Inhabitat

London’s Palestra Going Green With New Wind Turbines

Palestra, the stunning home of the London Development Agency and the London Climate Change Agency, is due to have new wind turbines installed after a component failure in 2006. Two new types of turbine will be trialled, with the more successful of the two to be installed in full in the first quarter of 2008. We’re also using this news as an excuse to cover the RIBA-award winning building as a whole, which is as gorgeous as it is green.

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Mile-High London Eco Tower by PopularArchitecture

The term “mile high” isn’t just for airplane action anymore- British firm Popularchitecture has proposed a mile-high eco tower for London that’s sure to be just as exciting. At a full mile tall and housing over 100,000 people, this concept tower really is just that: a cool, uber-green concept. With 500 floors would contain schools and hospitals to shops and pubs, and everything else under the sun. While it will likely never be realized, the design does push our thinking forward.

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GRAVIA: Gravity Based Kinetic Energy Lamp

Gravia, a gravity based kinetic energy lamp concept, wowed our panel judges and the crowd at the Greener Gadgets Conference, earning a second place accolade in the design competition. Created by Clay Moulton, Gravia evokes the lines of a classic timepiece in a modern aesthetic and uses human powered kinetic energy to light an ambient LED floorlamp. It’s a fantastic concept – but one that has stirred up some debate across the blogosphere recently in regards to whether or not it is possible to build such a lamp right now with the technology that exists today.

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GREEN CELL Universal Battery Sold in Vending Machines

Ever wished you could do away with all those annoying cell phone chargers that are cluttering up your space? Have you ever taken to cursing cell phone manufacturers for their extremely wasteful and inconvenient policies to manufacturer different types of batteries and chargers for every make and model of phone known to man? (We certainly have). Well here’s a design that promises an eco-friendly end to the hassles of multiple batteries and chargers – by offering up a single standardized battery that can fit in every type of personal electronic device. The Green Cell battery is safe, environmentally friendly, made without toxic chemicals, and — here’s the best part — when it runs out of juice on the go, it can easily be exchanged for a freshly charged battery at a local vendor machine.

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RUSSIA TOWER – World’s largest naturally ventilated building

What is going on with all these gigantic spiky eco towers popping up all over Russia and the former Soviet Union? First it was the piercing Siberian eco-tower in Mansyisk, then the sharp and very aggressive looking ‘Peace’ Center in Astana, Kazakstan, then the enormous volcanic Crystal Island spire in Moscow, and just this week, this new sharp green tower going up in St. Petersburg. Seriously, what gives? Iconic British architect Norman Foster is responsible for 4 out of 5 of these pointy eco towers, so clearly the man has a thing for building sharp, angular ‘environmental’ towers in the former Soviet Union. But is there a connection in terms of the geography and clients as well? Is it something in air?

Whatever the case, we are excited to discover YET ANOTHER enormous pointy Foster-designed eco tower going up in Moscow, Russia: the Russia Tower. When this colossal tower is completed in 2012, it will be the tallest building in Europe at 2,009 ft tall (612.2 meters), and one of the tallest in the world, just behind Taipei 101 and Burj Dubai. As if that distinction were not enough, the Russia Tower will also be the largest building in the world with a natural ventilation system.

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The Suntory Mermaid II Wave-Powered Boat

Wave power is looking like the next big thing in renewable energy, as evidenced by PG&E’s recent announcement about their California wave farm. And now Kenichi Horie, and a little bit of sun.

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The Air-Powered MDI Car is Coming to the US!

India’s air-powered four wheel marvel, the MDI Air Car, will be coming to the United States in 2010! The eco-friendly air-powered vehicle will be manufactured by Zero Pollution Motors, who just licensed the technology from MDI. It’s another entry in the growing field of the subcompact class, and another challenger to the title of world’s most fuel efficient vehicle.

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New Gazprom Tower To Be Europe’s Tallest & Greenest?

The historic city of St. Petersburg in Russia will soon be home to the tallest tower in Europe. The UK-based architectural firm RMJM was given a go by the Russian gas giant to build the new Gazprom Neft headquarters in the former Russian capital. Officially called the Okhta Tower, the eco skyscraper is promising to be “one of the most environmentally sustainable high rise buildings in the world,” according to the RMJM’s press release.

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ENERJAR: Make your own energy meter with the DIY Enerjar Kit!

