By now, you’ve probably heard of the High Line, but did you know that there is also an underground park called the LowLine proposed for downtown Manhattan? It may have seemed like a pipe dream at first but with many residents backing the project and New Yorkers in awe of what a subterranean park could mean for the city, the LowLine is picking up speed and could soon bring an amazing new public space (not to mention added revenue for the city) to the Lower East Side . Inhabitat’s very own Editor-in-Chief, Jill Fehrenbacher, recently caught up with the LowLine team, James Ramsey and Dan Barasch, to pick their brains about what could be New York’s next design landmark. Click through to see the video, and learn more about this incredible initiative.

SEE THE VIDEO >

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Post tags: dan barasch, delancey underground video, fiber-optic daylighting, greening new york, high line nyc, high line park, Interview Dan Barasch, Interview James Ramsey, James Ramsey, landscape design, les parks, Low Line, low line nyc, low line park, low line underground park, low line video, lower east side parks, new york parks, new york public space, new york urban design, new york urban planning, ny parks, raad, raad architects, subterranean park, sunlight transportation, sustainable new york, The Low-Line, underground park, Urban design, video interview of the delancey underground

If you’ve always dreamed of having a little herb garden in your kitchen, here’s a video DIY from our friend Summer Rayne Oakes that can bring that fantasy to fruition today. Follow along as Summer and her dad use just a few components to create a mason jar herb garden that not only provides fresh seasonings for cooking but also looks fantastic.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: DIY, diy design, diy herb garden, diy mason jar herb garden, diy vertical garden, eco design, eco model, green design, green nyc, Green Walls, how to make a container garden, how to make a diy garden, how to make a mason jar garden, model Summer Rayne Oakes, planted walls, Summer Rayne Oakes, sustainable design

Pianos aren’t generally thought of as the most portable of musical instruments, which makes tickling the ivories almost always an indoor activity — but staying cooped up inside to play wasn’t what musician Gary Skaggs had in mind. A few years back, the San Francisco native had the idea to combine two of his favorite pastimes, cycling and music, by creating what may be the world’s first Piano Bike and offering free on-the-go performances for passing pedestrians.

Read the rest of Pedaling Pianist Strikes a Chord With His Homemade Piano Bike

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Post tags: bicycles, bike design, bike piano, bikes, creative repurposing, garry skaggs, invention, music, musical instruments, piano, San Francisco, sustainable transportation

Hey Inhabitat readers! In case you missed it, we just wrapped up our broadcast of the Design with a Conscience conference in San Francisco, CA! We teamed up with Ford Motor Company and the American Institute for Architects (AIA) San Francisco to deliver you a peek at a thought-provoking event, which brought together visionary California architects and automotive designers eager to talk about the intersection of car and building design and how conscious design can spur innovation in both industries. This year’s star panel included: Allison Williams, principal architect at AW ink; Anne Fougeron, Founder of Fougeron Architecture; Ann Hand, CEO of Project Frog; and Freeman Thomas, Director of Strategic Design at Ford Motor Company. Though the event is over, you can read a few highlights from the panel after the break. We’ll also be posting a video recording of the conference very soon, so check back for it if you missed the live event.

Read the rest of Hear What Leading Automotive Designers and Architects Had to Say at Our ‘Design with a Conscience’ Webcast!

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Post tags: aia conferences, aia discussions, aia panels, AIA san francisco, Allison Williams, American Institute for Architects (AIA) San Francisco, Ann Hand, Anne Fougeron, architecture conference, architecture panel, architecture webcast, automotive panel, design conference, design panel, design webcast, design with a conscience, eco design, ford, ford motor company, Ford Strategic Concept Group, Fougeron Architecture, Freeman Thomas, Green Design Events, live webcast, perkins + will, Project Frog, sustainable design, webcast

