Can technology save the world? In short: No, not by itself. A sweeping set of changes in the way we interact with the planet is needed to stabilize our rapidly deteriorating biosphere and avert a bleak future. Technology is simply a tool to help us achieve these changes. A dangerous argument, however, is when decision-makers and influencers say our impact on the planet is not a concern, and changes in our behavior are not needed in the near future, or ever, because technology will save us. Sounds ridiculous, but various forms of this argument are commonly invoked in government and international forums, particularly when profits and votes come into play.

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Post tags: can tech save the world, drones, eco-innovations, environmental damage, genetic engineering, global issues, life saving inventions, recycling, tech solutions for a changing world, technology and climate change, technology and global warming, water issues

Photo by Conservation Drones

Read the rest of Droning for the Planet: How Conservationists Use Drones to Protect the Earth

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Post tags: conservation, conservation-focused drones, drone technology, drones, Environment, environmental monitoring, green design, green technology, sustainable technology, Wildlife conservation

Jadav “Molai” Payeng, the man who spent 30 years planting a 1,360 acre forest in India, is at it again. Now that the forest is complete, the Indian farmer plans to spend the next 30 years planting another giant woodland by hand. Continuing his personal fight against deforestation, Payeng’s second 1,300 acre forest will transform another barren landscape in the region.


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Post tags: 3600 acre forest, deforestation, eco design, fighting deforestation, green design, indian forest, Jadav Molai Payeng, Man plants 1, sustainable design

In a controversial move, South African Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa recently supported a proposal to lift the ban on the sale of rhino horns. The trade of rhinoceros horns has been banned for 30 years, but the killing of 668 rhinos last year for their horns spurred Molewa to suggest an extremist solution. Molewa claims that regulating the removal of rhino horns will help to protect the longevity of the animals and prevent poaching.

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Post tags: eco design, Edna Molewa, green design, rhinoceros horn, Rhinoceros horn legalization, rhinoceros poaching, South African Environmental Affairs Minister, sustainable design

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has announced plans to deploy aerial drones to get control of the escalating illegal wildlife trade, which is quickly spinning out of control. Funded by a $5 million Google grant, the unmanned surveillance vehicles will be deployed in either Africa or Asia to track dangerous wildlife poachers from the sky. The first pair of drones will be in place by year’s end and the wildlife conservation group hopes to dispatch another three pairs by the end of 2015.

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Post tags: Africa, asia, Biodiversity, drones, elephants, endangered species, Environment, Google, illegal wildlife trade, ivory, News, poaching, rhinos, unmanned surveillance vehicles, wwf

Read the rest of Young Photographer Builds a Mossy Woodland Hut for Watching Rare Albino Squirrel

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Post tags: Animals, Architecture, Brockwood Park School, Conservationist, green materials, local wood, MoSS, shed, Victor Manuel Fleites Escobar, white squirrel, woodland

Africa has some of the planet’s most beautiful and endangered species, such as rhinos, elephants, leopards and lions. However, over the decades, poaching has severely impacted on these species seeing many of their numbers plummet to an all-time low. Despite conservation efforts and nature tourism, it is shocking to learn some African countries still allow ‘sport hunting‘. This week, Zambia finally officially banned the hunting of lions and other endangered wild cats such as leopards.

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Post tags: Africa, african conservation, botswana, david attenborough, endangered wild cats, hunting ban, kenya, leopards, lions, poaching, sport hunting, wild cats, zambia

Jane Goodall has issued a vehement plea for citizens everywhere to stop buying ivory as she fears African elephants will go extinct to fuel the illegal trade. Speaking with The Guardian after authorities seized 24 tons of illegal ivory in Malaysia last week, the world-renowned primatologist said that Tanzania may have lost half of its elephants in the last three years alone to supply China with the ivory used to make ornaments. And the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) warned in a recent report that rebel groups in Africa are using the funds raised through this illicit business to fund wars.

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Post tags: African elephant, animal conservation, armed militias shoot elephants, china, david attenborough, environmental news, illegal ivory, Jane Goodall, News, poaching, tanzania, Wildlife conservation

A new design for rural schools could revolutionize Kenya’s education system. British architects Jane Harrison and David Turnbill worked with Atopia Research to design the WATERBANK school in Nigare Nyiro, which harvests rainwater and stores it in a reservoir on the school property. In addition to providing up to five liters a day per student, this ingenious system enables girls normally responsible for collecting water outside of the home to attend classes and receive an education.

