It’s been a bad year for air quality in China. Rampant industrial pollution has caused cities like Beijing and Shanghai to be shrouded in a cloud of toxic emissions, and now China’s most vulnerable citizens are feeling the heath effects of the economic development. As smog across northern China surged to record-breaking levels this winter, many children began to experience unexplained illness and breathing problems. Many mothers now forbid their children to play outside, fearing that the very air will pollute their young lungs even further.

Read the rest of Deadly Air Pollution Makes Playing Outside a Nightmare For Children in China

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Post tags: air filter, air mask, Air quality, Beijing, cancer, Children, china, health risk, Pollution, shanghai, smog

Read the rest of MVRDV Breaks Ground on Green-Roofed Business District at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport

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Post tags: aedas, central business district, china, Daylighting, energy efficient building, global development, green roof, International Business District, MVRDV, natural ventilation, shanghai, Shanghai Hongqiao Airport, Sustainable Building

Polluters in China beware – there’s a new Premier in town and he is ready to tackle pollution with an “iron fist,” he told media at his debut press conference over the weekend. While Li Keqiang did not mention any specific steps his government would take to clean up the country’s increasingly toxic waterways, skies and fields, he did specifically say that economic growth should not occur at the expense of the environment.

Read the rest of China’s New Premier Promises to Tackle Pollution with an “Iron Fist”

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Post tags: Beijing, china, dead pigs, economic growth, environmental degradation, factories, iron fist, li keqiang, News, Pollution, shanghai, smog

China’s cities are experiencing record-breaking levels of air pollution. Fearing for their health, Shanghai’s traffic police department has distributed nasal smog filters to more than 200 officers in an effort to protect outdoor workers from air pollution in the city. If found to be effective, the nostril-sized pollution screens may be given to the entire police force.

Read the rest of Chinese Air Quality is So Bad, Traffic Police Ordered to Wear Anti-Smog Nasal Filters

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Post tags: air pollution, Air quality, Beijing, cancer, china, nasal filter, police, shanghai, smog, traffic

In China, someone’s old music collection is getting a second chance at life. MINIWIZ Sustainable Energy Development Ltd recently announced plans to build the iGreen, an aviation museum featuring a 5D movie theater that will act as the centerpiece to Dream World park near Shanghai. At a diameter of 50 meters the globe will be one of the largest spherical structures in the world, and it will be constructed using 100% recycled CDs and DVDs. In addition to housing the museum complex, iGreen will create a microclimate allowing tropical plants flourish. Designed to withstand typhoon-strength gusts, acid rain, and UV radiation, the futuristic building is slated to be one of China’s most impressive landmarks.

Read the rest of iGreen: Giant Sphere Made From Thousands of Recycled CDs and DVDs Coming to China

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Post tags: aviation museum, china, donald saga, dream world park, dvd, ecoark pavillion, igreen, miniwiz sustainable energy development ltd, pet plastic, polli brick, recycled, shanghai, taipei

Read the rest of Tony’s Organic Farm Has a New Shipping Container Visitor Center in Shanghai

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Cargotecture, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, organic farm, playze, shanghai, shipping container, shipping container architecture, shipping container welcome center, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, sustainable farming, sustainable food, tony's farm

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Post tags: bamboo stalactites, Biennale pavilion, Cape Town, cop 17, green design, Liter of Light, low-cost housing, mushroom farm, plastic light bulbs, shanghai, slums, solar bulbs, South Africa, Stephen Lamb, sustainable design, Touching the Earth Lightly, Urban design

Construction is officially underway on Foster + Partners‘ sustainable masterplan for the Hongqiao Vantone SunnyWorld Centre, a sustainable mixed-use development in the heart of the Shanghai Hongqiao Central Business District. The 1.7 million-square-foot development will include include offices, restaurants and shops. The new development is centered around a 10-acre park, and it’s designed to maximize natural light and ventilation.

Read the rest of Foster + Partners Breaks Ground on Green-Roofed Hongqiao Vantone SunnyWorld Centre in Shanghai

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Post tags: china, Daylighting, energy efficient, Foster + Partners, green masterplan, green roof, Hongqiao Vantone SunnyWorld Centre, natural daylight, natural ventilation, shanghai, Shanghai Hongqiao CBD, SunnyWorld Centre, Sustainable Building

The China Environmental Protection Foundation (CEPF), in collaboration with DDB China Group, created an interactive poster to encourage people to walk rather than drive. With the piece, pedestrians became artists that produced footprint “leaves” on a giant canvas across a 12.6 x 7 meter canvas. The spectacular work was spread across a busy intersection in Shanghai.

