Inhabitat

Beyond LEED: Living Building Challenge 2.0 Certification Unveiled

This week the International Living Building Institute released its new green building standard to the public at Greenbuild 2009. Version 2.0 expands on its already impressive focus to now cover social issues – any Certified Living Building must be net-zero energy, net-zero water, non-toxic, provide for habitat restoration on sister sites, and urban agriculture is mandated. The 20 imperatives, all of which must be addressed, go well beyond the simple efficiency standards that our industry seems content to comply with before calling a project ’sustainable’. Seriously, read this thing!

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Tara St. James’ Upcycled Zipper Jewelry Adds Zip to Your Wardrobe

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 …

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Team Inhabitat Sounds off on Climate Change!

Today is Blog Action Day, and team Inhabitat is joining thousands of other sites around the world as we spread shock waves of awareness around the issue of climate change! As the web’s largest blog dedicated to sustainable design, we tackle this issue on a daily basis through our headlines – but today we also wanted to share a more personal response from our team. By nature climate change is an issue that extends to every corner of the globe, and our worldwide team of writers are engaging with it on a daily basis – read on for our responses!

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Lessons We Can Learn From Old Buildings And Apply to New Ones

Buildings consume 76% of electricity generated; they create 48% of our greenhouse gases; a quarter of our waste in landfills comes from construction. Yet we continue to tear down perfectly good ones and replace them with new ones that don’t perform as well and don’t last as long. If we understood what old buildings are saying to us, we would be less eager to rip them down, and perhaps might even emulate them in our new buildings. Read on for examples.

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Join our Inhabitat Editors Roundtable Webinar TODAY at 1pm est!

CALLING ALL INHABITAT READERS – Don’t miss the Inhabitat Editors Roundtable Webinar (and your chance to win this awesome $1700 Biomega bike!) TODAY at 1pm est!

Last week we kicked off an exciting new project for Inhabitat called Green Talks. This series of live webinar discussions and presentations will engage with green thought leaders around the country to bring you the freshest ideas in emerging green design and innovation. Our very first ‘Green Talk‘ kicks off the series today as a roundtable discussion with four Inhabitat editors: Editor-in-Chief Jill Fehrenbacher, Managing Editor Mike Chino, New York Editor Yuka Yoneda and Technology Editor Ariel Schwartz.

We’re super excited about this opportunity to connect with our readers, so if you have a question about green design, about Inhabitat – or about anything at all, come join our conversation.

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Links Roundup of the Week: Planning for Sustainability

Last week, Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG asked Mason White of InfraNet Lab for his thoughts on the growing interest in infrastructure and planning. White reflected that designers today that are looking to positively impact the built environment, and are subsequently thinking about the bigger picture rather than object-orientated thinking. So if you love architecture, and are curious about the larger systems at work …

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Design Revolution book launch at the Cooper-Hewitt October 6th

We posted about the exciting release of Design Revolution: 100 Products that Empower People, a few weeks back, and now it’s time to celebrate! Join author Emily Pilloton (founder of humanitarian product design coalition Project H Design and Inhabitat Senior Editor) on Tuesday October 6th, 6:30pm, at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York City for a panel discussion with Cooper-Hewitt curator Cynthia Smith, Metropolis editor-in-chief Susan Szenasy, and Core77’s Allan Chochinov, followed by a reception and book signing. Register for the event via the Cooper-Hewitt site here ($10 members and students/$15 non-members).

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The GreenShows Give Eco Fashion a Destination at New York Fashion Week

Showing at New York Fashion Week is every aspiring fashion designer’s dream, and having your line on display during this prestigious event is a sign that you’ve really made it. Well, in a way, eco-fashion as a whole is very much like a promising, young designer – a select few know about it, …

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Mr. Larkin: A Gorgeous and Truly Innovative Eco-Fashion Collection

We’ve known about eco-fashion line Mr. Larkin for some time, but did not expect to be as blown away by the skill, innovation and sheer beauty of Casey Larkin’s Spring 2010 collection as we were at last week’s Green Shows. With a refined color palette of dusty pinks, silvery greys and breezy …

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NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: Top 5 Green Runway Shows

New York Fashion Week is finally drawing to a close, and we’re psyched to report that the presence of environmentally savvy fashion was fiercer than ever before! The launch of The GreenShows last week – an event showcasing seven different eco fashion designers under one roof is proof that eco design is finally starting to make an impact on mainstream culture. If you missed the green runway shows, don’t fret – we’ve got the scoop on all of them, and pics of our favorite eco fashion designers right after the jump.

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Conflux Festival is this weekend!

It’s remix-the-city-time: the Conflux Festival is back. This annual NYC-based festival of psychogeography promises some great urban tinkering, featuring the work of several artists we’ve featured here on Inhabitat. From Eve Mosher to Swimming Cities to Reverend Billy, the artists of Conflux use technology to explore public space in the city — re-defining the city and its proper use and maintenance.

