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.

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In 2008 Gensler broke ground on the sustainable Shanghai Tower in the Pudong district of Shanghai, China. The tower is currently in construction and it’s one of three supertall buildings in Pudong, including the Jin Mao Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center. The elegant structure spirals up to the sky, and once it is completed in 2014 it will become the second tallest tower in the world — only second to the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. The 632 meter tall structure is a testament to both modern architecture and the potential of engineering, and it also sets a precedent for sustainable super structures. The tower will take the form of nine cylindrical buildings stacked atop each other, enclosed by layers of glass, and hosting public space for visitors including atriums, gardens, cafes, restaurants, retail space, a hotel, and 360-degree views of the city. The building will also include a rainwater recycling system and a series of wind turbines able to generate up to 350,000 kWh of electricity per year. But most notably, the tower’s glass façade was designed specifically to reduce wind loads on the building by 24%, which means that fewer construction materials are needed (including 25% less structural steel). We recently spoke to Gensler‘s Chris Chan, Design Director and member of the tower’s design team, who gave us some insight on what it has taken to get the Shanghai Tower built, and how Building Information Modeling (BIM) has played a crucial role from concept to construction. Jump ahead for our fascinating interview with Chris!

This interview is brought to you by Autodesk – Removing the barriers to better business.

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When Hurricane Sandy hit last week and the power in my lower Manhattan apartment went out, my first thought, as I dug around for candles and LED lamps was “Well this will be a fun little off-grid adventure!” I naively harbored some romantic notion of the coziness of eating dinner and playing board games with my family by candlelight, and even actually enjoyed the first 24 hours without electricity for the chance to disconnect. However, when my gadget batteries started to die one by one, the water dried up, the food in the fridge started to spoil, and contact with the outside world began to shut down, the novelty started to wear off and the reality of the situation finally began to hit me. First my computer battery died, then iPad, then finally my phone, and I think I never fully realized until that moment how much of a lifeline these mobile communication devices are. Without even a working cell phone – my last vestige of communication – to call my family or look at the news, I had no idea what was going on around me, how much longer the power outage was supposed to last, and whether there was any help available, and I started to get desperate.

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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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If you’re interested in art that uses nature as its medium, there’s no better place to get your fill than Land/Art New Mexico. The event may be over but the gathering was commemorated with this vibrant book by the same name. Written by Lucy Lippard, William Fox, and Nancy Mithlo, it’s a collection of giant photographs and in-depth essays documenting and analyzing the state of land art. Read on to discover all you’ve missed . . .

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Conspiracy! Author James Hoggan realizes the ridiculousness of that word, asserting that it “strains credulity and is offensive in its own right.” Yet the massive media sway that he details in his book Climate Cover-Up feels like something a squinty, scruffy, clipboard-wielding man would accost you with. It turns out that most of the oft-quoted global warming skeptics are not climate scientists, and are not published in credible scientific journals. They are funded mostly by think tanks which are, in turn, funded by fossil fuel companies. “There are conspiracies aplenty,” he writes, ” documented and undeniable.” The central conspiracy here is the perpetuation of global warming uncertainty. His book puts out the serious details.

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Inhabitat recently had the chance to interview architect Takaharu Tezuka about his unique project the Roof House which emphasizes comfort and functionality over opulence and grandiose design. Tezuka, of Japanese firm Tezuka Architects, operates on the importance of creating functional homes uniquely catered to the residents living within. Read on to see what this innovative thinker and thoughtful architect had to say about the Roof House and about architecture today.

 

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We have to admit that when we saw the title of Christopher Steiner’s book, we scoffed a bit. Twenty dollars per a gallon of gas seems like an outrageous, unfathomable price, even when you’re a believer in peak oil. But part of the beauty of Steiner’s book is its ability to track the effects of ever-more-scarce oil in believable detail. Whether the author’s predictions of local food, high-speed trains and alternative plastics are correct, they are excellent illustrations of the pervasiveness of petroleum.

