What’s not to love about fireworks? Bright bursts of color, awe-inspiring flashes of light… asthma??!!! More and more people have been voicing their concerns about the health risks (from particle-filled smoke and lung-clogging antimony to heart-toxic Barium and body-contaminating perchlorates) associated with our favorite nighttime spectacles, especially since we’ll be experiencing a ton of them tomorrow for 4th of July. Are there such things as eco-friendly fireworks? Scientists are busy working on them right now, but at the moment, they are too cost-prohibitive to make an appearance in displays this year.

Since we can’t purport to be green fireworks experts, here are the articles that we’ve found to be the most informative on the subject:

Eco-Friendly Fireworks Offer Safer Alternatives from Discovery News

Oh No Mommy, Will the Greenies Take Fireworks Away from Us? (haha) from Treehugger

Eco-Friendly Fireworks and Other Green Alternatives for July 4th from Greenopia

+ 5 Cheap and Easy Ways to Green Your 4th of July

Image credit: d4rr3ll and Mr. Magoo ICU

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Post tags: 4th of july, eco-friendly fireworks, green fireworks, green independence day, independence day

It’s a widely known fact that leggy moviestar Cameron Diaz is a proponent of the green living, fashion, and transportation, but did you know that she is also a fan of sustainable design? We were delighted to see that the top pick on her Green List in pal Gwyneth Paltrow’s eco-newsletter GOOP was none other than… (drumroll please)

Inhabitat!

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Post tags: cameron diaz, goop, green celebrities, Gwyneth Paltrow, newsletter

Building a home in the desert is certainly a test of green building innovation — because in a climate where resources are limited, how do you build to ensure comfort and longevity? Architect Lloyd Russell offers a beautiful solution with his Austin Residence near Palm Springs, California. Besides its construction out of recycled materials, Russell gave serious consideration to the mechanics of passive ventilation the home during the hot summer months. He was also sensitive to the culture of the surrounding California desert when developing the home’s look-and-feel, creating a contemporary home reminiscent of an old West outpost that captures the essence of desert living.

Read the rest of California Desert Home Uses Passive Ventilation Techniques

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Post tags: california homes, california residence, california residential architecture, desert homes, desert living, eco friendly residence, eco-friendly homes, green architecture, Green Building, green homes, green residence, lloyd russell, palm springs, passive ventilation, Sustainable Building

The fabulous Dwell on Design Show in LA last weekend showcased some amazing new products and home designs, like the organic ‘Solar Ivy‘, and the Mormal Radziner Skyline Prefab Series. Even more exciting though was the little prefab that could by Reclaimed Space, which sold on Ebay for $75,000, with a portion going to Habitat For Humanity. Reclaimed Space designed and built a 400 square foot prefab cabin, trucked it to LA for the event. The home has a contemporary mix of wood and metal in its exterior, and a beautiful interior decorated by our friends at Ecofabulous, with the help of Jeffers Design Group. We’re in love with the design, space and interior — so we weren’t surprised that it was a smash hit at the show.

Read the rest of Reclaimed Space Prefab Sold on Ebay for $75K

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Post tags: dwell on design, dwell on design 2009, dwell on design conference, ecofabulous, Prefab, Reclaimed Materials, reclaimed space, reclaimed wood, small spaces

Dutch designer Marieke Staps has figured out a way to grow time, instead of killing it. Her soil-powered bio-clock (is that like a biological clock?), showcased at Dutch Design Week in 2008 and most recently at Dwell on Design’s Kitchen Ecology Show last week, keeps time by plugging into mud!

Read the rest of Marieke Staps Soil Clock is powered by DIRT!

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Post tags: dwell on design 2009, eco-friendly kitchen products, green kitchen design, Home decor, home goods, kitchen design, kitchen ecology, marieke staps, potted herbs, potted plants, soil clock, soil-powered clock

The United Kingdom’s Hanham Hall Development is the largest eco-village aspiration to date. Designed by HTA and funded by Barratt Developments and the Homes & Communities Agency, there are a rumored 188-195 zero carbon homes in the overall housing scheme. The development will include an onsite biomass CHP plant, strategically placed reed beds, shops for farmers to sell their goods, bicycle storage throughout, and a carefully crafted drainage system. Hanham Hall is the first major eco city underway that is part of the government’s Carbon Challenge Programme. The government has set a goal for all new builds to be zero carbon by 2016. It looks as though they are six years ahead of the curve.

Read the rest of Largest Eco-Village in the UK Will Boast Zero Carbon Homes

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Woolly Pockets is bringing the Garden of Eden indoors with their incredible planters for your walls and floors. These breathable little pockets of green are composed of 60% recycled plastic bottles and are made entirely in the USA. With containers costing anywhere from $29 for the Wee Woolly all the way to $247 for an entire Woolly Meadow, these little pockets ensure everyone can have their own little piece of green within reach in a container that keeps plants healthier than your average pot.

