If you’re about to tuck into an freshly grown, locally-produced organic lunch, then here’s something that may interest you. According to a study conducted at Loyola University in New Orleans, those who eat organic good are more likely to be “smug,” exhibit judgemental attitudes and “be a jerk.” But before heaving your lunch into the compost bin and reaching for a pesticide-covered peach, read on for the nitty-gritty details on this ‘groundbreaking’ study.
UP Projects and The Architecture Foundation have issued an international open call to architects and designers to design the 2013 Floating Cinema project, to be commissioned by The Legacy List and sponsored by Bloomberg. The project will be the next phase of the acclaimed Floating Cinema 2011 (designed by Studio Weave), a scheme launched as part of UP Projects’ Portavilion series for innovative temporary public art spaces. The competition is looking for an innovative and creative design solution that will embody UP Projects’ 2013 theme of ‘Extra-Ordinary’, offering delight and playfulness as well as being robust and serviceable enough for a permanent residence on the water. This vessel will need to accommodate intimate on-board film screenings, larger outdoor film events as well as provide a base for film related talks and activities. Inquire by June 26, 2012 for a chance to participate in the competition.
The design team at Dorothy in the UK has created a souvenir of environmental destruction. Their “No Globes” are tongue-in-cheek snow globes that riff off the familiar tchotchke’s form while criticizing the dirty coal industry. The knickknack is a powerful- yet cute – way of drawing attention to the worldwide problem of pollution caused by the burning of coal and fossil fuels.
Seattle designer Jeff Skierka’s new Mixtape Table appeals to the 80’s child in all of us. The handmade wooden table harkens back to the days of high school crushes and passing notes. Made from reclaimed maple wood, Skierka’s design is the perfect coffee table conversation piece for any room!
Seagrass Photo from Shutterstock
The destruction of rainforests has long been a huge cause of concern for environmentalists due to trees’ ability to capture carbon — however a new collaborative study published in the journal of Nature Geoscience has found that seagrass can actually store more carbon per square mile than forests can. The plants, which populate coastal wetlands, could play a major role in combating climate change.
Nissan has announced plans to release a new electric compact van called the the e-NV200, which will be produced in Barcelona starting in 2013. The new electric van will be Nissan’s second all-electric vehicle following the Nissan Leaf. The e-NV200 will be based on the current NV200 van and it stands to be an important and innovative addition to Nissan’s global range of light commercial vehicles (LCV’s).
Solar panels must be regularly cleaned and maintained in order to keep them operating efficiently and maximize the amount of sunlight they convert into electricity. With this in mind, a group of students from CalTech and UCLA have developed an impressive robot that cleans solar panels. The design won a third of $200,000 in prize money in the DOE’s National Clean Energy Business Plan Competition.
Tokyo Skytree photo from Shutterstock
While harbors and ports around the world are crucial to global trade, industrial activities are often responsible for high levels of pollution and water contamination. Fuel leaks, emissions, and general waste all contribute to the problem, but now scientists from the European BMT Group have developed a new weapon in the war against maritime defilement: a pollution-sniffing robotic fish!
Recovering/Uncovering is a project that reclaims cardboard on its way to the dumpster, and re-uses it as canvases for portraits. Using a combination of line drawing, cross-hatching, and the natural
So you finally got around to hanging some hooks on the wall by your front door, or maybe you even bought a coat rack, but what about your keys, your phone, your dog’s toys, and all the other various
Need an escape from your fellow office workers? Or maybe a serene space to concentrate on what you’re doing? The Private Rocker, designed by Cranbrook product design student Kyle Fleet in
The Spectra Pipeline, which will bring natural gas to new areas around New York and New Jersey, has been given the green light. Also called the NJ-NY Expansion Project, it was finally approved by the
Algae fuel and other biofuels have gained popularity in recent years to the point that even the US Military has adopted it as jet fuel. Given its recent rise to prominence, it’s not particularly
We recently spotted these nifty wool bowls by MIO at ICFF during New York Design Week. Even though they’re not new to the scene, we were so enamored by their cute design, we couldn’t help
ReSpace has joined forces with Habitat for Humanity of Wake County to launch a new design competition calling for inspired creatives to submit their designs for a compact and transportable structure that
If you’re daydreaming about your next vacation, and looking for something a little off the beaten path, why not consider embarking on a global design tour? The world is full of inspiring
Welcome to Inhabitat, your online guide to the best green design ideas, innovations and inspiration to build a cleaner, brighter, and better future.
