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EMPOWER: The Energy Generatin...
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Street-Legal Electric Tron Lightcycles for Sale on eBay!
Just in time for the release of Tron Legacy, you can order your own operational Light Cycle on eBay.
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This Bendable Bike Can Tie Itself to Any Post
We Inhabitat writers have had our fair share of bicycles and bicycle parts stolen on the mean streets of New York City. It seems these days you’ve got to lock everything down (even the brakes!) in order to keep your cycle intact. That often means buying more than one lock and disassembling your bike every [...]
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Stunning Swedish Treehotel Opens This Weekend!
A lofty project in terms of both architecture and altitude, the Treehotel opens this Saturday, July 17th. So far, the hotel consists of four rooms, each located in a separate building suspended in the canopy of the lush and pristine Boreal forest. The four units that will be ready this weekend are the Cabin, the [...]
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World’s First Molten Salt Solar Plant Produces Power at Night
Sicily has just announced the opening of the world’s first concentrated solar power (CSP) facility that uses molten salt as a heat collection medium. Since molten salt is able to reach very high temperatures (over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit) and can hold more heat than the synthetic oil used in other CSP plants, the plant [...]
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Airbus Unveils Fuel-Efficient Aircraft of the Future
As soon as 2030, we might be flying in a new, more efficient aircraft with long, curled wings, a U-shaped tail, and a lightweight body — if manufacturer Airbus develops the “fantasy plane” it unveiled today at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK. The concept aircraft is more fuel efficient, boasts advanced interior systems, and, [...]
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Beautiful Desert Prefab Home For Animals and Animal Lovers
Not only is this striking metal-sided house a beautiful example of prefab architecture — it was also designed not just for the people who reside there, but also for their animals! The owners of the home wanted a safe haven for their many animals that would protect them from local predators, so the home was [...]
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Japan’s Ikaros Spacecraft Successfully Propelled by Solar Sail
We’ve been following the progress of the Japanese spaceship IKAROS — the first to unfurl a solar sail in deep space. Today, the ship made the only first that really matters: it caught the sun’s rays with its 3,000 square-foot sail and successfully used the energy to speed its way through space. Each photon of light [...]
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First Skyscraper With Built-In Wind Turbines Opens in London!
Designed by BFLS (formerly known as Hamiltons), the Strata is a 43-story architectural wonder that already has a distinct and recognizable profile in the London skyline. Oriented to take advantage of the prevalent south-west winds, the tower has commanding views into the heart of downtown. With floor-to-ceiling windows, views from each apartment are said to [...]
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Life Box: Paul Stamets Unveils Brilliant Seed-Sprouting Cardboard Box
Just think – what if all the cardboard boxes that you receive when you buy online from Amazon or Apple had seeds in them and you could simply put them in your nearest plot of soil and grow some baby trees? Well that is just what the incredible mycologist and mycomimicry advocate Paul Stamets has [...]
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TOP 5 TINIEST PREFAB HOMES
As prefab housing takes hold as a viable, sustainable, contemporary building technique, one of the lessons we are learning is that bigger does not necessarily equal better. In fact, when is comes to simplifying your life and trying to tread lightly on the planet, we would argue that smaller is most certainly better. Some [...]
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Solar Power Is Cheaper Than Nuclear for the First Time
Here’s bright spot in the news of the day: energy from new solar installations has, for the first time, become cheaper than energy from new nuclear plants, according to a new Duke University study. Thanks to cost-saving technologies and economies of scale, price can no longer be an excuse to invest in nuclear power rather [...]
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Foster + Partners Break Ground on Virgin Galactic Spaceport
It’s an exciting time for space fanatics everywhere as construction recently began on the world’s first commercial space launch pad, Spaceport America. Designed by Foster + Partners, the facility is located in southern New Mexico near the White Sands Missile Range and will serve as a launch site for private space travel. Built into the [...]
