The designer behind the One Laptop Per Child Project, Yves Behar is truly a world-class designer, balancing aesthetics, function, and socially-based initiatives. Founder and principal designer of FuseProject, he also happens to be the Chair of the Industrial Design Department at San Francisco’s California College of the Arts. Recently, he facilitated a design studio in which Industrial Design students partnered with South Korean cell phone manufacturer Pantech to design new cell-phone models, taking on the future of mobile communications and addressing the idea of emotional networking. I had a chance to speak to Yves about the studio, sustainability, and more…

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Yves Behar Talks to Us About Sustainable Product Design

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Post tags: $75 tablet laptop, eco design, Fuse Project, Fuseproject, green design, Green Design Events, greener gadgets conference, greener gadgets design competition, Leaf Lamp, olpc, One Laptop Per Child, sustainable design, sustainable electronics, xo3 tablet laptop, Yves Béhar, yves behar interview

Read the rest of Prefab for Multi-Generational Living Unveiled at West Coast Green!

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Post tags: "prefabricated housing", "sustainable architecture", Green Building, green design, inspired in law house, larson + shores architects inc, show house 2010, sustainable design, west coast green

Read the rest of LEED Gold Community Springs up in Hunters Point, SF

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Post tags: aia sf home tour, architecture and the city, architecture and the city festival, Armstrong Senior Housing, david baker architects, green design, hunter's point, LEED gold, San Francisco, social housing, social responsibility, sustainable design

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Post tags: eco design, green design, green interiors, oriental warehouse, San Francisco, sustainable design, Sustainable Interiors

San Francisco recently saw the unveiling of the Plastiki, a boat constructed of 12,500 2-liter plastic bottles that will be embarking on a 7,500 mile journey to Sydney this spring. Built by Adventure Ecology and captained by David de Rothschild, the vessel will brave the waters surrounding the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ in an attempt to bring awareness to the mounting plastic debris floating in our Oceans. If the 50 knots of wind and rain at the unveiling last Friday, followed by tsunami warnings post-earthquake in Chile the following day, are any indication of what the crew could face on their voyage, we wish them luck!

Read the rest of Plastiki Plastic Bottle Boat Unveiled in San Francisco!

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Post tags: Adventure Ecology, david de rothschild, green design, green transportation, pacific garbage patch, plastic bottle boat, plastiki, Recycled Materials, sustainable design

Here’s a source for gift wrap paper that is as beautiful as it is eco-conscious. Known as The Local Paper, these couture coverings are based on unique themes that are inspired by the designers’ travel, nature, and life. Each elegant wrap comes in 24×36 inch sheets that are Forestry Stewardship Council certified, made with papers that are 30% recycled post-consumer fiber. Additionally, all of the packaging used is recycled, recyclable, and biodegradable. You can purchase The Local Paper at the Contemporary Arts Museum Shop in Houston, TX or online.

+ The Local Paper

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Post tags: fsc certified wrapping paper, green design, green paper products, Recycled Materials, sustainable design, the local paper

Recently software manufacturer Adobe Systems Inc. gave a grant to the US Green Building Council (USGBC) to help San Francisco Bay Area schools achieve LEED certification, and the Bessie Carmichael School in the South of Market (SOMA) area was selected to receive an eco-renovation. The original challenge in 2007 was to convert the school’s existing 60-child preschool into a 230 student K-8 school for the Filipino Community. The site had been maintained as a school facility predating the 1906 earthquake and was in serious need of repairs when the San Francisco Unified School District hired Plum Architects to redefine the school structure.

Read the rest of Bessie Carmichael School Awarded Grant for LEED Certification

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Post tags: Bessie Carmichael school playground, green architecture, green design, green school, San Francisco, soma, sustainable design

This year marked Global Green’s 5th annual Gorgeous and Green fundraiser and celebration in beautiful San Francisco. This star packed event promoted the organization’s numerous charitable green initiatives, and left the Bay area buzzing with an incredible eco-fashion show, a showcase of Sage Vaughn’s artwork, and a living wall exhibit by Design Ecology.