Interested in the intersection of car and building design? Wondering what happens when architects and automotive designers get together to talk about design innovation? Here’s your chance to learn more about what cars and buildings can teach each other and how they can help us push the boundaries of design. We’re extending an exclusive e-vite to Inhabitat readers to join us online at ‘Design with a Conscience’ — a panel discussion between visionary California architects and automotive designers at 12:30 pm pst April 11th, 2013. We’ll be live streaming this discussion on Inhabitat.com (here), and we’ll focus on how thoughtful, emotionally resonant and sustainable design is improving lives. Featuring notable and visionary minds from both American Institute for Architects (AIA) and Ford Motor Company, this year’s panel discussion will include: Allison Williams of AW ink; Anne Fougeron, Founder of Fougeron Architecture; Ann Hand, CEO of Project Frog; and Freeman Thomas, Director of Strategic Design at Ford Motor Company. Join us live on April 11th to tune into this design discussion — and take part in the conversation by submitting your questions for the speakers below in the comments! We’ll be sending Inhabi-Tees to selected question submitters, so join in!

WHEN: Thursday, April 11, 2013, 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. pst (3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. est)

WHERE: Link to live webcast here >

Read the rest of LIVE WEBCAST: Participate in ‘Design with a Conscience’ Webcast and Talk to Leading California Architects & Automotive Design Experts

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Post tags: aia conferences, aia discussions, aia panels, AIA san francisco, Allison Willams, American Institute for Architects (AIA) San Francisco, Ann Hand, Anne Fougeron, architecture conference, architecture panel, architecture webcast, automotive panel, design conference, design panel, design webcast, design with a conscience, eco design, ford, ford motor company, Ford Strategic Concept Group, Fougeron Architecture, Freeman Thomas, Green Design Events, live webcast, perkins + will, Project Frog, sustainable design, webcast

Ever wonder how hard you are cranking it on your bike? Matt Richardson knows exactly how fast he is going with his Raspberry Pi Dynamic Headlight that projects his speed in front of him. His prototype takes advantage of a sensor located on the wheel, Raspberry pie mounted on a balsa board hanging from the frame, and a projector clamped onto the handlebars. A USB charger powers the Raspberry Pi and the headlight. Richardson plans on adding some new visualizations to his next model, and possibly GPS capabilities. Just be careful to focus more on traffic than your personal best in a time trial!

+ Matt Richardson

Via Geekologie

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Post tags: bicycle, DIY, gps, matt richardson, projector, raspberry pi, raspberry pi dynamic bike headlight, speed, usb

We love treehouses here at Inhabitat, and are enamored with eco-architect Mitchell Joachim’s visionary ideas about how to grow living treehouses from ficus molded around frame structures. We’ve covered these brilliantly playful architectural ideas before on Inhabitat, but now we have a video from Mitchell Joachim explaining the details of how they work. Joachim does much better justice to his future-forward ecological designs than we are able to do in a mere post, so if you have any interest in living treehouses (and we know you do), check out this fascinating video above.

Read the rest of VIDEO: Mitchell Joachim on How to Grow a Treehouse with TeReForm

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Post tags: fab tree hab, Future-forward green design, green architecture, growing treehouse, living architecture, living tree house, Michael Sorkin, mitchell joachim, Omni Bub, postopolis, sheep car, shoe car, sustainable design, TeREForm, Terreform

Inhabitat readers might remember that we interviewed California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom back when he was the mayor of San Francisco in a live webcast that was open to any of our readers who wanted to attend. The finale of our Green Talks series of live chats with green thought-leaders, this interview touched on subjects such as mandatory composting, electric vehicle infrastructure and political leadership in CA. Our interview with Mayor Newsom was provocative and inspiring, and was a can’t-miss bit of Inhabitat journalism, if we do say so ourselves. Happily, for those of you who missed this amazing interview – we finally have the videos together of the interview in its entirety. We’ve chopped the full 35 minute transcript down into 4 shorter, themed segments for easier viewing. Enjoy!