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TOP 5 TINIEST PREFAB HOMES
As prefab housing takes hold as a viable, sustainable, contemporary building technique, one of the lessons we are learning is that bigger does not necessarily equal better. In fact, when is comes to simplifying your life and trying to tread lightly on the planet, we would argue that smaller is most certainly better. Some [...]
READ MORE >
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 [...]
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REVERSE GRAFFITI: Clean Green Street Art
When is cleaning the sidewalks a crime? When you’re doing it to create art. Obviously. A number of street artists around the world have taken to expressing themselves through an innovative practice known as Reverse Graffiti. Taking a cue from the “Wash Me” messages scrawled on the back of delivery trucks, they seek out soot [...]
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Spiraling Skyscraper Farms for a Future Manhattan
As the world’s population continues to skyrocket and cities strain under the increased demand for resources, skyscraper farms offer an inspired approach towards creating sustainable vertical density. One of three finalists in this year’s Evolo Skyscraper Competition Eric Vergne’s Dystopian Farm project envisions a future New York City interspersed with elegantly spiraling biomorphic structures that [...]
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THE MAGLEV: The Super-powered Magnetic Wind Turbine
Renewable energy produced from the wind has garnered much attention and support in recent years but is often criticized for its low output and lack of reliability. But now a super power wind turbine has come along that may be just what the renewable energy industry needs. The MagLev wind turbine, which was first [...]
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Living Moss Carpet Adds a Touch of Green to Your Bathroom
There’s nothing like the feeling of fresh cut grass under the toes, especially when stepping out of the shower. This Moss Carpet by Nguyen La Chanh brings the outside indoors in an unconventionally natural way by placing it underfoot. The lush green lawn thrives in humid environments, which makes your bathroom a perfect place [...]
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A BRILLIANT STORAGE IDEA: Staircase Drawers
Here’s a brilliant idea that leaves us wondering – why didn’t we think of this first? Despite our penchant for 2-in-1 furniture, we’ve never seen anything quite like this before. Regardless of attempts to be organized in the modern world, most of us continue to be ashamed of one (or eight, in my [...]
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HEINEKEN WOBO: The brick that holds beer
Upcycling is a 21st century term, coined by Cradle to Cradle authors William McDonough and Michael Braungart, but the idea of turning waste into useful products came to life brilliantly in 1963 with the Heineken WOBO (world bottle). Envisioned by beer brewer Alfred Heineken and designed by Dutch architect John Habraken, the “brick that holds [...]
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4TREEHOUSE by Lukasz Kos
What is it about tree houses that we love so much? Their playfulness, the escapism they offer, and the platforms they provide into nature all come to mind. We have written about the 4Treehouse by Lukasz Kos before, but when we saw it again in this month’s Dwell, the gorgeous glowing image stopped us in [...]
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MICRO WIND TURBINES: Small Size, Big Impact
Conventional wind turbine technology has been a bit out of reach for most residential consumers living in urban areas—until now. Researchers at Hong Kong University and Lucien Gambarota of Motorwave Ltd. have developed Motorwind, a micro-wind turbine technology small enough for private use in both rural and urban environments. Unlike large-scale wind turbines, [...]
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APTERA Diesel-Electric Hybrid Car On Sale Now!
The Aptera (Greek for “wingless”) is an environmentally-friendly car that’s as clean and green as it is fantastically futuristic. The three-wheeled hybrid, which offers an all-electric or plug-in hybrid option, isn’t just a concept- you can reserve your own with just a $500 deposit. Seating 2.5 with plenty of room for luggage, the Aptera can [...]
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Win an iPad and Matching Eco Case (worth $549)
MAKE SAVING TREES SEXY and WIN AN IPAD! Hoping to catch up on your summer reading without the bulk and arborcide associated with books? Well, we’re giving away a brand spanking new iPad and awesome bamboo sketchbook-style DODOcase (worth $549) that will let you do just that. Imagine having all of the powerful capabilities of this [...]
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WIN a Beautiful ANDREA Houseplant Air Purifier (worth $195)!
