The Low Impact Living Affordable Community (LILAC) recently opened its doors to a community of earth-friendly Leeds residents. Each of the 20 homes was built using straw bale construction and timber and marks the first genuinely green co-housing project in the country. Conceived more than six years ago by Paul Chatterton and others, LILAC is a physical manifestation of the group’s desire to reduce their environmental footprint with earth-friendly construction materials, subsistence gardening, and community living based on Denmark’s co-housing model.

Read the rest of LILAC: UK’s First Strawbale Co-Housing Project Opens in Leeds

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Post tags: cohousing in the UK, Danish cohousing model, eco design, eco-friendly housing Leeds, green design, homes with low environmental footprint, LILAC, Low Impact Living Affordable Community, prefabricated design, strawbale construction, sustainable design, UK, urban gardening

One of the top urban gardening solutions to debut at ICFF this year is the modular KiGA by Hurbz Vegetable Spirit. Designed as a kitchen garden for urban homes, the four different modules can be configured two ways — either lining a wall or grouped together in a cluster. The four-level garden brings the benefit fresh vegetables and herbs to any household with ease and style, to fit any space.

Read the rest of Hurbz Unveils Stylish KiGA Modular Kitchen Garden Concept

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Post tags: eco design, green design, Hurbz, Hurbz Vegetable Spirit, ICFF, KiGA kitchen garden, modular garden, sustainable design, urban gardening

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Post tags: eco design, green design, ICFF, indoor gardening, Opiary, planter table, recyclable material, sustainable design, urban garden

Many people bemoan the fact that they can’t grow their own food (or even flowers) because they lack any kind of garden space, but guess what? You can actually grow more than you realize in really small areas as long as they get a bit of direct sun. Hell, you can even grow things indoors under a lamp, but there’s something special about plucking your own food from a stalk that’s been sitting in summer sunshine all day. In any case, whether you have a little concrete slab behind your house, a fire escape outside your window, or even a tiny balcony, your urban garden can be a veritable Eden of fresh, healthy, home-grown vegetables, and herbs.

Read the rest of DIY: How to Plant a Personal Garden In a Small Urban Space

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Post tags: balcony garden, companion planting, food, herbs, Organic vegetables, patio garden, patio gardening, self sufficiency, tomatoes, urban food gardening, urban food solution, urban garden, urban gardening, vegetables

Read the rest of MVRDV & Space Group Propose Plan for Green & Sustainable Growth in Norway

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", "sustainable development", eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green masterplan, madla-revheim masterplan, MVRDV, norway, parks, public park, Space Group, stavenger, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, sustainable growth, Urban design, urban green space, urban masterplan

Spring is the perfect time of year to plant a garden, and it’s a great opportunity to get your kids involved in gardening at a young age. Over at our green parenting site Inhabitots, we’ve put together a tutorial for how to plant a simple herb garden using eggshell planters. All you need for this simple project is an egg carton, some egg shells, soil, seeds — and a willingness to get your hands dirty. Head over to Inhabitots to view the entire DIY tutorial.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: DIY, DIY garden, egg carton, eggshell garden, Gardening, green parenting, herb garden, Inhabitots, parenting, recycled egg carton

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Post tags: "natural materials", 11 eco-tastic gifts for mother's day, Airplane Wrap, Buddha Belly Tea Kettle, Chrysocolla Cocktail "Hug" Ring, Diamond Hobo Bag, eco jewelry, eco-gifts, fair trade gifts, Forest Pool Necklace, green gift guide, green gifts, green holidays, green office, Indigenous, lotions, mother's day, novica, Orchid-infused lotion, Organic Aromatherapy Body Soap, organic ingredients, organic lotions, Organic soap, Piper Tate, recycled gifts, Recycled Glass Balloon Vase, Recycled Materials, Redwood Forest bonsai kit, south america, Succulent Wall Planter Kit, sustainable gifts, Trinity Wooden Cuff, upcycled gifts, VivaTerra

Omer Arbel‘s dazzling 38 Collection for Bocci features a series of suspended green lamps that double as planters. The surreal recycled glass spheres are blown with a multitude of cavities. Some spaces are deep enough to house LED lighting elements, some cavities host earth and succulents, and electricity and suspension are provided by a copper tubing system.

Read the rest of Bocci’s Gorgeous Recycled Glass ’38′ Lamps Double as Hanging Planters

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Post tags: bocci 38 collection, container garden, energy efficient lighting, Gardening, green design, green interiors euroluce, green lighting, lamp, Milan Design Week, Milan Furniture Fair, Omer Arbel, pendant light, salone milan, sustainable design, terrarium

Aqueduct is a new 3D printed mini planter system that can be set up in an amazing array of configurations. The modular system utilizes the connections between each planter as a method of transferring water from the top planter to the lower planters. You can currently purchase a 10-pack planter system from Shapeways for $75.

+ Aqueduct Mini Planters

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Post tags: 3d printed planter, 3d printer, aqueduct planter, Botanical, container gardening, Gardening, green design, indoor gardening, modular planter, sustainable design

The 20th & Highbury laneway house is a new infill mini home in Vancouver that was built by Lanefab for a couple with an interest in urban gardening. The project features rooftop gardening beds adjacent to the south-facing second floor balcony, and it integrates a 700 gallon rainwater storage tank to provide year-round rainwater for watering the property.

