Inhabitat

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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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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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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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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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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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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Uhuru Scrap Metal Stoolen

The passionate Uhuru design team launched several new products at BKLYN Designs last week. It is hard to select a favorite from all of their sophisticated, yet quirky furniture designs, but we can say that their new stools made us do a double take. All of their work is produced from sustainable materials such as locally reclaimed wood and steel, but it is unexpected and inspiring to see scrap metal look so inviting to sit on. It is commendable that they have made such a mechanical material take on such natural form.

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D&A Eco-Fashion: Editors’ Picks!

Last week, we were excited to be the exclusive media sponsor of the Green Room, an eco-focused space within premiere fashion trade show Designers & Agents. Although we were technically ‘working’ at D&A, the bright and cheery Green Room looked so much like an eco-fashionista’s dream boutique, complete with bubblegummy eco-art and elegant furnishings by Uhuru, that we couldn’t help but want to go shopping! And we did! From ruffly sweet sweater dresses to sleek silver recycled tyvek tops, we tried on so much eco-goodness that we knew we had to share our favorite looks with you. So without further ado, here are our favorite new green styles from the D&A trade show – modeled of course, by yours truly….

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Inhabitat Reports from BKLYN Designs 2009!

Yesterday morning, the Inhabitat team gathered in DUMBO for the opening of BKLYN Designs our favorite locally-grown furniture design show. In its seventh year, the annual showcase of locally-designed furniture provides visitors with sampling of the best in the borough. We saw lots of our old green BKLYN favorites such as Brave Space and Uhuru as well as plenty of exciting new faces and designs — and were especially excited to see what this year’s Pratt students had in store for us. This year’s show, while smaller than last year, proves once again that functionality, eco-sensitivity and beauty can come together under a smart designer. If you live in New York City, we hope you make it out to DUMBO before the weekend is over, to catch our BKLYN Designs Editors’ Choice Awards – which will be given out on our green design walking tour at 3pm on Sunday. To entice you, here are some of our favorite designs from the show…

And don’t forget to check out our photo album >

Hugh Hayden’s FUNiture Tennis Ball Chair

UHURU Booth 2009

Hugh Hayden showcases his colorful FUNiture

Recycled Sweater Stools by Sara Ebert (at the Pratt booth)

Buoy Chair by Evan Dewhirst (at the Pratt booth)

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Links Roundup of the Week: We <3 NYC

As designers and thinkers gather at this week’s BKLYN Designs and next week’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair, we are reminded that cities, especially New York City, are a place of inspiration and experimentation for design. The issue of sustainability has challenged some to re-tool their methods, while others have always infused their work with eco-consciousness. In dense urban environments where space is scarce and expensive, we see that innovative designers and artists constantly seek new ways …

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BKLYN DESIGNS STARTS TOMORROW!

HEY DESIGN LOVING NEW YORKERS! BKLYN Designs starts tomorrow and we couldn’t be more excited! Running from May 8-10, this awesome showcase of local furniture design kicks off NY Design Week, and is one of our favorite events of the year. We’ll be pressing our noses up against the glass bright and early tomorrow morning and – as soon as doors open – racing around to see all the fabulous eco-friendly furniture on display, so we can report it back to you guys this weekend.

This year at BKLYN Designs we’ll be doing something new: we’ll be giving out ‘Editors’ Choice Awards’ to recognize our favorite green designs from the show during our annual Mother’s Day Green Design Tour this Sunday. We’re looking forward to seeing fresh new furnishings, great green products, and energy-efficient lighting solutions, so stay tuned for more coverage to come and if you’d like to join us at the event you can pick up tickets here!

And if you’re not in NYC, keep it tuned to Inhabitat this weekend and next week for all the latest on BKLYN Designs 2009

+ BKLYN Designs 2009

+ Inhabitat BKLYN Designs Coverage

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Inhabitat Giving Out Awards at BKYLN Designs 2009!

