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Fractal Gardens Can Be Rolled and Arranged into Infinite Patterns

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 17:15

fractal garden, green design, gardening, International Garden Festival, canada, Legge Lewis Legge, rolling planters, sustainable design

These gorgeous Fractal Gardens was created by Legge Lewis Legge for the International Garden Festival in Métis (Québec, Canada). Composed of a group of 21 low planters on wheels, the garden can be rolled and arranged into infinite patterns. The set consists of seven planters comprising three different shapes and plantings. Each “diamond” contains two angles that are multiples of 1/14th of 360°, allowing the pieces to fit together both symmetrically and asymmetrically.

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Categories: Renewable Energy

Grand Trianon: A Chandelier Made Out of Post-Consumer Tyvek

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 16:48

Paula Arntzen ,grand trianon, artecnica, rococo, tyvek, recycled materials, green lighting, eco lighting, eco design, green design, green lamp,

We’ve seen a lot of cool applications for Tyvek, but never one that drew its inspiration from the Rococo period – until now! Named after the palace of King Louis XIV, the Grand Trianon is a chandelier made from the lightweight, recycled material. Not only is the green light fixture super easy to transport (think about this in comparison to an actual full size crystal chandelier), but when it’s lit, it emits a soft twinkling glow.

+ Grand Trianon Tyvek Chandelier

Via Treehugger

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Categories: Renewable Energy

IKEA Now Selling Second Hand Furniture Online

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 16:15

ikea, second hand furniture, green furniture, ikea furniture

If you’re on a budget but still love the look of modern design, IKEA is a popular place to find that affordable furniture fix. But could you imagine yourself going “vintage modern” by purchasing second-hand IKEA products? Just a few days ago IKEA launched a new program in Sweden that offers used IKEA pieces online, and they intend to extend this idea to other foreign outlets. Peter Agnefäll, CEO of IKEA Sweden told the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter, “It is about taking an environmental responsibility for how our products are used in the longer term and making it easier for our customers to do their part for their responsibility towards the environment.” We’re not too sure about the quality and life span of most IKEA furniture, but we do appreciate the gesture as the big-box company tries to reduce waste with a more sustainable business venture.

Via Time

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Categories: Renewable Energy

Bacteria Harvests Precious Metals to Produce Clean Energy

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 15:45

Typical of industrial construction, precious metals such as gold, platinum and palladium are sometimes lost given the difficulties of effectively extracting them. However, researchers from the School of Biosciences at the University of Birmingham have found a way to use microbes, similar to the common soil bacterium Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, to recover palladium from useless industrial waste. Researchers hope that by using such forms of bacteria, high quantities of precious metals can be recaptured and recycled for use in industries. While the whole process to reclaim this little bit of metal seems overly tedious, the end result holds considerable value. Palladium itself is one of the most precious resource metals on Earth, boasting unique chemical properties. This metal can in fact be used as an active element in autocatalytic converters able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.


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Categories: Renewable Energy

American Jianye Greentech Holdings to Build Second Waste to Alcohol-Based Fuels Plant in Harbin

Green Car Congress - Thu, 2010-09-02 15:32
American Jianye Greentech Holdings, Ltd., a China-based developer, manufacturer and distributor of alcohol-based automobile fuels and civil-use fuels, including methanol, ethanol, and blended fuels, plans to build a second waste conversion facility, this one based in Harbin, China, that will... Mike Millikin
Categories: Renewable Energy

MIT Develops Self-Assembling Solar Cells

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 15:15

mit, solar cells, chloroplast, plant cells, gulf oil spill, green design

Get ready for super-charged solar cells! MIT researchers announced this week that they have developed self-assembling solar cells that can be broken down and rebuilt repeatedly, much like plant cells. The solar cells constantly renew themselves, which means the technology could ultimately lead to longer-lasting commercial cells.


