Morgana Matus | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building - Part 6

Morgana Matus

Morgana joins Inhabitat after graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies from Pitzer College and completing a Fulbright Hays Award in Norway in the field Environmental Ethics. Having trained at the San Francisco Clown Conservatory, she is excited to use her experience as performer and scientist to engage audiences and share her enthusiasm for the natural world. She currently resides in beautiful San Luis Obispo, California where she performs, writes, and makes terrible puns without any provocation.

Morgana Matus

Japan Successfully Taps ‘Flammable Ice’ as an Energy Source for the First Time

Japan Successfully Taps ‘Flammable Ice’ as an Energy Source for the First Time

Japan is faced with a number of challenges when it comes to domestic energy production - the country is the world's largest importer of natural gas, and since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear

Washington, DC Aims to Become the Greenest City in the Country

Washington, DC Aims to Become the Greenest City in the Country

Photo via Shutterstock In a town that houses Congress, a body that is synonymous with inefficiency and gridlock, it is nice to know that at least the city itself is moving forward. With the

DARPA to Use Shipping Containers to Create Floating Platforms for Disaster Relief

DARPA to Use Shipping Containers to Create Floating Platforms for Disaster Relief

Shipping containers have emerged as a popular material for building everything from backyard retreats to temporary shelters and coffee shops. Now DARPA has harnessed the giant metal boxes for

Algae Growth Resulting from Glacial Melt Could Help Curb Climate Change

Algae Growth Resulting from Glacial Melt Could Help Curb Climate Change

Photo via Shutterstock When it comes to tackling the enormous challenge of curbing climate change, we humans may need to look to some very small organisms for help. A study published in the

Man Has 75 Percent of His Skull Replaced with a 3D-Printed Implant

Man Has 75 Percent of His Skull Replaced with a 3D-Printed Implant

Feel like you have lost your head? No problem, simply print yourself another. An unnamed man from the US was able to do just that, courtesy of Oxford Performance Materials (OPM) in Connecticut.

Scientists Find Plants Use Caffeine to Attract Bees

Scientists Find Plants Use Caffeine to Attract Bees

According to research recently published in in the journal Science, humans aren't the only creatures who get a good buzz from caffeine. It turns out that plants produce caffeine-laced nectar to

Greece Installed 300MW of Solar PV in January Alone!

Greece Installed 300MW of Solar PV in January Alone!

Even during an economic and political crisis, Greece has reason to boast. The country installed an amazing 300 MW of solar PV in the month of January alone, a third more than was installed last

Jeffrey Allen Price Upcycles Old Sponges Into Soft Geographical Maps

Jeffrey Allen Price Upcycles Old Sponges Into Soft Geographical Maps

Every good artist needs a medium through which to absorb the world around them and wring out their ideas and emotions. Jeffrey Allen Price uses soft, springy sponges to create colorful

Designer Niklas Roy Creates a Pen Plotter from Cardboard and Common Office Supplies

Designer Niklas Roy Creates a Pen Plotter from Cardboard and Common Office Supplies

Designer Niklas Roy has created an incredible miniature plotter made from Finnish cardboard, rubber bands, glue, tape, glue, and a welding rod. Roy designed the gadget while teaching a workshop

UK Horse Meat Scandal Sparks Rise in Sales of Vegetarian Meat Alternatives

UK Horse Meat Scandal Sparks Rise in Sales of Vegetarian Meat Alternatives

In the wake of the ongoing horse meat scandal in Europe and the UK, producers and retailers of vegetarian meat alternatives have noticed a spike in sales. Quorn, the UK's biggest vegetarian

Southern Leg of the Keystone XL Pipeline is Already Halfway Finished

Southern Leg of the Keystone XL Pipeline is Already Halfway Finished

Recently, the State Department released a report claiming that the Keystone XL pipeline would have no significant impact on the environment. However, the study did not factor in the tremendous

Ocean Wings: Aqua Lung Wetsuit Lets You Fly Underwater

Ocean Wings: Aqua Lung Wetsuit Lets You Fly Underwater

Compared to the creatures of the sea, the human body is somewhat inefficient underwater. With our gangly limbs and lack of fins or tails, it takes us a bit more effort to glide through the

Environmentalists Baffled at State Department Claim that Keystone XL Would Have Little Environmental Impact

Environmentalists Baffled at State Department Claim that Keystone XL Would Have Little Environmental Impact

Rumors have been circulating as to whether or not the President would approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. On Friday, the State Department released a study suggesting that the pipeline, which is

President Obama Nominates Gina McCarthy for Head of the EPA

President Obama Nominates Gina McCarthy for Head of the EPA

Today, President Obama announced that his nominee to replace Lisa Jackson as head of the EPA is Gina McCarthy. McCarthy, who currently manages the EPA's Air and Radiation office, has played a

