US-based wind energy company SheerWind just unveiled the INVELOX – a tunnel-based wind turbine that can produce up to 600% more power than traditional wind turbines. The company states that after extensive field-testing, their new INVELOX turbine “significantly outperforms the traditional turbine” and could reduce installation capital costs to less than $750 per KW.
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Scientists have been growing petri dish hamburgers from cultured meat specimens for the last few years, but Dr. Mark Post wants to make lab-made a consumer reality. The Maastricht-based researcher has been developing a beef muscle in vitro burger that he plans to serve up to attendees at an event in London next month – at price tag of $325,000! The burger is made up of 20,000 strips of cultured muscle, and Post plans to prepare it by adding only salt and pepper to enhance its lab-grown flavor.
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Have you hugged a tree lately? If not, you might want to show your appreciation with a good squeeze. According to a recent state-by-state US Forest Service study, urban forests are responsible for storing 708 million tons of carbon – a service valued at $50 billion. Each year, our leafy friends capture an additional 21 million tons of carbon to the tune of a $1.5 billion benefit. Led by Dave Nowak, the study was published in the journal Environmental Pollution.
This stunning Forms in Nature Chandelier projects a 360-degree forest of shadows that transforms any room into a fairy tale landscape. Inspired by drawings made by German biologist and naturalist Ernst Haeckel, designers Hilden & Diaz created an intricate bundle of entangled roots, bushes and tree branches that shines from within.
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After news broke last week that carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have officially passed the 400 parts per million mark, a leading economist and researcher warned that hundreds of millions of people will become climate refugees in the coming decades. The head of Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Lord Stern warned that mass migrations will occur as a result of climate change, which will exacerbate desertification and cause entire continents to experience crop failure.
This weekend, the Inhabiteam once again got to experience BKLYN Designs, one of our most beloved NY Design Week events, and revel in all of the Brooklyn-made furniture glory that it had to offer. As in years past, we also nominated our favorite green designers at the show for Inhabitat Green Designs Awards, and asked you to vote for a readers’ choice winner in addition to our editors’ choice pic. Read on to find out which two Brooklyn-based designers took home the top prizes!
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Let them eat… cockroaches? In an effort to address world hunger, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recently published a report suggesting that insects are a viable source of protein for humans, animals and pets. The report picks grasshoppers, ants and other bugs as protein-packed meat substitutes that are less harmful to the environment than traditional meat.
Building Trust international has just launched PLAYscapes, an exciting, new design competition asking creatives to think of ways to transform redundant, neglected parts of their neighborhoods into a places for culture and play! This is a chance to change a part of your city, to inspire people, and create a space that inspires social interaction and enjoyment. The winning design will be brought to fruition by Building Trust international, and there will be 9 honorable mentions and a student prize worth $100. The deadline to register is July 29, 2013, and submissions must be received before September 15, 2013.
Handy is a new line of sustainably crafted office accessories by Barcelona-based design studio Lucirmas. The versatile, modular desk set is made from recycled glass and cork. It comprises a pencil and business card holder, a small container with a lid, and a cable holder. Each glass element is entirely handmade by upcycling liquor bottles, and the entire set can be disassembled and recycled at the end of its lifespan.
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Why use a light bulb to illuminate your home when you could just fill it with glowing plants? That’s the question asked by Antony Evans, the head of a team of bio-engineers in San Francisco, California. The team has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund a project that will use the glowing genes from fireflies and bacteria to create plants that shine. By using synthetic biology and Genome Compiler software, the have already managed to modify Arabidopsis plants, and they’re working on glowing roses.
Most plastics can be endlessly recycled without losing their indestructibility. But instead of being reused, the majority of plastics will end up as one-time-use products, finding their end as pollutants on land or in our oceans. Save Our Soup is Dutch designer David Graas’ colorful, speckled collection of recycled plastic lamps that have been created with then intent of diverting plastics from the Pacific Garbage Patch, or “soup”.
‘Just Desserts’ is a colorful cluster of glass lights made from recycled dessert bowls. UK-based designer Jay Watson created this intriguing lighting array by stringing up traditional glass bowls sourced from flea markets and second-hand shops. The lamps are set to make their official debut at Interiors LDN this May in London.
Hyundai isn’t joking when it claims it wants to fight global warming. The car manufacturer just announced that it plans to install what will be South Korea’s largest solar photovoltaic system on the rooftops of its plant in Asan. Working with thermal power company Korea Midland Power Ltd. (KOMIPO), Hyundai plans to install 40,000 solar photovoltaic modules on the rooftops of the plant’s press, welding, assembly and engine buildings by the end of the year. The giant rooftop solar plant will curb 5,600 tons of CO2 emissions – the equivalent of planting 1.12 million pine trees.
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