It may seem ironic, but even petroleum research centers can be LEED certified if they meet the critieria. Case in point: the King Abudullah Petroleum Studies and Research Center (KAPSARC for short), designed by Zaha Hadid, is aiming for LEED Platinum. To be built in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the state of the art campus will house research and development facilities on energy and environmental exploration and analysis. We take that to read studies on better ways of finding more petroleum (which is hardly a practice we consider to be green) but at least the building itself is striving to be earth-friendly.
Bridgette Meinhold
Bridgette is a sustainability consultant who helps individuals and businesses to reduce their environmental impact. She graduated in June 2007 from Stanford University with her masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering in their Atmosphere and Energy Program. She also has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from San Diego State University.
She has spent time abroad in Germany working for a wind turbine manufacturer, a kitchen assistant at a culinary school in New York City, a private chef and gardener in Oklahoma, and a waitress and ski bum in Utah. Bridgette currently lives in an aspen grove in Park City, Utah.
During the winter her home is covered in 12 feet of snow and in the summer she walks directly from her house to hiking trails. She has a puppy named Cooper and is married to the man of her dreams, who also happens to be a firefighter/paramedic.
She is the founder of Simple and Sustainable, a sustainable living coaching service that helps individuals make sustainable living simple. She is a contributing writer for LowImpactLiving and Ecouterre. She is also currently talking herself into writing her first novel - obviously something environmentally related.
She has spent time abroad in Germany working for a wind turbine manufacturer, a kitchen assistant at a culinary school in New York City, a private chef and gardener in Oklahoma, and a waitress and ski bum in Utah. Bridgette currently lives in an aspen grove in Park City, Utah.
During the winter her home is covered in 12 feet of snow and in the summer she walks directly from her house to hiking trails. She has a puppy named Cooper and is married to the man of her dreams, who also happens to be a firefighter/paramedic.
She is the founder of Simple and Sustainable, a sustainable living coaching service that helps individuals make sustainable living simple. She is a contributing writer for LowImpactLiving and Ecouterre. She is also currently talking herself into writing her first novel - obviously something environmentally related.
February 9, 2010
February 9, 2010
Many of us have been to the gym and wondered why the exercise equipment isn’t hooked up to generate electricity and feed it back into the grid. At long last a company in Florida called ReRev has answered our calls, converting existing elliptical machines into sources of power. Now when you hit the gym, you can burn off those calories while creating some renewable energy for a carbon negative workout.
February 8, 2010
Can you imagine living in a high-rise apartment building where the 360 degree views are of fishes and saltwater? Although just a concept now, this upside-down, underwater eco-skyscraper could be the future of building, especially if sea levels rise as predicted and we end up living in a water world. Designed by Victoria BC-based firm Zigloo, the Gyre is a floating eco-development meant to be both a research station as well as an off-shore resort with shops, restaurants, gardens and recreation. Powered completely by the sun, wind and ocean, the Gyre would offer a zero emissions stay for both tourists and researchers hoping to gain a better understanding of the ocean’s ecosystem.
February 5, 2010
We love prefab designs, but we love seeing them come to life even more! Last July, we brought you renderings for the House Arc, a bicycle rack-inspired modular home designed by Joseph Bellomo, and now we’re thrilled to give you a peek of the prototype version which was just unveiled. Prefabricated and flat-packed into a 4-by-10-by-3 foot box, the House Arc can easily be shipped and assembled at its final destination.
February 4, 2010
Madonna is giving back to the country that gave her David, her son, in a big way by building an eco-friendly academy for girls in Malawi’s capital city, Lilongwe. Through her non-profit organization, Raising Malawi, the pop star has collected funds and donated some of her own in order to build the solar powered, eco-friendly academy, which will accommodate 450 girls when it’s completed in 2012. StudioMDA, out of New York, designed the school and hopes it can become the standard for education and new sustainable construction in the region.
February 4, 2010
Earthscape are a crew of Japanese landscape designers that travel around during the summer with a 60-meter tall man made out herbs! Well, actually they travel with a few shipping containers loaded with supplies, and when they arrive at their next site they unpack and plant a giant herb garden in the shape of a man. The containers get transformed into a shop and cafe where local residents can learn about herbal medicine. At the end of the Herbman’s stay, the supplies get packed up and all the proceeds go towards building playgrounds in developing countries.
February 3, 2010
In the hurried and fast paced lives we lead, travel can be just one more stressful, cramped and environmentally unfriendly activity. What if you could slow it down, take some time, and relax – all while aboard a zero emissions luxury cruise that travels not on the water but in the air?! That’s what London-based designers, Seymourpowell, are proposing with Aircruise, a solar and fuel-cell powered airship designed for luxury travel.
February 2, 2010
A design for the new Los Angeles NFL stadium is in the works and it is set to be the first NFL stadium ever to become LEED certified. Designed by Aedas, a global architecture firm, the Los Angeles Stadium might be finished as early as the 2011 football season, although what NFL team will make its home there is still unknown. Aedas has designed the eco stadium to be a multi-purpose venue and has also included a significant commercial and entertainment sector. With smart design, reduced CO2 emissions and major recycling initiatives, the LA Stadium will be a great boon to the city.
