While not everyone can become a full-time climate activist, it is still possible to contribute to the battle against global warming. Researchers from Arizona State University have created an online computer game called Ventus that serves as a repository that maps the world’s CO2 emissions from power plants. Led by Kevin Gurney, the program allows those living near generation sites to enter the name and location of the facilities along with how much and what type of fuel is used, the amount of electricity generated, and overall CO2 released into the atmosphere.

Read the rest of Ventus: The Computer Game that Uses Crowd-Sourced Info to Map Global CO2 Emissions

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Post tags: Arizona State University, china, CO2, computer game, crowdsourcing, data, emissions, fossil fuels, global warming, google earth, India, kevin gurney, michael m. crow, power plants, ventus

Last week we reported on the groundbreaking new media platform Earth 2 Hub which aims to create a space for the world’s most creative artists, designers, scientists, and storytellers to explore and share their solutions to the numerous problems facing earth and its inhabitants. To shed more light on Earth 2.0 and the newly-unveiled hub, we talked to Melissa Sterry, who is one of the most well-known futurists on the planet. A design scientist and transformational change strategist for the built environment, utilities, manufacturing, design, publishing, media and communications industries, Melissa is also a PhD researcher at AVATAR – the Advanced Virtual and Technological Architecture Research group, where she is developing The Bionic City – a sustainable smart city that transfers knowledge from earth’s ecosystems to create a mega-city blueprint that can withstand extreme meteorological and geological events such as flooding, hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, eruptions and earthquakes. Step on in for a fascinating glimpse of what the future of design and architecture might hold.

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: We Talk to Futurist Melissa Sterry About Earth 2.0 and the Bionic City

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Post tags: biomimicry, Bionic City, Earth 2 Hub, Earth 2.0, eco design, Futurist, green design, Melissa Sterry, social media, sustainable design, Technology

Developed by Nicholas Cadilhac, a computer scientist and enthusiastic gardener in Montreal, PlantCatching is a website that helps people share unwanted plants, seeds, bulbs and other garden supplies. Cadilhac created the site after he found that a lot of his plants and materials were going to waste—and that many of his neighbors had the same problem. His simple, social site features a map where gardeners can log the location and details of their unwanted plants so that others may come and find them.

Read the rest of Montreal-based PlantCatching Website Finds a Home for Unwanted Seeds, Bulbs and Plants

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Post tags: community gardening, garden, Gardening, herbs, plant pots, plants, Sustainable, swap

Have you entered our mobile photo contest yet? 1 more week for a shot at $1000!

Are you a designer, architect or creative who finds inspiration in photography? If so, you’ll want to check out Philips’ new free LightCollector photo app to collect photographic inspiration from the world around you. Available for both Apple and Android mobile devices, LightCollector is a free mobile photography app that provides creative folks with a platform to collect, curate and share inspirational images from their mobile phones, and work with a global online network of peers, colleagues, experts and influencers. To get your creative juices flowing, we’ve teamed up with Philips and Light Collective to host a fantastic new photography contest that invites you to upload your best light-inspired photos for a chance to win a sweet $1000 cash prize! You’ve only got until Friday, February 15th (that’s in a week!) to submit your photos, after which we’ll be putting them up to a public vote to determine the most provocative, beautiful and inspiring.  The top 20 entries with the most votes will be included in a final round of judging by a panel made up of Inhabitat editors and industry professionals. Think you’ve got what it takes to get that winning image and the $1000 prize? Here’s how you can enter the competition:

HOW TO ENTER THE CONTEST

Read the rest of Enter The LightCollector Photo Contest for a Shot at $1000!

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Post tags: light catcher for android, light catcher for iphone, light collector, light collector app, lightcollector, lightcollector for android, lightcollector for iphone, Phillips, photo apps, photo apps for android, photo apps for iphone, photo cloud, photo competition, photo contest, photo contest cash prize, photo editing, photo filters, photo sharing devices, photo sharing tools, photography apps, share photos, social media photos, where to share photos

Pencil boxes, t-shirts, jewelry, stationary—Hello Kitty seems to be everywhere on earth. Thanks to seventh grader Lauren Rojas’ science project for Cornerstone Christian School in Antioch, California, the iconic feline has also now been to space. Inspired by a Visa commercial showing a couple of guys sending a balloon into the upper atmosphere, Rojas decided to create her own mission to examine the effects of altitude on air pressure and temperature. Her video of the experiment went viral, and garnered nearly 1 million views on YouTube, making a celebrity out of the student and her beloved Hello Kitty doll.