Read the rest of VIDEO: Inhabitat Interviews California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom!

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Post tags: California, electric cars, Gavin Newsom, green building San Francisco, green politics in california, green san francisco, high speed rail in CA, INHABITAT GREEN TALKS, inhabitat interviews, mandatory composting, mandatory recycling, renewable energy, san francisco city hall, san francisco mayor gavin newsom, solar power San Francisco, Video, youtube video

The FDA just gave official approval to the world’s first bionic eye! Developed by Second Sight Medical Products, the Argus II is a bionic eye that bypasses damaged rods and cones in the retina. A miniature camera housed in a pair of glasses captures a scene, and the video is processed and wirelessly transmitted to an antenna in the Argus implant. The implant then stimulates an array of 60 electrodes to send information to the brain via the optic nerve.

Read the rest of FDA Approves World’s First Bionic Eye: The Second Sight Argus II

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Post tags: argus ii, brain, camera, cones, electrodes, Europe, eye, france, national eye institute, photovoltaic, pixium vision, prosthesis, retina, retinitis pigmentosa, rods, second sight medical products, sight, stanford, united states, us food and drug administration

Can’t get enough of the Metropol Parasol? Neither can we, and we just love this new video narrative of the urban sculpture. Filmed by Brazilian artist Pedro Kok, the short video produced for Domus shows how the people of Seville are embracing their new promenade. Stunning views of the city are visible from the top of the structure and cool, luxurious shade is available below. At night, the new giant-scale structure is a hot bed of activity.

Read the rest of Pedro Kok’s Video Shows Beautiful Metropol Parasol In Action in Seville

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", domus, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, jurgen Mayer h architects, Metropol Parasol, pedro kok, seville, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Video, wooden structure

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

You may (or may not) recall that last year we ran a virtual home makeover design contest with Comcast Town, where the grand prize was a sweet collection of new home entertainment electronics and a green room makeover by yours truly – the editor (and LEED-AP designer) of Inhabitat.com. The lucky winner of the Comcast Town contest was a certain Howard J Dudy (aka Richard), and we headed down to his pad to give him a sweet green home renovation. For anyone who was wondering what happened with this eco renovation, we are thrilled to say we FINALLY have our video of the project all edited down to a nice watchable 5 minutes for your viewing pleasure. Here is our snapshot of the eco-renovation – hope you enjoy! Feel free to leave a comment – we’d love to hear what you think!

+ Comcast Town
+ Comcast Town Contest

Read the rest of VIDEO: Inhabitat’s Green Renovation for the Comcast Town Contest!

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Post tags: comcast town contest, eco renovation, green design contest, green home renovation, green renovation, inhabitat design team

Car designer and entrepreneur Henrik Fisker made his name in the car industry designing the highest of the high-end luxury cars for BMW and Aston Martin. After making waves in the auto industry with vehicles such as the Aston Martin DB9, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and BMW Z8, he decided to break away from this corner of the auto world imbued with tradition and start his own company, Fisker Automotive. Fisker’s first vehicle to hit the road has been the Karma, an impressively green, extended range electric vehicle with so many curves, your eyes are already driving it before you’ve even gotten behind the wheel. Coming in as loud and clear as the Karma’s sex appeal, Henrik Fisker is on a mission to make green cars cool. We recently had a chance to talk to him about how he’s risen to the top of the electric vehicle pack, and where he plans on taking his cars from there.

Read the rest of VIDEO: Inhabitat Interviews Henrik Fisker, Founder of Fisker Automotive and Designer of the Karma

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Post tags: eco car, eco vehicle, electric car, electric vehicle, extended range electric vehicle, Fisker Automotive, fisker car, fisker karma, fisker vehicle, green car, green transportation, green vehicle, henrik fisker, high gas mileage, karma, karma car, karma electric vehicle, Karma EV, low emissions car, low emissions transportation, sustainable car, sustainable vehicle

If your wallet is already feeling the pinch from your monthly energy bill as we head into the colder months, you’ll be happy to know that you can keep those expenses down using a simple device called a programmable thermostat. We introduced these handy gadgets to you back in October and now we have a fun, informational video that makes it even easier to understand what programmable thermostats do and how they can save the average household about $180* a year. Click the video above to get the full scoop on how programmable thermostats work and what kinds of perks the latest models offer – including the ability to control your home’s temperature from bed, your office or even while you’re on vacation.

