Monthly Archive for August, 2010
We love the idea of the Swedish TreeHotel, with its Almost Invisible Mirrored Tree House and its The Bird's Nest Tree House that Hides Among The Branches. The bird house designer, Bertil Harström of Inredningsgruppen, has another in the works: a UFO....Read the full story on TreeHugger
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When we first saw this amazing mobile subway garden, we were floored – but then we realized that it doesn’t exist yet. That’s right, the green art project for Chicago is still being worked on, and there is a chance that without additional funding it might not become a reality. The basic gist of the installation is a native plant garden that would live right on ... weiterlesen...
photo: ((brian)) via flickr
Unless you've just started following environmental issues you're probably aware that biodiversity is declining so much that the planet is seeing species go extinct at a rate a thousand times historical rates of extinction--and that we're collectively not do a very good job preventing human activity from accelerating that. Is part of the problem is th... weiterlesen...
Images: Artecnica
Spun out of synthetic, high-density polyethylene fibers that give it its characteristic durability and lovable crinkly texture, Tyvek is a surprisingly polyvalent material, though it's typically thought of as house wrap. But there's a world of recycled Tyvek out there: it's also popped up as upcycled wallets, weiterlesen...
Taken June 2009. Courtesy Jeff Ford.
Michigan lost its last wild wolverine in March. State wildlife officials later said the animal, a female about nine years old, would be mounted and put on display at a state park. But that was months ago. What happened to plans for the display? It turns out the animal may never be seen again, because there's not enough money in the state budg... weiterlesen...
Photo: GM
Hopefully It'll Have More Commercial Success than BYD EVs
China will be one of the initial markets to get the Chevy Volt PHEV, and today GM is announcing that the first drivable Volt has landed in the Middle Kingdom. "GM has made a long-term commitment to bringing our industry-leading technology to China," said Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of the GM Chi... weiterlesen...
photo: Pete Birkinshaw via flickr
Now that we've got some distance from the 'biofuels are going to save us, oh wait they're going to kill everything else' hysteria of a couple years back and some sane skepticism has emerged, how well are we doing? As the BBC reports, in the UK at least it's a mix bag: Volume targets are being met, but some fuel suppliers are falling "well short... weiterlesen...
Nissan LEAF batteries. Photo: Michael Graham Richard
Copper and Aluminium Actually Worse than Lithium
Speaking of lithium-ion batteries, a recent life-cycle analysis (a type of study that aims to find the complete environmental impact of something, taking into account manufacturing, usage, and disposal) of the lithium-ion batteries used in electric cars had some very interestin... weiterlesen...
Image courtesy of Walmart
This guest post was written by Shannon Frederick, director of global association communications for Walmart.
What does sustainability mean to you? Before you answer, shift your thinking from a business point-of-view to your personal life. Maybe it's reducing your impact on the environment by recycling, conserving water or making your home more energy ... weiterlesen...
Image courtesy of Sara Snow
In early November three amazing Yoga teachers will gather alongside the Sea of Cortez to host a yoga retreat called Pranic Oasis at the Racho Buena Vista resort in Cabo San Lucas. One of these is Prana Flow instructor, Coral Brown.
Last week I spoke by phone with Coral to learn about her beginnings and what inspires her today.
...Read the full st... weiterlesen...
by Bradford ShellhammerCleveland is no New York or Milan. It may not seem to be the most ideal city to launch a design studio. But Objeti, Joseph Ribic's design/manufacturing house based in Ohio, is proving modern designers can flourish in America's heartland. Objeti's designs—stools, lighting, and tables—won accolades at this year's ICFF. Ribic chatted with me about ... weiterlesen...
Photo: GM
A Significant Drop Predicted
It's all about supply and demand: According to Hideo Takeshita, an analyst at the Institute of Information Technology Ltd. in Tokyo, the price of lithium-ion batteries could drop by about 19% in 2010, while another analyst, Shiro Mikoshiba of Nomura Holdings, said that the worsening oversupply may push prices down as much as 25%. While it... weiterlesen...