Gensler has more than 3,000 professionals in 41 locations around the world, and together they have managed to make quite an impact with sustainable architecture. Granted, not every architecture firm has access to their level of resources, or their repeat clientele, but we decided to dig a little deeper to see if the sustainable trend is just an outward appearance of the firm’s design, or if the philosophy is carried throughout their office’s culture. We recently spoke to Gensler’s Irwin Miller to learn more about the firm’s stance on sustainable architecture, and why they feel it is so important to be involved with green business conferences like Opportunity Green.

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Gensler’s Irwin Miller on Sustainable Architecture and Opportunity Green

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Architecture, Gensler, green architecture, Green Building, green conference, green design, inhabitat, Inhabitat LA, Inhabitat Los Angeles, Irwin Miller, Opportunity Green, Sustainable Building, Sustainable Conference, sustainable design

Read the rest of BOOK REVIEW: KieranTimberlake Publishes Their Second Monograph, ‘Inquiry’

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Atwater, green architecture, Green Building, green design, inhabitat, Inquiry, KieranTimberlake, Levine Hall, Loblolly house, NLE Facde of the London Embassy, sustainable design, Sustinable Building

Read the rest of PHOTOS: Venice, CA’s First LEED Platinum Home is a Remodel of a 100 Year Old Craftsman

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Post tags: Brooks Residence, Duvivier, Duvivier Architects, Green Building, ID Architect, Inahbitat LA, inhabitat, Inhabitat Los Angeles, Isabelle Duvivier, leed building, LEED platinum, Sustainable Building, Venice Home

The ReadySet is a versatile renewable energy charger that can power any gadget that plugs into a standard vehicle or usb port. The ReadySet’s intelligent battery means that it can be charged from a variety of sources including solar panels, bicycle generators, micro-wind turbines, and much, much, more. The Kickstarter project by Fenix International reached its $20,000 goal in one day, and by purchasing a ReadySet Solar Kit you will help expand Fenix International’s office to Rwanda and support their mission to deliver power to the 1.5 billion people who live without electricity. See a video on how ReadySet created a phone charging business in Africa after the jump.

Read the rest of Charge Your Electronics With a Solar ReadySet and Help Power the Developing World

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Post tags: "solar energy", bike power, Electric Charger, Entrepreneurial, Fenix International, inhabitat, kickstarter, Power Developing World, renewable energy, renewable energy toy, Solar Power, solar-powered, Uganda

Rolls-Royce debuted the world’s first ever LEGO Jet Engine at the Farnborough International Airshow this week in England. The model is a half-size replica of the enormous Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 that powers the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It took 152,455 LEGO bricks, eight weeks, and a team of four fulltime employees to assemble the model. The engine’s blades rotate just like the real thing, though given their plastic construction, they remain a little slower and a little less powerful. While the real engine weighs in at 1.25 tons, the LEGO replica still weighs a hefty 676 pounds and measures 4.9 feet long and 6.5 feet wide. Check out a time-lapse video of the assembly after the jump!

Read the rest of Rolls-Royce Unveils World’s First LEGO Jet Engine Made from 152,455 Bricks!

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Post tags: Boeing Engine, bright bricks, Farnborough, Farnborough International Air Show, Jet Engine, lego, Lego Model, model, Public Air, rolls-royce, Trent 1000

Read the rest of The Emirates Glass LEAF Awards Announce Their 2012 Shortlist

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Post tags: design awards, emirates glass leaf awards, Emirates Glass Leaf Awards 2012, Green Building, green design, inhabitat, Irving Brauer, Kasia Fiutowska, Leaf Design Awards, Lucy Bullivant, Paolo Brescia, Phil Holden, Shortlist, Steven Holl, Sustainable Building, sustainable design

Read the rest of Students Re-Envision Los Angeles’ Ports O’Call for the Julius Shulman Emerging Talent Design Charette

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Post tags: "sustainable development", Arc Center, California State Polytechnic, California State University, Design Charette, Gensler, green design, inhabitat, Inhabitat LA, Inhabitat Los Angeles, Julius Shulman Design Charette, LABC, Los Angeles Business Council, Otis College of Art and Design, Sci-Arc, sustainable planning, sustainable urban design, ucla, University Southern California, USC, Woodbury University

Read the rest of The G-POD Wins Best Outdoor Product at Dwell on Design

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Post tags: dwell on design, G-POD, Inhabitat LA, Inhabitat Los Angeles, lounger, Mars Lab, prefabricated, prefabricated structures, Seater, summer house, Sustainable Building, temporary structures

Read the rest of Casa Bubble: Prefab Inflatable Pod Buildings Pop Up at Dwell on Design!