Read the rest of 13-Year-Old Maker Uses Weather Balloon to Send Hello Kitty Into Space

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Post tags: antioch, atmosphere, California, cornerstone christian school, gopro camera, hello kitty, high altitude science, home depot, lauren rojas, livermore, lowes, san jose, science project, seventh grader, spot gps, visa, weather balloon

Actor and co-founder of water.org Matt Damon won’t let a good opportunity to raise awareness of clean water down the tubes. To draw attention to the 2.5 billion people who do not have access to proper sanitation, Damon will boycott the toilet and embark on a YouTube campaign enlisting the help of other celebrities. Introducing his plan in a faux press conference yesterday, the activist hopes that his videos will go viral and inspire viewers to donate $25 to his cause.

Read the rest of Matt Damon Boycotts the Toilet to Raise Awareness For Clean Water

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Post tags: actor, bathroom, boycott, celebrity, clean water, donation, epic lloyd, john elerick, lisbug, live prude girls, Matt Damon, sanitation, shaycarl, smosh, stan lee, strike, toilet, water.org, wheezy waiter, world toilet day, world water day, YouTube

With the number of athletes and fans traveling to a gigantic stadium filled with bright lights, epic half-time shows, and enough confetti to carpet a billion hamster cages, the Super Bowl is not what one would first think of as a “green event.” However, one of our nation’s biggest cultural events may have an environmentally-friendly side after all. In addition to efforts made by the promoters to offset carbon emissions through various eco-friendly projects, the behavior of the fans themselves could be working towards reducing the overall amount of energy used during the big game. Research by the consulting firm, Opower comparing the electricity use of 145,000 households during last year’s Super Bowl with other winter Sundays found that power use was reduced by as much as  7.7 percent, depending on location.

Read the rest of How the Super Bowl Causes a Drop in Household Energy Use

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Post tags: big game, carbon offsets, Consumption, east, Electricity, emissions, game, Green Appliances, households, opower, social, sunday, super bowl, tv pooling, west

Whether you’re looking for the coolest in cargotecture, the latest in futuristic floating cities or more grounded artful gardens and delicious recipes ideas, our Pinterest boards are full of great eco-inspiration—and The Honest Company agrees! Naming Inhabitat one of their 10 “Pinners to Follow” in 2013, The Honest Company says “Whenever we are in need of eco chic gifts, fashions, and décor, the Inhabitat boards are one of our fave destinations for thoughtful ideas.” Take a look over at our Pinterest page and see for yourself!

FOLLOW INHABITAT ON PINTEREST >

+ Honest Company’s 10 Pinners to Follow in 2013

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Post tags: best of pinterest, Christopher Gavigan, eco inspiration, eco pinterest, gift ideas, green design, green gifts, honest company, inhabitat pinterest, Jessica Alba, pinners to follow

As a species, we waste an amazing amount of food. According to Natural Resources Defense Council, people chuck an incredible 40% of all food we produce. Dumpster divers have long sought to live off of the excess of our inefficient system, scrounging for edibles amongst the trash bin. Going one step further, some enterprising cooks and activists from Austria have created a reality TV show dedicated to cooking exclusively from the trash called “Waste Cooking“.


Read the rest of ‘Waste Cooking’ is a Reality TV Show That Makes Delicious Dishes From Discarded Food

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Post tags: Austria, compost, david gross, days in trash, dumpster diver, food, food waste, freegan, Natural Resources Defense Council, okto, organic waste, reality tv, refuse, tobias judmaier, united states, waste cooking

Rupert Murdoch has been known to use Twitter to voice controversial social and political opinions – and recently the media tycoon made several sweeping statements on climate science. Citing an article in the Wall Street Journal (which it should be noted is owned by Murdoch), the media mogul tweeted, “World growing greener with increased carbon. Thirty years of satellite evidence. Forests growing faster and thicker.” The piece he referenced was by Matt Ridley, who stated that “green vegetation on the planet has been increasing for three decades.” This conclusion is based on a summarized lecture by Ranga Myneni of Boston University and NASA images of global vegetation. Members of the scientific community have accused Murdoch of misinterpreting some very complicated science to further his known disdain for environmentalism.

Read the rest of Rupert Murdoch Accused of ‘Misunderstanding Science’ After Tweeting That Increased CO2 Levels Lead to a Greener World

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Post tags: Boston University, Climate Change, co2 fertilization effect, desertification, forests, global carbon project, greenhouse gas emissions, matt ripley, nasa, ranga myeni, Rupert Murdoch, twitter, wall street journal

Instead of chopping down a stately conifer this holiday season, give the gift of a real live tree from the Million Trees Project! By designing your own tree online for the price of a cup of coffee, the Project will plant a tree where it is needed the most. The Project is currently working together with American Forests, and will soon be teaming up with WWF to green the globe.

