Dreaming of planting a summer garden, but don’t have the tools? Or maybe you’ve been meaning to start composting but just don’t know how. Well get ready to flex your green thumbs because you could win some sweet gardening and composting schwag in our Green Summer Giveaway! We’ve teamed up with Naturemill to give ONE lucky Inhabi-reader a brand new electric composter worth $400! We’re also giving away some sweet runner-up prizes to another three readers, including a fab Naturemill Stainless Steel EZ-Grip Compost Pail (retail $70); a LadyBagsSF Large Garden Tote with Tools (retail $50); and this beautiful LadyBagsSF Garden Bag (retail $125). Want to call one of these fantastic prizes your own? Find out how to enter our summer giveaway below!

HOW TO ENTER:

1. SIGN UP FOR THE INHABITAT NEWSLETTER HERE > We’ll be announcing the winners in our weekly newsletter, so if you want to find out who won, you’ll need to receive it!

2. LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW telling us what you plan to do to make your summer your greenest yet. The deadline for this giveaway is Friday, June 21. We’ll pick the comments we like best and announce the winners in our June 27 newsletter, so make sure you’re signed up!

DEADLINE IS FRIDAY, JUNE 21st

Read the rest of INHABITAT GIVEAWAY: Win an Electric Composter from Naturemill (Worth $400!)

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Post tags: composter, composting, composting pail, garden bags, gardening kit, inhabitat contest, inhabitat giveaway, kitchen composter, Lady Bags SF, Lady Bags SF Gardening Bag, Lady Bags SF Gardening Bag with Tools, Lady Bags SF giveaway, naturemill, Naturemill EZ Grip Stainless Steel Compost Pail, Naturemill giveaway, Naturemill ULTRA Kitchen Composter, spring gardening, summer gardening

Get ready, LEGO addicts: Now you can rent LEGO sets with Pleygo‘s innovative mail-in service. Sign up for their exclusive LEGO club by registering for one of their low-cost plans, and you’ll have full access to their wide, ever-growing collection. From Duplo to Friends to Star Wars LEGO sets, there’s something for every one in your family. And even though sets’ age limits say 5-16, who’s really checking? LEGO doesn’t have age limits! Find out more about this awesome site here.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: Duplo, Friends, Lego bricks, LEGO building blocks, lego collection, LEGO collections, lego mail order, lego rental service, lego sets, mail-in lego, pleygo, rental lego, star wars

After weeks of submissions and an intense week of online voting, we’re excited to finally announce the two winners of Inhabitat’s Lighten Up! Lighting Design Competition. We received hundreds of entries featuring projects that employ LEDs in innovative and interesting ways, ranging from a colorful art installation that reacts to changing light to a restaurant donning beautiful ceiling lamps to a research campus adorned with LED back-lit wood walls. We narrowed all the entries we received down to just 30 finalists, and then left it up to Inhabitat readers to decide which two designs were most deserving of $1000 prizes from Elemental LED. So who won? Now the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

Drumroll Please……….

Read the rest of Announcing the Lighten Up LED Lighting Competition Winners!

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Post tags: "wind power", 3D printed lamp, 3D printed light, 3D printing, aerodynamics, Air Turbine, Air Turbine Light, diTTo design, diTTo’s LED Acoustic Cloud Installation, green design, green interiors, green lighting, inhabitat competition, Inhabitat Design Competition, interior lighting design, LED Acoustic Cloud Installation, LED lighting installation, Lighten Up, lighten up competition, Lighten Up LED Lighting competition, Lighten Up LED Lighting competition commercial winner, Lighten Up LED Lighting competition residential winner, lighten up lighting design competition, lighten up lighting design winner, lighten up winner, lighting object, margot krasojevic, Rolluda Architects, wind-powered light Lighten Up LED Lighting competition

Looking for an all-natural toothpaste for those pearly whites? If you question what chemicals could be lurking in those brand name toothpastes, here’s an easy DIY project that wil yield refreshing, non-toxic aloe vera toothpaste gel. All you need is four ingredients: aloe vera gel (it’s best if you get it straight from the plant), baking soda, vegetable glycerin and fresh mint. In just five minutes you’ll have a soothing, antibacterial toothpaste that’s good for you and your teeth. Head over to Inhabitots for the complete instructions!

