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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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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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 our last Energy 101 column, we looked at some of the home energy monitoring devices currently available and explored the ways that they can help us live more efficient, eco-conscious lives. But with smart grid technologies rapidly approaching, a new group of energy-tracking devices is emerging. We had the chance to speak with Drew Clark, Director of Strategy for IBM’s Venture Capital Group, about what the future holds for smart meter technology.

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Dr. Dickson Despommier is considered one of the world's foremost experts on vertical farms - a theoretical concept that may offer the panacea to our food production problems in the future. Supporters and critic of this concept abound, with fans proudly touting the benefits of towering botanical skyscrapers and naysayers concerned with how vertical farming could be misused, poorly executed and could rack up extreme costs. Dr. Despommier spoke to us about his book, The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century - read on for more!

 

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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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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!

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Everyone from design nerds and art critics to tech geeks and gadget junkies has sung the praises of “Talk to Me,” the Museum of Modern Art’s latest special exhibit that puts technology and interactive design in the spotlight. Put together by MoMA design curator Paola Antonelli, the show features nearly 200 pieces that range from talking plant sensors to robotic animal simulations to digital designs for building facades, each exploring how objects communicate with us. We were treated to a special guided tour of the exhibit by Antonelli herself, and we had the chance to talk with her about how technology impacts our lives and what she thinks about the future of sustainable design.

WATCH THE VIDEO >

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We were so intrigued by Blueseed's goal of creating a visa-free floating city off the California coast that we had to get the scoop from the company's CEO Max Marty and CIO Dan Dascalescu on their sustainability plans for this ambitious project. Designed to provide accommodation and office space for up to 1,000 highly talented entrepreneurs who are not permitted to live and work on American soil, this offshore Silicon Valley backed by Paypal founder Peter Thiel has great potential to serve as a showcase for cutting-edge energy generation and waste treatment systems. The firm is actively seeking clean tech professionals to join the team and turn this visa-free hub into a flurry of sustainable creativity. Step in to learn more about what Marty and Dascalescu have brewing, and for a peek at brand new concept designs released just yesterday!

 

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Over the last year, Inhabitat interviewed dozens of designers, architects and green visionaries from across the globe. Whether we were chatting up the creators of NYC’s Lowline Undeground Park or discussing the good, the bad and the ugly side of architecture with building science pioneer Dr. Joe Lstiburek, there was plenty of food for thought to be shared when it came to sustainable design. Check out which 6 interviews really stood out in 2012 and then vote for your favorite!

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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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When we need inspiration for great interiors and DIY projects we often head over to Design*Sponge, the brain child of Brooklyn-based Grace Bonney. Her site explores handmade products, charming and beautiful interiors, and showcases awesome "before and after" furniture renovations. When we heard Grace and her team of editors were putting together a print version of their website, we immediately pre-ordered our copy. The book, Design*Sponge at Home, came out in October, and Grace has been traveling the country to promote the tome and host fun craft nights and events, which seem like a lot more fun than the traditional book signing. Inside, you can pore over pages and pages of "sneak peaks" at designers' work from around the world, there's a ton of tips and tricks about furniture renovations, and enough DIY projects to keep you busy through next summer. Grace graciously took a few minutes out of her busy tour schedule and gave us some insight into her thoughts on green interiors, all things handmade, and her favorite designers and shops right now.

 

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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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