Green architect and co-author of the pivotal green design handbook Cradle to Cradle, William McDonough is one of the founders of the green design movement and one of the preeminent thought-leaders of our time. His approach to sustainable design spans the entire industry - from large-scale projects (like designing the largest and most ambitious green roof in the world) to developing the most rigorous green product standard available. We recently had the opportunity to speak with Bill at the GreenBuild Conference about his work and the future of green design. We were joined by Howard Williams, VP of Construction Specialties, a leading proponent of safe materials in products, who introduced the company's latest Cradle to Cradle-certified products. The thought-provoking and energetic conversation gave us a taste of how intimately intertwined design is with a product’s real-world impact - read on for our exclusive interview!

 

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When architect Ed Mazria announced that buildings account for nearly 50% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions, the building industry was taken aback. After a long career in passive solar architecture, he has taken on the goal of steeply reducing the carbon footprint of architecture – most notably with his 2030 Challenge, which aims to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in new construction, and to cut the use of fossil fuels in existing buildings by 50% by 2030. To help hit those targets, Mazria is launching a new initiative called the 2030 Palette—a robust, visually oriented online design tool which strives to help produce low-impact, people friendly projects. We recently visited Mazria’s offices in Santa Fe, where we spoke to the architect in-depth about his work and how sustainable development can save us from the worst climate change has to offer.

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Just over a month ago, we showcased a product with the potential to revolutionize the still-new 3D printing industry: the ProDesk3D by botObjects. Hailed as the world’s first full-color 3D printer, the ProDesk3D allows designers to pick a desired palette and quickly print the final product with a five-color, re-usable PLA cartridge system. Since the ProDesk3D is only in the pre-order phase (and we were eager to know more), Inhabitat reached out to botObjects founders Martin Warner and Mike Duma to dig deeper into the development process of this ground-breaking product. Read on to find out why the ProDesk3D pushes the boundaries of 3D printing technology, and how it was designed to make self-fabrication accessible to a larger audience.

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Starbucks is one of the largest global brands based in the US, with revenue generating stores in over 55 countries which took in a whopping $3 billion in the first quarter of 2011 alone. But Starbucks has faced some heat for their less product's less than sustainable side. From the sourcing of coffee beans, to the massive proliferation of paper and plastic coffee cups the finished product is served in, Starbucks faces a wide range of environmental challenges.

On the release of their Global Responsibility Report, we sat down with Starbucks Vice President of Global Responsibility, Ben Packard to talk about Starbucks efforts to face these environmental challenges and cement themselves as a leading sustainable brand. With a wide range of ambitious goals, including aims to make all new construction LEED certified by 2015, and to providing Sustainable Agriculture expertise and assistance in Central and South America, there's a lot to be excited about. Read on for more!

 

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We at Inhabitat are bona fide prefab lovers. And while we tout the benefits of the prefab process every day, it’s also important to step back and examine the potential of the prefab market, its opportunities, and how it can be maximized to produce even more sustainable, affordable, and high-quality structures. Toby Long, of CleverHomes, has been one of prefab’s pioneers with the MiniHome and NowHouse. I had a chance to sit down with him and discuss the prefab “movement,” and how he sees it maturing in the future.

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World-renowned architect Koen Olthuis is the leading designer of floating structures -- he has built a number of floating houses all over the world and has designed for the likes of Dubai and other metropolises. Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio and David Keuning of Mark Magazine have also authored a book, called FLOAT!, which is a compendium of his knowledge on floating architecture. He details historical projects, discusses the practical uses for floating architecture, explores scenarios for a future world with higher sea levels, and rallies behind sustainability as a necessity for future development on the water. In between his busy travel schedule, Koen was able to take some time to answer a few questions about the future of hydrocities and building on the water - read on for our exclusive interview!

 

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To hear R Nelson Parrish tell his story about his evolution as an artist, is to become an admirer of his talents as well as his passion for life. His latest installation, Color/Fast, opened at the Kimball Art Center in Park City, UT at the beginning of the month, and it is an exploration into color, speed and time. Among his works on display are 8-foot tall modern totems that were inspired by his native Alaska. We recently caught up with the former athlete and ski racer in Parrish in Park City before he headed back to his home in Santa Barbara. Read our interview with the artist ahead, as he discusses his bio-resin works, and how nature is so important to his art and his life.