READ MORE >

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Post tags: aloe vera, aloe vera toothpaste, DIY, DIY toothpaste, homemade toothpaste, how to make toothpaste, how-to, Inhabitots, natural dental care, natural toothpaste

Whole Foods customers asked for it, and they got it. Last week at the Natural Products Expo West, Whole Foods Market announced that by 2018, all of their suppliers must either make their products with ingredients from non-GMO verified sources or they must clearly label all products as containing GMO ingredients. Of course, while consumers would rather see the change occur immediately, Whole Foods explained that the 5-year timeframe is to allow their suppliers to adjust to the demands. In a press release, Whole Foods noted: “We are putting a stake in the ground on GMO labeling to support the consumer’s right to know. We are stepping up our support of certified organic agriculture, where GMOs are not allowed, and we are working together with our supplier partners to grow our non-GMO supply chain to ensure we can continue to provide these choices in the future.”

READ MORE >

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Post tags: genetically modified objects, genetically modified organisms, GM food, GMO, GMO foods, GMO labels, GMO transparency, Natural Products Expo West, organic foods, whole foods, Whole Foods Market

With growing concern for indoor home health, rising energy costs and climate change, both builders and homeowners are turning to the Passive House building system as a viable, sustainable alternative to conventional residential and commercial construction. The Passive House system is based on the concept of passive design — that is, design that doesn’t use mechanical systems like heaters and air-conditioners for heating and cooling, but instead relies on making efficient use of sealed buildings, insulation, the sun’s energy and natural ventilation through careful design strategies. Passive House represents today’s highest green building standard and promises to dramatically cut an average household’s energy consumption and monthly energy bill. If you’re interested in learning more about how passive homes are influencing architects and helping to shape the building sector, then be sure to check out the Passive House Northwest 2013 Annual Conference coming up on Friday, March 15 at Seattle Pacific University. Co-sponsored by Hammer & Hand and NK Architects, the conference will investigate the ways that Passive House is propelling the built environment towards a higher and greener performance standard. Hit the jump to find out what’s in store at this awesome conference!

Read the rest of The Passive House Northwest Conference Kicks Off in Seattle March 15th – Register Now!

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Post tags: Brussels Institute for Management of the Environment, Bullitt Foundation, Denis Hayes, energy efficient building, energy efficient construction, energy-efficient homes, green conference, green conference 2013, green events, green events 2013, J.O. Dockx, Katrin Klingenberg, passive home, passive house, Passive House certification, Passive House Institute US, Passive House Northwest, Passive House Northwest's 2013 Annual Conference, PHnw, Seattle Pacific University, Seattle Washington

LAST DAY TO VOTE!

We’ve received over 300 incredible light-inspired photographs in our LightCollector photography contest over the past few weeks, and we’ve been calling on you to vote for your favorite images to decide which photographer is most deserving of the sweet $1000 cash prize! Will it be this stunning image of a museum escalator, or this mesmerizing photograph of a skylight inside a museum that takes the grand prize? Today is the LAST DAY to vote to help determine the top 20 finalists. The top 20 entries with the most votes will go head to head to compete for the grand prize of $1000! So vote for your favorite entries today, and if you entered this contest, round up your friends and family and make sure they vote for your photo. Voting is easy, you just need to create a Light Collector account (either on the website or through your mobile phone).

HOW TO VOTE

ON THE LIGHT-COLLECTOR WEBSITE >

STEP 1:Go to the Light Collector website and search for photos with the tag #INHABITAT.

.
STEP 2:
Click the heart on the bottom right hand corner of the photo to vote it up. Please use Safari, Firefox or IE browser since Chrome seems to not work with this website. Be sure to tell your friends and family to vote on your images (and leave comments) if you entered! The 20 images with the most votes will make it into our final round of judging and have a shot at the $1000 GRAND PRIZE. Please note, you can only vote for an image once.