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Links Roundup of the Week: Affordable Housing

Living in New York City, I’ve lost touch with the concept of affordable housing. However, after competition finalists were announced for an affordable student housing complex in the historic center of Athens, Greece, I felt inspired to seek out other exciting developments in the world of affordable design.

Jetson Green reports on net-zero energy homes nestled into an idyllic setting among evergreen trees and grasses.

gbNYC tells us that Connecticut is getting its first LEED-certified residential …

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John Patrick Organic Spring/Summer Eco Fashion 2010

We’ve been fans of trailblazing eco fashion designer John Patrick Organic for years, and were thrilled to get a sneak peek at his latest collection at New York Fashion Week last Thursday. Summed up in two words, JPO SS 2010 is classic Americana. These are clothes that would have looked oh so right on Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde – flowy and flattering organic cotton and silk dresses cinched with structured recycled polyester trenchcoats and organic cotton twill seersucker blazers. Read on to see pics of our favorite pieces and a special celebrity guest!

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Songdo IBD: South Korea’s New Eco-City

Every country needs their own master-planned eco city. Germany will have aptly named ECO CITY Hamburg, the UK has Hanham Hall, Sweden has Super Sustainable City in Gothenburg, Spain has Logroño Montecorvo Eco City, and the UAW has Masdar. But South Korea seems to have two master-planned sustainable communities, we saw this super sustainable city by Foster + Partners earlier this week, and now we are taking a look at Songdo International Business District or Songdo IBD. This new eco-city will be impressive with its list of eco-credentials – tons of beautiful open space and parks, green roofs, solar passive design, mass transit and over 120 buildings built to LEED standards.

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Links Roundup of the Week: Heroes of Architecture

Last Sunday, Nicolai Ouroussoff at the NY Times wrote that New York City needs new heroes for architecture. He reminiscences about the New York Five of the 1970s who wanted to “reassert the importance of architecture as art form” and we couldn’t help but recognize how drastically different that kind of thinking is compared to the demands of architecture today. Nowadays architects are asked to address climate change, habitat destruction, the housing …

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Solar Roadways to Prototype First Ever Solar Road Panel

Ever drive on the highway and think about how much solar energy is wasted on the asphalt below? Apparently, so has Solar Roadways. The startup was awarded a $100,000 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) grant this week to prototype its Solar Road Panel–an energy-generating panel made from solar cells and glass that is meant to replace petroleum-based asphalt on roads and in parking lots.
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Links Roundup of the Week: New York International Gift Fair

The New York International Gift Fair was this week and we are sorry to say that we missed it, which is why we paid extra attention to the buzz around it — and just like Design Week, we are hearing that there is no shortage of good green design.

Mother Nature Network provides a round-up of the …

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INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY: Inhabitat Is Looking For Fall Interns!

Inhabitat is rapidly growing into a full-fledged media empire, and it’s about time we enlisted the help of an elite group of rockstar interns to lend a hand as we develop new products and properties that will help take our brand and content to new levels. So, if you’re based in the NYC area and interested in becoming involved in the growth phase of future Inhabitat ventures, please read on!

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TEICH: We Check Out NYC’s Newest Green Boutique

New York Editor Olivia Chen and Storeowner Allison Teich

Teich, a new sustainable fashion boutique, has taken NYC by storm and the Inhabitat fashion team was lucky enough to be on the scene for a trunkshow there last week showcasing eco-fabulous designer Ryann! In addition to the very delectable line of handbags for which the shop is named, there was plenty of eye candy in the form of floaty organic dresses, delicate recycled jewelry and, my personal favorite, exclusive NYC name pendants (see storeowner Allison Teich’s neck in the pic above) that Junkprints custom-made for the store out of old records!

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GREEN RANT: Stop Sending me Phone Books!

Inspiration for this rant landed on doorsteps in my area a few weeks ago, and has been sitting there, becoming increasingly soggy and unsightly ever since. Digging around the internet I found that many other people are also upset about the massive yellow and white phone books forced upon them. Some areas even have four or five phone directory companies distributing books to each residence! Maybe the contract companies hired to drop off the books do not have the resources to consider individual addresses in metropolitan areas like Philadelphia, where I reside, but the litter created globally by the mass amounts of unwanted phone books seems inexcusable. Wanting to know who I could point a finger at, I set out to find the root cause of the issue.