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

Read the rest of Lanefab’s Rainwater Recycling Highbury House is Topped With a Rooftop Garden

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", energy efficient home, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green roof, Highbury House, lanefab, laneway, Prefab Housing, rainwater recycling, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, urban gardening

Earlier this year, when a tornado ripped through Hattiesburg, Mississippi, it left a scene of destruction in its wake. But as the storm-ravaged residents set about clearing fallen trees and branches, Jody Mabary saw an opportunity to create a space that pays homage to nature’s gentler side—by constructing a community garden from all of that storm debris.

Read the rest of Mississippi Man Transforms Tornado Debris Into a Sustainable Vegetable Garden

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Post tags: garden, Jody Mabary, landscaping, salvaged wood, storms, sustainable garden, tornado, tornado garden, urban gardening, vegetables, yards

Matthew Waldman and his team at Nooka just unveiled a new line of POTHRA planters made from recycled coffee grounds! The team started experimenting with discarded coffee grinds left by consumers and discovered that, when combined with resin, each kind of coffee creates a different look and color. If you’d like to support the project you can donate to the POTHRA Kickstarter here!

+ POTHRA Kickstarter

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Post tags: coffee, coffee grounds, coffee planter, green design, green gardening, green housewares, green interiors, pothra, recycled coffee, Recycled Materials, recycled planter, recycled pot, sustainable design

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Post tags: alternative transportation, collaborative consumption, conservation, e-waste, earth day, Gardening, hiking, Nature, recycling, solar chargers, Solar Power

The Nourishmat is an all-in-one gardening tool (complete with built-in drip irrigation and a pre-spaced planting guide) that acts as a weed barrier and simplifies the gardening process while maximizing yield for new gardeners. The product was designed by Earth Starter, LLC and is manufactured in Frederick, MD. Food supply is one of the most pressing issues facing modern society, and Earth Starter believes that the Nourishmat is a great way for people that lack time and gardening experience to grow their own food and flowers easily and successfully on the first try.

+ Nourishmat

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Post tags: Botanical, drip irrigation, Earth Starter, easy gardening, edible garden, Gardening, gardening aid, green design, Nourishmat, sustainable design, urban farm, weed barrier

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Post tags: "green furniture", design milan, eco design, eco furniture, Fabbrica Del Vapore, green design, Green Design Events, Milan Design Week, Milan Design Week 2013, milan furniture fair 2013, salon del mobile, Salone del mobile, upcycling

Modern Sprout has created a windowsill planter box that’s simple, self-sustaining and naturally stylish. Its hidden hydroponics system automatically waters and feeds your plants for you, making it perfect for space-conscious city dwellers, absent-minded gardeners and armchair agrarians. Enjoy the luxury of growing a variety of herbs, produce and flowers year round. Four finish options are available in addition to a solar-powered model. You can pre-order one now on Kickstarter!

+ Modern Sprout on Kickstarter

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Post tags: gardening products, green gardening, Hydroponic Planter, hydroponic windowsill planter, Modern Sprout, urban gardening, Windowsill planter

A surge of giant crabs might sound like something from a 1950s B-movie, but that is exactly what is happening in the Chesapeake Bay. According to a new study done by researchers at the University of North Carolina’s Aquarium Research Center, carbon pollution is causing the animals to drastically increase in size. Crustaceans have been bulking up on the carbon from factories, power plants, and vehicles to grow larger and faster, making them even more voracious predators to vital filter-feeders such as oysters. The oysters, who play an important role in cleaning the Bay, conversely mature much slower in the presence of carbon, making them even more vulnerable to the claws and huge appetites of crabs.

Read the rest of Carbon Pollution is Creating Giant Crabs in the Chesapeake Bay

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Post tags: acidification, anne l. cohen, aquaculture, carbon dioxide, carbon pollution, Chesapeake Bay, crab, daniel c mccorckle, geology, johnathan grabowski, justin baker ries, luke dodd, Maryland, michael f. piehler, Northwestern University, oyster, rappahannock river, virginia

Rooftop Ready Seeds now offers New York gardeners a line of locally-grown seed tailored to their unique urban climate and container planting conditions. All Rooftop Ready Seeds are open-pollinated and grown using only organic methods in several rooftop locations in and around Brooklyn. Each variety of seed is collected from individual plants that have proven to thrive in the urban garden environment, with some varieties representing sixth-generation seeds. Check out all of their offerings here.

+ Rooftop Ready Seeds

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Post tags: city gardens, city planting, new york gardening brooklyn gardening, rooftop gardens, rooftop planting, Rooftop Ready Seeds, urban gardening

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Post tags: Bogotá, catholic, Columbia, conectado, electrical cables, Federico Uribe, impasto, Miami, painting, Reclaimed, sculpture, upcycled, van gogh, wires

Although global warming has a negative impact for most of the planet, some are finding that it has some unexpected benefits. In the Arctic Valleys of Greenland, gardeners are finding that strawberries, thyme and tomatoes are thriving for the first time, and in other areas, reindeer are getting fatter and fatter as the grazing area expands. It all points to a new environment that may even help Greenland become more independent.

Read the rest of Gardeners Plant Strawberries and Tomatoes in the Arctic Valleys of Greenland for the First Time

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Post tags: Arctic global warming, climate change arctic, climate change greenland, global warming impact, Greenland Arctic melting, Greenland crops, Greenland gardening, Greenland Global Warming, Greenland growing crops, Greenland livestock