DRUMROLL PLEASE! New York Design Week is about to begin and we’re kicking things off this weekend with our first ever Green Design Awards at BKLYN Designs! Running from May 8-10, this incredible showcase of locally-sourced design is one of our favorite events of the year, and we’ll be giving out ‘Editors’ Choice Awards’ to recognize our favorite pieces during our annual Mother’s Day Green Design Tour this Sunday. We’re looking forward to scores of fresh new furnishings, great green products, and energy-efficient lighting solutions, so stay tuned for more coverage to come and if you’d like to join us at the event you can pick up tickets here!

+ BKLYN Designs 2009

+ Inhabitat BKLYN Designs Coverage

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SMART, ECONOMICAL GREEN GIFTS FOR MOTHER’S DAY

Mother’s day is fast approaching, so don’t forget! (NEXT SUNDAY MAY 10th). This year, if you are looking to save some green while offering thoughtful green gifts, we’ve got some great ideas for you! You can easily find environmentally friendly Mother’s Day gifts that won’t break the bank if you just shop smart. Try some of these eco-friendly, …

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GREEN MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

It’s that time of year when we show our appreciation to the women who gave life to us – our moms! And while we here at Inhabitat don’t necessarily believe in buying into all the hype behind this hallmark holiday, we also think that Mother’s Day is an important holiday for women, and a great way to get our favorite ladies into the green spirit. Check out our eco-friendly picks for Mother’s Day gifts that are sure to please both your mom and Mother Earth…

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GREEN MOTHER’S DAY GIFT GUIDE

It’s that time of year when we show our appreciation to the women who gave life to us – our moms! And while we here at Inhabitat don’t necessarily believe in buying into all the hype behind this hallmark holiday, we also think that Mother’s Day is an important holiday for women, and a great way to get our favorite ladies into the green spirit. Check out our eco-friendly picks for Mother’s Day gifts that are sure to please both your mom and Mother Earth…

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BKLYN Designs Begins Next Friday!

Heads up East Coast design junkies! BKLYN Designs, New York’s preeminent showcase of locally-sourced green design is kicking off next week from May 8th through the 10th, and Inhabitat will be on the scene to bring you all of the latest from the show. Based upon the tremendous success of last year’s event we’re looking forward to another weekend filled with brand new releases by an acclaimed set of sustainable designers, enlightening lectures, and our very own Jill Fehrenbacher will be hosting another Mother’s Day Green Design Tour. We’ll also be kicking off our first ever Inhabitat awards, where we will carefully vet all designs on display and give awards to our favorite green designers at this year’s show. Check out our BKLYN Designs coverage from last year and don’t miss out on this groundbreaking event – buy your tickets today!

+ BKLYN Designs 2009

+ BKLYN Designs 2008 Coverage

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IRON DESIGNER: THE WINNERS!

This past Thursday, April 23,  four teams made up of third-year Master’s of Architecture students from Columbia GSAPP, Parsons The New School, Pratt Institute, and City College of New York (CCNY) competed against each other in an hour-long design competition to propose a sustainable design solution for the DUMBO archway. After several years of being used as a storage facility, the archway has re-opened for public use. The competition challenged the students to create a link between the archway and the adjacent lot in light of its re-birth as a public space. The event took place in Raumlabor’s Spacebuster, an inflatable and mobile dome which has been hosting events around New York City this past week. Read on for more about the eco-design competition and for the winners!

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WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR EARTH DAY 2009?

Happy Earth Day! (or screw earth day, depending on your point of view) This Earth Day, we’re feeling conflicted about the mixed meanings that Earth Day has for the environmental movement and environmental progress. Since Earth Day is meant to be a day about finding a global perspective on the state of our environment, we thought we’d take a poll of our contributors to see what Earth Day means to each of them. As we turn the page on the 39th annual celebration of the planet that we all call home, we asked our writers to share their plans on how they plan to spend April 22, 2009. From Australia and Sweden to San Francisco and New York City, here’s a look at what Earth Day means to different Inhabitat writers. We’d love to hear from you. How do you plan to spend YOUR Earth Day, and what does this holiday mean to you? Make sure you respond, because our favorite response wins an Inhabitat T-shirt!

