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The Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) is an organization after Inhabitat’s own heart. It was formed by the visionary eco architect/designer’s family in 1983 to champion Buckminster Fuller’s amazing legacy and provide the design world — and the rest of humanity, for that matter — with the tools we need to solve the world’s most pressing problems. Buckminster Fuller was a “full systems thinker” — he was a renaissance man who foresaw the problems we are facing now decades before anyone else, and came up with innovative, thoughtful ways to solve humanity’s most pressing problems around energy, shelter and natural resources. Sadly, this amazing man is no longer with us, but The Buckminster Fuller Institute marches forward in his name with a handful of thought-provoking programs for designers. Their flagship initiative is the Buckminster Fuller Challenge design competition to provide solutions to complicated social/environmental problems. Inhabitat covered the BFI Challenge finalists back in April, and we are thrilled to announce the winner of the competition here in our latest video! Watch our video profile (above) to learn about BFI, Bucky’s legacy, and the inspiring winner of last year’s $100,000 prize.

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Post tags: buckminster fuller challenge, buckminster fuller institute, Green Design Competitions, holistic design solutions, holistic solutions, whole systems solutions

The Andrea Air Purifier is a brilliant partnership between man and plant that accelerates nature’s natural ability to clean air in order to detoxify the atmosphere inside your home. We had a chance to sit down with Tom Hadfield from Andrea to talk about how this amazing gadget is able to clean the air in your home 1000% better than a normal houseplant. Check out our video interview above!

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Post tags: air cleaning plants, air clearing plants, andrea air purifier, clean air, clean air naturally, clean home, green cleaning products, green home design, green home products, Greener Gadgets

There is a buzz in the air this week about the Chevy Volt thanks to an announcement by General Motors on Friday that they’ll be shutting down production of the Volt at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant for five weeks. While the news media geared up to make this announcement look like the end for this highly-publicized plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, we bet that this decision to equalize supply with demand is just a Volt growing pain. So, we went straight to the horse’s mouth and asked Rob Peterson of Chevy Volt Communications about the Volt team’s take on this whole situation. It seems the feeling inside the company is decidedly positive — something you might not envision if you just listened to Google News and your television. Peterson started off the interview by telling assuring us what we already though was true, “this is just an opportunity to adjust our inventory levels, it is just temporary,” and then let us in on some insights from the Chevy crew.

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Rob Peterson Of Chevy Talks Volt Production Shutdown, Reveals High Customer Satisfaction

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Post tags: chevrolet volt, chevy volt, chevy volt customer satisfaction, chevy volt customers, chevy volt dealer, chevy volt halt production, chevy volt issues, chevy volt numbers, chevy volt problems, chevy volt production, chevy volt sold, chevy volt solutions, general motors, GM

Adrian Grenier (of Entourage fame) and Peter Glatzer (a veteran film producer) founded SHFT.com, a sustainable site that brings together Grenier and Glatzer’s background in film with their passion for the environmental movement. We had a chance to talk to the pair about melding these two worlds together, how their unique vision adds to the sustainable movement, and how great design can make green even better. Stay tuned to the end of the video to find out what green gadgets Grenier and Glatzer just couldn’t get enough of this year.

Read the rest of VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Inhabitat Talks to Adrian Grenier and Peter Glatzer of SHFT.com

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Post tags: adrian grenier, adrian grenier awards, adrian grenier global green, adrian grenier green website, entourage, environmental website, glatzer, global green, global green sustainable design awards, green film producer, green film production, green website, grenier, peter glatzer, peter glatzer global green, Shft, shft.com

Inhabitat’s Jill Fehrenbacher recently hit the scene of the 2012 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where she toured the laser-filled show to bring you an exclusive look at the world’s hottest new electric vehicles and hybrid cars! She got the lowdown on the sexiest new hybrid vehicle from Lexus as well as a sneak peek at Volkswagen’s upcoming Jetta Hybrid and the E-Bugster electric Beetle concept. She also took an inside look at the quirky styling of Smart’s For-US electric pickup truck and the brand new Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid, which is sure to be a consumer favorite when it hits the streets this year. Check out our exclusive video above for the most exciting green cars at from the 2012 Detroit Auto Show!

Read the rest of VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Inhabitat Gets Electric Vehicle Fever at the 2012 Detroit Auto Show

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Post tags: detroit auto show, detroit auto show 2012, E-bugster, electric car, electric vehicle, Ford electric vehicle, ford fusion, ford fusion electric, ford fusion energi, ford fusion hybrid, green car, green transportation, hybrid jetta, lexus hybrid, lexus lf-lc, north american international auto show, Smart, smart electric vehicle, Smart EV, Smart For-US, smart pickup truck, Video, volkswagen

Oh the talking heads of the political world — what would we do without them? The latest wonderful blunder has come from one of our favorites, Mr. Bill O’Reilly. In the midst of the fist fight that has become of the Republican presidential race, the entire right-wing of American politicans have joined together to turn their wrath on the gas-saving, American-made Chevy Volt. O’Reilly is now jumping in the ring and is bad-mouthing the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle on his Fox News talk show. But a funny thing happened on the way to the Volt-bashing parade – Media Matters dug up some fun footage of the O’Reilly Factor showing the King of Fox News supporting not only the Chevy Volt, but government subsidies for GM and other car companies building alternative fuel vehicles. It seems that Bill’s got a short term memory and a penchant for following the crowd — even if it means being a documented hypocrite.

Read the rest of Bill O’Reilly Caught Red-Handed in a Flip Flop – He Used to Support the Volt and Government Subsidies

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Post tags: bill o'reilly, bill o'reilly electric cars, chevy volt, chevy volt criticisms, chevy volt critics, chevy volt media coverage, chevy volt republicans, right wing chevy volt

With the barrage of misinformation coming out of the Republican party these days about rising oil prices, the safety of the Chevy Volt, the state of global climate change, and President Obama’s energy policy, it seems the Commander in Chief has finally had enough. Today, at Prince George’s Community College in Maryland, the President threw up his fists and took his critics head on, announcing that he was willing to fight for clean energy because he knows that’s where the future is headed.

Read the rest of President Obama Slams Opponents for Single-Minded View on Energy

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Post tags: clean energy policy, energy debate, energy policy, obama administration energy policy, obama renewable energy policy, president obama, president obama energy policy, renewable energy policy

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) just released their first environmental outlook since 2008, and to use their words, things look “grim”. The OECD Environmental Outlook to 2050: The Consequences of Inaction paints a very dark picture for the human race if it does not change its emissions-heavy, resource guzzling ways. The OECD now joins the International Energy Agency in the not so subtle task of alerting world leaders that their inability to reach consensus on this growing issue could put the entire human race in jeopardy much earlier than previously thought.

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Post tags: Climate Change, climate crisis, climate science, environmental predictions, global climate change, global warming, international climate crisis, OECD, official climate change, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

If you thought there could be nothing better than a world-record-setting wave-powered nautical robot, you were wrong. The PacX Wave Glider team of robots is all of those things – and they’re on a mission to save the oceans to boot! Built by Liquid Robotics the quartet of robots set out from San Francisco propelled forward by wave power and outfitted with gadgets fueled by the sun that are capable of measuring the health of the ocean and its inhabitants. The robots just landed in Hawaii and their 3,200-nautical mile trip set a world record – but they’re not finished yet. The quartet will now split into two pairs, with one pair headed to Japan and the other to Australia.

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Post tags: liquid robotics, nautical robot, ocean exploration, ocean robot, pacx, robot boat, robot mission, robot surf, water drone, water raft, water robot, wave powered raft, wave powered robot

Researchers in Australia have developed a form of salt-tolerant wheat that could help address the global food crisis by allowing farmers to grow crops in soil with high salinity. They created the new form of wheat by crossing a modern strain with an ancient species, a pairing that resulted in a hearty new kind of plant that can withstand soil that most commercial forms of wheat can’t survive in. The researchers believe this new super-wheat will allow farmers to grow more food crops on land previously thought to be off limits to agriculture.

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Post tags: genetically modified plants, GMO, high yield wheat, modified plants, salt proof wheat, salt tolerant wheat, wheat grains, wheat strains

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has decided to join the drill, baby, drill chorus this week by attempting to slam President Barack Obama and his current energy policies. In an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal Jindal says the President’s current environmental policies are “radical” and will wreak havoc on the country’s energy system. This, coming from the man who wanted to stop the gulf oil spill from reaching his state by dredging up delicate ecosystems and building barrier islands out of sand? That seems a whole lot more radical than the President’s vision of a future where we explore all of the energy options currently on the table in order to create a stable energy economy and reduce prices. We’d say the Obama administration’s energy policy is pretty forward-thinking and Jindal, by contrast, can’t even seem to think far enough into the future to realize that building castles out of sand is never a good idea.

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Post tags: bobby jindal, clean energy policy, governor bobby jindal, governor jindal, green energy policy, jindal energy policy, louisiana governor, obama energy policy, republican energy policy

Thanks to efforts by environmentalists and opponents of the natural gas industry, the process of fracking has come under the limelight recently – and the federal government is considering new, tougher regulations for the hydraulic fracturing industry. Although at one point some environmental groups saw natural gas as a less environmentally damaging alternative to coal, they are now rethinking their stance – and the Sierra Club has revealed they turned down a $30 million gift from natural gas company Chesapeake Energy because of their concerns about the process. That’s a huge hunk of cash for a non-profit environmental group to turn down on principle, and thanks to their honesty they’re now able to fight the good fight against this energy source, which we now know has a dirtier life-cycle than coal.

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Post tags: chesapeake, fracking, fracking dangers, fracking issues, fracking problems, natural gas, natural gas consequences, natural gas industry, natural gas issues, natural gas problems, Sierra Club, sierra club fracking, sierra club natural gas

New regulations are coming to the Ohio natural gas industry thanks to the discovery that misplaced hydraulic fracturing wells are the cause of earthquakes in the area. Ohio regulators discovered that lack of geological information on fracking sites led to earthquakes in the Youngstown area just months after hydraulic fracturing for natural gas began there. The regulators have now instituted stiffer regulations for the natural gas extraction industry that include submitting geological logs to the state, a ban on drilling into Precambrian rock, and the adoption of new state of the art machinery that will help monitor wells to make sure they are safe.

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The island nation of Kiribati’s highest point is no more than two meters above sea level, which makes it one of the most vulnerable places on Earth to rising water levels. Last week the President of Kiribati told the world he and his cabinet were considering a plan to purchase a slot of land on the main island of Fiji where they could relocate their population of about 100,000 if climate change indeed caused waters to rise, making their nation uninhabitable. Now, Kiribati President Anote Tong is at the Pacific Islands Forum in Auckland and has announced that the nation is also mulling over a plan to build a $2 billion man-made island that could take the place of their disappearing homes.

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Post tags: Climate Change, climate change dangers, global warming, global warming dangers, ice melting, is the ocean level rising, island nation, kiribati, kiribati climate change, kiribati global warming, kiribati islands, kiribati rising waters, melting ice caps, republic of kiribati, rising ocean levels, rising water levels, sea level, sea level rising

Bill McKibben and the team at 350.org are surely celebrating today as the Senate voted yesterday against the Keystone XL pipeline, however, that doesn’t mean they are resting. They’ve announced their next fight and it is a big one: oil subsidies. The organization is starting a petition to end the $4 billion per year in oil subsidies and is announcing an effort to get every congressperson and senator on the record regarding their stance on big oil. 350.org points out that the millions given as campaign contributions to representatives on Capitol Hill by the fossil fuel industry is speaking volumes about Washington’s position on this issue.

Read the rest of 350.org Vows to Take on Big Oil Subsidies in Washington D.C.