Read the rest of VIDEO: How to Save Money and Energy With a Programmable Thermostat

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", cut energy bill, Energy Savings, honeywell programmable thermostat, Honeywell thermostat, how to save energy, how to save money, how to use a programmable thermostat, programmable thermostat, programmable thermostats, save money in your home, save money with a programmable thermostat, thermostat, thermostat video, wifi enabled thermostat, wifi thermostat, yuka yoneda

If you’re worried about keeping warm and cozy these next few months, look no further than our video on how to button up your home for the cold season and cut your utility bills while you’re at it! We’ve enlisted the help of green energy expert Steve Schappert to take eco-fashion blogger and author Starre Vartan through a home energy audit and winter weatherization home makeover. Watch the video above to find out where Starre’s home was lacking when it came to energy efficiency, and learn how you can pinpoint and remedy similar problems in your own home.

Read the rest of VIDEO: How to Winter-Proof Your Home, With Eco-Blogger Starre Vartan

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Post tags: "energy star", air sealing, diy home improvements, eco friendly ways to warm your house, eco friendly winter, eco options, energy audit, energy saving products, go green in your home, green home tips, green homes, green ways to warm your house, home depot, home depot environmentally friendly products, how to deal with a cold house, how to prepare your home for cold weather, how to prepare your home for the winter, How to weatherize, prepare you home for winter, products that help you save energy, products to save energy, save energy in your home, save money, save money in your home, starre vartan, tips for a cold apartment, why is my house so cold, winterize your apartment, winterize your home, winterize your house

The Andrea Air Purifier is a brilliant partnership between man and plant that accelerates nature’s natural ability to clean air in order to detoxify the atmosphere inside your home. We had a chance to sit down with Tom Hadfield from Andrea to talk about how this amazing gadget is able to clean the air in your home 1000% better than a normal houseplant. Check out our video interview above!

Read the rest of VIDEO: Andrea Air Purifier Uses a Plant to Clean the Air in Your Home

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Post tags: air cleaning plants, air clearing plants, andrea air purifier, clean air, clean air naturally, clean home, green cleaning products, green home design, green home products, Greener Gadgets

If you read our enlightening “how to switch to LED bulbs” tutorial, you’ve hopefully already seen how much money and energy you can save by replacing your incandescent bulbs, but we wanted to make it even clearer how easy and effective a home light bulb makeover can be. We headed over to Brooklyn to give a light bulb overhaul to the managing editor of Inhabitots, our very own Julie Seguss! Julie is going to be a new mom in just a few months, so saving money is of the utmost importance right now, but she still wanted to keep her Park Slope home illuminated with a warm, bright glow. In just a few hours, the Inhabitat lighting makeover crew (aka Inhabitat editors Jill & Yuka) were able to swap out all of Julie’s electricity-guzzling incandescents and halogens with energy-efficient Philips LEDs, and we think you’ll be impressed with the monthly savings we tallied up for Julie at the end of the day. Check out our video above to see the whole makeover, and find out how much extra cash Julie and her husband will have after the makeover to spend on diapers and baby clothes!

