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Sean Avery Turns Shattered CDs Into Astounding Animal Sculptures
Switzerland to Launch Self-Destructing “Janitor” Satellite to Clean Up Space Junk
Ecouterre Shares the Hottest Eco Fashion Shows from New York Fashion Week Fall Winter 2012
Pharox Announces Affordable LED Bulbs That Cost Just $4.95!
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Amazing Cathedral Made From 55,000 LEDs Rises at Belgium’s Festival of Lights

The eye-catching structure will be a stand out out in the town and is the work of Luminarie De Cagna, an Italian family business. During local festive occassions, the company would light up buildings with oil and carbide lamps, but most likely due to the high fire risk, this was soon switched to electric lights. Today, only [...]
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13-Year-Old Makes Solar Power Breakthrough by Harnessing the Fibonacci Sequence

// While most 13-year-olds spend their free time playing video games or cruising Facebook, one 7th grader was trekking through the woods uncovering a mystery of science. After studying how trees branch in a very specific way, Aidan Dwyer created a solar cell tree that produces 20-50% more power than a uniform array of photovoltaic [...]
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Top 5 Tiniest Prefab Homes

1. WEEHOUSE At just $125 per square foot, the WeeHouse is a single module that can be plopped on just about any site, including a rooftop. The basic unit is framed with steel and wood, and comes with tongue-and-groove bamboo flooring, and Ikea cabinetry, kitchens and sinks. Despite what the name implies, don’t let it [...]
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Takanori Aiba’s Amazing Bonsai Tree Castles are Miniature Living Worlds

Treating each tiny Bonsai as if it were a deep-rooted full-sized tree, Aiba creates incredible buildings that wind around the boughs and branches. Using copper line, epoxy putty, plastic, resin and stone clay, he fashions detailed buildings, bridges, balconies and towers. Using the bonsai trees as the foundation, the dioramas are inspired by the unique [...]

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Plantagon Breaks Ground on its First ‘Plantscraper’ Vertical Farm in Sweden!

Several years ago a Swedish-American company called Plantagon unveiled plans for a series of massive skyscraper greenhouses that stood to transform urban farming in large cities. While the spiraling vertical farms seemed too good to be true at the time, Plantagon just broke ground on its very first vertical farm this week in Linkoping, Sweden! [...]
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Lindal Launches New ‘Architects Collaborative’ Prefab Home Line Featuring Designs from Our Favorite Architects

Marmol Radziner for Architects Collaborative The collaboration is reminiscent of the Case Study Program that took place in Los Angeles during the mid-20th century, which produced some of architecture’s most iconic homes from the period’s most noted architects. And like the Case Study homes, the new series of post and beam structures have been designed to [...]
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Giant Statue Made From 4,200 Coca-Cola Crates Preaches Recycling in Cape Town, South Africa

Coca-Cola has commissioned several crate man throughout South Africa, but Elliot, who is nearly 60 feet tall and weighs a whopping 27 tons, carries a special message. Made out of 4200 plastic Coke crates, the recycled structure sports signs preaching the importance of recycling to passersby who stop for a closer look. This is just [...]
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Sunken Pedestrian Bridge in the Netherlands Parts Moat Waters Like Moses!

A series of moats and fortresses were built over the West Brabant Water Line region of the Netherlands during the 17th century in order to provide protection from invasion by France and Spain. Fort de Roovere was surrounded with a shallow moat that was too deep to march across, and too shallow for boats. In [...]

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ADzero is the World’s First Bamboo Smartphone

UK design student Kieron-Scott Woodhouse is preparing to launch ADzero – the world’s first smartphone made out of bamboo! Woodhouse told The Inquirer that he made the phone out of four-year-old organic bamboo that was treated for durability while he was studying at Middlesex University. An entrepreneur who specializes in tech products saw online pictures [...]
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Top 6 Amazing Rube Goldberg Machines!

Many people have had a hand in building a Rube Goldberg machine – whether for a junior high science class, a round of Mouse Trap, or while playing the classic computer game The Incredible Machine. But while we were tinkering away with 2D pulleys, a shoddy plastic cage and a rolling die, some individuals have dedicated [...]
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McDonald’s No Longer Selling “Pink Slime” Beef Treated With Ammonia

McDonald’s and other fast food chains have quietly announced that they will stop selling “Pink Slime” beef – a form of second-grade meat that is treated with a nasty ammonia process to eliminate bacteria. Thanks to national headlines and attention from big name chefs like Jamie Oliver, the USDA-approved process that literally turns dog food [...]
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Iceland’s Cozy Green-Roofed Turf Houses are Countryside Cabins Built Into the Earth

If you’re planning to visit Iceland, bring a coat (or several!) – situated just south of the Arctic Circle, the Nordic country has a frigid climate. With winter temperatures in the negative double digits, and blistering glacial winds and dust storms, it’s called Iceland for a reason. The locals have spent centuries adapting to these [...]