Read the rest of LAST DAY TO VOTE: Vote for Your Favorite Images in the LightCollector Photo Contest!

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Post tags: inhabitat competition, inhabitat contest, lightcollector, lightcollector for android, lightcollector for iphone, Phillips, photo apps, photo apps for android, photo apps for iphone, photo competition, photo contest, photo editing, photo sharing devices, photography apps, photography contest

TODAY is the last day to enter! Bundle up with this scarf and glove set!

Still shivering away these wintry days? Well this will surely warm you up!  Ecouterre is teaming up with Indigenous to give away an emerald loop scarf AND silver button cuff gloves to TWO lucky readers. Hand knit by Peruivan women artisans from 100 percent organic cotton treated with low-impact dyes, this fair-trade set will go perfectly with your winter wardrobe. Swing over to Ecouterre and enter to win now!

ENTER TO WIN >

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Post tags: eco friendly accessories, eco friendly knits, eco-fashion, eco-fashion giveaways, eco-friendly gloves, eco-friendly knitwear, eco-friendly scarves, ecouterre giveaway, Ethical Fashion, ethical scarves, Fair Trade, fair trade clothing, fair trade scarves, fair-trade fashion, green fashion, Indigenous, Indigenous Designs, organic cotton, sustainable accessories, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable gloves, sustainable knits, sustainable knitwear, sustainable scarves, sustainable style

ENDING TONIGHT! Be sure to head over to Inhabitots to enter to win this amazing crib!

Whether headed cross-country or just around the corner to a friend’s house, the Lotus Travel Crib and Portable Play Yard is perfect for any growing family constantly on the go. We’ve teamed up with Guava Family to give one lucky reader a Lotus Crib (worth $200) for free! This innovative crib is lightweight and can be broken down or set up in less than 15 seconds, and fits into an easy-to-carry backpack for quick getaways and roadtrips. When set up to be a play yard, the nifty side screen slot allows the baby to crawl in and out to play. Adding to its sleek and modern design, the Lotus Crib is also non-toxic and free of phthalates, lead, PBE and PBDE flame retardants. Enter to win it now!

ENTER NOW >

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Post tags: green gear for parents, green toddler, guava family, Inhabitots giveaway, lotus crib, lotus everywhere crib, nontoxic playpen, nontoxic portable crib, portable crib, portable playpen, safe cribs, safe playpens

Inhabitots’ editor-in-chief, Jill Fehrenbacher, had a chance to give Hushamok’s gorgeous baby hammock a try with her sweet six-week-old newborn baby. The hammock comes complete with an elegant Okoa stand made from untreated European beechwood and an organic, VOC-free mattress. A stunning piece that will meld beautifully with any room, this hammock also did wonders putting her little one to sleep faster and for longer! (Read: she got a couple of minutes to catch some Zzz’s) You can read more about Jill’s experience using the Hushamok baby hammock over at Inhabitots.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: baby bassinet, baby swing, green baby, green family, happiest baby on the block, Harvey Karp, Hushamok, Inhabitots reviews, natural hammock, newborn hammock, Okoa Stand, Organic Hammock, product reviews, VOC-free hammock

If one of your new year’s resolutions was to buy more ethical clothing, then you’re in the right place. We’re teaming up with our friends over at Indigenous to give THREE lucky readers a super-soft platinum Tassel Scarf (worth $70) for free! This beautiful scarf is Fair Trade certified and handmade using organic cotton and low-impact dyes by women artisans who are guaranteed a living wage . Cozy up to this scarf this winter, and enter now to win!

