th comments
holy said: "IT IS VERY GOOD; church can be an opinion leader. in Germany some churches have big roofs for solar..." [read]

SteveC said: "While one might think this is a waste of time, money and resources, so is a Bugatti Veyron. But both have been designed specifically to show that t..." [read]

Duane said: "As to the question in the title "Will the Greenies Take Fireworks Away From Us?", the bad news answer is yes. Yes they will. The good news is tha..." [read]

LT said: "I again repeat my comment from previous posts about poorly designed objects that design students should have some real world practical experience b..." [read]

Harrison Wills said: "This is a beautiful quote by Mother Teresa that expresses the need to Do Good and Make Progress even when it's not appreciated. Love and Creat anyw..." [read]

Jesse said: "I also agree for most families out there the recipies have to have a convertable property. I myself eat limited meat, aka fish, for some additional..." [read]

Prefab on Water, MetroShip Introduces Sustainable Houseboats

by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 07. 5.09
Design & Architecture

Metro-Ship-Exterior
photo: MetroShip

Larger boats can have a tremedous impact on the planet, so former prefab construction powerhouse David Ballinger has turned his attention to the water. His new design attempts to combat the conventional wisdom regarding houseboats. MetroShip is a sleek, more sustainable reinterpretation of those clunking houseboats of yesteryear.

Article continues: Prefab on Water, MetroShip Introduces Sustainable Houseboats

DIY Chair Concept Uses Wood, Cardboard and...Zipties

by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 4.09
Design & Architecture

zipit chair back photo
Images via viktor matic

IKEA with their single Allen wrench and image-based instructions would have nothing on a concept kit chair called "zipit" by viktor matic.

Article continues: DIY Chair Concept Uses Wood, Cardboard and...Zipties

Living in Glass Houses: Vodafone's Solar Powered Mobile Home

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 3.09
Design & Architecture

vodaphon-setup.jpg

Vodafon is sending this solar powered minihome around Spain to promote their telephone and internet services, complete with a family of four that is blogging about it at La Casa Móvil. Designers Waskman design studio, with creative space Culdesac, squeezed a lot into not much space. No doubt the glass wall makes it feel bigger, albeit without much privacy.

Article continues: Living in Glass Houses: Vodafone's Solar Powered Mobile Home

Oh No Mommy! Will the Greenies Take Fireworks Away From Us?

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07. 2.09
Culture & Celebrity

fireworks-photos-g01.jpg
Photo: Flickr, CC

Obligatory Post About Green Fireworks for the 4th of July
Fireworks are fun - who doesn't like explosions? - and a good excuse to get together with family and friends, but they're also not very clean. In Beijing, China, the smoke from fireworks during the new year celebrations tripled pollution levels overnight, and the toxic metals used to get the bright colorful sparks fall back to Earth, contaminating soil and water. Is there something we can do without losing the fireworks?

Article continues: Oh No Mommy! Will the Greenies Take Fireworks Away From Us?

Never Search For an Outlet Again with Outlet Wall

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.09
less is more

outletwall-1.jpg

Photographer David Friedman appears to have solved the problem of never having enough places to plug things in. It also really tells a tale about consumption; he should stick a big meter in the middle of it.

Article continues: Never Search For an Outlet Again with Outlet Wall

LEED Offices are Really Green, Elegant and Surprisingly Conventional

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.09
Design & Architecture

USGBC office lobby photo
Photos by Eric Laignel via Envision and Metropolis

The LEED Program is managed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and has become big business, so they needed bigger offices. The renovation of an existing building was designed by a team led by Kendall Wilson of Envision Design, who cut their green teeth doing the offices for Greenpeace ten years ago. It is clean and sleek, but doesn't jump out at you as overtly green; as Suzanne LaBarre writes in Metropolis:

It doesn’t feel green. The Eero Saarinen Womb chairs in the lobby, the sparkling terrazzo floors under your feet, the crisp white paint on the walls, glass everywhere—and more glass....If not for the oversize logo carved into wood at the entrance like a medallion, the office could easily be mistaken for the cool recesses of a fashion magazine.
Article continues: LEED Offices are Really Green, Elegant and Surprisingly Conventional

Rush on Australian Energy Rebates Create New Green Jobs

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07. 2.09
Design & Architecture

Bradford Gold Insulation photo

The Australian Federal government are billing it is as the” largest-ever energy efficiency rollout” in the country. It’s their $4 billion Energy Efficient Homes Package designed to get ceiling insulation into the roofs of 2.9 million Australian homes, by 2012. Even in sunny Australia winter heat loss and summer heat gain through a residential ceiling is calculated to be between 25% and 35%, so there may be some truth in the government’s hyperbole.

As you might expect, given that they are giving home owner-occupiers a $1,600 AUD insulation rebate and $1,000 to landlords or tenants for rental properties, it’s no wonder that, as the Environmental Export reports, 50,000 people have already signed up for the program. Not bad considering it only officially kicked off yesterday.

Article continues: Rush on Australian Energy Rebates Create New Green Jobs

Whither the McMansion? Opinions from the Wall Street Journal and the Atlantic

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.09
Design & Architecture

mcmansion-subdivision.jpg
Brownstoner

Last week, the debate was When it Comes to Green Building, Does Size Matter?; this week, it is Whither the McMansion.. June Fletcher in The Wall Street Journal thinks they will come back when the economy does:

But don't write the obituary for McMansions just yet. Although mass-produced behemoths more than 3,000-square-feet in size have only been common (and commonly criticized), since the late '90s, home sizes have never been influenced by need alone. The builder association's report also points out that houses ballooned most—about 1,000 square feet—during the period between 1970 and 2008, when household size dropped from 3.11 to 2.57. Homes are getting smaller now because people feel poorer, but all that will change once the recession ends and consumer confidence is restored.

Daniel Indiviglio of the Atlantic disagrees.

Article continues: Whither the McMansion? Opinions from the Wall Street Journal and the Atlantic
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