Competition: ENDS TODAY!!

Calling all talented Inhabitat readers and product designers!
ENTER OUR GREENER GADGETS DESIGN COMPETITION AND WIN $2500 >

DEADLINE IS TODAY, SUNDAY JAN 27TH
In order to qualify, work must be submitted to us no later than 11:59 EST on Sun Jan 27th.

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NATUREVSFUTURE: Recycled Juice Pouch Gown

We are devoted fans of Naturevsfuture designer Nina Valenti and her stunning eco-fashion creations, so it was a nice surprise to hear recently of her upcoming appearance at Carnegie Hall. Nina has created a custom-made gown from over 6,000 used and misprinted juice drink pouches as part of a commission by Terracycle and their ‘Drink Pouch Brigade’ sponsored waste program. Naturevsfuture’s ‘Recycled Juice Pouch Gown’ is a sustainable style happening that we thought you should know about, be inspired by, and totally applaud for its edgy, performance stealing appeal.

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Ann Arbor Lighting Up With 100% LEDs!

We haven’t been giving Ann Arbor, Michigan enough attention and the city deserves it! Last year Ann Arbor joined forces with LED manufacturer Cree, Inc, on an ever-expanding citywide LED initiative to save energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With a recent retrofit contract signed with Lumecon, Ann Arbor is on its way to being the first U.S. city to light up its downtown with 100% LED technology!

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Announcing the White House Redux Design Competition!

What if the White House, the ultimate architectural symbol of political power, were to be designed today? Over two hundred years ago the winning design of an 18th century architecture competition became the residence of the president of the United States at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. To mark the election of the 44th president of the US, Storefront for Art and Architecture, in association with Control Group, has opened White House Redux, a challenge to design a new residence for the world’s most powerful individual.

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PREFAB FRIDAY: A ‘House Boat’ for the Arctic

Winter shelter in the Arctic can take form in an upside down hunting boat – a traditional Inuit practice. Covey Island Boatworks, award winning builders of hand-crafted yachts, power and sailboats, has brought that idea into dry dock developing a prototype wood and epoxy prefab that applies boatbuilding principles directly to an extreme Arctic home.

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GREENER GADGETS: Student tix sold out! Discounts end Friday

LATEST UPDATE ON THE GREENER GADGETS CONFERENCE!

The one-day Greener Gadgets Conference that we’ve been talking so much about here is taking place NEXT WEEK. Student tickets have just sold out, and there are about 20 general tickets left, so if you want to attend, register for the event as soon as possible >

It’s very likely that all tickets will be gone by the weekend or early next week. Because of this, we are also closing our press list and ending all discounts at 12noon tomorrow.

GREENER GADGETS CONFERENCE >

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‘Air Tree’ Structures in Madrid produce Oxygen and Energy

The city of Madrid soon plans to add a striking new structure that will “climatically transform” its urban architecture. Designed by Urban Ecosystems, the Air Tree pavilion is to be built from recycled materials and will be 100% energy self-sufficient. Using photovoltaic cells, the Air Tree produces a substantial amount of energy, which is then sold back to the local electric companies, the profits being used for maintenance of the structure. The second byproduct is of course oxygen – hence the name ‘Air Tree’!

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Aquarius Tower: Greenest Skyscraper on the Atlanta Skyline

Just when you thought green towers couldn’t get any greener (or more towering), there’s a new kid on the block. The Aquarius Tower, a 500-foot tall condominium to be built in Atlanta, is the latest to join the burgeoning ranks of iconic green hi-rises. The building is designed around the four elements of life: sun (solar panels), water (reclamation systems), air (wind turbines) and earth (a minimal footprint).

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Eco-Friendly Single Family Residence by AKA Architetti

Italian designers are surely global frontrunners when it comes to cutting edge fashion and innovative design (as evidenced by our previous coverage of the 2007 Milan Furniture Fair). With this in mind, we are pleased to announce that AKA Architetti has just won an international competition for their development of a single-family, green home prototype that’s energy efficient, site adaptable, and incredibly stylish in its integration of interior and exterior architectural features.

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Greener Gadgets Launches Free Ticket Giveaway w/ Engadget

If you’ve been reading Inhabitat at all recently, you can’t have failed to notice that we’ve been talking a lot about our upcoming Greener Gadgets Conference on February 1st in NYC, and the fast approaching Greener Gadgets Design Competition, whose deadline is JAN 27th 2008. (Thats 4 days from today people!)