ENTER NOW >

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Post tags: eco friendly accessories, eco friendly knits, eco-fashion, eco-fashion giveaways, eco-friendly knitwear, eco-friendly scarves, Ethical Fashion, ethical scarves, Fair Trade, fair trade clothing, fair trade scarves, fair-trade fashion, green fashion, Indigenous, Indigenous Designs, low impact dyes, organic cotton, sustainable accessories, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable knits, sustainable knitwear, sustainable scarves, sustainable style

Take a look at your desk. Is it cluttered with pens? Wires hanging tangled up everywhere? Electronic devices hiding under piles of papers? B&A Studio in Houston, TX has created an awesome modular desktop organizer to neatly hold anything and everything, including USB flash drives and your dangling wires. Dubbed Modo, the design looks like those peg board puzzles and it works similarly too. Modo is made of bamboo and comes with aluminum pegs (16 long and 4 short) that can be placed in any hole to hold different sized items from business cards to iPads. B&A Studio has launched an already successful Kickstarter to get Modo manufactured and there’s still time to get your hands on one for a pledge of $26. Though they’ve already reached their goal, they’ve been adding on new upgrades, including protective capacitive caps that turn any of the pegs into a stylus your electronic devices. With 24 days left in their campaign, who knows what they’ll come up with next. Make a pledge for your set now!

+ Modo’s Kickstarter

+ B&A Studio

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

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Post tags: aluminum pegs, B&A Studio, bamboo stand, desktop organizer, electronic device display, electronic device holder, electronic device stylus, kickstarter, kickstarter campaign, modo, modular desktop organizer, protective capacitive caps

New York-based CTA digital featured their latest product for children, the iPotty at CES 2013 in this BBC video. Armed with a built-in removable stand for an iPad, the iPotty is to help entertain children while they learn to potty train. Whether you think this would be a great help to keep a tot still for potty-training or think it’s ridiculous that technology is involved with bathroom business, we want to hear your thoughts. Tell us what you think after the jump!

READ MORE >

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Post tags: aap, american adacemy of pediatrics, CES 2013, children and technology, cta digital, iPad, ipotty, New York., parenting, potty training

Interested in sustainable design and looking to go back to school for further study? Whether you’re interested in a full Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, or just looking to brush up on your sustainable design knowledge through online courses, the Boston Architectural College (BAC) offers the most comprehensive sustainable design curriculum of any accredited college or university. The 120-year-old design school, in Boston’s historic Back Bay, offers degrees in architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and design studies on campus. It also offers over 30 half semester, online graduate courses as part of the Sustainable Design Institute at the BAC’s graduate certificate program, or as electives in the BAC’s low residency Master of Design Studies in Sustainable Design degree.

Read the rest of Boston Architectural College Offers Sustainable Design Degrees, Online Courses & Certificates

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Post tags: Architecture, architecture degree, BAC, Bachelor's degree, Boston Architectural College, Boston Massachusetts, certificate program, design studies, design studies degree, interior design, interior design degree, Landscape Architecture, landscape architecture degree, Master's degree, online courses, online education, sustainable design, Sustainable Design Institute

With 2013 only a couple days away, we’re taking a look back at Inhabitots‘s most popular stories of the year. 2012 was filled with great stories, and Inhabitots readers particularly enjoyed how-to’s, kids’ beds and controversial topics. From super cool recycled jar lava lamps to awesome treehouse beds to the debate over LEGO Friends, check out all the stories that made the cut and vote for your favorite!

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE INHABITOTS STORY >

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Post tags: best of inhabitots, eco kids, green design for kids, green kids, Inhabitots, most popular inhabitots stories 2012, round-up of inhabitots most popular stories 2012

The world of eco-fashion world really impressed us this year with amazing, innovative creations and some mind-boggling stories! From an extreme minimalist who owns only 16 items to a real-life Harry Potter-esque invisibility cloak to newly unearthed lingerie from the 15th century, 2012 was definitely a year to remember in weird and wonderful eco fashion stories. Read on for the top 7 most popular stories of 2012 on Ecouterre, Inhabitat‘s eco fashion site, and vote for your favorite!

Read the rest of Top 7 Ecouterre Eco Fashion Stories of 2012 – Vote for Your Favorite!