READ MORE AT ECOUTERRE>

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Post tags: eco-fashion, gorgeous and green, Green Design Events, green fashion design, San Francisco

Digging Deeper: Building Blocks for Sustainable Design is an exciting competition that partners designers with the City of San Francisco to tackle real urban problems and find viable solutions. Launched in late September, the competition challenges designers from every field to design a physical or social urban agriculture product/system. If you have ideas for how to design and implement real-life solutions that provide local food to urban areas, act quickly because the deadline is January 31st!

Read the rest of Digging Deeper: Design an Urban Agriculture Product or System!

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Post tags: building blocks for sustainable design, contest, digging deeper design competition, green design, green design contest, industrial design, sustainable design

This year’s Gorgeous & Green Gala is happening Tuesday, December 8th at the W Hotel in San Francisco and Inhabitat will be on the scene! Dine with celebs, check out the latest eco-fashions, sip on organic cocktails or just get your green groove on to the live music! If you would like to join us at the event, tickets are still on sale for this star-studded fundraiser benefitting Global Green and its many green initiatives; including the rebuilding of New Orleans, climate solutions, water conservation, and green schools. Read on for more event details!

Read the rest of Fifth Annual Gorgeous & Green Benefit in San Francisco

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Post tags: green and gorgeous, green events, San Francisco

Last year Cloudgate Design brought us the Cardboard Christmas tree, and this year they’ve just launched the all new SMALL Cardboard Christmas Tree, which at 1 ft tall makes a great gift, is easier to transport, and works well as a table centerpiece. Like its larger 3 ft. tall predecessor, the SMALL tree is a nifty extended use of recycled corrugated cardboard and comes ready-made with decorations.

Read the rest of Tiny Tabletop Cardboard Christmas Tree from Cloudgate Design

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Post tags: Cardboard Christmas Tree, green christmas, green design, holidays, sustainable design, the cardboard tree

Since loads of us love Christmas trees and all things that bring Christmas cheer, here’s a way to indulge in your tree without killing it (strange tradition we’ve had all these years, eh?) The city of San Francisco has launched a program offering live local trees that you can take into your home. Then after the holiday cheer has run its course the tree lives on where it belongs — in the ground! Better yet, these non-traditional trees have been specifically selected to live in San Francisco’s climate, so your tree is sure to thrive long after it’s christening.

Read the rest of San Francisco Offers Christmas Trees that Live on After the Holidays

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Post tags: dreaming of a green christmas, friends of the urban forest, Green Christmas Tree, living christmas tree, public space, San Francisco, sustainable design

Recently we took the trip to Oakland, CA to visit a Habitat for Humanity East Bay Project of particular interest for its pairing of energy-efficient homes with families in need of housing. What was once a deemed by the EPA and the Department of Toxic Substances as a blighted property due to its history as a battery salvage yard has become a sunny neighborhood haven for children to play and families to grow together. It was no small feat remediating some 300,000 cubic yards of soil and bringing in clean fill, but with buildable real estate and housing scarce, the effort is sure to improve more than just the site itself as happy families move into homes that they have taken part in building.

Read the rest of Habitat for Humanity and PG&E Support Green Neighborhood in Oakland, CA

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", green design, habitat for humanity, oakland bay area, Pacific Gas and Electric, PG&E, social housing, sustainable design

The 2009 Solar Decathlon may have come to a close, but we wanted to shine a little more light on one of our favorite projects, Virginia Tech’s LUMENHAUS. Ranked 4th in this year’s Architecture category, the LUMENHAUS is named for its “power of light” attributes and architectural references to the BauHaus movement, and was particularly inspired by Mies Van Der Rohe’s Farnsworth House. Like its historic reference, it is comprised of all glass walls, maximizing exposure to natural daylight. The house features an automated “Eclipse System” of highly insulated translucent panels that filters the light using independent sliding layers, creating an ever-changing pattern throughout the day.

Read the rest of Sun Powered LUMENHAUS has a Shifting Solar Facade

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Post tags: green architecture, Green Building, green design, lumenhaus, Solar Power, sustainable design, virginia tech

One of the most exciting new products we found at West Coast Green this past weekend is the latest innovation by Lemnis Lighting, the Pharox 60 LED Dimmable Lightbulb, that uses just 6 Watts and has the equivalent luminescence of the traditional 60 Watt incandescent bulb. The Pharox 60 fits a standard sized household light fixture, is made of recyclable material, and is the most energy efficient bulb of comparable light quality on the market today with a light output of 300 lumens and a warm white light of 3000K. A patented heat sink keeps the bulb temperature low (we think it’s the aluminum housing surround) and it is the most environmentally safe option on the market as well, containing NO lead, mercury, or wolfram, unlike it’s compact fluorescent competitors.