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Project Earth Day Eco Fashion Show 2009

PROJECT EARTH DAY IS APRIL 23RD – 6PM
With Earth Day less than a week away, it seems as if everyone is swapping invites to green parties and earth-focused events here in NYC. The third-annual Project Earth Day fashion show is perhaps the hottest ticket in town, and the Inhabitat sustainable style team will be onsite to cover the night’s festivities at the Openhouse Gallery in Manhattan’s Nolita neighborhood. As with last year’s stellar line up, Project Earth Day 2009 will highlight a student competition as well as a runway show featuring some of the brightest stars in eco fashion design. Read on for details on the April 23rd runway show, as well as highlights from Project Earth Days past.

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Link Roundup of the Week: Local Activism

Earth Day (April 22) is rapidly approaching and while we know that living an eco-conscious lifestyle should be a a daily habit and not a once-a-year exercise, we are thrilled by the eco-minded buzz on the interweb. We are most excited to hear about local intiatives that are helping cities green their surroundings and engaging their …

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Ikea Unveils Solar Powered Lights for Summer!

Spring is slowly emerging and we are dreaming of outdoor barbecues and parties on the deck. We have a couple of solar powered lanterns along the pathway, but we have been waiting for some lights with a little more pizazz. Last year we were excited to hear that Ikea would be stocking solar products, and now the first products are about to hit the market! These hip little lights are exactly what you need to brighten your outdoor spaces this summer.

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Live-blogging Greener Gadgets TODAY!

Attention gadget geeks!
The 2009 Greener Gadgets Conference kicked off today in NYC, and Inhabitat is on the scene, bringing you up-to-the-minute news from this groundbreaking event! We’ll be live-blogging the whole event – right here in this post — so stay tuned (and read below) for frequent updates!

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John Patrick Organic Fall Collection 2009

Eco fashion designer John Patrick Organic has long been known for his soft, breezy looks, and bright outlook on sustainable style, with previous collections featuring a lot of whites, baby blues and beiges. But now a darker side to John Patrick has emerged, with his latest fall collection for 2009. Inhabitat attended his fashion week ‘Bake Sale’ this past week to check out his fall collection, and we were both surprised and intrigued by the Lynchian Film Noir looks that have crept into JPO’s aesthetic for Fall 2009.

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New York Fashion Week: Sublet Clothing Spring Preview

It’s officially New York Fashion Week here in New York City, and despite the glum economic outlook, there are some definite bright spots shimmering on the streets of the recession-battered Big Apple. Inhabitat is joining the brigade for ‘runway optimism’ by highlighting NYC-based eco fashion talent and innovative designers. We are genuinely inspired by the sustainable style efforts of several fashion houses slated for stardom in 2009. We view fashion week as an opportunity to further examine clothing and the vital role it plays in our lives, not only as an expression of individuality, but as a shelter that sustains us. What better opportunity to support designers who create socially and environmentally responsible garments, than by doing your consumer homework during fashion week hype. With this in mind, we are kicking off our fashion week coverage with a sneak preview of Sublet Clothing’s playful and smart, eco-chic Spring 2009 collection.

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The Buzz on Greener Gadgets at CES

With the Consumer Electronics Show going on in Las Vegas this week, we’ve been dreaming of green electronics innovations that can satisfy our desire for cleaner, greener technology. We might have mentioned that our Greener Gadgets Conference joined forces with CEA this year to showcase a Greener Gadgets section and panel discussion at CES. So, how did people find the push towards Greener Gadgets at CES? Here’s the buzz around the blogosphere about Greener Gadgets and CES 2009…

Discover Magazine liveblogged the Greener Gadgets panel yesterday and said ‘the take-away from the session panel was that if you’re really interested in learning how to build low-power, long-life, non-toxic devices with a small ecological footprint, the kind of places you should visit are Africa and India.’

