6 Mother’s Day Gifts That Help Others

7 Easy Tips to Save Water in Your Home

by Yuka Yoneda , 10/21/12

filed under: carousel showcase, Features, Water Issues

Did you know that your daily five-minute shower uses more water than the average person in a developing country uses for an entire day*? In the U.S. we have such easy access to clean water that it can feel like we have an unlimited supply, and a few gallons wasted here and there may not seem like a big deal. But places like California are already feeling the effects of the global water crisis, and awareness about the need to save water is getting out there slowly but surely. The good news is that doing your part to conserve water is easy. Read on for our top tips on how to save water (it will only take you 5 minutes), and get ahead of the game today.

* United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2006). Human Development Report 2006, Beyond Scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis.

PRODUCTS

US Passive House Conference Showcases Loads Of Green Building Goodies

by Andrew Michler , 10/19/12

filed under: Features, Green Products, Sustainable Building

Passive Houses are popping up all over the place, and the 2012 North American Passive House Conference in Denver showcased a lot of excellent building technology that can be used to make the most energy efficient buildings in the world. Air sealing tape and insulation may seem humdrum, but this stuff is in a different league compared to what you'd find in a hardware store - and it's made from natural materials like cork. The windows are 3-4 times more efficient than normal windows, and the most important mechanical device in a Passive House is used to keep the air fresh. We spotted some of the best building materials of the future, including phase change walls, which suck up heat during the day and release it at night. Hit the jump for a fast look at what is coming soon to a market near you.

ARCHITECTURE

The 7 Most Energy-Efficient Baseball Stadiums in the U.S.

by Miriam Berg , 10/18/12

filed under: Architecture, carousel showcase, energy efficiency, Features, Reader Submitted Content, Sustainable Building

Major League Baseball (MLB) has emerged as a vanguard of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)'s Sports Greening Project, which has sparked a sustainability movement across a slew of professional and collegiate sports leagues. The MLB was the first professional sports league to partner with NRDC on the initiative in 2005. “Major League Baseball has really been a pioneer in the sports greening movement by committing holistically to environmental stewardship, which of course includes energy efficiency and water efficiency," said Alice Henly, a principal author of the Sports Greening Project's Game Changer Report. While the report itself does not rank the ballparks, it does include case studies and snapshots of all the parks included in this round up; the rankings below are based on sheer numbers of energy-efficient features, as well as the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Hit the jump for the full list!

This post was written by Miriam Berg of the Alliance to Save Energy. A previous version was published on their website, to learn more about the Alliance to Save Energy, visit their website.

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!

Seed-Saving 101: Storing Beans, Squash, and Other Large Seeds

by Lana Winter-Hébert , 10/15/12

filed under: Botanical, Features, Gardening, Sustainable Food, Urban farming

If you’ve already gone through the basics of our first installment of Seed Saving 101, you’ve probably gotten the hang of preserving and storing smaller seeds and you're now aiming to expand your repertoire. The harvest season isn’t over yet, and there’s a plethora of produce just waiting to spill its seed into your eager hands for planting next spring. If you haven’t gone through said basics, we'd recommend reading through our previous article to get a general idea of what it’s all about, so the references made in this piece aren’t just random clicks and buzzes.

Celebrate Fall With These 6 Delicious Pumpkin Recipes!

by Lori Zimmer , 10/14/12

filed under: DIY, Features, Sustainable Food

It's autumn again, which means one thing: the return of pumpkin flavored everything! From coffees to microbrews, pumpkin spice is a seasonal treat to be enjoyed. To get your fall started off right, we've rounded up a few recipes to get your pumpkin palette going. From vegan fudge to spicy pumpkin salad, check out (and try out) our six yummy recipes ahead!

GIVEAWAY: Win a Vegan Matt & Nat Laptop-Diaper Bag (Worth $185)!

by Mark Boyer , 10/09/12

filed under: Accessories and Fashion, Features, Giveaway

Want to win an elegant, versatile carryall for any occasion? Over at Ecouterre, we’re giving away a gorgeous “Raylan Sm” bag by Matt & Nat that includes a padded compartment, lined with 100 percent recycled nylon, that’s perfect for toting a laptop, and elasticized compartments in the front to keep baby or water bottles from sliding around. What you choose to fill it with is entirely up to you, but the cruelty-free carryall will give you plenty of options. Click through to Ecouterre and enter to win now!

ENTER TO WIN This Hushamok Baby Hammock Bassinet (Worth $492)!

by Alyssa Alimurung , 10/08/12

filed under: Announcements, Features, Giveaway, Inhabitots

Wish your baby would fall into a quiet slumber so you can catch up on some shut-eye yourself? Well this week you’re in for a sweet deal because we’re giving away a gorgeous Hushamok organic baby hammock and stand to one lucky reader! With its natural rocking motion, this beautiful bassinet will get your baby to go to sleep faster – and stay asleep longer — which means you’ll finally get some of those much deserved zZZs!

ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN NOW! >

ARCHITECTURE

6 Playful Works of Architecture Inspired by Toys We Love

by Yuka Yoneda , 10/07/12

filed under: Architecture, carousel showcase, Eco-Inspiration, Features

lego architecture, legos, lincoln logs, checkerboard tower, jenga tower, jenga, jenga building, mvrdv, slide accelerator, architecture inspired by toys, playful architecture, green design, eco design, sustainable design, fun architecture

They say that “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” and we think the same can be said about architecture. We’ve rounded six delightful structures inspired by our favorite toys and we think you’ll agree that they’re pretty tough to resist. From a slide for adults to a LEGO-like bridge to a wooden Jenga tower that looks like it’s about to topple over, we submit six playful works of architecture for your viewing pleasure.

