COMPETITION ENDS TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT!

We’re ramping up our coverage of eco-conscious NYC restaurants, book stores, boutiques and parks here on Inhabitat and we’re turning to YOU, our knowledgeable readers, to let us know which NYC green locales are most worth checking out. To offer you a little extra incentive for your advice, we’re giving away this cool, handcrafted NYC Skyline Mirror by WrecordsByMonkey made from recycled LPs to the person who gives us the best tip for an under-the-radar green destination in NYC (all five boroughs included). This twelve inch round mirror is upcycled from a recycled vinyl record in Brooklyn, NY and is sure to add a dash of green New York City style to your room.

TO ENTER THIS FABULOUS GIVEAWAY

1. SIGN UP FOR THE INHABITAT NEWSLETTER

2. Leave a tip below by TONIGHT AT MIDNIGHT, telling us your favorite green destination in the Big Apple. Don’t forget to include the address, a link to the website and why you love it!

READ MORE >

Yuka Yoneda and Emma Grady of Treehugger

Green-powered productivity, eco-minded collaboration, and a beautiful, open space to do it all in? That’s exactly what Green Spaces, the company that pioneered sustainable office space in New York, has to offer in their newly opened 5,300 sq. foot loft in downtown Manhattan. Partners Jennie Nevin, Marissa Feinberg, and Roberto Rhett hosted a bash last Thursday night to celebrate the opening, and they invited green industry leaders, social entrepreneurs, and select media to check out their expansive new office filled with an eclectic mix of refurbished furniture, emerging eco-art, and a sense of community for all ‘EcoPreneurs’ looking to set up their headquarters in New York City.

READ MORE >

In a tragic turn of events, the supercool House of LEGOs constructed for the James May BBC television challenge was torn, hammered and shattered into nothing more than a pile of 3.3 million LEGO bricks, along with the dreams of many a young (and old) LEGO lover. This sad news was more than disheartening, especially considering how much effort and energy it took to build a giant house out of the colorful building blocks in the first place. Luckily, the final outcome did have a silver lining. Follow the link below to see what it was!

READ MORE ON INHABITOTS >

Here’s some eco-jewelry you can really sink your teeth into. Or rather, that Australian silversmith Polly van der Glas has sunk some sterilized human molars, bicuspids and canines into. What do you think – are these dental creations creepy or cool?

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE>

Have something to say? Get the word out by emblazoning it across the Galaxy Dress – the world’s largest wearable display! With a blinding 24,000 LED lights, 4,000 hand-applied Swarovski crystals and 40-layers of pleated silk organza crinoline, this illuminated frock will make your company logo, political message or other cause pretty difficult to ignore.

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE>

There’s no better way to get kids interested in something than to incorporate it into their play! If you’re modern design fanatics like we are, may we recommend this gorgeous 1:16 scale dollhouse reproduction of designer Arne Jacobsen’s 1928 villa in Charlottenlund, Denmark as the perfect way to introduce beautiful, minimalistic design to your little ones? Designed by Linda Stenberg and Claus Hojer Hansen of miniature toy company Minimii, the dollhouse even features tiny designer furniture (Egg and Swan chairs courtesy of Fritz Hansen) and lilliputian modern art pieces!

READ MORE AT INHABITOTS>

CALLING ALL SAN FRANCISCANS!

The mother of all green events, the San Francisco Green Festival starts tomorrow! This huge 3-day event runs from November 13th-15th and will feature a sustainable food fair, hemp fashion show, over 150 eco-minded speakers and 400 exhibitors so don’t miss it. Get all the details at Flavorpill.

READ MORE AT FLAVORPILL >

When it comes to teaching kids to conserve energy, positive reinforcement is the name of the game. Combine that with a cute and fun toy, and you really can’t go wrong. Case in point: Tio, an educational ghost pal and light-switch system for your tot that teaches them how cool turning off lights when we don’t need them can be. When lights are left on for only a short time, Tio smiles and is green. The longer kids leave the lights on, the madder Tio gets! Did we mention that you can use all the money you save on the electricity bill towards your little conservationist’s college education?

READ MORE AT INHABITOTS>

German architect Jakob Tigges has unveiled a plan for a 1,000m tall faux mountain at the site of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, and his supporters are taking it rather seriously. Dubbed “The Berg,” the snow-capped colossus would be the world’s largest man-made mountain and would serve as a tourist attraction for skiers in the otherwise slope-less city. We’re all about adding green space to urban environments, but devoting an enormous amount of time, energy and resources into a gigantic landmass that isn’t even inhabitable on the inside seems like a huge mound of you-know-what, if you ask us.

READ MORE >

The Ecouterrorists holdin’ it down.

We kicked off the official launch of our eco-fashion site Ecouterre with a killer party. Check out all of the pics from this momentous night!

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE>

When it comes to kicks, the rarer the better. And if you’re looking for originality, we guarantee you won’t find another pair quite like these upcycled junk-metal Jordans by artist Gabriel Dishaw. He whips metal and electronic scraps from old computers into crazy DIY shoe sculptures that will have any sneakerhead foaming at the mouth. We don’t advise wearing them due to the jagged edges, but they’re certain to be conversation starters when placed strategically on your coffee table.

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE>

Self proclaimed pack-rat and the design mastermind behind the eco-fashion line Study Tara St. James knows how to make upcycling look good. So we weren’t surprised to see that her latest endeavor takes something as mundane as old zippers and transforms them into objects of desire fit for the pages of Vogue (Anna Wintour, if you’re reading this, give Tara a call). Check out all of Tara’s beautiful beribboned, and shockingly affordable, necklaces and accessories before they all get scooped up!

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE>

DRUMROLL PLEASE…

The results of our Green Halloween Costume Contest are finally in! Thank you to everyone who entered – we couldn’t be more psyched about the amazing homemade entries we got pouring in. It wasn’t easy, but we finally narrowed it down to 15 fabulous finalists and then left it up to YOU to choose your favorites. So with out further ado, here are the winners!

READ MORE >

Our Green Halloween Costume Contest ends TONIGHT at MIDNIGHT!

Today is your LAST CHANCE to vote in our Green Halloween Costume contest, and the competition is fierce! Our top 15 amazingly crafted submissions are currently vying for fame, glory, and some great green prizes – and we’re leaving it up to you to pick the winners! The competition ends tonight at midnight, so without further ado, here’s your chance to check them out and weigh in on who you think deserves the coveted title of “Inhabitat Best Green Halloween Costume 2009” not to mention some incredible prizes like a sweet solar-powered Bogo flashlight, an awesome $100 gift certificate to the spectacular Inhabitatshop or supercool Inhabitat t-shirts and tote bags.

VOTE HERE>

.
.

And if you want to check out the adorable kid costumes that were submitted to our kids contest, check out our finalists for the Inhabitots Green Halloween Costume Contest here >

LAST DAY TO ENTER OUR HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST!

The fun and frenzy of Halloween are officially over, but you still have one LAST CHANCE to submit your creative homemade costumes in our Green Halloween Costume Contest! We want you to blow us away with your handcrafted, eco-inspired Halloween costumes, so upload your pics TODAY!

The best and most imaginative costumes will win fabulous prizes like a sweet solar-powered Bogo flashlight, an awesome $100 gift certificate to the spectacular Inhabitatshop or supercool Inhabitat t-shirts and tote bags – not to mention the fame that comes with having your expert costume-crafting skills showcased on Inhabitat for the world to see!

ENTER OUR CONTEST HERE!>

And for those of you who have kids, don’t forget to enter their costumes in our kid-oriented INHABITOTS HALLOWEEN CONTEST >

Need some inspiration? Check out our gallery of last year’s winners:

Is that the vampire dude from Twilight?

Eeeeek! These taxidermied toppers and pigeon-wing pendants may get your gag reflex going, but they’re actually much more humane than the horrible and cruel mink coats and furs that we’ve been brainwashed to think of as “luxurious.” RP/Encore, with the taxidermy expertise of Reid Peppard, who happens to be vegetarian, makes their skin-crawling collection of jewelry and accessories out of rat bodies, guinea pig feet, and preserved pigeon feathers. The cool part? The “materials” that make these pieces extra “unique” all come from animals who have gone to that big vermin graveyard in the sky as a result of natural death, pest control or car accidents. If you ask us, that makes these artfully preserved necklaces, hairpieces and coin purses WAY less disgusting than animals carcasses that have been slaughtered just to sew them into fur coat.

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE>

CALLING ALL HOMEMADE HALLOWEEN COSTUME CRAFTERS!

The deadline for our annual Green Halloween Costume Photo Contest is approaching so fast that it’s scary! We’ve gotten some awesome submissions so far, but we still want see yours so get your pics in NOW for a chance to win some sweet prizes like a handy solar-powered Bogo flashlight, an awesome $100 gift certificate to the Inhabitatshop or our fabulous Inhabitat t-shirts and tote bags!

ENTER OUR CONTEST HERE!>

And for the little ones in your life who are dressing up, you can enter pics of their costumes in the kid-oriented version of our costume contest.

ENTER INHABITOTS GREEN HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST HERE!>

CALLING ALL NEW YORK ECO-FASHION CONNOISSEURS!

