CO2 Eating Hummer Concept Won!

"In his remarks accepting the top award, Frank Saucedo, director of GM Advanced Design Studio in California, said, “We thought Hummer was the perfect brand to tackle this design challenge.” His studio threw out the idea of creating a vehicle that would be “less bad” for the environment, instead presenting a “blue sky” scheme in which the car would be a boon to the environment. “We developed a car that would give back — this is a ‘net gain’ vehicle,” Saucedo said of the concept. "
::VIA

Pet Hypothesis Jewelry

"Handmade from repurposed billboard vinyl, the debut line of Pet Hypothesis jewelry follows in the tradition of Freitag and other creative re-users by reinventing industrial materials as accessories. Designer Chelsa Robinson (also formerly ReadyMade's product manager) layers sterling silver chains over bits of colored vinyl that she sews with contrasting thread. We chose to feature Geopanic for its confetti-like abstraction of CMYK colors with red stitching, but you can see all her designs here. All pairs cost $75 and, true to the cause, $5 from every sale goes to the environmental organization, Conservation International."

::VIA

LoopWing Wind Turbine From Japan

"This is the "LoopWing" wind turbine. It is soon to be unveiled in Japan's Eco-Products 2006 Exhibition. The E1500 model turbine is aimed at homeowners, and it sports a unique wing design that operates with low vibration, and at wind speeds as low as 1.6 m/sec. The efficiency specs on the turbine are vague — "43% power performance at optimum wind speeds" is all published."

::VIA

Convenient Truths::TreeHugger Video Contest

TreeHugger is putting on a video contest called "Convenient Truths".
The contest is in the response to Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth", A documentary on the state of the on going climate change. In there own words:

"An Inconvenient Truth made it clear that we need to make changes.

TreeHugger.com and Seventh Generation, Inc. propose a solution. . .

Convenient Truths: a citizen-created video contest, collecting inspiring and pragmatic short videos that provide actionable answers towards stemming climate change.

Winners will be selected by a panel of climate change experts and you, our web viewers. Go to www.truths.treehugger.com to learn more.

Convenient Truths is a carbon-neutral contest endorsed by former Vice-President Al Gore."

"I applaud Treehugger's efforts to support An Inconvenient Truth with their "Convenient Truths" video contest. It's a great way to spread the word and bring the issue into our daily lives."
- Al Gore

Check out the contest site for more info.
Also check out the advert of the contest.

::VIA

Quiet Revolution::Wind Turbine

"Quiet Revolution Ltd has revolutionized the windmill with their new QuietRevolution wind turbine, the QR5. Not only is it one of the most visually appealing wind turbines available on the market, its small scale allows it to fit seamlessly into an urban environment, providing a renewable energy resource in places where space constraints previously made it impossible to hook up green power systems. The genius of the QuietRevolution’s QR5 is its VAWT design, aka Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. The VAWT enables the QR5 to gather power from the winds near around buildings that are constantly changing directions. It is also quieter than your typical wind turbine because the tip speed is slower, due to the triple-helix design, which in turn allows it to be situated closer to buildings and on towers. Exactly how big is the QuietRevolution Turbine you ask? Currently in production, the QR5 is 5m high and 3.1m in diameter. Two more sizes are currently being developed, the OR2.5 (2.5m x 2.5m) and the QR12 (12m x 6m). The QR5 is currently priced at £25,000, which includes the purchase of the wind turbine, integrated control electronics, peak power tracking, auto shutdown and generator. Depending on placement and wind speeds, the QR5 will pay for itself within 15 years or less."
::VIA

Hybrid Solar Powered Super Phone::By NTT DoCoMo

"Japanese celphone juggernaut Docomo is prototyping this "hybrid mobile phone with solar panels." It looks small enough for Derek Zoolander, and as British gadget mag T3 says, "Powered solely by the beating rays of our closest star, it means you’ll never run out of natter-juice, and puts an end to travel chargers and emergency batteries."