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Categories: Renewable Energy

Quirky and Comfy, Stackable Stools Made From Cork

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 14:46

tupa stool, cork stool, recyclable stool, green seating green furniture, marina68 studio, cork stool, cork furniture, cork seating

We love seating arrangements that inspire people to play, but these stools designed by Marina68 are especially awesome thanks to their quirky nature. Set side-by-side or stacked on top of one another, these charming little stools look like a swarm of cute critters ready to run around the room. Each Tupa Stool is compact, easily movable — and best of all — made from recyclable cork, which makes them a stylish and sustainable way to add a bit of fun to your living room.

+ Marina68 Studio

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Categories: Renewable Energy

Hyundai To Sell Hydrogen Fuel Cell Cars In 2012

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 14:31

hyundai hydrogen fuel cell, hyundai ix35, hyundai hydrogen vehicle, honda hydrogen, toyota hydrogen, hydrogen fuel cell cars, hyundai 2012 hydrogen cars

In a bid to one-up their competition, Hyundai has announced that they will sell hydrogen fuel cell cars starting in 2012 – three years before Toyota, Honda and the rest of the competition. Seeing that renewable energy is becoming decidedly cheaper and that hydrogen fuel cell cars are more commercially viable than they were a year ago, Hyundai has said that will deliver the world’s first series production fuel cell vehicle in 2012, with 500 hydrogen vehicles rolling off the line that year and more afterwards.


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Categories: Renewable Energy

Miami’s Only LEED Gold Tower Can Withstand 300mph Winds!

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 13:50


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Categories: Renewable Energy

America’s First Zero Energy School to Open This Month

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 13:23

Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects , zero energy school, zero energy building, first zero energy, green building, daylighting, geothermal heating cooling architecture, ground source heat pump, Kentucky green school,

Richardsville Elementary, a new LEED Platinum School in Kentucky, is getting extra credit by being the first zero energy school in the nation! Opening this month to much anticipation, the facility is a cornucopia of green building strategies and efficient technologies. The bread and butter of the school’s success are tremendous efficiency gains coupled with a 300 kW thin-film solar array. Sherman Carter Barnhart Architects have done and astonishing job of reducing the building’s energy consumption to one fourth of a typical school without breaking the bank.


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Categories: Renewable Energy

American Somoa Becomes First U.S. Territory to Ban Plastic Bags

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 12:40

plastic bags, plastics, american somoa, california, garbage patch, waste and recycling, oceans, marine life, sustainable design

With California’s proposed statewide ban on plastic bags swept aside as collateral damage of the state’s broken political system, American Somoa emerged as the first U.S. state or territory to ban plastic bags at all retail stores. The landmark bill was signed into law last week and will take effect on February 23rd of 2011.


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Categories: Renewable Energy

BREAKING: Another Oil Rig Explodes in the Gulf of Mexico

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 11:45

oil spill, gulf of mexico, deepwater horizon, oil rig explosion

Just when you thought things were getting better in the Gulf of Mexico, another oil rig has just exploded. This morning around 9:30 am CDT a commercial helicopter reported that an oil production platform exploded 80 miles off the coast of Louisiana. All 13 of the workers are accounted for, although one has been injured and is en route to the hospital. The Coast Guard has deployed multiple helicopters, an airplane and several Coast Guard cutters to the site. This oil rig was apparently not producing any oil, but it is not clear if there is or will be a leak. This newest explosion, five months after the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe, occurred 80 miles south of Vermilion Bay on a platform owned by Houston-based Mariner Energy

Via CNN

Photo © Wikimedia Commons

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Categories: Renewable Energy

CODA to Launch CODA EV in Hawaii in 2011

Green Car Congress - Thu, 2010-09-02 11:37
CODA Automotive intends to distribute the battery-electric CODA Sedan to consumer and fleet customers in Hawai’i in the third quarter of 2011. CODA plans to begin limited deliveries at the end of 2010. The CODA Sedan is a four-door, five-passenger... Mike Millikin
Categories: Renewable Energy