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13-Year-Old Makes Solar Power Breakthrough by Harnessing the Fibonacci Sequence

// While most 13-year-olds spend their free time playing video games or cruising Facebook, one 7th grader was trekking through the woods uncovering a mystery of science. After studying how trees branch in a very specific way, Aidan Dwyer created a solar cell tree that produces 20-50% more power than a uniform array of photovoltaic [...]
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Living Moss Carpet Adds a Touch of Green to Your Bathroom

There’s nothing like the feeling of fresh cut grass under the toes, especially when stepping out of the shower. This Moss Carpet by Nguyen La Chanh brings the outside indoors in an unconventionally natural way by placing it underfoot. The lush green lawn thrives in humid environments, which makes your bathroom a perfect place to [...]
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APTERA Diesel-Electric Hybrid Car On Sale Now!

The Aptera (Greek for “wingless”) is an environmentally-friendly car that’s as clean and green as it is fantastically futuristic. The three-wheeled hybrid, which offers an all-electric or plug-in hybrid option, isn’t just a concept- you can reserve your own with just a $500 deposit. Seating 2.5 with plenty of room for luggage, the Aptera can [...]
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Moss Carpet Grows in the Heart of Your Home

Among all the great green designs discovered at the 2009 Milan Furniture Fair, this beautiful biodegradable moss planter at the Tokyo Fiber Sensware exhibition definitely stood out. Japan-based flower artist Makoto Azuma collaborated with Unitika Ltd. to create an indoor glade, populating the planter with an assortment of mosses. The result is an exquisite organic [...]

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MIT Team Unveils Airplane that Uses 70 Percent Less Fuel

Today a team of researchers at MIT unveiled their latest feat of engineering — an airplane that uses 70% less fuel than conventional aircraft. The MIT team was one of six groups — and the only university led team — across the US chosen by NASA to help redesign current aircraft to increase fuel efficiency, [...]
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Europe’s Grass-Lined Green Railways = Good Urban Design

Although it’s certainly not a new idea to combine landscaping with public transportation, we love the sight of these European trams gliding along on beds of grass. From Barcelona to the Czech Republic, Frankfurt, St-Etienne and Strasbourg, these public transit greenways are showing the potential of incorporating landscaping into good urban design. St. Etienne, France [...]
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VIDEO: Shipping-Container Homes from Lot-ek

Anyone who reads Inhabitat with regularity knows we love shipping-container architecture, and are big fans of the creative NYC architecture firm Lot-ek. We’ve raved about their Recycled Airplane Library and prefab homes made from reclaimed shipping containers. If you are curious to see the faces behind this brilliant work, check out this fabulous presentation given [...]
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80% Cheaper Solar Cells Switch Gold For Nickel

One of the major drawbacks of most renewable energy sources is high cost. In order to see a huge rise in the use of renewable energy sources, prices must come down. In the world of solar there have recently been some major breakthroughs in cost advantages and efficiency increases. Scientists at the University of Toronto [...]

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Incredible Miniature Sculptures Carved From Pencil Tips

Ghetti, who is originally from Brazil, uses his little lead canvases to explore all types of subjects. The image above depicts a part of his 26 pencil letter series – one pencil tip for each letter of the alphabet. Getting familiar with Dalton’s technique makes the work even more interesting, as he refuses to work [...]
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Patrick Blanc’s Vertical Gardens

Vertical Wall on Jean Nouvel’s Musée du quai Branly Plants have found a home on walls for centuries, but are sometimes incongruous with architecture, often breaking down the structural integrity of a building’s facade. Patrick Blanc’s Vertical Garden System, known as Le Mur Vegetal in French, allows both plants and buildings to live in harmony [...]
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PREFAB FRIDAY: Sustain miniHOME

We have covered the Sustain MiniHOME on Inhabitat before – but this is the first time we’ve gotten a real photographic look at the gorgeous eco-friendly prefab. We go on and on about how sick and tired we are of seeing prefab in renderings and models and never the real thing. Of late, of course, [...]
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PREFAB MOBILE FRIDAY: Airstream Bambi Trailer

For all you modern-design-loving, wanderlusting nomads, Airstream’s Bambi trailer may be just the ticket. The 75-year old company has long been known for their sleekly-designed, fully-loaded travel trailers, and the Bambi is no exception. One of the smallest models in their product line, Bambi doesn’t skimp on quality, offering a happy marriage of economy and [...]