Read the rest of VIDEO: Inhabitat Lighting Makeover – Inhabitots Editor Julie Seguss Gets a Money-Saving Light Bulb Overhaul

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Post tags: AmbientLED bulbs, best bulb, cfl, cfl light bulb, compact fluorescent light, eco design, eco lighting, eco-friendly lighting, energy efficient light bulb, energy efficient lightbulbs, Energy Independence and Security Act, energy saving bulbs, energy saving lights, Federal energy mandate, green design, green light bulb, green lighting, how to green lighting, how to switch to green lighting, incandescent bulb phase out, incandescent bulbs, LED, LED bulb, LED light bulb, LED lights, LEDs, light bulb ban, light bulb makeover, light emitting diode, lightbulb makeover, lighting makeover, lighting renovation, phasing out incandescent bulbs, Philips, Philips 12.5W Ambient LED bulb, sustainable design, sustainable lighting

Inhabitots’ adorable lil’ pâtissier, Petey, is back again for another sweet how-to baking installment – but this time he’s got raw, vegan almond cranberry cookies on his menu! A delicious and healthy alternative to sugar laden cookies and cakes, this yummy recipe is a cinch to make and only requires a handful of ingredients and a food processor. But best of all? You don’t even have to bake them! Quick, fun, and packed full of anti-oxidants and healthy nut oils, this recipe is a sure-fire winner that will be devoured in seconds! Jump ahead for the recipe!

SEE THE RECIPE HERE >

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Post tags: Ani Phyo recipe, cookie recipe, cranberry almond bars, cranberry almond christmas cookies, cranberry almond raw cookies, how-to, no bake cookies, raw cookies, raw food cooke recipes, raw food recipes, raw food snacks, raw food sweets, raw food treats, vegan almond cookies, vegan cookies, vegan cranberry almond cookies

By now, we hope that most of you know that swapping incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs saves money and energy, but there’s still a lingering misconception that LED bulbs emit a cold, bluish light that is just not as warm or attractive as the old filament-filled bulbs we grew up with. To dispel this fallacy, we sought out a group of people with a critical eye for light bulb color and ambiance – lighting designers on the show floor of the International Contemporary Furniture Fair at New York Design Week. These meticulous designers take light warmth and quality very seriously (that is their job after all), so we couldn’t think of anyone better suited to give an honest opinion about the latest generation of high-tech LED light bulbs. Watch our video above to see how we retrofitted five gorgeous designer lamps with new Philips LED light bulbs – and in the process saved $1,732.86 in energy costs and won over some designer converts to the future of LED lighting.

Read the rest of VIDEO: THE LED BULB CHALLENGE – We Upgrade 5 Designer Lamps at ICFF With Low-Energy LED Bulbs

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Post tags: 12.5 W LED Bulb, cardboard lamp, Christopher Poehlmann, CP Lighting, designer lamps, eco lamps, eco light bulbs, eco lighting design, eco-friendly lighting, energy saving bulbs, energy saving lamps, energy saving light bulbs, Energy Savings, gabriel kakon, gabriel scott, Graypants, green bulbs, green light bulbs, green light fixtures, green lighting, ICFF, icff 2012, inhabitat video, International Contemporary Furniture Fair, jill fehrenbacher, jonathan junker, LED bulbs, led light bulbs, LED lights, LEDs, misewell, Philips, philips bulbs, Philips led bulbs, philips leds, switch to leds, vincent georgeson

Pumpkin pie might be tried and true, but if you want to make a unique fall treat that will have your friends and family begging for the recipe, check out our scrumptious vegan pumpkin chocolate chip muffin cupcakes! Our resident pâtissier, the incredibly adorable Petey Rojas, takes you through the steps, which are so easy that a 3 year old could master them (and we have the video to prove it). So what are you waiting for? Make these delicious vegan treats today!

SEE THE FULL RECIPE ON INHABITOTS >

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Post tags: Isan Chandra Moskowitz, non dairy cupcake, pumpkin chocolate chip cupcake, pumpkin chocolate chip muffin, pumpkin cupcake, Terry Hope Romero, vegan baking, Vegan chocolate chip cupcake, Vegan Cupcake, vegan cupcake recipe, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over The World, vegan muffins, Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcake, Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin