Seattle’s Bertschi Elementary School was just certified as the world’s fourth Living Building. The elementary school, situated in the heart of Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, is a 3,380-square-foot interactive learning environment filled with numerous green features – including composting toilets, solar panels and a slew of other additions that allowed it to meet the rigorous standards of the Living Building Challenge 2.0.

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Post tags: bertschi living science wing, bertschi school, brigitte bertschi, Capitol Hill, Energy Recovery Ventilator, ethnobotanical garden, fsc certified, KMD Architects, leed certified, Living Building Challenge, restorative design collective, Seattle

If you’ve ever seen a standard ultrasound, you’ve probably feigned an understanding of what you were looking at. Those grainy, blurry, black and white images could very soon be a thing of the past with the introduction of GE’s HDlive technology. The HDlive offers incredible 3D images that are startlingly clear and in color, giving parents a true to life view of their unborn child. So, how is it done? Keep reading to learn more.

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Post tags: 3D, color, dynamic rendering engine, fetus, ge healthcare, hdlive, imaging, prenatal, ultrasound

Recently, 12-year-old Olivia Peters and her mother were out for a walk through a small forest in their hometown of Surrey, British Columbia when they discovered many of the trees there, some nearly a century old, had been marked with orange paint and numbered tags. After learning that the woods were slated to be chopped down to make room for a new housing development, Olivia knew that she needed to do her part to save them.

Read the rest of 12-Year-Old Girl’s Letter to Mayor Helps Save a City Forest in Canada

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Post tags: activism, british columbia, conservation, forests, kids activism, olivia peters, surrey canada, urban greenspace, urban woodland

In elementary school, we are taught to work together, share, and dream big. Students from a fourth grade class in Durham, North Carolina took these lessons to heart when they decided to make their classroom 100% solar powered. Using the crowd-sourcing site, Kickstarter, they created an enormously successful campaign that surpassed their original, modest goal by over $5000. Dubbed “Aaron’s Class“, the kids were inspired to turn to the power of the sun’s energy after learning about the modern sources of electricity, and were excited to be able to make channel their enthusiasm into a real project.

Read the rest of Elementary School Students Crowd-Source Solar Panels to Take Their Classroom Off the Grid

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Post tags: "wind turbine", aaron's class, array, crowfunding, durham, Electricity, elementary school, grid, kickstarter, north carolina, solar panel

Vapur introduced several new products at the 2013 International Home + Housewares Show that expand their line of BPA-free “Anti-Bottles” – including a new filtering technology that safely removes 99.99% of bacteria and organic matter (it can make even river water potable). With a collection of fun new colors and super cute DIY customizing kits for kids, Vapur is encouraging the whole family to keep hydrated.

Read the rest of Vapur Unveils Water Filtering Anti-Bottles That Remove 99.99% of Bacteria

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Post tags: "flat pack", anti-bottle, Eco, filter, graphics, green, housewares, kids, vapur, water bottle, water issues

Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer has been making headlines the last couple days for requiring her employees to return to the office in the name of productivity. While some have called Mayer’s move to ban working from home bold, many others are criticizing her decision as short-sighted and unsympathetic to the women and men who don’t have access to the same luxuries as she when it comes to childcare — namely, the opportunity to build a nursery in the office. At 37, Mayer is the youngest ever CEO of a Fortune 500 company, and she revealed she was six months pregnant just a few hours after stepping into her role at Yahoo! She returned to work after taking only two weeks maternity leave, famously stating, “The baby’s been way easier than everyone made it out to be.”

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Post tags: marissa mayer, telecommuting, working moms, working parents, yahoo, Yahoo! bans telecommuting, Yahoo! work from home ban

Dollhouses are a great way to get kids’ imaginations going, but imagine playing house with this amazing dollhouse built right into a guitar! Mom, Lorraine Robinson, built this incredible miniature two-story abode right into the heart of her old guitar for her daughter’s 25th birthday. A sentimental keepsake, reminder of home and surely something to passed on for generations, this beauty sure plucks at our heart strings.