February 1, 2010
Spongy metal sounds like a bit of an oxymoron, but it’s actually a real material that is capable of absorbing large impacts without damage. Metal foams have been around for some time, but new research by Dr. Afsaneh Rabiei of North Carolina State University, has revealed the strongest metal foam ever. It can compress up to 80% of its original size under loading and still retain its original shape. The applications for this type of material are too numerous to fathom, but one of the most anticipated uses for the spongy metal is in automobiles to lessen the impact of crashes and protect the driver and passengers.
January 29, 2010
New York City, much like any big city, disposes of a lot of trash — but what if that trash could be used in a constructive manner? NYC-based architects Terreform have proposed a new form of construction for the City that uses industrial sized robots to create buildings and islands from waste instead of sending it to landfills like Fresh Kills. They’re calling the project Rapid Re(f)use, and the first design is a reverse of the Statue of Liberty that would be built out in the harbor.
January 29, 2010
The European Solar Decathlon takes place this summer, and the competition is already heating up with some stunning designs for zero energy homes! One of the first we’ve seen is the FabLab House from the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia. Completely unlike any of the designs we saw in the US competition, the solar panel-coated passive house is rounded and built off the ground.
January 29, 2010
Thailand-based modular home designer Site-Specific has announced that they are expanding their line and have even formed a new company specifically devoted to prefab homes for the Thai Market. The first home in their new line is the MDL 5.5×6, a home inspired by the shipping container but modified to make it more practical and livable. Made from recycled materials, the one bedroom prefab home is modern, simple, and totally affordable.
January 27, 2010
Last year, $8 billion was set aside for high-speed rail lines in the US and then in December, Congress added another $2.5 billion to that total in hopes of spurring high-speed rail transportation. And money looks like it is already beginning to be distributed – the first lucky recipient? Florida. President Obama is set to travel to the sunshine state tomorrow to make the announcement awarding $2.5 billion for the first phase of their bullet train system from Orlando to Tampa that will eventually connect to Miami.
January 26, 2010
Looking for a luxurious hotel to stay at in the Netherlands? Why not try out this Cold War-era East German airplane, which has been transformed into a super delux hotel suite. Parked next to the Teuge Airport in The Netherlands, this fantastic hotel suite for two comes complete with all the amenities — including a cockpit where you can watch the planes land and take off. All of this comes at a fairly reasonable price of €350 per night; you even have a 24-hour on-call hostess.
January 25, 2010
Apple may soon be rolling out iPods and other Apple products with thin film solar cells integrated right into the body of the device! Apple recently filed a fresh patent for solar powered portable devices, including iPods, iPhones, Shuffles, MacBooks and even the hotly anticipated tablet computer. Exciting news keeps coming from the world of Apple and we like how green it’s getting.
January 25, 2010
The National Ecological Institute of South Korea recently released plans for a large-scale nature reserve complete with an incredible series of eco domes, an education center, and an environmental think-tank. Designed by SAMOO, the Ecorium Project will be a striking environmental center comprising thousands of acres of open space in addition to greenhouses and a visitor center. Much like the Eden Project in the UK, the Ecorium Project will serve to educate people about nature, and provide a space for study of the world’s eco-systems and how best to protect them.
January 22, 2010
This hip, colorfully painted shipping container city recently sprung up just outside of Mexico city. Created by a small community of businesses, the project features restaurants, gallery space, bars, funky stores and even living spaces constructed completely out of recycled shipping containers.
January 22, 2010
We first saw renderings of the futuristic MercuryHouseOne this past summer, and now that construction is complete we’re thrilled to unveil the finished project! The MercuryHouseOne is a mobile lounge powered by solar panels and decked out with all the latest and greatest sound equipment and lighting. Architecture and Vision designed, built and then debuted it at the Venice Biennale, and now we have pictures of it in action.
January 21, 2010
Researchers have recently discovered that a commonly used sealant found on our parking lots, driveways and sidewalks is actually a harmful carcinogen. What’s even worse is that we pick up little particles of it on our shoes when we walk across these surfaces and track it into our homes! There are no known studies yet on the health effects, but there’s no sense in waiting. It’s time to ban this dangerous carcinogen from our lives.
January 21, 2010
What do you get when you combine clever marketing, a cute shop, delicious and beautiful food, and eliminate the packaging? A genius idea we wish we had thought of first! Unpackaged is a boutique grocery shop in London that works like the bulk food section of your local store, relying on you, the customer, to bring in your own packaging as a way to eliminate waste. The store sells everything from nuts, flour, sugar, beans, herbs and spices, to oils, vinegars, produce, cheese, bread and even wine! With strict eco-policies on where their source their food, Unpackaged is one of the most environmentally friendly grocery stores we’ve seen.