This content series is brought to you in partnership with smartwater. smartwater, good taste travels well. To learn more click here.

Amazing Natural Packaging: Cork, a Sustainable Classic

by Starre Vartan , 10/07/12

filed under: Features, green packaging, packaging-the-future, Sustainable Materials

Photo: Background pattern of wine bottles corks via Shutterstock

If you are involved in the creative community, you will have noticed the slowly-but-surely growing preponderance of cork as a material used in design. Just in the past few months, my boyfriend bought a cork iPhone case, I was coveting a beautiful cork totebag I saw at Brooklyn Flea, and just a week ago, in consideration of replacing my (very old and crummy) vinyl kitchen flooring from the 80′s, I came across cork as an eco-friendly option. I had seen cork floors used in commercial applications, but hadn’t thought about it before for my own home. Cork is everywhere, and, as I’ve quickly figured out – for good reason!

ARCHITECTURE

French Student Team Rhône-Alpes Wins the 2012 Solar Decathlon Europe With Canopea House!

by Tafline Laylin , 10/01/12

filed under: Architecture, Features, Solar Decathlon

Big news out of Madrid, Spain: French university Team Rhône-Alpes has won the 2012 European Solar Decathlon with their stunning solar Canopea House! Leading the Solar Decathlon competition since winning the Architecture and Operations prizes, this compact home is topped with a 10,7 kW array of photovoltaic panels that produce enough energy to run all of the electricity on both floors and charge up a mini electric vehicle at the same time! The Canopea house was designed for modularity and was specifically engineered so that it can be stacked into 'nanotowers' to provide high density housing, addressing the need for sustainable urban housing in the alpine corridor.

How To Give Your Kitchen a Budget-Friendly Makeover!

by Wilsonart HD , 09/30/12

filed under: Features, Green Kitchen, sponsored

We know, we know… you’ve been spending a lot of time on Pinterest lately, dreaming and pinning your ultimate kitchen makeover. Whether you’re actually thinking about a real-life kitchen renovation to jazz up your current home, or designing a kitchen from scratch for a new apartment or house, budget is usually the biggest stumbling block. Beyond the pricey appliances, the materials that contribute to the look and feel of your kitchen décor – namely the countertops – can cost a small fortune, especially if you’re thinking of going with granite. Before you give up on your makeover plans or go into debt, however, check out Wilsonart® HD® countertops, which offer a laminate alternative to granite and other pricey options.

INTERIORS

7 Eco-friendly Tips to Green Your Bathroom

by Diane Pham , 09/29/12

filed under: Air quality, carousel showcase, Eco-Inspiration, Features, Green Appliances, green Interiors, Green Lighting, Green Products, Water Issues

We've been discussing green home improvement on Inhabitat a lot recently. Last week we chatted about ways you can greenovate your kitchen, and this week we're heading into the bathroom with our eco-friendly home improvement agenda. While the bathroom may only take up a fraction of space in your home, it's often a spot where waste runs freely -- no, we're not talking about that... ahem. Rather, the bathroom is a hotspot for overindulgent water use, excessive paper waste, and it's a place where bath and cleaning products seem to multiply without end. If you've got a bathroom that seems more like the wild west for waste than a green haven, then we've got some great tips that can help you turn your throne into one of the most sustainable spots in your kingdom. From pointers on how to keep your bathroom clean without reverting to harsh and toxic chemicals to DIY improvements you can make to cut both your energy and water bill, jump ahead for our top 7 eco-friendly tips on how to green your bathroom.

CONTESTS

FASHION MEETS TECHNOLOGY: 6 Examples of Groundbreaking High-Tech Fashion

by Diane Pham , 09/25/12

filed under: Accessories and Fashion, Eco Textiles, Eco-Inspiration, Features, Green Design Competitions, Green Products, Sustainable Materials

From a dress that tweets to Google glasses coming down the runway at New York Fashion Week, we’ve been seeing a growing intersection between fashion and technology in the past few years. This emergence of high-tech fashion is part of the reason why we kicked off the HP Laptop Bag Design Competition three weeks ago to challenge the design community to create an innovative new laptop bag for HP’s new super-lightweight Spectre XT Ultrabook. So how are fashion and design creatives using technology to inform their work? Hit the jump to see a few of our favorite high-tech wearable designs.

ART

Park(ing) Day 2012: Photos of the Best Pop-Up Parks From Coast to Coast!

by Mike Chino , 09/22/12

filed under: Art, carousel showcase, Features, Gardening, Green Design Events, Green Events, Urban design

Break out the quarters and roll out the green carpet because it's Park(ing) Day - and parking spots around the world are sprouting into pop-up public parks! What began as a spontaneous experiment has grown into an international celebration of public space, and our team of writers is hitting the streets to bring you the best Park(ing) Day installations from coast to coast and beyond. Read for a peek at this year's pop-up parks from New York City to Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco and be sure to check back - we'll be updating our post throughout the day!

INTERIORS

7 Smart and Easy Tips to Green Your Kitchen

by Yuka Yoneda , 09/18/12

filed under: carousel showcase, Eco-Inspiration, energy efficiency, Features, green Interiors, Green Kitchen, Water Issues

Cocina, daidokoro, keuken; whatever you call it, there's one room that every culture agrees is the heart of the home: the kitchen. There are many reasons we love our kitchens - including the fact that food can be found there - but did you know that they are also one of the easiest places in your home to go green and save your household some money while you're at it? If you've been looking to make your living space more energy-efficient and waste-conscious, the kitchen is a wonderful place to start - and you can see results almost immediately. Read on for our 7 easy tips to greenovate your kitchen, and then use the cash you save to stock up on groceries!