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2002 Comments >
Win an iPad and Matching Eco Case (worth $549)

MAKE SAVING TREES SEXY and WIN AN IPAD! Hoping to catch up on your summer reading without the bulk and arborcide associated with books? Well, we’re giving away a brand spanking new iPad and awesome bamboo sketchbook-style DODOcase (worth $549) that will let you do just that. Imagine having all of the powerful capabilities of [...]
411 Comments >
BACK TO SCHOOL GIVEAWAY: Enter to Win a HP Pavilion dv6 Laptop and Green Prize Package (Worth $1155!)

While no one likes to bid adieu to summer, if you’re a student gearing up to go back to school, September couldn’t come sooner! New people, new classes, new possibilities – the excitement is building. If you’re a student who is looking for a fresh green approach to the start of the new school year, [...]
345 Comments >
WIN a Beautiful ANDREA Houseplant Air Purifier (worth $195)!

Want to clean and freshen the air in your home using the power of plants? We’ve been in love with the ANDREA houseplant filter’s modern design for quite some time now, so we’re thrilled to be giving one of these amazing air-purifiers (worth $195) to one very lucky reader this week! ANDREA isn’t just pretty [...]
341 Comments >
LAST CHANCE to Win a Shiny New Linus Bike and Bike Bag (worth $730) for Earth Day!

We've teamed up with Linus Bikes to give one lucky reader a new bike!

265 Comments >
GIVEAWAY: Enter to Win a Sloan AQUS Grey Water Toilet System That Recycles Your Sink Water (Worth $189)!

Win a Sloan AQUS Grey Water System! Saving water is one of the most important things we can do to ensure environmental and social sustainability for generations to come – but while many of us try to be conscious of our water use, we flush thousands of gallons of water down the drain each year [...]
227 Comments >
Enter to Win a SAYL Task Chair from Herman Miller (Worth $749)!

HAPPY EARTH THURSDAY INHABITAT READERS! If you’ve been reading Inhabitat, you know that we’re celebrating Earth Day in a big way with our Earth Week Giveaway. In addition to offering up a super cleaning package from Method and Casabella, a luxe Eco-Wise wool throw from Pendelton and a super plush Ultra Shag Shaw Rug we’ve teamed [...]
219 Comments >
Win a Basket of Method Cleaning Products and a Casabella Cleaning System (Worth $100)!

HAPPY EARTH MONDAY INHABITAT READERS! To kick off our exciting Earth Week Giveaway, today we’ve gathered up a basket full of Method cleaning products and an amazing Casabella Eclipse Cleaning System (worth $100) for one lucky reader to take home! These Cradle to Cradle products are sure to keep your home sparkling clean while protecting [...]
187 Comments >
Win an Eco Lounge Chair and the Ultimate Green Summer Picnic Set!

The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and we can’t wait to spend some time outdoors enjoying backyard barbecues, picnics, and other forms of fun in the sun! To celebrate the season, we’ve teamed up with Branch and Room & Board to offer you the chance to win an awesome picnic set (worth [...]

181 Comments >
BACK TO SCHOOL GIVEAWAY: Win a Solar Powered Package (worth $500)!

WIN A BACK TO SCHOOL SOLAR BAG BUNDLE WORTH OVER $500! Headed back to school and need some help getting inspired? Inhabitat is here to help! We’ve got an awesome eco back-to-school package that we’ll be giving away to one lucky winner in our Green Back-to-School contest. You may have noticed we ran a contest [...]
161 Comments >
BACK TO SCHOOL CONTEST: Win An Awesome Solar Book Bag!

Get ready for school with our back-to-school green giveaway contest! Fall is just around the corner, and students everywhere are getting ready to go back to school. To get into the autumnal school spirit and help our readers green their back-to-school regime, we’re running a contest on this site to give away an AWESOME solar [...]
159 Comments >
Win a Hymini Portable Wind + Solar Gadget Charger!

Put green power in the palm of your hand! Having trouble keeping your gadgets charged on a daily basis? Ever had your cellphone run out of juice on you in the middle of an important day? You’re in luck – we’re giving away one incredibly handy HYMini charger so that you’ll have access to clean [...]
141 Comments >
THE MAGLEV: The Super-powered Magnetic Wind Turbine

Renewable energy produced from the wind has garnered much attention and support in recent years but is often criticized for its low output and lack of reliability. But now a super power wind turbine has come along that may be just what the renewable energy industry needs. The MagLev wind turbine, which was first unveiled [...]