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Post tags: Casa Bubble, dwell on design, eco-tourism, Frederic Richard, inhabitat, Inhabitat LA, Inhabitat Los Angeles, Pierre-Stephane Dumas, Recyclable PVC, Sustainable Fabric, Sustainable Structures, temporary structures

One of the coolest finds we spotted at last week’s Dwell on Design was this line of iPhone accessories made by Bad Beetle out of the dead remains of trees infected by the Mountain Pine Beetle. Deemed “nature’s graffiti artists,” the beetles create blue tinted designs on the pine, making each case unique.

Read the rest of Bad Beetle iPhone Accessories Are Made from Beetle-Poisoned Wood

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Post tags: Apple Accessories, Bad Beetle, beetle, Dead Forest, dod, dwell on design, eco design, green design, inhabitat, iPad, ipad case, iPhone, iphone case, macbook, Macbook Air Case, mountain pine beetle, Recycled Case, recycled design, sustainable design

Read the rest of EXCLUSIVE PICS: The PUNCHouse Is Santa Monica’s First Energy-Neutral LEED Platinum Home

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Post tags: carbon-neutral, DiMaccio, Dr. Paul Song, energy neutral, Famous Home", green home, Hollywood Home, Inhabitat LA, Inhabitat Los Angeles, la, LEED platinum, Lisa Ling, Los Angeles, Marco DiMaccio, PUNCHouse, Santa Monica, santa monica home, Sustainable Building, sustainable home, Zero Footprint

Frank Lloyd Wright meets modern day prefab in the stunning Mod.Fab home, developed by students at Taliesin West in collaboration with their Dean Victor Sidy and Inhabitat favorite Jennifer Siegal. The goal of the collaboration was to build a prototype prefab conducive to elegant and sustainable living within the heart of the desert landscape. It only took a single picture for us to become instantaneous fans, and from passive solar design to photovoltaic panels and SIPs we’re thoroughly impressed with the project’s sustainable elements.

Read the rest of MOD.FAB: Stunning Prefab by the School of Frank Lloyd Wright

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Post tags: green architecture, green design, Jennifer Siegal, modfab prefab, Office of Mobile Design, Office of Mobile Design. PrairieMod, PrairieMod, prefab architecture, prefab design, Prefab Housing, PreFab Modern, prefabricated architecture, school of frank lloyd wright, Sustainable Building, Taliesin West

Stephen Lindsey of urbanproduct recently worked with Monde Ruelle Gallery to transform old hockey sticks into huge snowflake-shaped “Schtick” holiday ornaments at the Jardin Botanique de Montreal. A cabinetmaker by day, Lindsey was intrigued by the hockey stick’s unique shape, so he spent his evenings tracking down old wooden sticks that would otherwise be destined for the landfill and then transformed them into festive pieces of holiday cheer.

Read the rest of Recycled Hockey Sticks Transformed into Incredible Snowflakes at the Montreal Botanic Gardens

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California’s plans for high-speed rail are surging ahead in spite of national controversy over the cost of the project. A report from the state filed earlier this month found that the completed cost of the train would be three times more than originally anticipated – a total of $98 billion for a project that will not be fully finished until the year 2033. The 520-mile anticipated length of track would also pass through communities and farmland while cutting a six-hour drive down to 2 hours and 38 minutes of travel time. The Washington Post has cried “somebody please stop this train,” and local Republicans are calling it a waste, however the Golden State continues to blaze the way for the bullet train.

Read the rest of California’s High Speed Rail Plans Advance Despite Tripling in Cost

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Post tags: alternative transportation, California Bullet Train, california high speed rail, California Infrastructure Project, California Railway, governor, Infrastructure Project, inhabitat, Inhabitat LA, inhabitat sf, jerry brown, Large Transportation Project, public transportation, Transportation Project

Read the rest of Opportunity Green Sustainable Business Conference: Final Wrap

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Post tags: green conference, Green Design Events, green events, inhabitat, Inhabitat LA, Inhabitat Los Angeles, Los Angeles, Opportunity Green, social design, Sustainable Conference, sustainable design events, Sustainable Events

The fifth annual Opportunity Green sustainable business conference kicked off Wednesday evening at Los Angeles Center Studios to a VIP reception. Adrian Grenier and Peter Glatzer were on hand as recipients of the 2011 Eco-Maverick Awards for founding SHFT, a site that is “curating the culture of today’s environment.” On Thursday morning green design thought leaders including Yves Behar, Gavin McIntyre, and Aron Bosworth, also took to the stage, speaking to this year’s theme “Accelerate” while presenting their best ideas alongside stories from CEOs, entrepreneurs, government officials, and other agents of social change.

