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

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Post tags: "leed", "solar energy", Botanic gardens, garden, geothermal, Green Building, green roof, LEED platinum, Living Building Challenge, phipps conservatory, pittsburgh, rainwater collection, sustainable design, sustainable sites initiative, The Design Alliance Architects, wind energy

Bike commuting is a boon for urban environments – and soon, the bustling City of Pittsburgh, Penn., is about to have a lot more of it. The city’s Mayor Luke Ravenstahl recently announced plans to launch a 500-bike, 50-station bike sharing program in 2014. The initiative will build on the success of similar bike sharing programs in Washington, D.C., Boston, and Denver, and Mayor Ravenstahl hopes the new alternative transportation system will enhance mobility within the city, promote tourism, and provide a fun and healthy way to visit the city’s diverse and exciting neighborhoods.

Read the rest of Pittsburgh Announces 50-Station, Solar-Powered Bike Sharing Program

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Post tags: alternative transportation, bike commuting, bike sharing, pittsburgh, public transportation

Pittsburgh-based safety equipment manufacturer MSA recently unveiled an industrial hard hat that is made entirely from renewable material. The MSA-Gard GRN Hard Hat is composed of sugarcane ethanol, which has a very small carbon footprint. Just like any other safety hat, the GRN Hard Hat provides head protection without any compromise – and its earth-friendly construction is the icing on the cake.

Via Damn Geeky

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Read the rest of INTERVIEW: Architect and Author Alejandro Bahamon on ‘REMATERIAL From Waste to Architecture’

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Alejandro Bahamón, Architecture, book review, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green materials, Maria Camila Sanjinés, material reuse, Recycled Materials, rematerial, Rematerial from waste to architecture, reuse, Sustainable Building, Waste

Read the rest of Gensler’s Super Sustainable Tower at PNC Plaza Breaks Ground in Pittsburgh

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", building update, Buro Happold, eco design, eco skyscraper, eco tower, Gensler, green architecture, Green Building, green design, Paladino & Company, pittsburgh, PNC, PNC Financial Services, skyscraper, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, sustainable tower, tower at pnc plaza

Read the rest of Franco Recchia Creates Amazing Microchip Cities from Recycled Computer Parts

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Post tags: Art, central park, city skylines, computer parts, Franco Recchia, mixed media, NYC, recycling, upcycling

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Post tags: adaptive reuse, cannon design, eco design, green design, LEED Gold Landmark, Municipal Power House Building, St. Louis Power House, sustainable design

Read the rest of Google’s New Pittsburgh Office is Located in a 100-Year-Old Nabisco Factory

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Post tags: adaptive reuse, Google, Google Pittsburgh, office space, pennsylvania, pittsburgh, pittsburgh sustainable, Strada architecture

Boris Mordkovich and Anna Mostovetsky thrive on adventure and share an enduring passion for the environment, so when Boris and his brother, Yevgeniy started EVELO, an electric bike company in New York, Boris wanted to find a way to raise awareness about green transportation. After some thought, he and cycle partner Anna Mostovetsky took on one daunting undertaking, deciding to set off on a trans-American electric bike tour. Now two and a half weeks in, the journey is taking the pair from New York City to San Francisco by electric bike, with stops along the way to give talks and test rides to anyone who might be curious about the technology.

Read the rest of A Pair Travels from NYC to San Francisco by Electric Bike to Educate Americans on Green Transportation

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Post tags: Anna Mostovetsky, Bike Battery, Bike Paths, Bike Ride, Bike Tour, Boris Mordkovich, E-Bike rides, electric bicycle, Evelo Bikes, Google maps, green transportation, New York City Bike, San Francisco Bike, solar battery, Trans-American Electric Bike Tour

Natural gas drilling has starred in several documentary films in recent years, including Josh Fox’s Oscar-nominated “GasLand,” and now it’s set to become the subject of a major feature film starring Matt Damon. Last week, WME Agency, which represents Damon, confirmed to Politico that Damon will star in “Promised Land,” a movie about hydraulic fracturing (or fracking) – the controversial and environmentally destructive technique of removing natural gas from the earth. The movie is still in pre-production, and filming is scheduled to begin in the Pittsburgh area later this month.

Read the rest of Matt Damon Set To Star in Anti-Fracking Movie “Promised Land”

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Post tags: Dave Eggars, drilling, Film, fossil fuels, fracking, gas, Gasland, Gus Van Sant, hollywood, hydraulic fracturing, John Krasinski, Josh Fox, Matt Damon, movies, natural gas, shale

Read the rest of Phipps Conservatory’s Net-Zero Center for Sustainable Landscapes Opens Next Month

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Post tags: Andropogon, cjl engineering, constructed wetlands, design alliance architects, green buildings pittsburgh, green roof, leed certification, LEED platinum, Living Building Challenge, living buildings, massaro corporation, net zero building, phipps, phipps center for sustainable landscapes, phipps conservatory, phipps conservatory pittsburgh, phipps csl, pittsburgh, rainwater harvesting, solar panels, sustainable sites initiative, turner construction, vertical axis wind turbine

One of the largest and most controversial coal mines in American history appears to be moving forward, at least for now. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency vetoed the massive Spruce No. 1 mine’s permit, because it would cause irreparable damage to the surrounding ecosystem. But last week a federal judge overturned that ruling, arguing that government had overstepped its bounds, effectively green-lighting the mine. We wish this were an April Fools joke, but it appears to be true.

Read the rest of Biggest Mountaintop Removal Project in West Virginia History Moving Forward

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Post tags: Arch Coal of St. Louis, coal, coal mine, environmental protection agency, epa, fossil fuels, mountaintop removal, Spruce No. 1 Mine, strip mining, west virginia

Jill Fehrenbacher, Editor-in-Chief

This year I’m spending the holidays with my family in NYC. We don’t enjoy the hustle and bustle of holiday travel, so we’re laying low in our apartment, baking, cooking, and skyping with family on the West Coast, and waiting for the winter weather to show up.

Happy Holidays everyone!
Thanks for reading.

MIKE CHINO, Managing Editor

I’m spending the holidays with my family in sunny Southern California this year, so there isn’t any sign of winter in sight – instead of cozying up by the fire I’ve been trying to get outside as much as possible to enjoy the beautiful weather. This year I rediscovered surfing after a long hiatus, so I’ve been heading to the beach every chance I get. (I never camped or hiked much growing up, so the ocean has always been my strongest point of contact with nature.) It feels amazing to literally immerse yourself in the environment that surrounds you, and the past year has underlined both the importance of this experience and the necessity of preserving the world around us.

YUKA YONEDA, Senior Editor

I’ll be spending the day hanging with my fam, but also pondering a very serious offense that I recently committed against my fellow editor Diane Pham. At our recent holiday party, Diane received, arguably, the best holiday gift ever - a Christmas stocking filled with mini booze bottles - from writer Lori Zimmer. Since we were playing White Elephant, a game that encourages thievery, I immediately jumped in and snatched the Liquorbag, only to have it consequently stolen from me by NY editor Jessica Dailey. The experience taught me that stealing doesn’t pay, and it also made Diane quite sad. To make up for my heinous deed, I’ll be spending part of my Christmas day crafting Diane her very own Ice Cube <3s Eames pillow. I hope that makes up for everything Diane!

JESSICA DAILEY, New York Editor

As usual, I’m spending the holidays with my family at my parents’ house outside of Pittsburgh, PA. For us, the holidays are all about eating, drinking, baking, family, and friends — and I wouldn’t have it any other way. My older sister is home from England, too, so all three Dailey girls are under the same roof, which can make things a bit loud and chaotic, but certainly always fun. My dad decked the house with brilliant LEDs this year, and we’ll be basking in the glow of our 12 ft. tall Christmas tree, festooned with our homemade ornaments, sipping wine and stuffing ourselves silly with cookies. Merry Christmas!

BRIDGETTE MEINHOLD, Architecture Editor

In all honesty, 2011 has been a long and tiring year. Lots of good things have come about, but it was not without a considerable amount of effort. From a DIY house remodel to writing a book on sustainable architecture, I have been busy. So this weekend, I am going to relax. I am going to ski. I will enjoy my snow-bound cabin. I am going to visit friends I have been neglecting and I am going to sleep. And while I sleep, I will dream of 2012 and all the promise it holds for a new and amazing year.

NICOLE ABENE, Weekend Editor

HO HO HO! This little girl is my beautiful niece Eloise and, although she wasn’t especially impressed by Santa Clause, we’re all excited to spend a second Christmas with her while she giggles and dances and lights up the holiday. I’ll be spending Christmas at my parents house in New Jersey, waiting for snow, eating yummy food, and playing lots of board games with my siblings. Instead of wasting paper, I wrapped all of the presents in used LSAT study guides and I expect it to be a bit cathartic seeing them ripped apart. Merry Christmas, readers, and a have Happy New Year!

BRIT LIGGETT, New York Editor

For me the holiday season is really about family and food. So this weekend I’ll be cooking up a storm with my relatives. We’re due to make wild mushroom risotto for Christmas dinner ( a recipe from my favorite slow food chef, Alice Waters) and hang in the kitchen while it simmers. We aren’t a big present family and the things we choose to give are usually artisinal. This year I’ll be gifting handmade photo frames with choice shots from the wonderful family moments in 2011. Happy holidays to our readers!

Lori Zimmer, Contributing Writer

I’m very thankful for all my family and friends in Buffalo and New York City this year! I’ll be celebrating by giving my loved ones handmade cards from recycled materials, as well as making them each a growler of home made beer!

TIMON SINGH, News Writer

Another year is over and my attempts to make my life that little bit greener have had mixed results. Unfortunately the cost of solar panels in the UK is still outrageous, and I am still faced with the problem that sunlight in our fair country is minimal. Still, I seem to be recycling everything I can get my hands on and am proud of the compost bin in my garden. As for the festive season – does re-gifting old presents from last year count as recycling? I think it does. Merry Christmas!

Lead Image: © bubolinkata

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Post tags: green christmas, green holidays, Happy Holidays From Inhabitat, holiday celebrations, inhabitat christmas, inhabitat christmas greetings, inhabitat holiday greetings, inhabitat holidays, Merry Christmas from Inhabitat

Beloved architect Frank Lloyd Wright is finally the subject of a biopic film to be directed by Driving Miss Daisy’s Bruce Beresford. The father of “organic architecture,” a term he coined, Wright had an innovative philosophy that fused architecture with its environment, and he designed some of the United State’s most famous buildings from the 20th Century. The film, called Taliesin, is written by Nicholas Meyer and highlights the period of Wright’s life which involved the murder of his mistress Martha Cheney. The title refers to Wright’s Prairie-style home where the tragic events took place.

Read the rest of Frank Lloyd Wright Biopic “Taliesin” to be Directed by Bruce Beresford

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Post tags: Bruce Beresford, cantilever, Darwin D. Martin House, Driving Miss Daisy, eco design, fallingwater, frank lloyd wright, frank lloyd wright film, frank lloyd wright movie, green design, organic architecture, radiant flooring, Robie House, sustainable design, taliesin, taliesin film

Over the past several years, PNC Financial Services has upped the ante on green design in downtown Pittsburgh with the 2009 construction of Three PNC Plaza, a LEED-certified office building, and the addition of one of the world’s biggest green walls at One PNC Plaza. Now, the financial company is preparing to break ground on another office tower that architect Doug Gensler describes as “the world’s most environmentally friendly skyscraper.”

Read the rest of PNC’s New Green Skyscraper to Tap Pittsburgh’s Underground Fourth River

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Post tags: "green wall", "leed", Doug Gensler, energy efficient design, geothermal, green design, green roof, pittsburgh, PNC Financial Services, PNC Tower

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", BREEAM, Colchester, Daylighting, eco design, Firstsite Arts Center, Golden Banana, Golden Blunder, green design, is it green, mixed-use development, rafael vinoly, Recycled Materials, sustainable design, UK

A giant pink breast has just rolled into Pittsburgh, and it’s there to stay for the next two and a half months. The three foot tall breast sits atop Jill Miller’s Milk Truck, a mobile breastfeeding unit that is dispatched when mothers are hassled for nursing their babies in public. Miller, an alum of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, created the pink and blue striped truck to spark public discussion about a woman’s right to breastfeed in public. Hit the jump to learn how to find the Milk Truck!

READ MORE >

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On their latest weekly episode, Public Radio International’s popular show, This American Life, digs deep into the issue of hydraulic fracturing — or fracking as it is commonly referred to. Fracking is a process that removes natural gas from the earth by fracturing rock layers deep underground with high pressure mixtures of water and dangerous chemicals. Opponents say the process irreparably damages drinking water and has a life cycle that is more damaging than that of coal — even though natural gas burns cleaner when used. The issue is surely heating up in the presses these days with New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo reportedly toying with lifting his state’s moratorium on fracking and environmental organizations around the country furiously fighting the spread of fracking from California to New Jersey — where they recently banned fracking. This week’s episode of This American Life lifts the shroud of confusion around the issue of fracking by interviewing those on both sides as well as scientists who helped engineer the process who are now touring the country speaking out against it. Listen to the story after the jump.

Read the rest of This American Life Digs Deep into the Issues Behind Hydrofracking

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Post tags: "clean energy", fracking, hydraulic fracturing, hydrofracking, natural energy, natural gas, natural gas extraction, new jersey fracking, new york fracking, pennsylvania fracking, petroleum supplies, renewable energy, this american life, what is fracking

Read the rest of Rapid Prototyping Brings ‘Ideas for Good’ to Life at CMU

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Post tags: birken schimpff, carnegie mellon university, carnegie mellon university pittsburgh, cmu, cmu designers, cmu pittsburgh, cmu robotics, david champion, deeplocal, deeplocal designers, deeplocal engineers, deeplocal pittsburgh, emu engineers, fran orzech, ideas for good, ideas for good cmu, ideas for good deeplocal, illah nourbakhsh, nathan marten, pittsburgh, pittsburgh pa, stu selthun, tim witmer, Toyota, toyota advanced parking guidance system, toyota cmu deeplocal, toyota designs, toyota engineers, toyota events, toyota hybrid synergy drive, toyota ideas for good, toyota pries, toyota production system, toyota solar ventilation, toyota technologies