Sometimes the best designs out there are not ‘products’ that can be purchased — but big ideas made accessible to all through the power of Do-It-Yourself design. The award-winning EnerJar takes the important concept of home energy monitoring, and brings it to the masses in a fun, interactive way through a handy, downloadable DIY design that can be put together using a jam jar and other household objects. By turning energy monitoring into an engaging DIY project the Enerjar took first prize in our recent Greener Gadgets Competition. Designed by Matt Meshulam and Zach Dwiel, this little downloadable DIY kit uses common household materials to monitor the energy output of a variety of everyday devices, allowing a user to take personal responsibility over energy use.

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World’s Largest Solar Power Plant Coming to Arizona in 2011

The lucky sunny state of Arizona is about to become home to the world’s largest Solar Plant! Thanks to a just-announced contract between Abengoa Solar and Arizona Public Service Company (APS), the enormous solar plant called Solana will power up to 70,000 homes, and will be the first example in the country of a major utility getting the majority of its energy from solar. The 1900 acre plant will be completed by 2011 — IF AND ONLY IF Congress renews the clean energy tax credit that’s set to expire at the end of 2008.

This could be a momentous environmental energy venture for the US, so now is the time to get political — we should not let this amazingly positive opportunity slip through the cracks!

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INHABITAT IS LOOKING FOR A POWER BLOGGER

Hey readers –
Any of you want to write for Inhabitat? We are currently looking for a super-duper power blogger, ideally based in New York City to put his or her excellent writing skills to work in improving the world through the power of good design. Interested? Read on…

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ESTETHICA ECO FASHION: Mark Liu’s Zero-Waste Designs

There is a lot of eco-chatter these days about ‘adaptive reuse’ and ‘reclaimed materials’ in green design, particularly in the realm of fashion-forward garments and accessories. Estethica, London Fashion Week’s recent sustainable design showcase featured some great examples of recycled/repurposed materials in designs that are light in footprint but substantial in style. One of the bright young stars of Estethica, Mark Liu, has taken sustainable fashion one step further with his ‘zero-waste’ fabric patterns and eco-designs that do just that, waste not a scrap of fabric. Liu’s pieces are yet another example of why Central Saint Martins grads are true innovators, as his next generation of pattern making is both wearable and cutting edge.

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WEARABLE COLLECTIONS: Recycled Clothing Initiative

Wearable Collections, a non-profit charity initiative, is leading the crusade to reduce textile waste in a city traditionally known for disposable, seasonal styles. The organization is placing recycling bins in designated buildings throughout New York City for the collection of unwanted garments and clothing. With Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week having just come and gone here in NYC, we wanted to take a closer look at how one non-profit is aiding New Yorkers to have a cleaner, greener closet while helping others along the way.

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100 Architects to Design City

If you had to pick 100 architects to build a city, who would you choose? That’s the challenge posed by Jian Yuan Water Engineering, which has commissioned a plan to create one hundred villas in the city of Ordos, Inner Monglolia, China, comprised of 100 different design solutions by 100 up-and-coming architects. None other than Jacques Herzog of Herzog and De Meuron headed up the selection of emerging architectural talents from all over the world!

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Voltaic Now Using Recycled Bottles in their Solar Bags

Just when we thought the idea of solar-powered backpacks couldn’t get any better, Voltaic goes and ups the ante with new recycled materials. The solar bag company showed their backpacks and laptop bags at Greener Gadgets, and have now announced they’re moving to use 100% post-consumer recycled PET plastic based fabrics.

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‘WHAT IF NYC?’ Competition Winners Announced

“What if….” The two-word phrase can imply both fear and anxiety as well as big ideas and hopeful possibility. And that was the idea behind the What if New York City? international Design Competition for Post-Disaster Provisional Housing. Sponsored by New York City Office of Emergency Management’s Ready New York, the call went out to the design community to envision solutions to one of the biggest challenges facing densely settled urban areas: how to keep residents safe and sheltered after a natural disaster. More than 400 design teams from 52 countries responded and the results have yielded incredible ideas filled with creativity and thoughtful innovation.