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Yuka Yoneda

6 Green Ways to Ward Off the Winter Blues (a.k.a. Seasonal Affective Disorder)

WINDOWHOP It’s easy to get depressed when your work schedule has you getting less sun than Edward Cullen (you’ve got the sickly pallor to match and it’s not nearly as sexy on you). If you’re lucky enough to at least have a window in your workspace, open those shades and try to angle your desk [...]
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Molly Cotter

Rock Restaurant is a Tropical Culinary Dream Perched in the Middle of the Ocean

The restaurant itself can accomodate 14 people and includes a beautiful wrap-around terrace boasting panoramic views of turquoise water. Built entirely with rustic, local materials, the structure easily adapts to the ever changing nature of its environment. When the tide is low, an amazing tiered staircase greets visitors, leading them to the main dining room. Higher [...]
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Bridgette Meinhold

EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS: Utah Opens Its Striking New Natural History Museum in Salt Lake City

The Utah Natural History Museum is the caretaker of 1.2 million objects from the fields of paleontology, archeology, ethnology, entomology, vertebrate zoology, mineralogy, botany and malacology. Not only does the museum work to preserve these precious artifacts, it also actively works to study their collection and educate residents, schoolchildren and visitors. The new museum was [...]
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Jill Fehrenbacher

VIDEO: A Look Back at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show and The Green Cars We Loved

Last year I had the good fortune to attend the North American International Auto Show (or NAIAS) in Detroit – for the first time – and the timing couldn’t have been more perfect! I had never attended an auto show before, but I’ve heard that most SUV-focused auto shows of years past have not been [...]
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Bridgette Meinhold

Starbucks Opens New Reclamation Drive Thru Made From Recycled Shipping Containers

Inspiration for the shipping container drive thru came from the company’s use of the containers to ship their coffee and tea from sources around the world. Rather than let the containers wallow after moving their goods, the brilliant minds in Seattle thought to put them to good use and so the Reclamation Drive Thru was [...]
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Bridgette Meinhold

Sparano + Mooney’s Beautiful Kimball Art Center Proposal Takes Inspiration From Aspens

In this third installment of the Kimball Art Center Transformation proposals, we explore the design by the only local firm of the 5 design teams who presented. Sparano + Mooney, who have worked both locally and internationally, culled their inspiration from the Aspen tree, which is found throughout Utah and is a favorite for its [...]
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Tafline Laylin

Nicole Dextras’ Giant Words Made of Ice Depict the Folly of Environmental Destruction

Dextras capitalizes on the notion that a single word or set of words juxtaposed against a certain backdrop can create a lasting impression that hopefully shifts people’s awareness of their environmental impact. Nothing is quite so striking as the word CONSUME built in ice and decorated with blue food coloring set against an ugly, half-finished [...]
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Yuka Yoneda

HOW TO: Make a Recycled Mustache Mirror

MATERIALS: - A mirror (preferably one you already have) - Fabric paint (we used Tulip non-toxic paint in black) - Mustache templates - A clean, large ziplock bag (you could also use a clean sheet of saran wrap but it’s a little more unwieldy because of its self-stick properties) - A damp towel to wipe [...]
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Yuka Yoneda

6 Natural Hangover Remedies to Cure What Ails Ya on New Year’s Day

BANANAS You might have heard that bananas are favored by athletes because they contain potassium and it’s that same reason that makes them great hangover cures. When you’re hungover, your body has lost a lot of potassium that needs to be replenished, so eating a banana when you wake up will provide much needed relief. [...]
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Yuka Yoneda

This Towering Holiday Tree is Made of 86 Shopping Carts

Images © Graham King “The shopping cart tree symbolizes both generosity and abundance, as well as acknowledging those less fortunate where their whole world may be housed in a cart. We see shopping carts every day and take them for granted. Individually the beauty of an everyday object may become invisible, but in quantity you [...]
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Bridgette Meinhold

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the Largest LEED Platinum Non-Profit Building in the World

The new campus occupies a site located in downtown Seattle across the street from the Space Needle. Formerly an asphalt parking lot, the site was restored with more than 40 percent of it turned into 2 acres of living roofs and native landscaping around the buildings. “The project started seven years ago with the initial [...]
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Amanda Coen

University of Maryland’s WaterShed Solar Decathlon House Takes First Place In Architecture!

Before one even enters the Watershed house the lush green native landscaping and natural siding stand out. The University of Maryland architecture students made a conscious effort to source local plants that could survive with little extra care. The ash siding on the house is also locally sourced from Maryland and treated to be durable [...]
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