In about 24 hours, you could be nibbling on delectable vegan morsels by Rabbit Mafia, sipping refreshing organic drinks courtesy of 44 North Vodka, shopping the racks of sustainable fashion at KAIGHT NYC (15% off everything for one night only), and discussing the future of eco-fashion at the OFFICIAL LAUNCH PARTY of our brand new eco-fashion website, Ecouterre! But you have to RSVP first so send us an email at rsvp@inhabitat.com today to let us know you’ll be there!

rsvp@inhabitat.com

SEE THE DETAILS OF THE PARTY HERE>

P.S. We’re going to be raffling off this gorgeous Circle Cascade necklace by the Andean Collection at the party, so don’t miss your chance to win it!

CALLING EVERYONE LOOKING TO GREEN THEIR CITY!

In less 4 hours, we’re going to be jumpstarting our LIVE conversation at City Hall with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and we want YOU to be there! This will be the exciting finale to our Green Talks series where we’ve been inviting you to discuss the hard-hitting green issues that matter most to you with the leaders that are changing the game. Mayor Newsom is at the top of the list of influential people spearheading environmetal awareness and he’ll be sharing his thoughts on the cutting edge eco initiatives he’s implemented in San Francisco that have made it one of the greenest cities in the U.S. There’s also been a huge amount of buzz about him being in the race to be California’s next governor, so you’re not going to want to miss this amazing opportunity to ask him YOUR questions.

BE THERE AT 12PM PST/3PM EST TODAY!

To encourage your participation, we’ll be selecting our favorite responses to win a FREE INHABITAT T-SHIRT and a Hymini wind-power charging device, so sign up for our green talk and submit your questions today!

SIGN UP HERE TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION >

SUBMIT A QUESTION TO WIN AN INHABITAT T-SHIRT! >

CALLING ALL ECO-FASHION FOLLOWERS IN NYC!

Just in case you haven’t heard by now, the official launch party for our new eco-fashion website Ecouterre is THIS THURSDAY! That’s right, in just two more days you could be indulging in yummy vegan cookies and snacks by Rabbit Mafia, enjoying organic cocktails courtesy of 44 North Vodka, perusing sustainable fashions at KAIGHT NYC (15% off everything for one night only), and talking eco-fashion with Ecouterre editors and other readers. We’d love to see you there so send an email to rsvp@inhabitat.com today to let us know you’ll be there!

rsvp@inhabitat.com

SEE THE DETAILS OF THE PARTY HERE>

P.S. We’re going to be raffling off this gorgeous Circle Cascade necklace by the Andean Collection at the party, so don’t miss your chance to win it!

For little ones, no other night of the year can quite match the fun and energy that comes with Halloween! And if you’re interested in teaching your tots to grow up greener, this magical holiday is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate to them that you can have a jaw-droppingly cool costume while still respecting the Earth and keeping waste to a minimum. From homemade cow outfits to eco-friendly baby monkeysuits, here are our favorite picks for great, green Halloween costumes for kids!

Halloween is almost here, and if you’re a little spooked about going green with your little one this All Hallow’s Eve, we want to show you that there is nothing to be frightened of! From green kids crafts to healthy treats that your tot will love, here’s our comprehensive, one-stop guide of all the best tips and tricks for a green Halloween to remember.

Photo by Chelsea Guglielmino

With the economy in the shambles that it’s in, who knows when you’re gonna be forced to find shelter on the streets? If things do get that bad, you’d feel a lot more prepared sporting the “Wearable Shelter” collection of fashions that actually transform into sleeping bags and tents. Designed by a trio of Philadelphia student designers, these smart clothes/homes were a hit at the So Re Fa (Socially Responsible Fashion) eco-fashion show in Philadelphia this past week and are a commentary on these uncertain times.

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE>

Pretty? Or pretty scary? These insane looking LED lashes by Soomi Park are definitely not for those who consider argyle socks to be a “risky” accessory. If you do get pulled over for by the fashion police for having the gall to rock these, freak them out even more by demonstrating the inclination sensor technology that tracks the movements of your pupils, turning the lights on and off simply tilting your head.

READ MORE ON ECOUTERRE>

Halloween is undoubtedly one of the most fun holidays around, but it can also be stressful to try to come up with a clever costume that doesn’t require too much work. With all the awesome halloween contests and parties, finding that special costume with the perfect balance of intrigue and cleverness can really drive a person to their wit’s end! Don’t fret! Take a deep breath, and step away from the costume aisle at your local big box store, and let us inspire you with 8 awesomely green halloween costumes from Inhabitat Green Halloweens past.

CALLING ALL CREATIVE COSTUMERS!