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Even though Fashion Week is behind us, we thought it would be fun to revisit the exclusive video we shot of one of our favorite New York Designers, Samantha Pleet. Our very own Jill Fehrenbacher chatted with the eco-designer in her Brooklyn studio about everything from her collection to what the future of sustainable fashion will look like. Click here to check it out!

WATCH THE VIDEO >

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In May, we were intrigued to learn that a futuristic eco-city was being planned for Fujisawa, Japan and last week we had the opportunity to speak with one of the people at the heart of this ambitious undertaking, Panasonic's Corporate Division for Promoting Energy Solution Business Director Haruyuki Ishio. Prior to now, there had been a lot of buzz about Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town, but very little available details, so we were excited to ask Mr. Ishio the questions on everyone's mind: How will the houses be powered? How much will they cost? Has anyone purchased any of the homes yet? Read on for Mr. Ishio's answers and ask any questions you might have of your own in the comments - we will pass them onto him and hopefully get responses for you!

 

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A few years ago, I had the opportunity to talk one-on-one with Leo Marmol of Marmol Radziner about prefab architecture and sustainability. I asked him about his trajectory as a designer, and what opportunities he sees for prefab to have a larger impact on a wider, more affordable market. His response was thoughtful and optimistic, and provided some great insight into the mind of a forward-thinking and increasingly green designer. Hit the jump to watch the interview or read below for the full interview transcription.

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At Inhabitat, we love shiny new green buildings just as much as the next guy, but we're also firm believers that you don't always have to start completely from scratch to achieve optimal energy efficiency. In fact, the opposite is often true - and we recently had the privilege to speak with someone who knows quite a bit about that: co-founder of CodeGreen Solutions, Stephen Rizzo. Unlike many other companies, CodeGreen specializes in retrofitting and greening existing buildings, which - if you think about the saved construction costs and energy compared to building a completely new structure - makes a lot of sense. Read on for our full interview with Stephen, where he shares his thoughts on the future of green buildings and how his company has already managed the LEED certification of over 14 million square feet nation wide - including CodeGreen's own LEED-CI headquarters in NYC!

 

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The Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) is an organization after Inhabitat’s own heart. It was formed by the visionary eco architect/designer’s family in 1983 to champion Buckminster Fuller’s amazing legacy and provide the design world — and the rest of humanity, for that matter — with the tools we need to solve the world’s most pressing problems. Buckminster Fuller was a “full systems thinker” — he was a renaissance man who foresaw the problems we are facing now decades before anyone else, and came up with innovative, thoughtful ways to solve humanity’s most pressing problems around energy, shelter and natural resources. Sadly, this amazing man is no longer with us, but The Buckminster Fuller Institute marches forward in his name with a handful of thought-provoking programs for designers. Their flagship initiative is the Buckminster Fuller Challenge design competition to provide solutions to complicated social/environmental problems. Inhabitat covered the BFI Challenge finalists back in April, and we are thrilled to announce the winner of the competition here in our latest video! Watch our video profile (above) to learn about BFI, Bucky’s legacy, and the inspiring winner of last year’s $100,000 prize.

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Adrian Grenier (of Entourage fame) and Peter Glatzer (a veteran film producer) founded SHFT.com, a sustainable site that brings together Grenier and Glatzer’s background in film with their passion for the environmental movement. We had a chance to talk to the pair about melding these two worlds together, how their unique vision adds to the sustainable movement, and how great design can make green even better. Stay tuned to the end of the video to find out what green gadgets Grenier and Glatzer just couldn’t get enough of this year.

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The new film Revenge of the Electric Car debuts in just a few days, and we were recently lucky enough to catch up with director Chris Paine to get the inside scoop on this sequel to his popular film Who Killed the Electric Car? The film brings awareness to how electric vehicles were able to break through an incredible number of obstacles to get to where they are today. We sat down with Chris Paine to ask him all about the new film, how he felt when he suddenly found himself to be a part of his own movie, and what he sees in the future of green transportation.

 

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