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CES 2009: MiniWIZ’s Solarbulb Turns Bottles Into Lamps

This year’s CES is showcasing some great green products, and we were particularly impressed by this new solar powered outdoor lamp by miniWIZ, who brought us the Hymini Portable Wind Charger. The Solarbulb is a brilliant solution that provides light while making use of old plastic bottles. Simply attach it to any ordinary bottle and the 0.18 W solar cells will provide up to 6 hours of continuous night lighting.

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SUSTAINABLE STYLE: Mika Machida Animal-Inspired Fashion

Flamingo Dress – $198 at the Inhabitat Shop

Using beautiful animal illustrations and sustainable textiles, Mika Machida’s eco-friendly fashions show that you don’t need to wear fur or skins to look wild. Each piece is an elegant, innovative take on the words “animal print” — celebrating the forms and patterns found in animals. Her elephant top, for example, features an elephant’s watchful eye on its front, and a carefully-located sleeve that drapes over the shoulder in such a way to mimic an elephant’s ear. And her innovative, ready-to-wear pieces, made of sustainably-sourced materials such as organic cotton, bamboo, and wool are now available for sale in the Inhabitat Shop!

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INHABITAT NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The ball has dropped, the confetti has cleared, and today we embark upon a brand new year! As Barack Obama takes office and a whole new political era begins, it is clear that 2009 is going to be a memorable year. 2009 presents an extraordinary set of challenges and opportunities for the world, and we’d like take a moment to share our resolutions and focus our resolve for making 2009 an incredible year. Times may be tough, but in every challenge is an opportunity, and we’re looking forward to the future with optimism, creativity, and the will to change the world for the better.

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Inhabitat Blog Picks of the Week

Opinions seem to be flying this holiday season as we reflect on a year that was both exciting and tumultuous. So this week, we’ve collected some thought-provoking reading that is sure to stir the pot as we head into 2009.

Core77 posts a snippet of an open letter from Cameron Sinclair, of Architecture of Humanity, written in response to Nicolai Ouroussoff’s NY Times article on the current architectural climate.

Nick Douglas at Clean Technica ponders the eco merits of Apple and Dell …

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM INHABITAT!

It’s the end of December and it’s been a stellar year in sustainable design – the Inhabitat team wishes you a wonderful holiday season from every corner of the globe!

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PREFAB FRIDAY: ‘Puma City’ Shipping Container Store

Refurbished shipping containers aren’t just useful for clever economical housing anymore. Like London subway car architecure and the Greentainer Design Project, this design concept makes public space more flexible and eco-friendly by re-using discarded material that is easily moved. This tri-level, 11,000-square-foot Puma store, known as Puma City, is made of 24 refurbished shipping containers and is fully dis-mountable so it can be packed up and shipped anywhere. Currently traveling around the world, the store was designed by our favorite shipping container architects LOT-EK and completed in September 2008.

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MVVA Designs Hudson Park and Boulevard

Earlier this year Related Companies sealed the deal on New York’s Hudson Yards development, and we’re excited to announce that the competition to design Hudson Park and Boulevard is now coming to a close. Although the Hudson Yards Development Corporation has yet to formally announce a winner, Related has let slip that Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates will likely be the designers of the approximately 4-acre site! The project will convert a semi-industrial area into a lush green space complete with a linear park that will provide a link between the Hudson Rail Yards (located due south of the site) and 42nd Street.

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GREEN WEEKEND GETAWAY: Linda Aldredge’s Treehouse

If you head north from New York City and hang a left on Route 28 up near Woodstock you’ll find yourself on a very scenic drive through Catskill State Park. Verdant hills dotted with lakes and ponds seem to roll on forever in between the forested mountain tops.  It is here, up in the trees, that Linda Aldredge, the owner of LuLu Organics, built her weekend getaway. We came across Linda’s blog about her experience in the woods via a profile of her friends on The Selby. We immediately thought that Inhabitat readers would appreciate Linda’s treehouse as not only a sustainable shelter, but as a reminder of how functional and rewarding small and simple can be. Lucky for us, Linda graciously answered some questions and invited us for a treehouse weekend.
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