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Post tags: build a dollhouse inside a guitar, dollhouse inside a guitar, fairy meadow minatures, green design for kids, guitar dollhouse, orraine robinson

Leaving warm and sunny New Zealand for a Canadian winter is not something that one dreams of when they think of taking a break. But when engineering student Daniel Gray found himself visiting his girlfriend’s family in the Great White North, he figured out a fun way to keep busy during the long, -25 degree days. His girlfriend’s mother challenged him to build an igloo in the family’s backyard, and being more than up to the task, Gray managed to construct a wondrous rainbow igloo made from 500 bricks of colored ice!

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Post tags: canada igloo, colorful igloo, david gray, diy igloo, hand-built igloo, igloo, man builds igloo, rainbow igloo

No adult enjoys a visit to the hospital, so imagine the fear that must grip a child when they need to go into surgery. To help calm children on their way into the operating room, Jason Bruges Studio created an interactive LED wall installation that works to both distract and delight young patients. The installation, dubbed “Nature Trail“, features glowing images of animals that are triggered by motion and move to follow children as they walk down the halls of the hospital to the OR.

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Post tags: child patients, forest, great ormond hospital, jaosn bruges studio, LED, nature trail, wallpaper

huzi Design is a start-up brand with an eco-friendly toy collection that encourages kids and adults to get imaginative. The company recently launched their first product, “Dream Car“, on Kickstarter and they are hoping to bring their idea worldwide to the people. With the set you can build your own unique car using the individually handcrafted pieces made from sustainable wood and then add your own imaginative touch on the chalkboard painted finish!

+ huzi Design

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: car set, dream car by huzi, eco friendly car set, handcrafted cars, huzi, huzi design, wood car set, wood card

Check out this little Sprout Hog – an earthenware sculpture made for growing sprouts for small people. Simply place a piece of old washcloth or similar fabric in the bottom of the hog, sprinkle some sprouting seeds of your choice, and then have your child water 2 to 3 times daily depending on the humidity of your location. These homegrown sprouts will be considerably fresher and tastier than the ones you will find in the store.

+ Sprout Hog

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: animal shaped pots, earthenware put, earthenware sculpture, growing sprouts at home, homegrown sprouts, sprout hog, sprout pot

Every kids dreams of having their own treehouse, but imagine how giddy they would be if they found out they could have one indoors. Parents are taking sleep to new heights by building their kids some seriously awesome treehouse beds that not only look amazing, but provide a great way to update spaces and get rooms organized. Read on for six of our favorite eco-friendly, dreamy treehouse bed designs you can DIY or buy.

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Post tags: build a treehouse bed, cool beds, diy treehouse, kids bed designs, kids beds, tree-house bed, treehouse bed

Little Jimmy had a great time this Halloween scooting around in his homemade R2D2 Star Wars costume. Jimmy’s mom crafted the cool costume all on her own, remaining as true to the original design as possible. The dome helmet allows her son to still see as he trick or treats, and if he wants to go into full disguise mode, all he has to do is duck down! The legs have wheels to help the little R2D2 get around without tiring out, and flashing lights add an even more fun effect! If you think the force is with R2D2, vote for him in our Green Halloween Costume Contest here!

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Post tags: homemade kids costume, Homemade R2D2 Halloween Costume by Jimmy Fendors, Inhabitots, Inhabitots Green Halloween, Inhabitots Green Halloween Costume Contest, inhabitots green halloween costume contest 2012, kids DIY halloween costume, kids halloween costume, R2D2 costume, star wars costume

While awaiting his final year of architecture school to start at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Nathan Corning designed and built this recyclable cardboard fort for his girlfriend’s toddler. Several iterations were designed in Sketch Up, with the two modules (kitchen/bedroom) being no wider than a standard doorway for easy setup. The two modules can be combined via velcro strips along the perimeters of the connecting passageway, or split up if it’s deemed too big for one particular room. The design was a great success with her son and his cousins!