Read the rest of Woolley Pockets: Build Your Own Garden of Eden

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Bububluooopppp! That’s the sound a pool noodle makes when it sinks in the water, and it’s also what these zany seating arrangements constructed out of oodles of the buoyant toys on a Chelsea rooftop spell out when viewed from above. We guess LA-based firm INABA really, really likes words with “oo” in them (pool, noodle, rooftop) because they are the ones that designed this insanely colorful space which will be used to host film-screenings and outdoor events throughout the summer. The rooftop will also be open to the public at select times, so don’t miss your chance to test out one of the noodle chairs for yourself. If you really want to complete the picture, bring a poodle!

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Post tags: chelsea, inaba, jeffrey inaba, pool noodle rooftop, pool noodles, x initiative

Maybe you simply didn’t have enough time this year to think about it. Or maybe you’ve already gotten so many biodegradable plates, composting bins and other eco-hookups for your Fourth of July shindig that you feel you can’t possibly get any greener. Wait! Here are a few super simple and practically free ways to make your BBQ, beach bash or rooftop gathering more about celebrating and less about waste. Uncle Sam would be proud!

Read the rest of 5 Cheap and Easy Last Minute Ways to Green Your Fourth of July

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Post tags: eco-friendly july 4th, green bbq, green celebration, green independence day, green party, sustainable july fourth, uncle sam wants you to have a green 4th of july

Good things really do come in small packages — as is the case with these mini modernist Bauhaus Models crafted by Auckland based painter and sculptor Gidon Bing and styled by Katie Lockhart. The diminutive Bauhaus dwellings were created as a promotional showcase for New Zealand paint company, Renese, to demonstrate their Karen Walker Paint charts. The inspiration for the dollhouse models was derived from “the Bauhaus school of the 1920s whose concept was to create and combine colors from an emotional point of view rather than a technical one.” This artful nod to Bauhaus architecture blurs the lines between child’s play and grownup art appreciation, proving that great design spans the ages.

READ MORE AT INHABITOTS >

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Post tags: Bauhaus architecture, Bauhaus dollhouses, Bauhaus Modernism, design savvy dollhouse, designer dollhouse, Karen Walker paints, mini Bauhaus models, Renese, Renese promotional Bauhaus models

Pre-built homemakers extraordinaire, Marmol Radziner Prefab were in the news this week once again introducing their newest custom prefab home. High up in the hills above Los Angeles sits the new Hollywood Hybrid, a 2576 sq. ft. sustainable, modern prefab home with killer views and a minimal carbon footprint. Inhabitat went up to the site where the home was being built for a peek.

Read the rest of Marmol Radziner Prefab’s Hollywood Hybrid Takes Shape in the Hills

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Post tags: "prefabricated housing", dwell home collection, hollywood, hollywood hybrid, Los Angeles, marmol radziner, Prefab Housing

Solar Ivy (or SMIT Grow) is a spectacular system of thin, fluttering solar panels that generate energy by sparkling in the sunlight. The wind and solar power generating photovoltaic leaves can be easily integrated on the side of a building to produce energy. The concept, designed by Brooklyn based SMIT (Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology), consists of a layer of thin-film material on top of polyethylene with a piezoelectric generator attached to each leaf. When the sun is shining or the wind is blowing, energy is being generated via Solar Ivy.

Read the rest of ‘Solar Ivy’ Photovoltaic Leaves Climb to New Heights

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Post tags: modular, piezoelectric, piezoelectric generator, renewable energy, SMIT, solar, solar ivy, Wind

Today all that nomadic telecommuters need is internet access, a phone, and some strong coffee. Waskman Design Studio’s stunning mobile home, designed for Vodafone, has all of those things (except the caffeine). The solar powered trailer was created for Vodafone to show off its fixed phone and wireless internet service, and is currently occupied by blogger Marcos Morales and his family as they travel through Spain on a family vacation!

Read the rest of Solar Mobile Home Liberates Office-Bound Desk Jockies

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Post tags: "prefabricated housing", carlos morales, green design, la casa movil, mobile home, sustainable design, vodaphone, waskman design studio

We’ve seen designers recycle airplane parts to create desks, tropical eco-hotels and a hostel, and now we can add couches and beds to the lofty collection! MotoArt is a team of designers who transform airplane parts into sleek, highly polished modern pieces of furniture. Based in Los Angeles, the 6 person design crew creates an impressive line-up of upcycled furnishings, sure to please every airplane enthusiast’s flight of fancy.

Read the rest of MotoArt Recycles Airplane Parts Into High-Flyin’ Furniture

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Post tags: airplane, airplane parts, eco furniture, Furniture, recycled, recycled furniture, upcycled

Who says materials have to be scraped, buffed, and varnished to be beautiful? Recently, we spotted a beautiful storage barn that proves raw materials can make a breathtaking exterior. The building’s site was once home to a scrap lumber yard where the owner was looking to restrain the sprawl of the wood and stone. The architects, Gray Organschi Architecture, designed a simple structure that not only stores the materials, but operates off-grid on an isolated site. With accessibility in mind, the lumber is organized on the exterior of the building in rectangular cubby holes, creating a wonderful mosaic-like texture that proves that functionality and aesthetics can go hand-in-hand.

Read the rest of Beautiful Solar Storage Barn Built From Raw Materials

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Post tags: eco-friendly shed, Green Building, outdoor barn, outdoor shed, storage barn, storage facility, storage shed, Sustainable Building