 

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Over on Inhabitots I recently had the chance to speak with Dr. Alan Greene, pediatrician, father of four and leading authority on the subject of green and healthy parenting, about how to keep your family safe and healthy by avoiding hidden toxins in common household products and cleaners. Dr. Greene and I chatted insecticides, autism, BPA and the risks (if any) related to soy products. I foud my chat with Dr. Greene pretty fascinating and I hope you will enjoy it. Check out our video and exclusive interview here.

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Automotive designer J Mays has become well-known as the design director of Ford Motor Company. Born in rural Oklahoma, Mays started working at his family’s auto parts store at an early age with aspirations of becoming an architect, but eventually found his calling in car design while at the Art Center in Pasadena. An automotive design pioneer with more than 30 years under his belt, Mays has been involved in the design of a number of the car industry’s most well-recognized automobiles, including the VW “New Beetle”, Aston Martin DB9, Land Rover LR3/Discovery, Ford GT, 2011 Ford Fiesta, 2012 Focus (including the Focus EV), and the new green 2013 Ford Fusion—just to name a few! For the last 16 years he’s been leading the charge at Ford as the Vice President of Global Design and Chief Creative Officer and has played a critical role in bringing a new generation of stylish, green, high-performance electric and hybrid vehicles to a mainstream market. I recently got the chance to chat with Mays about his monumental career, and I’ve published our interview here. Click ahead to read the entire interview, where Mays touches on his global travels, his design ethos and influences, the current market for hybrid and electric vehicles, and what he sees for the future of zero-emissions vehicles, both at Ford and on a global scale.

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If you're one of the hardcore DIYers out there looking into building your own home, be sure to pick up Housing Reclaimed: Sustainable Homes for Next to Nothing by Jessica Kellner. As editor at Natural Home & Garden Magazine, Kellner has come across her fair share of beautiful and sustainable homes and now she expands on how a number of people around the country have built their houses without debt despite the economic hardships of the last few years. While it may seem daunting to design an energy efficient house, source sustainable and reclaimed materials and finally build it, Kellner provides a slew of tips and ideas on how to tackle this challenge for practically nothing down. Read on for our interview with Kellner about sustainable housing and her inspiration for this book.

 

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When Inhabitat’s Architecture Editor,  Bridgette Meinhold, heard about the earthquake in Haiti in 2010 and the massive devastation it caused, she wanted to help, and was drawn to start investigating different options for temporary shelters and disaster relief housing. This exploration gradually broadened to a larger focus on design for disaster-preparedness; seeking out what type of shelters can best withstand earthquakes, hurricanes, rising sea levels and tornados. Now I’m thrilled to say that after years of research, Bridgette has just published an incredible new book entitled Urgent Architecture: 40 Sustainable Housing Solutions for a Changing World. Urgent Architecture showcases inspiring and innovative ideas for resilient design – design that will withstand the test of time – surviving climate change, rising sea levels, manmade and natural disasters. I recently had a chance to interview Bridgette about her new book at Inhabitat HQ in NYC, and she gave me some fascinating insight into her inspiration for the book, the impact climate change will have on future housing and what she believes is necessary to create a more sustainable and responsive built landscape. Watch the video above for the interview, and if you want to learn more, you can get your own copy of Urgent Architecture here.

A full transcript of the interview with pics is available after the jump.

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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!

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In light of all the dire news related to climate change, rising sea levels and the natural disasters which have stricken numerous coastal areas around the world, we here at Inhabitat would like to highlight an interview Inhabitat Editor-in-Chief Jill Fehrenbacher conducted with architect Koen Olthuis of Waterstudio.nl. A studio focused on designing for a future water world, Olthuis has been at the forefront of this once unconventional, yet now timely design vernacular. Olthuis says that despite our civilization’s history of trying to drain and fight against wet landscapes for the past thousand years, our best move for the future would be to “let water in and even make friends with the water.” Read on for the fascinating interview where Olthius describes his what designing for water landscapes worldwide really means.

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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.

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We recently ran an article about Swifty Scooters - a range of adult kick scooters that, through innovative design, provides a means for urban mobility while saving time and having fun. The scooters are the brainchild of husband and wife team Jason and Camilla Iftakhar - both of whom are graduates of the Royal College of Art. Jason designs and handcrafts the ultra-slim scooters himself, taking every effort to make them as efficiently as possible. We sat down with him to discuss his background in eco-design, the time and effort that goes into making a scooter, and whether they're best for commuting on the road or the pavement - read on for our interview!

 

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