Read the rest of The Million Trees Project Lets You Design and Plant a Tree From the Comfort of Your Computer

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Post tags: american forests, CO2, million trees project, reforest, replanting, Trees, wwf

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Post tags: architecture portfolio, columbia morpholio, custom portfolio, design a portfolio, design portfolio, digital portfolio, drawing apps, drawing software, modern portfolios, morpholio, portfolio app, portfolio software, portfolios for architects, presentation and portfolios, presentation app, presentation for architects, trace, trace app, trace by morpholio, tracing apps, tracing software

The Kfar Kedem theme park in Hashaya, Israel is a biblical tourist attraction that aims to simulate life in ancient Galilee in which visitors experience what life must have been like in Old Testament. But despite the park’s aim to maintain a level of historical accuracy, the manager of Kfar Kedem, Menachem Goldberg has made the decision to provide wireless internet to guests, and has equipped five of the park’s donkeys with wireless routers.

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Post tags: biblical theme park, donkey routers, Israel, kfar Kedem, kfar kedem internet, theme park, wifi, wireless router

Peace and unity through photography — that’s the idea that the I am Kenyan project aims to promote. Their goal is to avoid similar incidents as those that hit Kenya during the 2007 presidential elections, when uncertain election results spurred tribal clashes across the country. As 2013 sees a new presidential election there are some concerns that post election violence might occur again.

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Post tags: global, I am Kenyan, kenya, Kenya General Election 2013, Photography, Photography project, Solidarity, Unity

Two-year-old Emma LaVelle wanted to play with the other children, but a congenital disorder prevented her from using her arms. Now, with the help of 3D printing, Emma  can lift toys and draw pictures with her friends. Stratasys, a pioneer in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and 3D printing, has worked with Emma’s doctors at Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children to create a custom plastic robotic exoskeleton that allows Emma to overcome her disorder.

Read the rest of Two-Year-Old Gains Use of Her Arms Thanks to 3D Printed Robotic Exoskeleton

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Post tags: 3D printing, 3D robotic arms, 3d Technology, Emma Lavelle, exoskeleton, Mobility assistance, mobility devices, Robotic arms, Stratasys

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 Audubon Society has just created a super fun online experience that brings birdwatching right to your computer screen! They’ve released a virtual flock of feathered friendsfor their new social media campaign called “Birding the Net.” Rare and exquisite birds will be “flying” around on over 100 internet sites including AOL, The Discovery Channel, and Slate for people to click on and collect. The first person to collect them all wins a trip to the Galapagos Islands! The campaign not only brings the thrill of the chase to our fingertips, but also encourages involvement and interest in protecting birds and their habitats.

Read the rest of Audubon’s “Birding The Net” Social Media Game Brings Competitive Birdwatching To Our Fingertips

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Post tags: audubon birds, Audubon Society, bird awareness, bird watching, birding the net, birds, birdwatching, environmental games, Facebook, Nature, rare birds, social media, the big year, virtual birds

Hey design and art students! Are you looking for a new platform to share you best work with the global creative community? We’ve teamed up with The Behance Network, to offer Inhabitat’s enterprising students the opportunity to kick off their portfolio on Behance’s awesome ProSite. A wonderful tool to start getting your creative work the attention it deserves, ProSite syncs up to your work on the Behance Network, and lets you create a fully customizable site without any coding — you can showcase your work in your own style! All you have to do is join the Behance Network (where membership is free) and when you’re ready to launch your personal portfolio site, they’ll get your started with your first 3 months free. Use promo code INHABITATB2S. Offer ends Monday, September 30th, 2011!

+ ProSite

+ Behance Network

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Post tags: architecture networks, art networks, behance, behance coupons, behance discount, behance discount code, behance network, behance prosite, behance site, design networks, networks for creatives, online art portfolios, online design portfolios, online portfolios

Read the rest of The Giving Effect Connects Our Extra Stuff With Charities

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Post tags: donating to charity, Giving to Charity, Holiday giving, how to find a charity, regifting to charity, ReStuff, The Giving Effe

Do intentions matter in the success of a green brand? Are purist green brands more likely to succeed than opportunistic green brands that create products to turn a profit? This week on Openforum we explore both sides of the coin — let us know what you think by following the link below and commenting in the conversation!

READ MORE >

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Post tags: do intentions matter in the success of a green brand, green brand, green business, green design, green success, social media