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PREFAB FRIDAY: The Rapson Greenbelt

Modernist architect Ralph Rapson has managed this to reinterpret a 60-year old design with the green panache of a 21st century prefab. The Rapson Greenbelt, an articulate series of prefab dwellings, is derived from a 1945 design called Case Study #4, which debuted back then as part of Arts & Architecture’s Case Study House Program. Today, the Rapson Greenbelt is part of the modern home portfolio from WIELER, the award-winning providers of custom prefab homes.

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CASA OS Spanish Green House by Nolaster Architects

Perched atop a Spanish cliff sits this gorgeous green home, a privately-owned holiday house that’s as lovely as it is sustainable. Located in Cantabria, Spain, and designed by Madrid-based Nolaster Architects, Casa OS integrates green building techniques to create high-end, low-impact accommodation. The irony is that the original design scheme wasn’t intended to be a green building, but the architects employed many green features for visual impact and practical benefits. We’d just love to live an eco life on that cliff.

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ECO EWOK TREEHOUSES: Finca Bellavista Rainforest Village

If you been dreaming of picking up roots, living on the edge, or literally going out on a limb in terms of eco-lifestyle possibilities, then Finca Bellavista: A Sustainable Rainforest Community might be just the thing for you. Located on the base of an almost 6,000 foot primary rainforest mountain on the South Pacific Coast of Costa Rica – not far from the Pan American Highway, Finca Bellavista was created with the sole purpose of preserving 300 acres of local rainforest by offering a unique opportunity for ecologically minded property owners to live sustainably in and steward a managed rainforest environment.

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Din-ink Cutlery Retools the Bic-Pen

If you associate the affordable and ubiquitous ‘Bic pen’ with disposable, throw away office culture – think again, as Zo-loft design has added a whole new dimension to desktop utility. Their “Din-ink” series of Bic pen style tops allows you to instantly convert your writing tools into ready made cutlery. With one easy step that trusty chewed-up pen of yours can become a sleek spoon, fork, or knife for that classic dining ‘al desko’ experience.

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VIDEO: Mary Lou Jepsen on One Laptop Per Child

Mary Lou Jepsen’s keynote presentation of One Laptop Per Child at our Greener Gadgets conference was without a doubt one of the highlights of the event.

“By trying to do the right thing and by designing for the poorest people in the world, we’ve made the greenest laptop in the world. And that’s not just the color!”

The OLPC laptop, known as XO or the $100 laptop, is a feat of energy efficient engineering, consuming just 2W of energy – whick makes it able to be powered through solar cells or hand cranks. In the video above, Mary Lou illustrates how the XO laptop is a new model for energy-efficient electronics, and inspiration to look at new ways of powering our devices.

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VIDEO: Hymini Portable Wind Charger

Despite it’s suspicious name, the Hymini really has nothing to do female naughty bits! Instead it is an extremely promising new portable wind charger. One of the biggest crowd-pleasers at our Greener Gadgets conference last month, we love this cute little portable renewable energy gadget and think you will too. Check out this video from Treehugger on the HYmini. We’ve covered the HYmini before here, but learning about the fab little device at Greener Gadges only made us love them more! Thanks to George Spyros for the video.

+ HYmini
+ Greener Gadgets

+ Inhabitat Greener Gadgets Event Coverage

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Project H Design Fundraiser- Sponsor a Hippo Roller!

H is for Humanity, Habitats, Health, Habitats, and HIPPO! Project H, an organization that promotes, inspires, and delivers humanitarian product design, is funding 50 Hippo Rollers for a series of 17 villages in Kgautswane in Northeastern South Africa. Hippo Rollers, if you haven’t seen them before, they are amazing barrel devices that allow the millions whose livelihoods depend on the daily fetching of water to more safely and efficiently access and transport water. The roller holds 3-4 days worth of water for a family of 7, about 5 times the amount of water that can be moved using traditional methods, which frees up time for more productive economic and educational activities. It’s an amazing product and an amazing story of good design enabling communities.

For $100 you can sponsor the manufacturing and delivery of one roller in your name, which will be personally delivered to a family in Kgautswane this April by Project H Design. If you believe in the power of good design, here’s your chance to show it! Check out the Hippometer to see how many rollers have been funded to date.

SPONSOR A HIPPO ROLLER NOW via Project H Design >>>>>

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Transportation Tuesday: The UltraBattery Hybrid Storage Cell

While the potential of electric cars is obvious, one of the main concerns is battery life, both in its ability to hold a charge, and its shelf life before needing a replacement. But the new =UltraBattery, developed by Australia’s CSIRO, is a high-performance hybrid storage cell that runs for 100,000 miles without recharge or replacement. It combines a supercapacitor with a lead acid battery in one unit cell, providing higher power discharge and longer life.

