New Yorkers looking to make some extra cash by renting out their pads on Airbnb may be in for a very rude (and expensive) awakening. An NYC judge recently fined a man who listed his condo on Airbnb $2,400 after finding that he violated a 2011 law which says it’s illegal to rent out an apartment for less than 29 days. Do you think the law is fair, or does it need to be amended? Read on for the full story.
Design company Monstrans‘ newest chair is made from a single sheet of renewable bamboo plywood, putting a clever spin on the classic folding chair. The Folding Chair, which was on display at ICFF this week, solves is portable and it saves space, folding up into a single piece with a handle. Aside from being efficient and useful, the chair also yields minimal construction waste and material use.
Hip hop mogul Russell Simmons has his sights set on tackling food deserts in New York City by bringing quality food to low-income neighborhoods. Simmons has teamed up with Hajj Hasaun Muhammad and his partner Luanna Williams to launch “Quality Access Grocery,” which will provide underserved communities with access to fresh food at affordable prices. Their ambitious plan to roll out these stores in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods will hopefully keep moms with strollers, little old ladies and other people looking for healthy produce from having to travel miles to find it.
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A new study by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Bonneville Power Administration finds that two underground sites in the Pacific Northwest are ideal for storing energy produced by the wind. Compressed air energy storage plants could capture the wind during times when breezes are more abundant at night and demand for electricity is low for use during peak hours. Able to switch between power storage and generation in a matter of minutes, the method could be an important means to assist states reach their Renewable Portfolio Standards.
Hinterland’s rustic-chic Scatter/Gather chandelier is a low-energy light made from artfully arranged pieces of driftwood that were collected from the coasts of British Columbia. The hand-made pendant centers around the warm glow of an LED bulb, making a truly unique chandelier that appeals more to the nature-lover than the glamazon.
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Oil giants make an enormous amount of money, but that doesn’t stop them from manipulating the law to yield additional profits. Last week the offices of Statoil, BP, and Shell were raided by officials from the European Commission, who charged them with fixing prices for crude oil, biofuel and refined oil products. The US Justice Department is being strongly encouraged to investigate whether or not the behavior was repeated Stateside.
NYC is stepping up its commitment to reducing kids’ exposure to pollutants by implementing a “Stop Idling” campaign at some of the city’s most trafficked schools. Commissioner Carter Strickland of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently announced the new plan to crack down on idling buses and cars in school areas known to have the highest asthma rates. Drivers found parked with their engines on for more than one minute will be warned, but if they’re caught a second time they’ll be slapped with a $350 fine.
The National Weather Service just gave the tornado that struck Oklahoma this week its highest rating of EF-5 due to its high wind speed and the breadth and severity of damage. Several meteorologists used real-time measurements to calculate the energy released during the storm’s life span – and they estimated that it released anywhere from 8 to 600 times the power of an atomic bomb.
A new generation of gardeners are interested in growing their own food, and The Patch, a new self-watering planter, helps guide newbies through the process. The planter, which is designed for urban gardeners, solves the most common challenge for novice gardeners: over-watering. The Patch Planter is an easy, self-watering and flat-packable planter that addresses this issue by providing the plant with the perfect amount of water at all times — yielding more nutritious and delicious food. The planter is currently in the beta stage, but Let’s Patch is raising funds through Kickstarter to take its manufacturing process to the next level.
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Bees have already done a host of great services for the human race – they pollinate flowers, cure diseases, and produce honey. Now scientists in Croatia have found another role for the intrepid insect. The country, which is set to join the European Union this July, contains thousands of unexploded landmines left over from the Balkan wars. Researchers at Zagreb University are working towards training honeybees to sniff out these underground weapons over a 750 square-kilometer area where the devices are believed to remain.