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Post tags: 350.org, big oil campaign contributions, big oil subsidies, campaign contributions, congress big oil campaign contributions, fossil fuel industry, fossil fuel industry campaign contributions, fossil fuel industry subsidies, fossil fuel subsidies, Keystone XL Pipeline, oil subsidies

The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite launched in October of 2011 on a mission to measure the Earth’s environmental systems. The satellite was developed by a partnership between NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Defense (DOD), and it has now been completely commissioned and is ready to start its important observation work. The satellite will be measuring the Earth’s climate, clouds, oceans, and vegetation in an effort to study the changes in Earth’s systems. NASA researchers say that the satellite could be critical in understanding and predicting changes in the Earth’s systems over the coming years as the effects of climate change take hold.

Read the rest of Multi-Agency Suomi Satellite Will Provide Insight Into Climate Change & Air Pollution

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Post tags: climate change satellite, environmental satellite, global climate change, nasa climate change, nasa mission, nasa satellite, soumi, soumi satellite

The Pacific island nation Kiribati has found itself at the epicenter of the global climate change debate, as it is one of the first places that will be destroyed if sea levels rise as predicted through this century. Kiribati leaders are currently mulling a major decision to purchase 6,000 acres of land on Fiji’s main island for $9.6 million as insurance against a submerged future. If necessary, they could move their entire permanent population of just over 100,000 onto the land in Fiji. The nation is composed of 32 atolls, like the one shown above, and one coral island spread amidst 1,351,000 square miles of the Pacific Ocean, some of which have already been affected by salinated soil and drinking water due to water level changes.

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Post tags: Climate Change, climate change dangers, global warming, global warming dangers, ice melting, is the ocean level rising, island nation, kiribati, kiribati climate change, kiribati global warming, kiribati islands, kiribati rising waters, melting ice caps, republic of kiribati, rising ocean levels, rising water levels, sea level, sea level rising

If you’ve listened to the news or checked Facebook in the last few days, you’ve probably heard of – or watched – the record-breaking viral video called Kony 2012, which was produced and directed by the 501(c)(3) non-profit Invisible Children. (The video has racked up 56,647,137 views as of the posting of this article.) Invisible Children is fighting for the arrest of Joseph Kony — a war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court for heinous war crimes — and for peace in the regions of Africa affected by his violent rebel group, The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). They are hoping to use this video (and others that they’ve made) to spread awareness about their most wanted subject. Invisible Children’s mission is an important one, however the founders of the non-profit are being put through the gauntlet by the media and some sources say that donations to organization could be better spent and better applied elsewhere. The critics have spoken so loudly that Invisible Children decided to offer a response on their website, which still isn’t quieting the discontent.

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In a victory for environmentalists and green energy activists everywhere, the Senate yesterday voted against the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline that was slotted to run from the dirty tar sands in Alberta, Canada down to the Gulf Coast of Texas. The pipeline has been at the center of a political debate in the United States, with most Democrats and the President on one side arguing against it for low job prospects and environmental concerns, and many Republicans pushing for it with arguments about the economy and friendly oil. The Senate was voting on the Northern half of the pipeline, which needed a Presidential Permit because it crossed international borders. TransCanada, the builder of the pipeline, announced last week that they were going ahead with building the southern half of the pipeline because it didn’t need special permitting.

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Post tags: 350.org, alberta tar sands, Bill McKibben, keystone pipeline, Keystone XL Pipeline, senate keystone pipeline, senate vote, transcanada, transcanada pipeline, xl pipeline

When General Motors unveiled plans to temporarily halt production of the plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt for five weeks, the announcement was widely portrayed as the demise of one of our favorite vehicles. Well, we’re here to tell you that the bad news is all hype – the Chevy Volt is here to stay, and the electric vehicle market is just getting started. Where gasoline once had a monopoly on the market, now even the President of the United States is putting his weight behind algae, fuel cells, and electric vehicles. We predict that as one of the first to make a splash, the Volt will climb over this five week slump and continue to be sold as one of America’s most innovative driving machines – read on to learn why.

Read the rest of Why the Halt in Chevy Volt Production Doesn’t Foretell Electric Vehicle Doomsday

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Post tags: alternative drivetrain, chevy volt, chevy volt issues, chevy volt production, electric car, electric vehicle, general motors, general motors chevy volt, GM electric car, halt production of the chevy volt, plug in hybrid electric car, volt, volt manufacturing, volt manufacturing halt