Want to clean and freshen the air in your home using the power of plants? We’ve been in love with the ANDREA houseplant filter’s modern design for quite some time now, so we’re thrilled to be giving one of these amazing air-purifiers (worth $195) to one very lucky reader this week! ANDREA isn’t just pretty to [...]
161 Comments >
BACK TO SCHOOL CONTEST: Win An Awesome Solar Book Bag!
Get ready for school with our back-to-school green giveaway contest! Fall is just around the corner, and students everywhere are getting ready to go back to school. To get into the autumnal school spirit and help our readers green their back-to-school regime, we’re running a contest on this site to give away an AWESOME solar [...]
156 Comments >
Win a Hymini Portable Wind + Solar Gadget Charger!
Put green power in the palm of your hand! Having trouble keeping your gadgets charged on a daily basis? Ever had your cellphone run out of juice on you in the middle of an important day? You’re in luck – we’re giving away one incredibly handy HYMini charger so that you’ll have access to [...]
128 Comments >
THE MAGLEV: The Super-powered Magnetic Wind Turbine
Renewable energy produced from the wind has garnered much attention and support in recent years but is often criticized for its low output and lack of reliability. But now a super power wind turbine has come along that may be just what the renewable energy industry needs. The MagLev wind turbine, which was first [...]
125 Comments >
GREEN TALKS: Meet the Inhabitat Editors and Win A $1700 Folding Bike!
Hey Inhabitat Readers from around the globe! Want to meet the editors of Inhabitat and win this awesome folding bike – valued at $1700? As we head into October we’re thrilled to announce a fabulous new initiative at Inhabitat: GREEN TALKS! We’re going to be harnessing the power of the internet to bring you [...]
124 Comments >
APTERA Diesel-Electric Hybrid Car On Sale Now!
The Aptera (Greek for “wingless”) is an environmentally-friendly car that’s as clean and green as it is fantastically futuristic. The three-wheeled hybrid, which offers an all-electric or plug-in hybrid option, isn’t just a concept- you can reserve your own with just a $500 deposit. Seating 2.5 with plenty of room for luggage, the Aptera can [...]
117 Comments >
BACK TO SCHOOL CONTEST: Win a Noon Solar bag!
It’s mid August, the leaves are turning brown, and you know what that means! Fall is just around the corner and school is about to start up for students around the country. In the spirit of back-to-school goodness we’re announcing a contest over the next week to give away some fabulously green back [...]
112 Comments >
PIMP MY ECO-RIDE CONTEST: Win a Strida Folding Bike!
WIN A $950 STRIDA FOLDING BIKE! As the weather gets warmer we’re looking forward to spending plenty of sun-soaked days outdoors – and what better way to take full advantage of the beautiful weather than by breezing along on a slick bicycle? We here at Inhabitat want to encourage the use of the world’s most eco-efficient [...]
110 Comments >
Win A Karim-Rashid Designed, Water-Filtering Bobble Bottle!
Win a beautiful, water-filtering bobble water bottle! We’re huge fans of design mastermind Karim Rashid’s colorful, reusable bobble bottles that filter your water on the go, so we’re excited to announce that we’re giving away 10 of them to lucky Inhabitat readers! Not only are these bottles beautifully designed, they’re also BPA-free, made of recycled plastic, [...]
105 Comments >
X-SEED 4000: World’s tallest tower will house 1 million people
There’s a lot of debate about what the tallest tower in the world currently is. Some say the Taipei 101, at 1671 ft to the tip of it’s spire, is the world’s tallest tower, whereas we might argue that the Sears Tower, at a whopping 1731 ft (and 110 stories), still takes the prize. [...]
101 Comments >
World’s Biggest Building Coming to Moscow: Crystal Island
Moscow’s rapidly growing skyline will soon feature an eye-popping new addition: Crystal Island, which will be the world’s biggest building when completed. Sir Norman Foster’s mountainous 27 million square feet spiraling “city within a building” will cost $4 billion and it is scheduled to be built within next 5 years. The Crystal Island will [...]
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