The Solar Decathlon, the super solar architecture competition held in Washington D.C. bi-annually, officially kicked off today, and Rice University’s awesomely affordable ZEROW House is already making waves. The first round of evaluations took place yesterday, and this low-budget underdog placed 4th among the twenty competitors after being recognized in the categories Comfort Zone and Appliances. What is most impressive about this team is that the average budget of the 20 solar decathlon houses at the mall is $490,000, while the ZEROW home was built for only $140,000!!! Even more impressive, the ZEROW House was designed specifically for Houston’s Third Ward Neighborhood as part of Project Row House – an organization that seeks to develop housing for low-to moderate-income families.

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While transforming reclaimed office chairs and stereo equipment into fully functional sound systems – the ideas behind Mikal Hameed’s work could address the disconnect that many feel towards the current Green Movement. As he considers himself only to be “green out of necessity,” Hameed recognizes that the work he produces is reflective of the struggle and indifference experienced by much of society. He is passionate about bringing people together through the shared experience of music, and it is this passion that has led him to becoming our very own eco-friendly shaman of sound. Last week I had the chance to visit Mikal’s studio, and get to know more about where he find his materials, inspiration and his feelings about being called eco.

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Odds & Ends, Bits & Pieces is a beautiful four-piece furniture set made entirely out of re-purposed materials. Designed by Inhabitat favorite Jo Meesters, the spring-colored furniture was crafted using a variation of upholstering and weaving techniques and is an amazing transformation of 34 discarded wooden beams and 16 leftover blankets.

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Today Germany’s historic Hamburg-Harburg Harbor announced the development of a sustainable ECO CITY that combines industry, entertainment and pedestrian life into one super green package. Designed by international firm Tec Architecture and the global engineering company ARUP, ECO CITY is one of the only projects in the world that is seeking to achieve the highest level of environmental certification from all three major green building rating systems (LEED, BREEAM and DGNB). The project is an exceptional example of how to integrate efficient technology and building methods while fostering social interaction and community rebirth.

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As the housing crisis wreaks havoc and suburbia suffers a critical blow from the credit crunch, what will become of all those foreclosed McMansions? Designer Calvin Chiu has proposed one solution that seeks to reinvent these monuments to excess as micro-wetland ecosystems that filter and provide fresh water to urban centers. One the more interesting top 20 finalists in our Reburbia Competition to redesign the suburbs, Frog’s Dream takes an inspired approach towards preserving the wetlands, solving the water crisis, and ensuring the sustainability of our cities in one fell swoop.

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Appearing as a cross between a Tokyo capsule hotel and a pixellated prefab treehouse, the T-Tree housing community offers residents the opportunity to live among the clouds. One of 20 incredible finalists in our ReBurbia competition to save the suburbs, the sustainable community was designed by Adil Azhiyev and Ivan Kudryavtsev of Light+Space to help alleviate the problems of suburban sprawl with a site-sensitive vertical structure composed of two design elements — a central core containing an elevator and stars, and a lofted series of prefab housing modules. Like the trunk of a tree the core serves as the base, while the housing modules are stacked one on top of the other to create a tower of alternating cubes and activated space.

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The Reclaim – Samsung and service partner Sprint’s newest green phone – has innovative features that go beyond the bare bones that similar products like Motorola’s W233 Renew phone offers. This eco-conscious smart-phone is 80 percent recyclable and made mostly of corn-based bio-plastics, but that’s not all this compact phone has up its green sleeves.

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It goes without saying that there have been some truly impressive and useful innovations in world of eco-friendly products, but with everyone racing to develop the next big thing there are bound to be a few flops. Here at Inhabitat we applaud every effort to help us reduce our carbon footprint and live greener cleaner lives, but we can’t help but notice that some attempts have missed the mark. This list is comprised of our favorite silly eco inventions, products and ideas. Really, what fun would it be if we only covered the good stuff?

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While most of us are delighted by the idea of bringing the outdoors in, we are equally excited by the concept of bringing the indoors outside! These “lawnge chairs” get the job done. Designed by artist Lisette Spee in collaboration with architect Tim Van Den Burg, the playful seats are part of a series of lounge chairs created for public spaces in Valkenberg Park in Breda, Netherlands.

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Much like a floating Club Med, “The Swimming City” by Andras Gyorfi could be the perfect solution for ocean-bound adventure seekers. As most of us have daydreamed about abandoning our complex land-ridden existence for the simple life at sea, Gyorfi – the winner of Seastead’s first design contest – has brought this idea to new heights. His design is playfully inviting, with many recreational facilities including a large swimming pool, outdoor amphitheater, helicopter landing pad, and shaded marina.

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The transformation of Oslo’s Skyline consistently pushes the boundaries of modern architecture, and the city’s latest trio of crystalline skyscrapers further define what could be referred to as the Nordic aesthetic. Danish architects C.F.Møller and Norwegian practice Kristin Jarmund Arkitekter were recently named the winners in a competition to design three office towers in Oslo. This futuristic project, which has been dubbed Crystal Clear, consists of stacks of prismatic cubes with clear jagged edges that emerge from the ground and gracefully stretch upward, illuminating the majestic northern sky.

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We all know that food and water are basic human needs, but what about something as simple as a place to sit? Right now, there is a pressing need for nearly 2 billion basic, low-cost seating units for schools hospitals and houses in underdeveloped countries around the globe. In response to the shortage, students Alon Tal and Fabio Alvarez teamed up with Zilca, a company that specializes in recycled materials, to find a solution. First presented last September at design fair Habitat Valencia in Spain, their senior thesis, the Reverse Project, makes cushions from re-purposed car foam for seating that is easy on the eyes, earth, and the behind!

Wondering how to turn all of those plastic bottle caps running rampant in your household into a green, planet saving endeavor? Well, lucky for you, and for marine life everywhere, Aveda has come up with an alternative solution for all of the un-recyclable rigid plastic caps that invade your medicine cabinets, refrigerators and kitchen drawers. The very same ubiquitous bottle-toppers pose a dangerous threat to oceans, birds and marine life when they are improperly disposed of and wind up in landfills or sent down storm drains. Aveda’s Caps Recycling Program will re-purpose these toxic plastics as a base for new packaging, in an effort to eliminate them from our oceans before it’s too late.

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The Nautilus, designer Javier Senosiain’s bizarre, snail-shaped dwelling, is a mind-bending union of artistic experimentation and simplified living. Inspired by the work of Gaudí and Frank Lloyd Wright, Senosiain has brought to Mexico City another sparkling example of what he calls “Bio-Architecture” — the idea that buildings based on the natural principles of organic forms bring us back to local history, tradition and cultural roots, in turn creating harmony with nature.

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Grey skies got you down? Turn to Simon Enever’s very clever Ella umbrella stand to brighten your home and remedy those rainy day blues. This rather elegant new age umbrella stand uses rainwater from your umbrella to feed thirsty grass and adds a fun spot of green to your foyer.

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As one of Tel Aviv’s most thought-provoking new companies, Junktion, a young, edgy and innovative design studio, is breathing new life into the trash their city has cast aside. Junktion began in 2008 and has made their presence know in the contemporary furniture market with their unique approach to function and unwavering conviction to challenge how people regard junk.

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