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Post tags: advertising campaign, alternative transportation, Art, china, eco-art, eco-friendly transportation, green advertising campaign, green art, shanghai, transport

A joint report from University of Leed’s School of Civil Engineering and Dutch authorities reveals that in a new study of nine coastal cities around the world, Shanghai is the most vulnerable to serious flooding. In fact, according to a new method to calculate the flood vulnerability of cities, those in Europe top the leader board for their resilience.

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Post tags: coastal cities, flood index, flood risk rating, global flooding, Netherlands, shanghai, shanghai flooding, university of leed's school of civil engineering, university of leeds

Read the rest of The Shelter: Former Shanghai Bomb Shelter Transformed Into a Nightclub!

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Post tags: bomb shelters, china, French Concession, nightclubs, nightlife, reuse, shanghai, sustainable business, The Shelter, Xuhui, Xuhui District

New studies are showing that Chinese cities are slowly sinking as a result of rapid development and excess groundwater use. According to reports, as many as 50 cities across the country are affected by soil subsidence, including the country’s largest - Shanghai. Apparently, Shanghai has been slowly sinking for at least 90 years.

Read the rest of Chinese Cities Are Sinking Due to Excess Groundwater Use and Rapid Growth

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Post tags: aquifers, china, chinese cities, cities sinking, groundwater, pudong, shanghai, shanghai tower, sinking chinese cities, subsidence, yangtze river

Read the rest of Wind-Powered Pavilions in Shanghai Are Fun Candy-Coated Play Houses

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", "wind power", art installation, bailanjing park, china, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, park, pavilions, shanghai, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, taranta creations, tea houses, Urban design, urban green space, urban park, wind powered

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Post tags: "solar energy", Cargotecture, eco design, green design, off the grid, photovoltaic roof, radiant flooring, recycled shipping containers, renewable resources, shanghai, Solar Decathlon, sustainable design, Team China, Tongji University, washington d.c., Y Container

Read the rest of Shanghai’s Stunning Sun Valley Pavilion Boasts the World’s Largest Membrane Roof

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Post tags: china, eco design, Expo-Axis, green design, Largest Membrane Roof, SBA International, shanghai, sustainable design, world expo

A lucky stray dog in China recently received the royal treatment with an expansive doghouse made from a recycled refrigerator! Designed by studio Y-town, the sectioned doghouse is made from an old refrigerator that has been turned on its side and upgraded with a slanting roof.

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Post tags: Chuichui, dog house, eco design, green design, Huangpu River, recycled dog house, Recycled refrigerators, shanghai, sustainable design, y-town

On show this week at the Milan Furniture Fair are PEGA consulting group’s remarkable prototypes made with their new and revolutionary biodegradable, recyclable and reusable material. Able to be injection molded just like standard ABS plastics, the new material is a recycled paper and polypropylene alloy that has been engineered for use in creating even the most intricate parts for consumer electronics.

Read the rest of PEGA’s Revolutionary Paper Alloy Can be Used to Create Consumer Electronics

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Post tags: Asus, computer, Design, Eco, gadget, green, injection molded, laptop, Paper, PEGA, polyproylene alloy, recyclable, shanghai, Sustainable, taipei, Technology

Read the rest of Recycled Suitcases Used To Furnish Shanghai’s URBN Hotel

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", A00 architecture, adaptive reuse, boutique hotel, carbon neutral hotel, carbon-neutral, china, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green renovation, shanghai, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, urban hotel, urbn, Zero Carbon

In October, Inhabitat brought you news about China claiming to have broken the speed record for locally produced trains with one of their scheduled service trains reaching an impressive 262 mph. Now, they’ve not only gone and beat that speed, but decimated it by an extra 40 mph. That’s right, one of China’s high-speed rail trains has reached an astounding 302 mph.

Read the rest of Chinese Commercial Train Obliterates Speed Record At 302MPH

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Post tags: 300mph, Beijing, beijing shanghai high speed rail, china, china 302mph, china high speed record, chinese, chinese high speed train 302mph, chinese train speed record, fast, fastest, high speed rail, HighSpeedRail, inhabitat china high speed, rail, record, shanghai, speed, train, trains, world record, WorldRecord, worlds fastest, WorldsFastest

In another triumph for green transportation, Shanghai’s latest bullet train has obliterated the previous record for the fastest high speed train in the world by 21km/h. The lightning fast train was able to reach a speed of 415km/h, and come late October it will service lucky commuters traveling from Shanghai to Hangzhou (which are approximately 202km apart). To be clear, the Shanghai train broke the world record for high-speed train travel, not conventional rail travel. The record holder for conventional rail travel is the French TGV, which clocked in at 574 kph.

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Post tags: bullet train, china, chinese train, green train, green transportation, high speed rail, shanghai