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Urban Bike Sharing System Coming to London!

We’ve already seen the massive success of urban bike sharing in Paris, but now the super-smart Velib Bike program is taking to the streets of London! 15,000 bikes, 1,000 stations and more than 7.5 million miles of combined biking later have already been implemented in London, and the new scheme will contribute £75 million and 6,000 shared bikes to the mass biking scheme. Spearheaded by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, the new ‘granny bike’ sharing scheme will reduce traffic congestion and help clear up the air of England’s sprawling capital city.

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Nokia ‘Remade’ Concept Phone Made From Recycled Materials

Nokia has caught our green design attention once again with the recent unveiling of ‘Remade’, a concept phone made almost entirely of recycled materials. The prototype was introduced at Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona last week revealing Nokia’s vision for recycled material use in mobile phones of the future. From the looks of ‘Remade’, Nokia’s products of tomorrow will consume less natural resources, reduce landfill waste and be more energy efficient.

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New JAXA Technology Captures Solar Energy in Space

Instead of doing the old-fashioned solar power thing, and capturing the sun’s rays as they hit the Earth’s surface, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Osaka University Institute of Laser Engineering is bolding going where no space station has ever gone before – in terms of solar power. Pioneering scientists at Jaxa have found a way to harness solar power even closer to the source- from outer space! The Space Solar Power System (SSPS) technology would capture solar rays in space and transport the energy to be used here on the ground. A single unit placed in space would generate enough energy to power 500,000 homes!

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Harvest Fuel from the Air with GREEN FREEDOM

Most of us are worried about increasing amounts of greenhouse gases in the air – and if you aren’t yet concerned about this, you should be. However, now there is a reason for hope: researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory have just announced a groundbreaking new project called Green Freedom, which will extract CO2 from the air and convert it into fuel to power cars and airplanes. Talk about killing two birds with one stone! Not only will this remove some of the greenhouse gas currently in our atmosphere, but it will prevent future CO2 from being added to our air, by providing a new renewable form of fuel to power our lives.

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FIN ECO FASHION – Fall Collection 2008

FIN Knit Black Dress

As follow up to last week’s coverage of New York Fashion Week and the House of Organic line up, we wanted to take a closer look at the stylish Norwegian eco-fashion house, Fin and their Fall 2008 ‘Eco Lux’ presentation. Fin’s design philosophy runs as deep as the fjords of Norway, and principal designer Per Age Sivertsen has notably added volume and embroidered detail to the most recent collection as a means to celebrate movement, flux, and the dynamically draped female form. Fin has moved to the front of the fashion pack not only for its feminine and flirty green designs, but also for its ability to combine sustainable style with a carbon neutral credit buying program. There may by a hint of ‘poetic boho’ in their recent collection, but their mission is both playful and downright serious in its adherence to environmentally sound practices.

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BAHAR SHAHPAR Eco Fashion – Fall Collection 2008

Bahar Shahpar Prepster Plaid Jumper

When we first spotted New York designer Bahar Shahpar’s adorable eco-friendly fashions last spring, we were instantly smitten with the playful colors, impeccable tailoring and smart-yet-sassy aesthetic . Whats not to love about cute, colorful, wearable frocks and skirts produced locally in New York City from natural, organic materials? Last summer, Bahar’s iconic flower babydoll dress (shown below) could be found on just about every eco-chic girl in town, and we predict another Bahar Shahpar craze will hit soon when the designer’s new fall collection hits stores in September.

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RIGHTEOUS ECO FASHION: Fall 2008 Collection

The Swedish fashion brand Righteous definitely follows moral law when it comes to sustainable innovation. Founded in 2004 by human rights law students, Paula Kermfors and Kajsa Holst, the Righteous label has become synonymous with sound ethical and environmental design ideas that are artfully woven into their eco-chic creations. Righteous works with numerous designers each season for the creation of their organic and Fair Trade collections. Their recent presentation at the House of Organic sustainable fashion show here in New York City was evidence that the Swedes are really onto something when it comes to combining a sharp and strong design sensibility with ecologically sound production methods.

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