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Post tags: 15th century lingerie, Andrew Hyde, Anna Haupt, carboard Iron Man, ecouterre top 2012 fashion stories, extreme minimalism, extreme minimalist, fashion stories 2012, fiberglass Iron Man, golden orb spider, golden spider silk, Harry Potter invisibility cloak, Hövding, Hyperstealth Biotechnology, invisibility cloak, invisible bike helmet, Iron Man, Iron Man costume, Mark Pearson, medieval lingerie, military clothing, quantum stealth, soldier clothing, spider silk, Terese Alstin, toms, TOMS ballet flats, TOMS printed ballet flats, TOMS Shoes, top 2012 fashion stories, v&a museum, victoria and albert museum

The holidays wouldn’t be complete without someone whipping up a batch of cookies to be shared with friends and family. Just in time for Christmas, Inhabitat’s Editor-in-Chief Jill Feherenbacher is sharing one of her favorite baking recipes: Petey’s Vegan Almond Cookies. These yummy treats require only five simple ingredients (which you probably already have in your home), and they take just four steps to make. And for an extra special touch to really pump up the holiday spirit, you can decorate your baker’s dozen with some sprinkles, almonds or cranberries — everyone is sure to ask you for more!

SEE THE RECIPE HERE >

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Post tags: organic christmas cookies, organic holiday baking, organic holiday cookies, Petey's organic vegan almond christmas cookies, vegan almond butter cookies, vegan almond cookies, vegan baking, vegan christmas, vegan christmas cookie recipe, vegan christmas cookies, vegan cookies recipe

TODAY IS THE LAST DAY!

If you missed out on the opportunity to win a $200 eco-shopping spree to Indigenous in our last giveaway, don’t fret, we’ve got you covered. Back by popular demand, Indigenous is giving away another $200 gift certificate to one lucky reader! The giveaway’s deadline is TONIGHT at midnight EST, so don’t miss out on a chance to win some beautiful fair trade and organic clothing for the new year — hit the jump to find out how you can win!

ENTER TO WIN HERE >

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Post tags: eco friendly accessories, eco friendly coats, eco friendly knits, eco-fashion, eco-fashion giveaways, eco-friendly jackets, eco-friendly knitwear, eco-friendly scarves, eco-friendly sweaters, ecouterre giveaway, Ethical Fashion, Fair Trade, fair trade clothing, fair-trade fashion, green fashion, Indigenous Designs, sustainable accessories, sustainable coats, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable jackets, sustainable knits, sustainable knitwear, sustainable scarves, sustainable style, sustainable sweaters

Do you wish you had more fair trade clothing in your closet? Head on over to Ecouterre and enter our latest giveaway for a chance to win a $200 gift certificate to Indigenous Designs! We’ve teamed up with the fab eco-fashion company to give one lucky reader a chance to add some beautiful, organic clothing to their wardrobe – or to use the shopping spree to spoil friends and family this holiday season! Click ahead and enter to win now!

ENTER TO WIN HERE >

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Post tags: eco friendly accessories, eco friendly fashion, eco-fashion, Ecouterre and Indigenous Designs giveaway, Ecouterre and Indigenous giveaway, Ecouterre contest, ecouterre giveaway, Fair Trade, fair trade fashion for men, fair trade fashion for women, fair-trade fashion, fall fashion, free range alpaca, Indigenous, Indigenous Designs, Indigenous Geo Wrap, Indigenous Sporty Poncho, Indigenous Tassel Scarf, low impact dyes, organic clothing, organic clothing for men, organic clothing for women, organic women’s clothing, organic women’s fashion, winter fashion

Looking for a way to commemorate your old bike? While attending the Royal College of Art, designer Regan Appleton, started Bicycle Taxidermy to memorialize his father’s overridden mountain and road bikes. Though it might seem a bit silly to mount a piece of a bike on a wall, Bicycle Taxidermy thinks otherwise. The handlebars of the bike are mounted onto scorched or bleached European oak made by a local joiner. The mount also features a stainless steel epitaph etched in Argyll, Scotland that describes each bike’s model, name, years ridden and a short epitaph such as: “The Highland beast, put out to pasture on London Fields.” Each taxidermy is handcrafted in London and the service starts at £40.

+ Bicycle Taxidermy

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

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Post tags: Bicycle Taxidermy, broken bicycles, broken bikes, eco-friendly home decor, green home decor, Regan Appleton, Royal College of Arts, upcycling bicycles, upcycling bikes