Welcome to 2010! The start of the new year is the perfect time to reflect upon the past, make resolutions for the future, and think about what the new year will bring. With this in mind, we’ve asked several of our favorite designers, editors and all-around-big-thinkers for their green predictions for the coming year. We received a lot of interesting forecasts for the coming year: from more greenwashing to a revolution in social design, from the rise of heirloom goods to a shift towards systems and services — read on for the our panel of experts’ green design predictions for 2010.

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Post tags: allan chochinov, buy nothing, design predictions for 2010, Emily Pilloton, green design forecasts, Green Design Predictions, Greenwashing, harry wakefield, heirloom design, lloyd alter, new years predictions for 2010, Sarah Rich, saul griffith, service design, social design revolution, the state of green design

This re-covered iPod is almost like hugging a tree, except it fits in the palm of your hand. So perhaps it’s more like giving a tree a handshake and hearing your favorite tunes at the same time. Josh D, from Australia, took his Apple iPod Mini apart and built a brand new case from red cedar to update the otherwise outdated gadget into a stylish, natural, and woodsy example of heirloom design.

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Post tags: Dremel, heirloom design, ipod, iPod Mini, sustainable design, Wood, wood cover

THIS FRIDAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING!!!

Can you tell we’re excited? We’re midway through March, the birds are chirping and we want to encourage you all to green your spring cleaning with our first ever Spring Greening Contest! We all have a few derelict furnishings, defunct appliances, and otherwise unused items collecting dust in the closet – rather than tossing them in the trash we want you to re-furbish, re-purpose, and re-think them into functional examples of DIY design. Send us a picture of your project and we’ll select our favorites for a round of online voting and chance to win some great prizes including a $200 gift certificate to the Inhabitat shop in addition to all of the fame and fortune of being showcased on Inhabitat. So break out that dusty dresser or busted chair, give it a brand new life, slap on a fresh coat of (eco-friendly) paint, and let it shine for a chance to win!

The deadline for submissions is Friday March 27th

All you have to do to enter is:
1. Sign up for the inhabitat newsletter
2. Send a photo and description of your project to editor at inhabitat.com

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Post tags: found design, Green Appliances, green design, green furniture, heirloom design, refurbish, reuse, spring cleaning contest, sustainable design, Waste reduction