Peace Corps to Start Clean Energy Program in the Americas

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 11:30

peace corps, clean energy in central america, clean energy in south america, green energy in south america, green energy in central america, renewable energy in the americas, renewable energy in rural areas, renewable energy in the developing world, clean energy in the developing world, green energy in the developing world

Since 1961 when President John F. Kennedy established the Peace Corps by executive order, thousands of volunteers have traveled to developing countries to implement programs that range from AIDS education to information technology and environmental preservation. Now they’ll be adding another task to their list: the implementation of renewable energy. The US government just awarded the Peace Corps with $1 million to start a program that will bring clean green energy to developing communities in Central and South America.


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Categories: Renewable Energy

Study Finds That Tripling US LDV New Fleet Fuel Efficiency by 2035 Through Evolutionary Change is Ambitious But Doable

Green Car Congress - Thu, 2010-09-02 11:28
New fleet efficiency horizon in terms of energy intensity and fuel consumption rate compared to historical fleet averages and recent US regulations. Source: DeCicco 2010. Click to enlarge. Tripling US new light-duty vehicle fleet fuel efficiency by 2035 through evolutionary... Mike Millikin
Categories: Renewable Energy

Hong Kong Activist Group Selling “Fresh Air” for 25 Cents a Bottle

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 10:32

fresh air campaign, air pollution, air pollution hong kong, air pollution china, chinese air pollution, air quality hong kong, hong kong clean air campaign, how bad is hong kong air quality

Are you a resident of Hong Kong? Are you having trouble breathing because of the dense air pollution? Have no fear, Fresh Air is here! The Clean Air Network, a Hong Kong based awareness group is selling bottles of Fresh Air for just 25 cents to local residents. With Hong Kong’s air quality three times as bad as New York City’s and twice the level of London’s, it’s high time they start doing something about it. Check out the mock — yes, that’s correct, the bottles of air aren’t real — infomercial after the jump.


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Categories: Renewable Energy

Catalytic Dehydration of Fructose into HMF with Ionic Liquid

Green Car Congress - Thu, 2010-09-02 09:50
Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore have demonstrated the catalytic dehydration of fructose into 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (5-HMF) in an HCl–imidazolium ionic liquid (catalyst–solvent) system, in ambient conditions. HMF can subsequently be converted into plastics, petroleum or diesel... Mike Millikin
Categories: Renewable Energy

Win a Back to School Solar Bag Bundle Worth Over $500!

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 09:49

back to school, sakku, photovoltaic bag, solar powered bag, solar bag, sakku solar bag, contest, eco bag, eco binder, eco notebook, eco school supplies, ecosystem, giveaway, green back to school, green bag, green binder, green notebook, green school supplies, naked binder, sakku

GO BACK TO SCHOOL WITH AN AMAZING NEW SOLAR BAG!

If you want to put your best (and greenest) foot forward as you start the new school year, we’ve got something that will help – a lot. We’re giving away a fantastic Back to School Prize Package (worth over $500) packed with green school supplies to one lucky winner – and it could be you! This amazing bundle includes 7 awesome 100% recycled hardcover notebooks in assorted colors and styles by ecosystem, a 100% recycled binder, tabs and binder pouch from Naked Binder, and to top it all off, an amazing solar-powered bag by Sakku (worth $450) that keeps all your gadgets charged up using power from the sun!

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Categories: Renewable Energy

Garden City K66 is a Pixelated Modular City Filled with Terraces

Inhabitat - Thu, 2010-09-02 08:43


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Categories: Renewable Energy

India Sugar Industry Commits to 1B Liters Ethanol

Green Car Congress - Thu, 2010-09-02 08:38
Economic Times. India sugar mills have committed to supplying one billion liters (264 million gallons US) of ethanol to oil marketing companies for blending with gasoline during the next sugar year, starting in October. “In order to achieve the mandatory... Mike Millikin
Categories: Renewable Energy

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