Portland, Oregon is often recognized as one of the greenest cities in America. The city has plans for peak oil and climate action and policies to address recycling and sustainable urban development, so it makes sense that Portland will host the sixth annual Living Future unConference, a forum for leading minds in the green building movement seeking solutions to the most daunting global issues of our time. The unConference kicks off TODAY, and the agenda is packed with interactive presentations, tours, and experiential activities designed to encourage a “hopeful embrace of the planet’s economic, ecologic and social challenges, and offer solutions addressing these challenges at the building and city scale.” Inhabitat will be on the scene to bring you highlights from this year’s exciting program.

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "energy efficiency", bicycle, Biodiversity, Bioremediation, brewery tour, Carol Sanford, cascade gbc, cascade green building council, csr, Dr. Vandana Shiva, food carts, green architecture, Green Building, green conference, green design, greywater systems, Jason McLennan, Living Building Challenge, living future, living future 2012, local, net zero, Oregon, Portland, silent spring, small house, sustainability conference, sustainable design, Urbanism, wetlands

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: aquadome, art installation, artificial reef, Charest-Weinberg Gallery, coral, diving, eclipse, ecological disaster, florida, Fort Lauderdale, green design, hannes bend, marine conservation, natural reef, ocean conservation, onajide shabaka, osborne reef, public art, Reclaimed Materials, reclaimed tires, Recycled Materials, Sustainability, tires

The Golden Gate Bridge is a vital 1.7 mile transportation link that serves 40 million vehicles a year. Now, thanks to Richard Bulan, this 75-year-old pedestrian-friendly feat of engineering could become a monumental addition to your home decor. Bulan founded the Golden Gate Bridge Furniture Company in 1996, after having purchased 2,557 feet of weathered railing from the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District. He has been designing and crafting limited edition artisan steel furniture from the iconographic San Francisco landmark ever since.

Read the rest of Artisan Furniture Made From Pieces of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "golden gate furniture company", "green furniture", Custom Furniture, custom made, Desk Lamp, eco-art, golden gate bridge, green business, green design, kitchen table, Recycled Materials, repurposed, richard bulan, San Francisco, sf made, side table, steel furniture

Read the rest of Organograph: Giant Kinetic Flower Sculpture is Powered by the Sun

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: art installation, Bill Washabaugh, Chico MacMurtie, Climate Change, climate model, climate monitoring, CO2, evolution, Geo Homey, green design, interactive art, lotus flower, organograph, public art, public education, robotics, san jose, sculpture, sustainable design, urban habitat

Read the rest of Chinese Artist Recycles Automobiles Into Transformer Robots, Builds Theme Park

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "chinese artist", "mr. iron robot", "transformers theme park", china, green design, green development, jiaxing, Recycled Materials, recycled metal, sculpture, Sustainability, transformers, zhu kefeng

SAVortex is known for designing, manufacturing, and launching the world’s most efficient hand dryer–the Vortex 550. Inhabitat recently caught up with founder Syed Ahmed at the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco, where we spoke to him about his design. Syed shared with us a wealth of information about washrooms, his revolutionary Vortex 550, and details about the patented compression and regenerative heating technologies that reduce the unit’s power consumption by 66% (as compared with Dyson’s popular Airblade model). Hit jump to find out more about this new tech!

Read the rest of The SAVortex Is the World’s Most Efficient Hand Dryer

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "cleantech forum", "energy efficiency", "vortex hand dryer", clean and cool mission, clean technology, cleantech, Green Building, green design, Hand dryer, SAVortex, syed ahmed, Vortex

If you only see one environmental film this year, let it be The Island President. The subject of Jon Shenk’s documentary is recently deposed President Mohamed “Anni” Nasheed and his low-lying island nation, the Maldives. Shenk’s crew had unfettered access to the charismatic leader from the moment he took office as the country’s first democratically elected president through the Copenhagen Climate Summit in 2009.