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Post tags: Africa, Atopia Research, David Turnbull, eco design, education, green design, Jane Harrison, kenya, locally sourced materials, PITCHAfrica, rainwater harvesting schools, sustainable design, water catchment, WATERBANK Schools

Read the rest of Giant Elephant Made of Recycled Tires Roams the Earth for African Environmental Awareness

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Post tags: Andries Botha, Animals, Annelies Brans, Art, Museum Beelden aan Zee, Recycled Materials, recycled tyres, rubbish, the hague, The Rainbow Nation, Waste

Read the rest of The Top 6 Green Buildings at the 2012 London Olympics!

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Post tags: 2012 London Olympics, aquatics center, basketball arena, copper box, energy center, greenest olympic buildings, handball arena, London Olympics, london velodrome, london velopark, olympics, six greenest olympic buildings, Velodrome

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Post tags: Crayola Carvings, Diem Chau, eco design, eco-art, green design, pencil carving, pencil sculptures, recycle art, sustainable design

For those that consider themselves sophisticated designfolk, topiaries may seem the stuff of Edward Scissorhands suburbia or the artistic outlets of a housewife with hedge shears. But consider this – these carefully crafted plant forms are an eco-friendly alternative to promotional billboards or waste-making flyers, and can add to the environment rather than take away from it. If you’re in the market for some seriously impressive shrubbery, there’s no better man for the job than Topiary Joe.

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Italian artist Guido Daniele creates the most wonderful life-like depictions of animals simply by applying body paint to the hands of his models. A hyper-realist illustrator and trompe l’oeil artist, Daniele developed his own technique several a few years of experimentation with airbrush painting methods. Daniele’s extraordinary art was recently used in an animal conservation campaign by the World Wildlife Fund.

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Post tags: Animals, Art, body-painting, colors, Guido Daniele, hand-painted, Mehndi, wwf

Deforestation and desertification are critical problems in India that have led to barren land, increased soil erosion, decreased agricultural production, and devastated local wildlife. However one Indian man has made a stand – by single-handedly planting and cultivating a 1,360 acre forest that is home to a complex, thriving ecosystem.

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Post tags: india deforestation, india desertification, india payeng, Jadav Payeng, Jadav Payeng assam, Jadav Payeng ecosystem, Jadav Payeng forest, Jadav Payeng local hero, Jadav Payeng nature reserve, Jadav Payeng times of india

Real estate mogul Donald Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, have come under fire after some gruesome photos showing them posing with a dead leopard and holding a severed elephant tail were released online (see them all here). The photos were taken during a hunting trip in Zimbabwe and originally posted on the Hunting Legends website. They were quickly denounced by PETA and other animal rights and conservation groups.

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Post tags: animal rights, buffalo, conservation, Donald Trump, Donald Trump Jr., elephants, Eric Trump, hunting, Ivanka Trump, PETA, Trump, Zimbabwe

Israeli designer Noa Himelfarb has designed a toy set for modeling cute animal friends from clumps of earth. Perfect for kids who love getting dirty and playing in the mud, Muzoo consists of a series of plastic animal parts that can be attached to an earthy body. Quirky, biodegradable and fun, Muzoo encourages kids to develop creative skills while connecting them with natural materials, forging a strong bond with the environment.

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Post tags: Animals, Art, Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, biodegradable toys, DIY, earth animal toys, green materials, green products, Inhabitots, Israeli design, mud toys, recycling / compost

Inflatable, recyclable, and super cute, Shira Keret‘s Animal Lamps are shaped like your favourite bird or mammal. Based in Tel Aviv, Keret creates sweet luminaires from Tyvek that emit a soft twinkling glow. Chickens, elephants, rabbits and even a rhino were carefully constructed from the non-woven white material, which was developed by Dupont back in 1955 and is frequently used for envelopes.

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Post tags: Animals, animals lamp, Bezalel Art and Design Academy, Decorative Objects, dupont, green lighting, green materials, Israeli design, recyclable tyvek, Tel Aviv University, tyvek lamp

Read the rest of Inhabitat’s Top Eco Art Picks from Art Basel Week in Miami

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Post tags: Art Basel Miami, Barton Lidic Benes, Brian Dettmer, eco design, Fabian Marcaccio, green design, Jason D'Aquino, Matthew Cox, Matthew Cusik, Miami Art Week, Michelle Matson, paper art, Pulse Art Fair, recycled books, recycled computers, Recycled crayons, recycled maps, recycled matchbooks, Recycled Materials, Sarah Bridgland, Sarah Frost, Scope Art Fair, sustainable artists, sustainable design, Work of Art, x-rays

Read the rest of Vin Varavarn’s Striking Botanica Office Roots Itself Within Thailand’s National Park

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Post tags: Architecture, bamboo, Botanical, floor to ceiling windows, green materials, green resources, Kao Yai National Park, local stone, showroom, skylight, Sustainable Building, thai elephants rescue center, Thailand