Well now we have three groundbreaking bits of news to share:

1. FREE TICKET GIVEAWAY OVER ON ENGADGET!
If you still haven’t got a ticket for this near-sold out event, and want to attend, Engadget is giving away 5 free Greener Gadgets Tickets as part of a contest they are running. If you are interested in attending, try your luck at the Engadget ticket giveaway contest >

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Amazing Green Roof Art School in Singapore

If art school was in our future we might opt to study under, or on top of, the amazing green roof at the School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. This 5 story facility sweeps a wooded corner of the campus with an organic, vegetated form that blends landscape and structure, nature and high-tech and symbolizes the creativity it houses.

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Project H Design at Greener Gadgets Conference!

If you want to see some truly innovative greener gadgets up close and personal, come by the Project H Design booth at next week’s Greener Gadgets Conference. The clever and socially-responsible BOGO flashlight, XO Laptop (One Laptop Per Child), and kinetic devices by Freeplay will be on display for you to check out, all under the umbrella of Project H Design, a charitable organization promoting humanitarian-focused product design, founded by Inhabitat’s Managing Editor, Emily Pilloton.

If you haven’t registered for the conference yet, there’s no time like the present! Register here and be sure to come by the Project H Design booth for more info on the organization and these great products.

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TRANSPORTATION TUESDAY: Cadillac Provoq

One of the biggest announcements at this years CES was the introduction of the hydrogen-powered Cadillac Provoq concept vehicle by General Motors. The Provoq is another one of GM’s efforts to develop vehicles that will reduce their fuel consumption and minimize their emissions.

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MACH-5 A2: Fly Sydney to Brussels in 4hrs – Emissions Free!

In a hurry? Need to get from Sydney to Brussels in a dash? Not too far in the future you may be able to travel that entire distance in less than 4 hours – emissions free – thanks to an amazing hypersonic hydrogen jet project called LAPCAT. LAPCAT stands for Long-Term Advanced Propulsion Concepts and Technologie, and is funded by the European Space Agency. This type of hypersonic jet would put the Concorde to shame with it’s speed, and the best part is that it would not be powered by the typical fossil fuels, but instead by a much greener hydrogen alternative.

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GREENER GADGETS IS FAST APPROACHING! – Feb 1st 2008

If you’ve been keeping up with Inhabitat, hopefully by now you have read about the Greener Gadgets Design Competition and the fast approaching Greener Gadgets Conference on February 1st in NYC. If you are interested in environmental issues within consumer electronic product design, don’t miss your chance to enter the competition or attend the event. The deadlines for both are quickly approaching, so if you want to attend or apply, get on it now!

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Hydrogen Power Coming Soon to Your Cell Phone

From cars to prefabs and some slightly greener gadgets, CES gave us plenty of things to marvel at this year. One of the most impressive in terms of future-forward innovation was the Motoslvr cell phone outfitted with Angstrom Power’s hydrogen fuel cell. With Angstrom’s new fuel cell technology, you are able to get the same sleek package as a regular cellphone, but the charge last more than twice as long on a charge time as short as ten minutes! Hydrogen mobile phones? That’s something to get excited about!

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World’s Greenest Building Going Up In Paris – Energy Plus

The home of the Eiffel Tower is getting a new architectural innovation- and a green one at that. The Energy Plus office building, to be located outside of Paris, is designed to consume no electricity other than that which it creates itself. This zero-energy building, according to the designers, will be the greenest office building ever created.

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MANA COLLECTION: Stunning Recycled Jewelry by TOUCH

Mana Collection ‘Spatial Card’ necklace made of Recycled Phone Cards and Plastic Magnet Latch

The Mana Collection by TOUCH features one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces that cleverly string together social design and environmental responsibility, not to mention recycled treasures from the streets of Brazil. This LA based art/design collective recently introduced a stunning line of artisan made products including furniture, home décor items, ceramics, tableware, jewelry, and limited edition items. They wisely brought on board Mana Bernardes, a young jewelry designer, poet, and visual artist from Rio de Janeiro, to oversee their hip jewelry creations. Detritus and discarded plastics never looked so good, as the Mana Collection is proof that one (wo)man’s trash is another (wo)man’s treasure. These are, for sure, the eco-sparkly jewels of creative re-use.

