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Post tags: "natural materials", 11 eco-tastic gifts for mother's day, Airplane Wrap, Buddha Belly Tea Kettle, Chrysocolla Cocktail "Hug" Ring, Diamond Hobo Bag, eco jewelry, eco-gifts, fair trade gifts, Forest Pool Necklace, green gift guide, green gifts, green holidays, green office, Indigenous, lotions, mother's day, novica, Orchid-infused lotion, Organic Aromatherapy Body Soap, organic ingredients, organic lotions, Organic soap, Piper Tate, recycled gifts, Recycled Glass Balloon Vase, Recycled Materials, Redwood Forest bonsai kit, south america, Succulent Wall Planter Kit, sustainable gifts, Trinity Wooden Cuff, upcycled gifts, VivaTerra

When you can’t sleep and need to count sheep to drift off, try wrapping your brain one of these eerie glowing lambs from South America. Scientists from the Animal Reproduction Institute of Uruguay (IRAUy) have genetically engineered nine animals to light up under UV light by incorporating a gene from the Aequorea victoria jellyfish. The research is intended to help easily identify genetically modified processes in animals.

Read the rest of Scientists in Uruguay Genetically Engineer Sheep to Glow Under UV Light

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Post tags: aequorea jellyfish, alejo menchaca, animal reproduction institute of uruguay, bioengineer, genetically modified animals unit, glow, growth hormone, insulin, irauy, lamb, Medicine, pasteur institute, sheep, south america, south atlantic news agency, uv light

Read the rest of Casa Pentimento: Prefab Ecuadorian House Made From 900 LEGO-Like Concrete Blocks

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Post tags: Casa Pentimento Ecuador, David Barragán, ecuador, Ecuador architecture, green architecture, Jose María Sáez, lego-like home, modular building, modular housing, modular prefab, precast concrete, Prefab Housing, south america, south america architecture

Rumors have been circulating as to whether or not the President would approve the Keystone XL Pipeline. On Friday, the State Department released a study suggesting that the pipeline, which is slated to stretch from Canada to Texas, would have no significant impact on the environment. However, they stopped short of actually recommending it to be completed. The Sierra Club released a statement calling the study “deeply flawed,” and environmentalists have pointed out that building the pipeline would promote further fossil fuel use at a time when climate change desperately needs to be addressed.

Read the rest of Environmentalists Baffled at State Department Claim that Keystone XL Would Have Little Environmental Impact

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Post tags: bill snape, canada, center for biological diversity, greater sage grouse, high plains aquifer, jobs, kerri-ann jones, Keystone XL Pipeline, Middle East, montana, Nebraska, oceans and international scientific affairs, president obama, renewable energy, report, sand hill region, south america, south dakota, state department, texas, transcanada, tyler county creeks, whooping crane

There is a good reason why Argentina’s flag sports a shining sun. At present, Argentina only produces about 10MW of solar power, but that figure is soon about to receive a giant boost as the country plans to increase its capacity by 35 times and the government begins to hand out incentives to private companies. International developers are looking to the western regions where projects are estimated to produce over twice the amount of energy coming from solar in Germany, the world’s current market leader. The plans would assist in the efforts of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner to increase the amount of energy generated by renewables from 2 percent to 8 percent by 2013.

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Post tags: aldar sa, Argentina, Brazil, china, Columbia, debt, default, enarsa, germany, inflation, president cristina fernandez de kirchner, renewable energy, sky solar holdings co., Solar Power, solaria energia & medio ambiente sa, south america, Spain, tariff

These aren’t your grandmother’s shag carpets – Alexandra Kehayoglou creates incredible rugs that look like miniature pastures and meadows. Each hand-tufted piece is a tribute to the landscape of the artist’s native Argentina. As a granddaughter of Greek immigrants, she grew up following a textile tradition that was developed thousands of years ago in Asia Minor. After graduating with a degree in visual arts, Kehayoglou returned to her roots make carpets as her ancestors did, but with a twist. As varied as the grasses of South America, the carpets are beautiful representations of natural and cultural heritage.

+ Alexandra Kehayoglou

Via Design Squish

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Post tags: alexandra kehayoglou, Argentina, asia minor, carpet, greek, pastureland, plants, Rugs, south america

In developing countries that lack electricity or the funds to buy expensive machines, taking care of laundry the old-fashioned way requires an enormous amount of time and effort.  That’s why Alex Cabunoc and Ji A You created the GiraDora – a combination washer and spin-dryer that is powered by a foot pedal.  At only $40, this ingenious contraption is an inexpensive way to help break the cycle of poverty in many disadvantaged communities.

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Post tags: alex cabunoc, Clothes, dell social innovation challenge, developing countries, dryer, Electricity, ergonomic, gira dora, India, international design excellence awards, ji a you, peru, Poverty, south america, washing machine, water issues

Read the rest of Makeshift Magazine Launch Celebrates Innovative Design in Unlikely Places

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Post tags: A Journal of Creativity, adaptive reuse, Africa, asia, developing world, earth-friendly, Eco, eco-conscious, green, green design, informal economy, informal sector, ingenuity, inhabitat, innovation, invention, inventive, Makeshift, makeshift magazine, Makeshift: A Journal of Creativity, re-culture, Recycle, Recycled Materials, repurpose, Repurposed Space, resourceful, reuse, south america, sustainable design, Sustainable Materials, trash, Waste

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Post tags: bamboo, bottle house, eco design, green design, hug it forward, humanitarian design, insulation, south america, sustainable design

Read the rest of THE GUYANA PROJECT: Students Turn South American Rainforest into Design Studio!

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Post tags: eco design, green design, industrial design, model citizens, New York., Pratt Institute, south america, sustainable design, The Guyana Project

Due to a bad drought that’s dried up the hydroelectric plants that supply more than two-thirds of its power, Venezuela has been suffering through its worst energy crisis in the last 50 years. President Hugo Chavez’s solution? Change all the light bulbs! Well, that might not be the only action the country is taking (they’ve also put electricity rationing into effect) but an army of Venezuelan soldiers has been given direct orders from the president to distribute thousands of Firefly energy-efficient CFL bulbs. The big switcheroo may not make it rain, but the president sure hopes that it can cut the energy his citizens consume in the meantime.

Read the rest of Hugo Chavez Sends Army to Change All Lights in Venezuela to CFLs

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Post tags: "clean energy", cfl, compact fluorescent light bulb, eco lighting, energy crisis, energy efficient lighting, green energy, green lighting, hugo chavez, light bulb, south america, venezuela

Check out this brilliant World Wildlife Fund ad campaign in the form of bathroom towel dispensers! Demonstrating that Saatchi and Saatchi is the undisputed king of transforming advertising into an art form, this genius PSA integrates a crucial environmental message into the built environment. Shown above is the latest example of clever marketing concept ingeniously integrated into the most banal space: a public restroom. These paper towel dispensers have a cut out the shape of South America through which a stack of green paper towels illustrates the green rain forest canopy of the continent. As the paper towel dispenser is slowly drained of its green paper towels, we see the greenness slowly drained out of South America, symbolizing the nasty environmental impact of disposable paper towels.


Read the rest of World Wildlife Fund Super Smart Eco Ad Campaign

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Post tags: billboard, paper dispenser, rising sea levels, south america, World Wildlife Federation, wwf