Read the rest of New Super Efficient Pharox 60 LED Bulbs Last for 25 Years

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Post tags: energy efficient lighting, green design, light bulb, pharox, pharox 60, sustainable design, west coast green

One of our favorite projects from last weekend’s AIA Homes Tours was the Randall House in Glen Park, by LSarc design team. The site, typical of San Francisco contours, slopes nearly four stories from front to back making the rear lower floors a challenge to daylight. The architects did a stunning job of working with this difficult site while reusing existing construction materials, incorporating FSC certified timber, and creating a healthy interior environment through the use of sustainable materials.

Read the rest of LSarc’s Randall House Bridges Indoors and Outdoors

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Post tags: aia home tours, Architecture, architecture and the city festival, Green Building, green design, lsarc, randall house, San Francisco, sustainable design

One trend we noticed in this year’s AIA Homes Tours in San Francisco was how the frugal use of floor space and an abundance of natural light can add volume to otherwise downsized floor plans. Boor Bridges Architects managed to do just this in the adaptive re-use of a 1940s tap dancing studio, formerly used by famed dancer Betty Mae, into a kind of urban luxury cottage marked by modern minimalism and subtle hints of years past.

Read the rest of Ames Cottage: A Small Space Marvel with Historic Roots

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Post tags: adaptive reuse, ames cottage, Architecture, architecture and the city festival, boor bridges architecture, green design, Green renovation, Reclaimed Materials, small space living, sustainable design

This week the Architecture + The City Festival took us to Treasure Island for an upclose view of the proposed sustainable development plan and a not so shabby panoramic view of the whole San Francisco Bay Area. We found that the entire place is steeped in future plans and the island is a keystone in what will become a center for green living in the Bay.

Read the rest of Treasure Island Reveals New Sustainable Development Plan

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Post tags: green design, public space, san francisco bay area, sustainable design, Treasure Island, Urban design

Our inhabitat founder and editor-in-chief, Jill Fehrenbacher, grew up in the small, sleepy Northern California town of Novato – so you can imagine how excited she was when we heard that a solar-powered eco event was coming to Novato! Jill unfortunately couldn’t make the solar-powered Novato Art & Wine Festival (as she’s busy running Inhabitat from NYC these days), but sent a certain green-building buff (yours truly) to attend and report back on the state of suburban greening! With the high-density greening of international cities and our constant focus on what’s new in design and construction, we’re curious about what’s going on in the ‘burbs, and so we took a moment to check out the 25th Annual Novato Art, Music and Wine Festival on June 13th. Pacific Gas & Electric helped sponsor this year’s event with Sustainable Waves, which amp’d up the festivities via a solar powered sound system.

Read the rest of PG&E’s Solar Powered Sound System Rocks Novato Wine Festival

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Post tags: clean renewable energy, green design, novato wine festival, Pacific Gas and Electric, PG&E, solar powered stage, sustainable design

Let’s be clear – paving a surface does not reduce storm water run-off, but if you must create a street, parking lot, driveway, or any other form of this detriment, an apples-to-apples comparison between pervious concrete and asphalt paving will show many exciting benefits from this innovative form of paving. First of all, those little air pockets mean less material overall, and with the cost of oil as unstable as the resource itself, petroleum-based asphalt is no longer the cheapest form of paving. For the first time in history, the cost of concrete and asphalt have reached comparable dollar values. Add in the cost of additional storm water management devices – grids of piping directed towards drains and retention ponds, and suddenly permeable concrete starts making a lot more sense. Then there is the environmental cost of leaching toxic chemicals, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) used as a sealcoat on asphalt, into what should be nature’s flow of water back to the ground table.

Read the rest of Holey Concrete: Pervious Paving Reduces Stormwater Run-off

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Post tags: green building strategies pervious pavement, green design, green landscaping, permeable pavement, rainwater runoff, stormwater run-off, sustainable design