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Highlights from Compostmodern 2008

Today’s Compostmodern conference in San Francisco didn’t disappoint, with a design-star-studded line up of speakers from Alex Steffen of Worldchanging to Marc Alt (co-organizer of our Greener Gadgets Conference!), Adam Werbach of Act Now Productions and Scott Stowell of Open. Discussions centered around sustainable innovation in design, what it really means to design “green,” and the future of environmental responsibility in the design world. Highlights included Joel Makower’s morning introduction, which likened sustainability to teenage sex: “Everyone says they’re doing it, but not many people really are. And those who are, aren’t doing it well,” to Jane Savage’s overview of Nike’s “Considered” program which combines a forward-thinking corporate responsibility plan with innovative design.

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Recycling Sculpture by Tony Cragg

British-born sculptor Tony Cragg uses color families and a carefully curated collection of flotsam and jetsam in his large-scale installations. Born in Liverpool, Cragg has an amazing collection of pieces made from found materials from household trash to construction refuse. We love the impressionistic charm of his pieces- gorgeous and graphic from far away, intricate and detailed from up close.

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Hale County Animal Shelter by (New) Rural Studio

It is probably no surprise that we are big fans of Rural Studio and their community-based regionalist architecture. Samuel ‘Sambo” Mockbee was a real visionary, and outside of being an esteemed professor of architecture at Auburn University and one of the founders of their world-renowned Rural Studio programs, he was just the kind of guy that you would have wanted as a reliable neighbor or soulful teacher. With that in mind, we wanted to pay tribute to one of (new) Rural Studio projects, as the spirit of Mockbee still lives on in the work of Auburn’s architecture students, even after the passing of their beloved mentor and teacher in 2001. The Hale County Animal Shelter, or “Dog Pound” as it is known locally, embodies the best of Rural Studio’s can-do attitude and down home, sustainable appeal.

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PREFAB FRIDAY: Straw Bale Meets Factory Built in Switzerland

We’re quite taken by Strohhaus in Eschenz, Switzerland. Designed by Zurich-based architect Felix Jerusalem, this home masterfully combines prefab with sustainable materials, primarily prefabricated strawboard panels that provide affordable, environmentally sound insulation. Jerusalem exploits the strawboard with translucent siding giving the structure a clean, modern aesthetic that showcases the material.

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BEDZED: Beddington Zero Energy Development in London

The Beddington Zero Energy Development (BedZED) may not be new news, but is a fabulous example of innovative, zero-energy, sustainable housing on a multi-unit scale. The residential and workspace development in the London borough of Sutton is a carbon-neutral community with plentiful green spaces, recycling facilities, water saving features, and a legally binding green transport plan. It’s the whole kit-and-caboodle of sustainable living, and has been a flourishing green community since its conception in 2002.

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Charge Your Cellphone Just By Moving – With M2E Kinetic Power

They may seem like such small devices – but cellphones have a surprisingly large environmental footprint, and the whole cellphone charging business is a serious pain in the butt to boot. Every cellphone model seems to requires a different type of charger (so excessive amounts of plastic cords and gadgets need to be produced for each type of phone), they suck copious amounts of vampire power when you leave them plugged into the wall, and it is so easy to lose your charger or forget to charge your phone if you are on the road a lot.

Well, for those of you who hate the pain of cell-phone charging, there is now a promising new technology that could get rid of the messy problem of cellphone chargers once and for all, AND eliminate 30 to 40 percent of the toxic heavy metals that are currently found in cell-phone batteries. New startup M2E (Motion 2 Energy) has developed a technology which converts the kinetic energy from minor movement into an electrical charge to power mobile communication devices: meaning in just a few years, we could all toss out our cellphone chargers and charge up our phones simply by walking around with them during the day!

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VIDEO: Chad Oppenheim on Sustainable Architecture

Check out our latest video interview of Miami architect Chad Oppenheim, designer of the stunning green COR Tower for Miami. In this video he discusses Miami as a booming real estate and construction economy, and his take on sustainability as a factor in that growth. And of course, details on his futuristic-looking Cor Tower, which we can’t wait to see completed.

Video by Scribemedia

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NOKIA Launches Greener Cell Phone: 3310 Evolve

While certain objects seem to be making big strides in sustainability, the humble cell phone is lagging a bit behind the curve – what with the lead, cadmium and other toxic chemicals, as well as the relentless consumption, upgrading and disposable on which the entire industry is based. But Nokia has recently launched a new, more environmentally friendly cellphone called the 3310 Evolve. The Evolve is a great example of a greener device, made from biomaterials and 60% recycled packaging. Right now these phones are only available in Europe (what Nokia – you don’t think there is a market for this in the US??), so if you want to check out this cute little eco phone in action, come by the Greener Gadgets Conference on February 1st! But don’t get too attached — we haven’t heard of any launch date set for the US yet.

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