::VIA

Peau Ethique Organic Undies

"Want to feel more comfortable prancing around in your undies? The French company C.A.BIO produces super cute organic lingerie, underwear, PJs and socks for men, women and children under the brand “Peau Ethique”.

Most of the design work takes place in the French town Saint-Chamond and raw materials for the garments come from Turkey. Cotton is spun, knit and dyed according to the Öeko Tex Standard 100 which prohibits (among other things) the use of heavy metals, known carcinogens, formaldehyde and soda chlorite in the manufacturing process. In addition the company is committed to building long-term relationships with manufacturers and adheres to fair trade labor practices, guaranteeing good working conditions with decent wages, no child labor, and the promotion of handicapped people and women coming from underprivileged areas." ::VIA

Byron Bay fashion label:: Bird ::eco-friendly collection of women's wear

"Byron Bay fashion label, Bird, is the creation of designer Rachel Bending whose "work pioneering sustainability in design started with Slingfings, a brand widely recognised for its environmental consciousness." Bending, who originally hails from the UK, studied textile design at the renowned Glasgow School of Art in the early 90's and then spent several years working as an event director for Saatchi & Saatchi in London before immigrating to Australia in 2001. Based around three different fabrics each season, all of which are designed at her studio and hand-printed using water based dyes, Bird is a beautiful, eco-friendly collection of women's wear." ::VIA

Art at the Supermarket

"Here is a recycled bag for use at the supermarket that could become a collector’s item. Sainsbury’s has teamed up with three quite famous English artists to create reusable shopping bags that are almost stylish enough to wear to that art opening tonight. Commissioned by Arts Council England, Michael Craig-Martin, Anya Gallaccio and Paul Morrison have designed these colourful and sturdy bags that will brighten up shopping and get people to think about art and the environment. They want shoppers to make the link between the desire to reuse something because it is attractive, and the act of recycling. Michael Craig-Martin’s is pictured—a combination of pop art and retro style. Anya Gallaccio’s has vibrant photos of vegetables in a string bag and Paul Morrison’s is black and white, suggesting a woodland scene. The bags cost 50 pence ($1) and the proceeds go to charity. Flying off the shelves..." ::VIA

Moral Fervor – Raising Awareness Through Clothing

"Moral Fervor is a young brand that develops t-shirts from hand-drawn designs. Each of their collections are made to raise awareness to environmental and social issues facing our world today. All of the materials that Moral Fervor uses are on the cutting edge of sustainability. When Ingeo, a fabric made from corn, was first introduced to the market Moral Fervor was among the first fashion companies to embrace it. Ingeo is the world's first man-made fiber collection from 100% annually renewable resources and More and more young designers are using it (we've mentioned that we've seen it before and it also appeared in our "Unexpected Green" competition). The company also uses biodegradable packaging and all-natural inks. Check out Moral Fervor’s current collection called Genetic Modification." ::VIA
::Moral Fervor Site

MTV and Wal-Mart Present "Everyday Green"

"MTV and Wal-Mart recently announced "Everyday Green" — a unique joint initiative designed to demonstrate how people can incorporate green techniques into their lives. Yahoo Finance reports: "MTV's New York City store, located in the heart of Times Square on the corner of Broadway and 44th Street, has been transformed into an eco-friendly exhibit using environmentally-conscious products." The exhibit will run from October 23 through November 10 and is free to consumers. "Everyday Green" was conceptualized and designed by Pompei A.D., a New York based architecture, design and experience branding firm. The store will also feature organic t-shirts, recycled paper products, re-useable water bottles and coffee mugs, Toshiba RoHS laptops, Phillips LCD TVs and more. In addition to this exhibit, MTV has also arranged to offset 100% of the store's 2006 (or annual) carbon footprint with renewable energy credits through NativeEnergy." More at TH :: VIA