The 3D-Printed Urbee 2 Hybrid Car is Light, Strong, and Nearing Production

The 3D-Printed Urbee 2 Hybrid Car is Light, Strong, and Nearing Production

Nothing says “Welcome to the Future” like a 3D-printed runabout vehicle with a hybrid engine, three wheels, speeds of up to 68 mph, and capacity to carry up to 1,200 lbs. The Urbee 2

Jamie Poole Creates Intricate Portraits from Love Letters and Poems

Jamie Poole Creates Intricate Portraits from Love Letters and Poems

Dr. Baile Zhang Unveils Light-Bending ‘Invisibility Cloak’ at TED 2013

Dr. Baile Zhang Unveils Light-Bending ‘Invisibility Cloak’ at TED 2013

Dr. Baile Zhang, an assistant physics professor at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore has created a small, box-like “invisibility cloak” that uses optic crystals to

Washington’s Hanford Nuclear Dump is Leaking Toxic Waste

Washington’s Hanford Nuclear Dump is Leaking Toxic Waste

One of the biggest problems with nuclear power is the radioactive waste it produces; governments and the scientific community have struggled to find ways to safely contain the hazardous

Study Says Airflow Changes Due to Climate Change Responsible for US and EU Heat Waves

Study Says Airflow Changes Due to Climate Change Responsible for US and EU Heat Waves

Photo via Shutterstock It’s difficult to forget the days of sweltering heat and drought that many of us faced these past few summers. As we sat waiting for rain and a little relief, the

Solar Power Generation to Increase by 35 Times in Argentina

Solar Power Generation to Increase by 35 Times in Argentina

There is a good reason why Argentina's flag sports a shining sun. At present, Argentina only produces about 10MW of solar power, but that figure is soon about to receive a giant boost as the

Scientists Use Pine Sap to Create Biodegradable, Renewable Plastics

Scientists Use Pine Sap to Create Biodegradable, Renewable Plastics

Photo via Shutterstock As we begin to see the devastating effects of plastic pollution on our environment, scientists are working towards generating more eco-friendly alternatives to

Modularflex Disaster Shelters Pop Up Where They Are Needed Most

Modularflex Disaster Shelters Pop Up Where They Are Needed Most

Anyone who has ever struggled to pitch a tent can attest to how difficult it can be to assemble a temporary shelter. Add the stress of a natural calamity, and every second saved by quick and

Michael Moss Investigates How Junk Food is Engineered to Be Addictive

Michael Moss Investigates How Junk Food is Engineered to Be Addictive

When we consider the field of engineering, the images that come to mind run the gamut from airplanes to bridges to 3D printers. Yet we rarely think about how the processed food we consume has

3D Printed Mechanical Muscle Has a Heartbeat Powered by Yeast

3D Printed Mechanical Muscle Has a Heartbeat Powered by Yeast

If the Tin Man were looking for a modern heart instead of an oversized pocket watch, it might look a little something like this. Scientists at the University of West England in Bristol have

Coffee-Powered Vehicle Sets Guinness Land Speed Record for Caffeinated Combustion

Coffee-Powered Vehicle Sets Guinness Land Speed Record for Caffeinated Combustion

For some of us, it takes a couple of cups of coffee to wake up and hit the road. The Bean Machine, a coffee-powered pickup built by UK engineer and conservationist Martin Bacon, takes the notion

TransCanada Boss Says Keystone XL Pipeline Will Have ‘No Impact On Climate Change’

TransCanada Boss Says Keystone XL Pipeline Will Have ‘No Impact On Climate Change’

We have heard some tall tales in our time, but this one reaches the stratosphere. On Tuesday, Alex Pourbaix, TransCanada’s president for energy and oil pipelines, said that “You

3Doodler: World’s First ’3D-Printing Pen’ Lets You Draw Designs in Thin Air!

3Doodler: World’s First ’3D-Printing Pen’ Lets You Draw Designs in Thin Air!

Desktop 3D printing technology has allowed builders to take control of their projects with an astonishing degree of precision. For those who want a little more manual control and and a smaller

Japanese Restaurant Fines Diners For Not Finishing Their Meals

Japanese Restaurant Fines Diners For Not Finishing Their Meals

Thought your mom was harsh about finishing your meal? At least she didn't charge you for leaving food on your plate. The Hachikyo seafood restaurant in Sapporo, Japan will fine diners for not

Marta Klonowska Assembles Shards of Glass into Delicate Sculptures of Animals

Marta Klonowska Assembles Shards of Glass into Delicate Sculptures of Animals

Each animal created by Klonowska looks as though it has exploded, sending jagged pieces of itself outward like electrified fur. Perhaps a statement on the fragile nature of life or the danger of

New Photosensitive Carbon Sponge Could Soak Up Coal Emissions

New Photosensitive Carbon Sponge Could Soak Up Coal Emissions

Coal photo from Shutterstock Despite its high carbon footprint, expense, and negative effects on human health, coal still remains one of the world's most utilized sources of energy. Since

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