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Post tags: cardboard fort, cardboard kids fort, cardboard playhouse, diy fort, diy playhouse, modern playhouse, nathan corning, recycled cardboard

After seeing children live off less than $1 a day working in a landfill, Tegu founders and brothers Chris and Will Haughey wanted to build a children’s toy that would benefit struggling, poverty-stricken Honduran families. They came up with these wonderfully colorful magnetic building blocks that use sustainable and natural wood sourced in Honduras, and non-toxic water-based coloring. With the use of hidden magnets inside the blocks, you can now build 3D-like structures! The magnets are pretty strong too, so gone are the days where you have to worry about your amazing tower falling down because someone knocked it over. Tegu’s block sets comes with various shaped blocks, from long planks to small cubes. By purchasing one of the sets, you can choose between sending a child to school for a day or planting a tree in the Honduran forests that have been destroyed by clear-cutting. Find out more about these fun eco-friendly and addicting blocks and how you can help out a Honduran family!

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Post tags: building blocks, children's toys, Chris and Will Haughey, eco friendly toys, eco play, Inhabitots, kid-friendly design, magnetic building blocks, non-toxic water-based coloring, tegu, Tegu block sets

Walrus Toys has created an adorable set of Chimera stuffed animals with interchangeable snap-on arms, legs and ears – and they just launched a kickstarter to help bring the toys to market. The first two sets will be Monkey & Bunny and Bat & Elephant, and with your help on Kickstarter they can be shipped out just in time for the holidays. Each set of these cuddly, plush modular toys can be recombined in a vast variety of ways, and they’ll have your creative genius building fun combinations in no time. Find out how you can support Walrus Toys and Chimeras after the jump!

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Post tags: Chimeras, interchangeable parts, interchangeable toys, kickstarter, kid-friendly design, modular toys, plush toys, stuffed animals, Walrus Toys

Before Barbie went platinum blonde and traded up for a mega-mansion made from pink plastic, she was just like many of us city dwellers living it up in a modest apartment with minimal furnishings. Spotted at MoMA’s new exhibit, Century of the Child: Growing by Design, 1900–2000, this 1960s design is in fact Barbie’s first ever Dream House. With its modern furniture and surprisingly efficient use of a small space (ok, so it doesn’t have a kitchen… or bathroom), it definitely caught our eye, and our curiosity for this relic was piqued — check out what we learned ahead.

Read the rest of Barbie’s First Dream House Was a Tiny Studio Apartment Made from Cardboard

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Post tags: barbie apartment, barbie doll house, barbie dream apartment, barbie dream house, barbie dream studio, barbie studio, Barbie's First Dream House, cardboard barbie dream house, modern barbie house, the first barbie accessories, the first barbie house

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Post tags: "green furniture", Amanda Erixån, behind the curtain, block.210, chengsi, Child culture design, Children, Design for Kids, family, green design, Helga Björg Jónasardóttir, hide show, inside out, Jessica Arosenius, Johanna Larsson, lin yu nung, Living, master program, Milan Design Fair, Milan Design Week, milan design week 2012, Milan Furniture Fair, play, play in progress, playble, salone mobile, Sweden, tellme, ventura lambrate

Alternative Playground may simply look like colorful and cushy blobs piled up in a corner, but this new project by Griet Boucique explores the potential of the trash dump as a play environment. Considering material usage, its impact on the earth, and how different textiles can affect the way a child engages in play, Alternative Landscapes asks us to re-consider what makes a playground enjoyable and what does not.

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Post tags: eco design, green design, HDK School for Design and Craft, Milan Furniture Fair, play in progress, sustainable design, ventura lambrate

What could be more relaxing than curling up to sleep in your very own bird’s nest bed! Conceived and created by O*GE CreativeGroup, the “Giant Birdsnest for Creating New Ideas” was developed as a fun space to encourage socializing and playtime. The bed combines a comfortable area for sleeping with a big area for kids to play, so when they’re tired from all the fun and games they can snuggle in and fly off into an inspiring dreamland.

Read the rest of Awesome Bird’s Nest Bed is a Cozy Roost for Kids

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Post tags: big bed design, bird bed, bird furniture, birdsnest bed, fun playful furniture, furniture design, O*GE CreativeGroup, playtime bed