CD case green house

"This Swiss design firm challenged designers to repurpose everyday objects in imaginative ways." "There are some really great results there, from a greenhouse built out of transparent CD jewel cases to fake fingernails made out of postage stamps." ::Via

More on The Critical Mass - A Sustainable Dance Club

The Sustainable Dance Club

"The idea of green clubbing may seem like an oxymoron, but on October 14, environmental NGO Enviu and architectural firm Döll will host an event at Rotterdam's Off_Corso to present their concept (titled "The Critical Mass") of an environmentally responsible dance club. Among the features envisioned for the green club are energy-generating dance floors (see the video), toilets flushed with rainwater, walls that change color in response to temperature fluctuations, and a rooftop garden where clubbers can enjoy an organic beer with friends. Organisers, Enviu and Döll, believe the idea can not only lessen the environmental impact of an activity that's traditionally pretty unsustainable, but also build awareness among the young and hip." ::VIA

Get Down at ::The Critical Mass



Presentation of the Sustainable Dance Club in Rotterdam (NL). For more information, visit www.sustainablerotterdam.com

Green Fortune's Plantwall

"Plantwall from Green Fortune is a new way of integrating greenery in public spaces. This vertical application of greenery provides a powerful impact on the envirnonment where it is built. It is almost like being outside inside. Plantwall can be varied both in size and shape. Depending on the size of the wall and the impact you want to create the choice of plants can be adjusted. It is possible to create a sophisticated wall that keeps its look over time, as well as a wild, heavily growing wall." Via DS.

Corrugated Cardboard Laptop Case

Inhabitat encountered Giles Miller’s unique Corrugated Cardboard Laptop Case at London’s [re]Design exhibit this fall.

"The sturdy case uses 100% recycled cardboard, and the fluting gives its wearer the option to personalize it with custom designs such as one’s initials (or an apple logo — as shown here)." VIA.

A Hobbit Would Be Jealous

"The house was built with maximum regard for the environment and by reciprocation gives us a unique opportunity to live close to nature. Being your own (have a go) architect is a lot of fun and allows you to create and enjoy something which is part of yourself and the land rather than, at worst, a mass produced box designed for maximum profit and convenience of the construction industry. Building from natural materials does away with producers profits and the cocktail of carcinogenic poisons that fill most modern buildings." VIA.

the Elevated Wetlands

"Central to their eco-meaning is the fact that these
animal-like containers are filled with a mulch of industry's leftover
plastics -- plastic bottles, shredded plastics, waste auto plastics --
that become, within the containers, a hydroponic soil matrix, which is
then used to maintain plant life. As Harding explains it, water from
the Don River is pumped, by means of "solar Voltaic systems," into
adjacent ponds from which it is cycled "as an ongoing cascade" through
the containers. It is then returned to the river, "significantly
cleansed," as his website assures us." VIA.

Scraphouse: A house made of scrap

Built entirely of recycled materials, the ScrapHouse was designed and built as the centerpiece of World Environment Day 2005. Visit www.scraphouse.org for more information.

Modern Earth Sheltering

"Using earth to shelter a building is optimal. It is perhaps the most effective ways to regulate temperature in a home. It works well in almost any climate. Just below the frost line, the earth stays a fairly constant temperature: 50 degrees F, plus or minus a few degrees, depending on where you live.

In the winter, earth-sheltered homes require very little additional heat to warm them. In the summer, the interior stays cool — while it may be 100F outside, the house will stay at comfortable 70F, thanks to it’s earthen wrap.

There is also an additional advantage: earth shelters absorb rain water. This means less water runs off the building. You also get all the benefits of having plants grow in this micro-habitat: e.g. temperature and humidity regulation, and a green space supporting plants and animals.

If it’s just the walls that are sheltered with earth, it’s called “earth berming”. When the roof is covered, it's called or a "green roof" or a "living roof". When the entire house is covered, it's an "underground home"." VIA.