It’s that time of year again when all the boys and ghouls come out to play – Halloween!!! With the big night swiftly approaching and not much time on your hands, it may be tempting to head to your local big box store and pick up a lame, generic costume straight from the shelves – don’t do it! This year, why not get into the creative fun that All Hallow’s Eve is all about, and entering your one-of-a-kind, green-themed, DIY costume into our spectacular Green Halloween Costume Photo Contest???! Not only will you able to flaunt your mad costume crafting skills to everyone reading Inhabitat, you could also win exciting prizes like a sweet solar-powered Bogo flashlight, an awesome $100 gift certificate to the Inhabitatshop or our fabulous Inhabitat t-shirts and tote bags!

ENTER OUR CONTEST HERE!>

And if you are dressing up your kids, and you want to win cute kids’ schwag, consider entering your little ones’ costumes in the kid-oriented INHABITOTS HALLOWEEN CONTEST >

Need some inspiration? Check out our gallery of last year’s winners:

CALLING ALL ECO-FASHION MAVENS IN NYC!

We’re gearing up to ring in the launch of our fabulous eco-fashion site Ecouterre with our first official party and we want YOU to be there! Join us, the Ecouterre editors, as we munch on vegan cookies and snacks, sip organic cocktails, peruse green goods at KAIGHT (15 percent off everything for one night only), and of course, talk about the future of eco-fashion!

CHECK OUT THE DETAILS HERE>

How well do you know YOUR eco-fashion?

Put your sustainability savvy to the test and get the best Ecouterre news of the week in easy-to-swallow, bite-size morsels with our eco-fashion pop quiz.

1. Playing off “farm to table,” what designer is bringing “ranch to runway”?

2. What suede-like, renewable fabric has more bark than bite?

3. What is Zegna’s hot new solar-powered jacket made of?

4. What does Popomomo stand for?

5. “Consciousness is the new hip” is what vegan shoe maker’s motto?

Answers right after the jump!

READ MORE >

Who knew that toilet paper couture could look so darn good?! Some of Canada’s fashion elite rolled out their hottest designs for Cashmere Bathroom Tissue’s Sixth Annual White Cashmere Collection 2009: Fashion with Compassion Runway Show to raise funds and awareness for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Check out all of these imaginative and plush ensembles made from Cashmere’s signature pink toilet paper at our eco-fashion site Ecouterre!

READ MORE AND SEE THE WHOLE GALLERY AT ECOUTERRE>

Want to win this dazzling $170 recycled vintage chain necklace? We’re giving it away to one lucky reader on Ecouterre to celebrate the official launch of our dedicated eco-fashion website, Ecouterre! We wanted to do something extra special for our very first giveaway so we got the talented designer and founder of Dirty Librarian Chains, Susan, to whip us up a ONE OF A KIND eco-necklace out of recycled chains and charms. So what are you waiting for? Enter now for your chance to win!

ENTER TO WIN HERE >

Be still our hearts! These captivating wool-felt toppers handcrafted by artisan Claudia Schulz are enough to make us abandon our disdain for the cold weather and welcome it with open arms (or bare heads?). From coy 1920s-esque cloches to modernist caps adorned with poppy starbursts and poufy pom poms, check out our yummy gallery of these wearable artpieces.

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE>

This autumn, why not use the chilly weather as an excuse to up your wardrobe’s sustainability quotient with a durable, quality fall jacket? Now, we know that eco-friendly threads for guys aren’t always the easiest to come by, which is precisely why we commissioned new writer Dan Mendes to gather up his top six picks for sustainably made jackets, blazers and parkas – complete with slick images of each one. Now all you have to do is choose which one will look best on you!

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE>

At first glance, Graft Lab’s dazzling complex in Dubai may appear to have a cluster of sparkling geometric pools at its base. But upon further inspection, the web-like structures are actually something even more desirable than a place to take a dip in the hot desert – a means of collecting the scorching rays of the sun and transforming them into energy. Dubbed the Vertical Village, this multi-use building and accompanying massive array of solar collectors was designed to work smarter, not harder, which is expected to earn it a LEED Gold certification when it is completed.

READ MORE >

On the chic streets of Paris, a woman wearing a purple cardigan zooms by on a chunky, mocha-grey bicycle. The woman fades from mind, but the retro bike lingers on as a memory with its decidedly unique styling. Strangely, an older gentleman with a bouquet of flowers tucked into his bag now rides by on a bike that looks just like the last one. And now, yet another man is walking the exact same bike down the street too. Coincidence, or something more?

READ MORE >

Do your old shoes need a serious facelift? With fall starting, you may be tempted to toss your tired treads and splurge on some brand new ones – but wait! Before you go out and spend any money, check out our 7 simple and cost-effective ways to give your outdated pair a makeover that will have them feeling like new again.

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE>