5.9 isn’t just any number; it’s the magnitude of the devastating earthquake that struck the Italian region of Emilia May 29, 2012. Italian company Budri was one of the companies affected by the quake, and they reacted to the event by creating a series of tables and other decor from their damaged archive of marbles and stones (including onyx, lapis lazuli, amethyst and mother of pearl). The series, aptly dubbed Earthquake 5.9, was recently presented at the 2013 Salone del Mobile.

Read the rest of Budri and Patricia Urquiola’s Earthquake 5.9 Collection Reuses Materials Damaged in the 2012 Italian Quake

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Post tags: 2013, budri, coverings, Design, earthquake, fragments, Furniture Fair, italy, marble, marblelace, Milan, natfuses macrosteria, onyx, origami, patricia urquiola, Salone del mobile, secret room, slabs, stones, Tables, vases

A little over two years since a devastating earthquake struck Japan and triggered the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, Google has collaborated with the town of Namie-machi, which sits inside the Fukushima Prefecture, to produce haunting Street View images of the stricken area. In a guest post on Google’s blog, Namie-machi Mayor Tamotsu Baba explains that the town has remained untouched since the disaster, and its 21,000 residents unable to return due to high levels of radiation.

Read the rest of Google Launches Haunting Street View of Fukushima Exclusion Zone Two Years After the Disaster

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Post tags: disaster zone, earthquake, exclusion zone, Fukushima, fukushima daiichi, fukushima picture, Google, Google Street View, Japan, namie-machi, natural disaster, nuclear disaster, tsnami

A massive earthquake followed by a powerful tsunami is likely to hit the Pacific Northwest, a new study warns – and it’s expected to kill as many as 10,000 people and cause as much as $32 billion in damages. The new report issued by the Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory Commission says it’s only a matter of time before a devastating mega-quake hits the Pacific Northwest, threatening coastal communities in Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

Read the rest of New Report Predicts Deadly Earthquake and Tsunami for Pacific Northwest

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Post tags: 2011 Japan Tsunami, british columbia, California, Cascadia Subduction Zone, disaster preparedness, earthquake, earthquake preparedness, japan earthquake, natural disasters, Oregon, tsunami, washington

It’s been two years since the deadly earthquake and tsunami ravaged Japan, destroying homes and triggering a nuclear disaster. Although the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and subsequent deluge killed thousands and leveled towns, there was one stark reminder of the planet’s resilience: an 88-foot pine tree that refused to succumb to the onslaught. It stood as the last remaining member of what was once a forest of 70,000 trees along the coast in Rikuzentakata, Iwate prefecture. This week officials unveiled a massive sculpture that memorializes the special tree, and serves as a quiet reminder of nature’s power.

Read the rest of Japanese Town Memorializes Miracle Pine Tree That Survived the 2011 Tsunami

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Post tags: Art, conservation, earthquake, forest, Japan, memorial, miracle pine, natural disaster, preservation, sculpture, tsunami

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced today that Japan plans to begin restarting its idled nuclear plants later this year. All 50 of Japan’s nuclear reactors were taken offline after a meltdown occurred at the Fukushima Daiichi plant following a devastating tsunami almost two years ago. In the wake of the disaster, Japanese politicians vowed to phase out nuclear power in favor or renewable energy, but the announcement today by Abe signals a change of course back to nuclear. The news coincides with a new report from the World Health Organization that cancer risks are 70 percent higher for female infants living near Fukushima.

Read the rest of Japanese Prime Minister Announces Plans to Start Bringing Nuclear Power Plants Back Online

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Post tags: earthquake, Fukushima, fukushima daiichi, fukushima nuclear power plant, Japan, japan nuclear, japan tsunami, japanese tsunami, nuclear, nuclear power plant, renewable energy, Shinzo Abe, tokyo electric power company

When there is an earthquake, we may feel as though the world has been thrown into a state of chaos. Yet even the most violent of shifts in the earth’s crust have a sort of rhythm and order. On February 28, 2001 a magnitude 6.8 earthquake hit near Olympia, Washington. Thirty miles under the surface, the tremors shook the ground for nearly half a minute. It also had a strange and beautiful effect upon a small, sand-tracing pendulum in a shop in Port Townsend. Traced into the sand was an oddly beautiful pattern resembling a rose.

Read the rest of A Beautiful and Mysterious Rose Created by an Earthquake and a Pendulum

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Post tags: Art, earthquake, eye, geologist, norman macleod, olympia, pattern, pendulum, port townsend, rose, sand, seismologist, washington

Eight US sailors have filed a lawsuit against the Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) that owns the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant that melted down after an earthquake and tsunami struck in March, 2011. The soldiers who provided relief operations in the aftermath of the disaster claim that Tepco failed to release accurate information about the level of risk as a result of leaking radiation, as a result of which they were exposed to dangerous amounts.

Read the rest of Eight US Sailors Sue Tepco Over Fukushima Radiation Exposure

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Post tags: earthquake, environmental distraction, federal court, Fukushima, fukushima daiichi, Health, Japan, lawsuit, nuclear, nuclear energy, radiation exposure, TEPCO, tsunami, US soldiers

If Mother Nature is the ultimate artist, then the Quakescape 3D Fabricator is her ultimate medium. The incredible art-making machine converts seismic waves into colored splotches, which are squirted onto a unique canvas – a topographical sub-section of Christchurch, New Zealand. Inspired by last year’s devastating quake in the region, the Quakescape is synched in with earthquake monitors, and it creates a painting each time seismic activity is detected.

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Post tags: Brooke Bowers, Christchurch New Zealand, earthquake, eco design, George Redmond, green design, Hannah Warren, James Boock, Josh Newsome-White, Philippa Shipley, Quakescape 3d Fabricator, Richie Stewart, seismic activity monitor, sustainable design

In March 2011, the town of Onagawa, Japan was devastated by a powerful earthquake. In the months that followed, Shigeru Ban Architects designed a temporary housing complex for survivors who had been displaced from their homes. Ban’s Onagawa temporary container housing is a truly innovative design. The Japanese firm created 189 residential units in two- and three-story apartment buildings that are built from paper tubes and shipping containers.

Read the rest of Shigeru Ban’s Temporary Onagawa Housing is Made from Paper Tubes and Shipping Containers

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Post tags: Cargotecture, container housing, Disaster Relief, earthquake, Japan, Onagawa, shigeru ban, Shigeru Ban Architects, shipping containers, temporary housing

A new study has found that 23 nuclear power plants with 74 reactors in various parts of the world are at high risk from tsunamis like the one that struck the Fukushima Daiichi plant in Japan in March 2011. But Japan isn’t the only country where tsunamis pose a threat to nuclear reactors; researchers from the University of Huelva in Spain and Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium have identified many other reactors in South Korea, China, India, and the Eastern Mediterranean that are also at risk.

Read the rest of New Study Shows 23 Nuclear Power Plants Around the World at High Risk from Tsunamis

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Post tags: disaster, earthquake, fukushima daiichi, Japan, nuclear, plant, power, renewable energy, tsunami

Many experts suggest that the safest way to ride out an earthquake is to stand in a doorway or hide under a table to protect yourself from falling debris. However a Japanese company, Shinko Industries has come up with a more sturdy solution – a seismic bed known as the Wood Luck which is capable of supporting 65 tons of pressure!

Read the rest of Earthquake-Proof ‘Wood Luck’ Bed Protects You From Falling Buildings While You Sleep

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Post tags: bed, earthquake, earthquake debris, earthquake proof bed, earthquake shelter, shinko industries, wood luck bed

It’s been well over a year since a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. During early stages of the fallout, Japanese officials insisted that radioactive contamination did not pose a serious danger to humans or the environment, but in the months that followed, evidence has suggested otherwise. A study published recently in the journal Nature provides evidence that the collapse of the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant released a huge amount of radioactive materials into the environment. According to the research, this contamination is already causing physiological and genetic damage to a species of butterfly that used to be common in the region.

Read the rest of Mutant Butterflies Found in Japan After Fukushima Nuclear Disaster

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Post tags: Butterflies, earthquake, Fukushima, genetic mutation. nuclear fallout, Japan, radiation, tsunami

Kingston University graduate design student Younghwa Lee has created an innovative indoor shelter for use during an earthquake—a folding door that not only stands in the safest place in a home, but also provides protection from falling debris. In the event of an earthquake, it is best to stand in a doorway or take shelter under a table to avoid falling debris, and Younghwa Lee’s ingenious creation provides additional shelter directly beneath rigid door frames.

Read the rest of Folding Door Transforms Into a Life-Saving Earthquake Shelter

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Post tags: earthquake, earthquake shelter, folding door, folding earthquake shelter, iran earthquake, Kingston University, us geological survey, Younghwa Lee

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Post tags: Andrew Burns, Art, Disaster Relief, earthquake, Echigo-Tsumari Triennale, eco design, green design, Japan, sustainable design, timber

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government released new data this week detailing what would happen if the Japanese capital were hit with a major earthquake. According to the projection, a 7.3-magnitude quake would likely kill about 9,600 people, and it would leave 147,000 more injured. Of those, about 21,900 would likely be seriously injured, according to the projection. A quake of that magnitude would also destroy or seriously damage about 378,000 buildings, according to the government projection.

Read the rest of If a Mega-Earthquake Hit Tokyo, It Would Kill Close to 10,000

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Post tags: disaster, earthquake, Earthquake Research Institute, earthquakes, Japan, natural disasters, quake, temblor, Tokyo, tsunami

For the first time in a generation, Japan is set to go nuclear-free next month. Nuclear energy has suffered a serious blow to its public image since the March 2011 disaster at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, and Japanese authorities have been cautious about restarting idled nuclear plants. Over the weekend, Japan’s Trade Minister Yukio Edano indicated that on May 6 the last operating nuclear reactor in the country is set to be taken offline, meaning that for the first time since 1970, Japan will be getting zero energy from nuclear power plants.

Read the rest of Japan to Shut Down Last Operating Nuclear Reactor on May 6th

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Post tags: "clean energy", atomic energy, earthquake, fossil fuels, Fukushima, fukushima daiichi, Japan, nuclear disaster, nuclear meltdown, nuclear power, nuclear reactor, power plant, tsunami

Following last year’s nuclear disaster in Fukushima, there has been a great deal of public concern over the contamination of local food sources and water and now, newly constructed buildings can be added to the list of radiation fears in Japan. A three-month-long survey of students in Nihonmatsu City turned city officials onto the presence of high levels of radiation in one recently built three-story apartment complex. Concrete used to construct the building included broken pieces of stone quarried from Namie Town, a condemned area near Fukushima reactor number one.

Read the rest of Radioactive Concrete From Fukushima Found In New Japanese Building

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Post tags: earthquake, Environment, Fukushima, fukushima radiation, green design, infrastructure, Japan, japan disaster, japan radiation, japan radioactive building, nihonmatsu, nuclear, nuclear power, radiation, renewable energy, tsunami

When a massive earthquake struck Haiti two years ago today, the damage was staggering. Hundreds of thousands of people were displaced and entire towns were reduced to rubble. In the wake of the destruction Architecture for Humanity stepped in to try and lend a hand in rebuilding the country in a safe and environmentally friendly manner. Today they’ve reported that with help from outside organizations like the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund they’ve managed to help tens of thousands of Haitians with rebuilding efforts and have completed three clinics and four schools (with seven more in the construction phase) and provided 5,000+ builders with the Rebuilding Haiti 101 Manual, reaching the lives of over 50,000 Haitians with their efforts to date.

Read the rest of Architecture for Humanity Reports They’ve Helped Tens of Thousands in the Wake of the Haiti Earthquake

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Post tags: afh, Architecture for Humanity, clinton bush haiti fund, clinton global initiative, Disaster Relief, Disaster-proof design, earthquake, earthquake proof design, Green Building, green building in haiti, haiti destruction, haiti earthquake, haiti philanthropy, haiti schools, low cost green building, Open Architecture Network, rebuilding haiti, safe rebuilding

In the same way that we have backup batteries for our cameras and computers, the Japanese government has recently unveiled plans to develop a whole new city that will act as a backup for Tokyo in the event of another crippling earthquake. The last earthquake and subsequent tsunami caused major problems in Tokyo for weeks, often leaving people without power despite cold temperatures. So the government has proposed to develop a parallel universe, as it were, just 300 miles west of the existing city, in order to prevent a replay of this unfortunate scenario.

Read the rest of Japanese Government Unveils Plan to Build a Backup City for Tokyo

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Post tags: backup city, disaster design, earthquake, Fukushima, IRTBBC, Japan, japanese back up city, japanese government, nuclear power, office tower, osaka, power cuts, tokyo back up city, tourism, tsanami

The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) has installed 100 solar-powered street lamps in Haitian refugee camps Pétionville and Caradeux. Almost two years after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti taking over 700,000 lives and leaving millions homeless, the country is still struggling to rebuild its infrastructure. Neighborhood redevelopment has accounted for the relocation of some refugees, but 23,000 still live at Pétionville, and many thousands more are in camps vulnerable to landslides, fire, flooding, and high incidents of violence. While renewable energy can’t solve all of these dilemmas, solar-powered street lamps make it possible for children to study, for dinner to be made, and for card games to be played well after the sun sets.

Read the rest of Solar Electric Light Fund Shines a Ray of Hope on Haiti

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Post tags: Climate Change, CO2, earthquake, eco design, ECO:nomics, Environment, environmental design, GE, green design, green infrastructure, green living, green technology, haiti, Health, infrastructure, Pétionville, public safety, renewable energy, safety, Solar Electric Light Fund, solar lamp, solar lighting, street lamps, sustainable design, sustainable living, women