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Post tags: 12th century watchtower, boutique hotel in Italy, Christopher Chong, eco design, green design, green renovation, historical preservation project in Italy, organic food, sustainable design, sustainable renovation in Italy, Tiber Valley

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: 8 Questions with Starbucks Global Responsibility VP Ben Packard

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Post tags: ben packard, coffee farming, coffee house, corporate social responsibility, ethical farming sustainable agriculture, leed certified stores, leed for retail, recycled packaging, renewable energy credits, social responsibility, starbucks global responsbility, starbucks leed, U.S. Green Building Council, water scarcity

Read the rest of Tiny Off-Grid Hawk House has Soaring Views of the Big Sur Mountains

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Post tags: Alex Wyndham, Big Sur California, California cabana, Hawk House, Hawk House Alex Wyndham, mountain refuge, Mountain Retreat, off the grid home, off-grid houses, small dwellings, small spaces, small timber houses, timber, timber house Big Sur, timber structure, tiny houses

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", 2013, base camp for desert explorers, clean tech, Daylighting, DesertSol, eco design, green design, las vegas, mojave desert, Orange County Solar Decathlon, rainwater harvesting, renewable energy, Solar Decathlon, Solar Power, super resilient desert architecture, sustainable design, water conservation

To promote the value of turning garbage into something valuable, artist and designer Francis Sollano transformed discarded nursing uniforms into a spectacular chandelier he’s called ‘Farfalla’ (aka “bow-tie pasta”). The DIY project can be applied to any fabric, varying on the patterns and colors depending on the look one aims to achieve. Want to learn how to make your own? Follow the instructions after the jump!

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 DIY: Learn How to Make a Gorgeous Farfalla Chandelier with Recycled Fabric

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Post tags: butterfly chandelier, farfalla, farfalla chandelier, francis sollano, green lighting, recycled materials chandelier

Here at Inhabitat, we’ve been following New Zealand designer David Trubridge‘s career since we first spotted him at Milan Design Week years ago. As one of his country’s most celebrated designers, Trubridge emerged on the international design scene in 2001 with his airy bentwood lounge chair known as the Body Raft, and has been innovating ever since. These days, he has jumped into lighting design with his iconic organic lights and his flat pack system. In that spirit, Trubridge has released a a brand new book called So Far to share his design mind with the world. So Far is the autobiography of his life that parallels his personal journey with his design evolution, perfectly weaving the two together in a beautifully illustrated book.

Read the rest of BOOK REVIEW: ‘So Far’ Traces the Evolution of David Trubridge’s Nature-Inspired Designs

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Post tags: "lighting design", Body Raft, book review, David Trubridge, David Trubridge autobiography, design book, flat pack lamps, furniture design, green design, Green Design Book, green design innovation, green furniture design, green lighting design, New Zealand designer, Seed System packing, So Far book review, So Far by David Trubridge, travel book, Trubridge So Far

Are you an eco-conscious architect, designer or lighting professional looking to stay up to date on the latest innovations coming off the energy-efficient lighting front? We’ve teamed up with Elemental LED to provide designers with the ultimate resource for all things LED by creating the Elemental LED Design Center, a one-stop destination for green lighting carefully curated by leading industry professionals. Here you can learn about everything from how to choose an LED vendor to retrofitting or creating new constructions with energy efficient LED lights and systems. You’ll even find plenty of inventive ideas that showcase new and unexpected ways to use LEDs to interior spaces. Check out the Elemental LED Design Center today and start creating your own new and beautiful LED lighting designs!
 

CHECK OUT THE DESIGN CENTER HERE >

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Post tags: "lighting design", and led lighting design competition, design a lamp, Design Competition, design resources, eco design contest, eco lamp, elemental design center, elemental LED, elemental led lighting design, elemental led store, green design competition, green lamp, industrial design competition, inhabitat competition, inhabitat contest, interior lighting resources, lamp design, lamp design contest, learn about lighting design, LED bulb, led lamp design, led light design, Lighten Up, Lighten Up! An LED Lighting Design Competition, lighting contest, lighting design center, lighting design competition, lighting design contest, lighting design resources, lighting resources, product design competition, win this

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Post tags: 3D parametric design, ALA Architects, Central Helsinki Library, Daylighting, eco design, green design, library design in Finland, locally sourced materials, passive design, prefabricated design, Siberian larch cladding, sustainable design, ultra modern library

Read the rest of Studio Andrew Todd Unveils Plans for Circular Theater Made from Recycled Paper

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Post tags: 2013 World Stage Design, eco design, Globe Theater, green design, paper bale architecture, recycled paper theater, Studio Andrew Todd, sustainable design, sustainable theater

Read the rest of Miller Hull’s Powell River Library to Become Social, Cultural Hub for Canadian Town

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Post tags: british columbia, canada, community space, Daylighting, green roof, mill town, Miller Hull, Powell River, Powell River Library, public space, Public: Architecture + Communication, revitalization, Seattle, Sustainable, ventilation, views

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Post tags: Daylighting, eco design, green design, green renovation in Portugal, NoArq, portugal, sustainable design, sustainable renovation, Vila Nova de Famalicão

When architect Ed Mazria announced that buildings account for nearly 50% of man-made greenhouse gas emissions, the building industry was taken aback. After a long career in passive solar architecture, he has taken on the goal of steeply reducing the carbon footprint of architecture – most notably with his 2030 Challenge, which aims to eliminate the use of fossil fuels in new construction, and to cut the use of fossil fuels in existing buildings by 50% by 2030. To help hit those targets, Mazria is launching a new initiative called the 2030 Palette—a robust, visually oriented online design tool which strives to help produce low-impact, people friendly projects. We recently visited Mazria’s offices in Santa Fe, where we spoke to the architect in-depth about his work and how sustainable development can save us from the worst climate change has to offer.

Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Ed Mazria, Founder of Architecture 2030 Introduces the 2030 Palette

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Post tags: 2030 Palette, Architecture 2030, carbon neutral architecture, Ed Mazria, global warming, green architecture, green construction, Sustainable Building

The Chamfer Home is a tiny self-sufficient shelter with a clean modern design that is made from eco-friendly materials. Designed by S-Archetype, the portable living unit can operate completely off the grid, which means that it can be anchored just about anywhere – from a city rooftop to a patch of sand near the beach.

Read the rest of Chamfer Home: Tiny Self-Sufficient House Operates Off-Grid in Any Locale

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", Architecture, Daylighting, eco-friendly materials, mobile home, S-Archetype, self-sustained, The Chamfer Home, tiny homes, Tselios Chrysanthopoulos

Vasileios Roumeliotis transformed an old bike tire into this beautiful Wheel Light for Roumelight. This lamp is made from a recycled bicycle wheel set on a black glass surface which acts as a canvas, showcasing the play of light and shadow. The Wheel Light can be illuminated by a striking circle of 18 dimmable bulbs (G4) or a hidden length of perimetric LED tape that gives off soft ambient light. The lighted wheel represents both a green method of transportation and an enlightened forward movement full of inventive ideas and creativity.

+ Roumelight

Via Decoholic

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Post tags: bicycle, bike, bike parts, bike wheel, green design, green interiors, recycled bicycle wheel lamp, recycled bike parts, Recycled Materials, Roumelight, sustainable design, Vasileios Roumeliotis, wheelight

Read the rest of Kengo Kuma’s Kids Academy Taiyogaoka Hoikuen is a Beautiful Kindergarten Made from Locally Sourced Wood

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Post tags: Architecture, Daylighting, Ishikawa, Japan, Kengo Kuma, Kids Academy Taiyogaoka Hoikuen, kindergarten, Sustainable Materials, Wood

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Post tags: Austria, Bernardo Bader Architects, cabin in Austria, Daylighting, eco design, green design, Haus Am Moor, local timber, sustainable design, sustainable timber, vernacular architecture, wood-fired stove

Marking its 45th year, NeoCon returned to Chicago this week as North America’s largest contract furnishings trade show. Filling sixteen floors of the mammoth Merchandise Mart, architects and designer from across the globe viewed the latest and greatest furnishings, carpeting, wall coverings, and fixtures from thousands of manufacturers. Inhabitat was on site scouting for the best eco products from the show. Read on to see our most notable products from NeoCon 2013.

Read the rest of Our Favorite Green Products from NeoCon 2013

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Post tags: 2013, Architecture, best of, chicago, event, green interiors, neocon, sustainable design, tradeshow

Read the rest of Sustainable & Flexible Housing in Nantes Caters to Families of All Sizes

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", adaptable housing, atelier tarabusi, eco design, flexible housing, france, green architecture, Green Building, green design, housing in nantes, nantes, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, sustainable housing, sustainable housing in nantes

Read the rest of Swallows Nest: Vincent Callebaut Unveils Glittering Zero-Carbon Mobius Strip Cultural Center for Taiwan

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Post tags: BIPV, clean tech, cultural center in Taichung, Daylighting, earthquake-proof, eco design, green design, Möbius’ ring, photovoltaics, Solar Power, sustainable design, Swallows Nest, taichung, Taiwan, typhoon protection, vertical gardens, vincent callebaut, zero carbon emissions buildings

Your morning cup of joe may be next on the endangered list. A disease outbreak in Central America is threatening hundreds of thousands of farms by crippling coffee plants and causing their fruits not to ripen. The culprit, called coffee rust, is a leaf-blighting fungus thought to be flourishing now due to climate change. So far more than 50 percent of the coffee plants growing in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama have been affected by coffee rust.

Read the rest of Disease Outbreak Could Wipe Out Coffee Crops in Central America

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Post tags: Central America Coffee, Climate Change, coffee in danger, coffee rust fungus, eco design, green design, sustainable design