Read the rest of PHOTOS: Inhabitat’s Highlights from Day 1 of Opportunity Green

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Post tags: Active-E, BMW, BMW Active E, Business to Business, Green Awards, green conference, green design, green events, Green Mayor of the Year, inhabitat, Inhabitat Los Angeles, Opportunity Green, product design, starbucks, Sustainable Conference, sustainable design, Sustainable Events, Yves Béhar

Opportunity Green – the largest multidisciplinary sustainability business conference in the US – will be kicking off THIS WEEK running from November 10-11 at the Los Angeles Center Studios, and we’re thrilled to offer Inhabitat readers a 30% discount off ticket prices! Eco designer extraordinaire Yves Behar will be keynoting the opening day with a talk about “redefining design”, Entourage fans will have the opportunity to see Adrian Grenier on the big stage along with Peter Glatzer as they receive the Eco-Maverick Award for co-founding SHFT.com, and we’re looking forward to listening to Hannah Jones, Vice President of Sustainable Business and Innovation from Nike. The conference will also offer USGBC and AIA members the opportunity to earn education credits. So come join over 1,000 industry leaders and professionals in the sustainability field as they discuss their accomplishments, their struggles, and the inspiration they have gleaned from the past year – and make sure to enter the code INH30 to receive a 30% discount off registration fees!

REGISTER HERE >

+ Opportunity Green Conference

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Post tags: conference, Green Design Events, green events, inhabitat, Inhabitat LA, Inhabitat Los Angeles, Opportunity Green, Opportunity Green Business Conference, opportunity green conference, Shft, Sustainable Conferences, Sustainable Events, Yves Bahar

There are a lot of hybrid sedans out on the market these days, but the 2012 Civic Hybrid just happens to be the most fuel-efficient one available in the U.S. Inhabitat recently had an opportunity to take the new sedan out – complete with the new Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid drivetrain – and we have to admit that we enjoyed the ride. The new features and technology available in the 2012 Civic Hybrid offer a fuel economy rating of 44 mpg across the board for city/highway/combined driving — up from the 40/43/41 miles of the 2011 Civic. The 2012 design also features sleeker styling and the interior comes equipped with both cloth and a sustainably sourced leather alterative.

Read the rest of Inhabitat Takes a Spin in the New 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid

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Post tags: alternative transportation, green car, green transportation, Honda Civic 2012, honda civic hybrid, Honda hybrid, hybird, lithium ion, lithium ion battery, sustainable car, sustainable transportation

The 2nd generation Yaris will soon be hitting local dealerships, offering increased fuel efficiency at an incredible value. Recently, Inhabitat was asked to preview the Yaris, and we were more that happy to take the vehicle for a spin. With a mileage range of 38/highway, 30/city, and 35/combined, its sticker price of $14,115 offers a lot of bang for its buck. A product of Toyota — who has made a solid name for itself with the hybrid Pruis – the Yaris represents the company’s continued commitment to developing vehicles that ensure increased in fuel efficiency and top consumer value. Aimed at college students and young adults, Toyota hopes to capture the Y generation by running their first all-electronic campaign with the Yaris.

Read the rest of Inhabitat Takes the New Yaris 2012 for a Test Drive!

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Post tags: Drive Green, Economic Automobile, Economical Car, Gas Saving Auto, Gas Saving Car, green transportation, Inhabitat LA, Inhabitat Los Angeles, sustainable transportation, Toyota, Toyota Yaris

Orange 22 is hoping their fans will help them kick-start their new all-natural Botanist Minimal bench at the low price of $299 (MSRP $799.00). Constructed from sustainably harvested poplar and high-grade engineered veneers, the bench is smarter than it first appears. Composed of two distinct elements – a formed bent wood sleeve and a structural base – the bench utilizes spring-loaded pins hidden within the brace to create a seamless aesthetic that is free from unsightly hardware. We first covered Orange 22′s award-winning aluminum outdoor bench in 2007, and the new Botanist Minimalist bench fulfills numerous requests to make an all-wood version of the original for residential interiors. In order to get the project off the ground, Orange 22 has launched a KickStarter – for a very limited time only (fund-raising ends on Aug 28th), Botanist fans can get their hands on the new Minimal bench at a rock bottom price. So what are you waiting for?

+ Botanist on KickStarter

+ Orange 22 Design Lab

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Post tags: botanist, Botanist Minimalist, Contemporary Design, green bench, green design, green interiors, inhabitat, kickstarter, Orange 22, Sustainable Bench, sustainable design, Sustainable Interiors