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Links Roundup of the Week: Seating

Summertime is fun, but can be tiring — and all you need sometimes is to sit your tush down on some nice, comfy seating. And if you are like us, you want to be locating yourself on a nice bench or stool that is sustainably sourced and constructed. There is certainly no shortage of functional and eco-friendly furniture to be found out there, and this is what we noticed this …

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Links Roundup of the Week: Water

It officially became summer this week, and in anticipation of the heat we have talked about keeping cool, and why wind is important. This week we are thinking about water, because who can argue how refreshing a cool glass of water can be on a hot summer day? In the past, water often had to be moved across miles to get to its consumers. It seems, …

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Aveda is Saving Oceans & Marine Life One Plastic Cap at a Time

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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Links Roundup of the Week: Wind Energy

We’ve been reading here and there that research is beginning to show that wind speeds are slowing down due to climate change — making wind-powered energy less promising. Some would simply call this incredibly ironic, but we consider this a call-to-action to change the way we think and behave in an on-going effort to preserve the environment we live in. Wind is a precious …

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INTERVIEW: Sustainability Advisor Lonny Grafman on The Waterpod

If you live in New York City, you may soon have the chance to check out the Waterpod, an incredible self-reliant eco-habitat, exhibition, and living space designed to showcase sustainable grassroots technology. The Waterpod just launched this Saturday, and it will now dock for public viewing at various locations in Manhattan’s five boroughs. We had the chance to conduct an exclusive interview with Lonny Grafman, the project’s sustainability advisor, about this floating model of self-sufficiency.

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Links Roundup of the Week: The High Line

The High Line opened this week!! The Inhabitat team was lucky enough to gather together to see it this week on Monday, and we loved it! It’s green, it’s public space — and visitors feel like they are walking above the city, so what’s not to love? And in case you weren’t already as ecstatic over it …

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Inhabitat Exclusive Video: The NYC High Line Opens!

This week the highly anticipated High Line Park in NYC opened to the public for the first time. We were super excited to be on the scene for a sneak peek of the new elevated park, which was built on the remains of an abandoned rail system in New York City. Check out our video of the new High Line, with exclusive interviews with the design team including Lead Designer and …

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The Best of Kids Design @ the Pratt Student Show 2009

With the chaotic lineup of professional design events that take place throughout the year, student shows are always such a refreshing reminder of the raw talent and ingenuity that future designers bring to the table. The 2009 Pratt Student Show in New York was no exception, and several clever kids designs caught our attention. From a smart children’s chair made out of a slide to a colorful stacking …

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Links Roundup of the Week: Public Space

If you live in a city, you know that the apartments are tiny and there isn’t a lot of green. That means you have to rely on the public, open spaces for a little breathing room. We <3 public space because it means we are sharing space, which means we are building a community that cares about its neighborhood. This week, we are looking back on some pretty cool initiatives, and looking forward to something immensely exciting — the OPENING …

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A Clearing in the Streets: NYC Spouts a Meadow Amid Concrete

As the topic of urban restoration garners more attention, we have seen an increase in the investigation and experimentation relating to NYC’s ecological past. NYC Wildflower Week demonstrated a rise in popularity of plants native to New York City. Coupling urban restoration and indigenous plants, Julie Farris and Sarah Wayland-Smith, both landscape designers, were commissioned by the Public Art Fund to design and construct ‘A Clearing in the Streets,’ a 15-foot wide, plywood structure containing the beginnings of a meadow. The temporary installation, meant to invite passers-by to appreciate and watch the “re-insertion” of nature back into the city, offers a glimpse into NYC’s native landscape.

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Links Roundup of the Week: Keeping Cool

Whew! Summer is definitely just around the corner. We can feel the humidity intensifying with each day in New York City and we know it will only be a matter of time before the heat will really be upon us. With that thought in mind, we thought we would start looking at some ways to keep cool without blasting the air conditioning or using more electricity — and we …

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Airplane Activity Center by GREENPLAY

GREENPLAY’s Airplane Activity Center landed at this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair; and we think these designers are soaring to new heights with their kid and eco-friendly, uplifting piece. …

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Link Roundup of the Week: NY Design Week and ICFF

We are all still recovering from NY Design Week, but we admit, it is a good sort of exhaustion. With parties in Soho and exhibition hopping in the Meatpacking District, we can fairly say that ICFF and NY Design Week kept us busy through the week and weekend. We’ve been pumping out our coverage and fabulous finds from ICFF, but we also ran into many of …

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ICFF 2009: Highlights from the Contemporary Furniture Fair!

We came, we saw… and now we’d like to share with you our favorite green designs from this year’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair. This annual furniture fair takes place every year in NYC in May, and is always a great place to spot brilliant new designs and emerging trends in the design world. This year’s show was smaller than usual (due to the soggy economy no doubt), but that made the stellar designs from this year’s show stand out even more.

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Inhabitat Reports from ICFF 2009!

This weekend team Inhabitat took the International Contemporary Furniture Fair by storm, seeking out the freshest green designs amid this year’s crop of over 2,500 exhibitors. From sleek and chic chaises to eco-efficient products to the patently bizarre, we were wowed by the wealth of designs on display. Read on for our favorite finds from the show, stay tuned for more coverage, and don’t forget to check out our photo album for more eco-friendly furnishings, lighting solutions, and products!

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