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: bonnie cohen, carbon-neutral, Climate Change, cop15, copenhagen summit, democracy, developing nation, film review, green design, green development, island nation, jon shank, Maldives, mohamed nasheed, radiohead, richard berge, sea level rise, sf green film fest, the island president, UN, United Nations

A new brand of DIY self-sufficiency is spreading across The Netherlands. Skilled craftswomen, mechanics, seamstresses, and handypersons are banding together to resist disposable consumer culture. It is the rise of the Repair Cafe, a place where neighbors get together to extend the life of their material belongings. “Fixers” mend clothes, restore furniture, rehabilitate electrical appliances, and enjoy each other’s company while industriously toiling away. The first cafe was founded by Martine Postma in Amsterdam in October of 2009. Today, there are 20 fully operational Repair Cafes, and 50 more in the planning stages.

Read the rest of Repair Cafes in The Netherlands Give Life Back to Broken Objects

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: bike kitchen, collaborative consumption, community, crowdsource, eco-friendly, green business, green design, Lifecycle, martine postma, noisebridge, Recycle, Recycled Materials, repair cafe, tech shop, the netherlands, upicycle, volunteer

Read the rest of Cambodia’s New Stock Exchange Tower Has Dragon Scales

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "leed", Cambodia, cantilevered, Daylighting, dragon, Green Building, green design, green development, green economy, IGU, insulated glazing, low-e, phnom phen, spandrel, Sustainability, tfp farrell, vattanic capital tower, VAV

Read the rest of Ryue Nishiziwa’s Gorgeous Vertical Garden House Takes Root in Tokyo

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "living wall", Climate Change, CO2, community, Daylighting, eco design, eco-conscious, eco-friendly, Environment, environmental design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green interior, green living, green space, green technology, home design, innovative structure, Japan, living home, natural light, open floor plan, open space, organic building, outdoor integration, renewable energy, rooftop garden, Ryue Nishizawa, ryue nishizawa vertical garden, SANAA, sustainable design, sustainable living, Tokyo, tokyo architecture, tokyo home, urban planning, vertical garden, vertical garden home, vertical garden house, zen living

Read the rest of Herzog and de Meuron Unveil Plans for Brilliant Naturally Ventilated Mãe Luiza Gymnasium

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: applied science, Brazil, Climate Change, CO2, community, Daylighting, dunes, eco design, eco-conscious, eco-friendly, engineering, Environment, environmental design, FIFA World Cup, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green living, green space, green technology, gymnasium, Herzog & De Meuron, innovative structure, jacques herzog, lattice, Mariana Vilela, Material science, natal, natural light, open space, Open-Air, organic building, public space, renewable energy, slotted roof, sustainable design, sustainable living, Tomislav Dushanov, urban planning, World Cup

Read the rest of Cocoon_FS: Pohl Architects Unveils Prefab Plankton-Inspired Pod Building in Germany

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: algae, applied science, Climate Change, CO2, Cocoon_FS, eco design, eco-conscious, eco-friendly, engineering, Environment, environmental design, gadget, green design, green living, green technology, groan pohl, innovative structure, julia pohl, lightweight, lightweight material, Material science, nano renewables, nanotechnology, organic building, plankton, planktontech, Pohl Architects, prefab building, renewable energy, sustainable design, sustainable living

A recent breakthrough in DNA nanotechnology has brought to life the world’s smallest autonomously functioning DNA motor – a teeny tiny train of molecules that has been programmed to navigate a network of tracks with multiple switches. The discovery, which comes from researchers at Oxford University and Kyoto University, paves the way for the development of even more complex nanosystems,  including programmable molecular assembly lines and sophisticated sensors.

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: 3D printing, applied science, biomimicry, DNA, dna origami, eco design, Environment, environmental design, green design, green living, green technology, green transportation, health 2.0, kyoto university, Medicine, nano, nano tech, nanoengineering, organic devices, oxford university, robotics, sustainable design, sustainable living, Technology

An average global temperature of 57.9 degrees Fahrenheit marked 2011 as the 11th hottest year on record. At a full 0.9 degrees warmer than the 20th century average, this past year was hotter than every year in the last century except for 1998. The sentiment among climate scientists is that higher temperatures are largely sustained by increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide emissions from human activity. This means that if global emissions aren’t curbed and development continues without consideration for climate, the future will be full of freaky storms, extreme weather, and even more record-breaking weather anomalies.

Read the rest of 2011 Was the 11th Hottest Year on Record

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: 2011 was 11th hottest year on record, carbon dioxide, Climate Change, climate model, CO2, Drought, eco habitat, eco-conscious, emissions, emissions reduction, extreme weather, giss, global climate, green infrastructure, green living, green technology, green transportation, heatwave, hottest year, infrastructure, localize, municipal water, nasa, nasa giss, Recycle, renewable energy, solar, sustainable design, sustainable living, water conservation, water issues, weather

Following last year’s nuclear disaster in Fukushima, there has been a great deal of public concern over the contamination of local food sources and water and now, newly constructed buildings can be added to the list of radiation fears in Japan. A three-month-long survey of students in Nihonmatsu City turned city officials onto the presence of high levels of radiation in one recently built three-story apartment complex. Concrete used to construct the building included broken pieces of stone quarried from Namie Town, a condemned area near Fukushima reactor number one.

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: earthquake, Environment, Fukushima, fukushima radiation, green design, infrastructure, Japan, japan disaster, japan radiation, japan radioactive building, nihonmatsu, nuclear, nuclear power, radiation, renewable energy, tsunami

There is plenty of electric vehicle buzz at this year’s North American International Auto Show and Volvo just added to the green transportation hype by showcasing the world’s first (and second) plug-in diesel hybrid. The V60 and XC60 Plug-in Hybrids are being touted as two of the most technically advanced models in Detroit. They offer drivers the freedom to choose from three driving modes: pure, hybrid, or power without sacrificing interior space, comfort, or performance – and they give EV enthusiasts a choice of a crossover or a premium wagon.

Read the rest of Volvo Debuts XC60 Plug-in Hybrid at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "energy efficiency", conservation, detroit auto show, diesel, electric car, ev, fuel economy, green design, green transportation, hybrid, NAIAS, naias 2012, north american international auto show, phev, plug-in hybrid, sustainable design, v60, volvo, xc60

Read the rest of DIY: A Simple Guide to Beer Brewing for Seasonal Ale Lovers

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: ale, beer, beer advocate, beersmith, belgian, boil, bottling, brew, brewing beer, brewmaster, carbon dioxide, cerveza, CO2, collaborative consumption, consume less, DIY, do it yourself, grains, green business, green design, green infrastructure, homebrew, homebrewing, homemade, hops, how-to, local, localize, molasses, obama, pilsner, porter, seasonal, sharing, sparge, spiced, stout, suds, water issues, wort

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "energy efficiency", ambient light, backlit, Climate Change, climate control, curtain, display screen, e-ink, eco interior, eco lighting, eco-leaf, eco-shade, energy loss, energy recovery, flexible technology, green design, green infrastructure, harvest energy, interior design, LED, Lim Wan Xuan, Lite-on, liteon, natural light, OLED, passive cooling, pv, recycled energy, renewable energy, solar, Solar cells, solar screen, Tang Xueling Jane, window shade

Read the rest of San Francisco to Turn Old Limo Terminal Into a Sea Lion-Friendly Waterfront Park

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: "good design", aia, america's cup, architecture and the city, bay area, Climate Change, CO2, coast, coastal, dredge, eco design, Environment, environmental design, erosion, exploratorium, green design, green infrastructure, green living, green technology, greywater, habitat, hyphae, hyphae design, hyphae design laboratory, infrastructure, kicker, maritime, pier 27, rainwater harvesting, San Francisco, sf, Sustainability, sustainable design, sustainable living, waterfront, wetland remediation, wetlands

Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg
Post tags: bicycle, bicycle maintenance, bike, bikeshare, bikonomics, brakes, city cycling, Climate Change, CO2, cruiser, DIY, eco-conscious, Environment, environmental design, fall riding, fall weather, fenders, fixed gear, fixie, gloves, green design, green infrastructure, green living, green technology, green transportation, HID, homemade, infrastructure, LED, localize, pedal revolution, preparedness, rainproof, Recycle, road bike, San Francisco, sf, single speed, sustainable design, sustainable living, toe clips, urban transportation, waterproof