TreeHugger

Houses Get Small (Sort Of) In Response to Recession

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:57:48 -0500

Wall Street Journal Is it just the economy or is there a real change going on? Michael Phillips writes in the Wall Street Journal about how builders are offering smaller houses than they have in years. The Scarlett O'Hara stairs and two storey halls are out, and the plans are simpler, square-er, and way more efficient. Some might say that it is simply a response to the economy; as one commenter said " In a down economy smaller houses sell, and in a good economy bigger houses sell. Unless we have all ]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Witold Rybczynski On The Four Paradigms of American Cities

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:32:25 -0500

Bettina B. Cenerelli, Trudeau Foundation Witold Rybczynski could be described as a public intellectual, a prolific writer of accessible books about houses, cities and urban design. He opened the Trudeau Foundation's conference Cities and the Public Sphere: Rethinking the Urban Commons. with the remark that "one of the advantages of getting old is that you can look back in horror and dismay at some of the things that we did as architects and planners." He then proceeded to look back at the four parad]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

World Toilet Day - Really? Yes...Really.

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:54:50 -0500

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Image credit:flickr, recubejim's photostream World Toilet Day , which happens to be right now, is needed for good reason. Per the WTD website: "2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation, which risks their health, strips their dignity, and kills 1.8 million people, mostly children, a year;" and, "Because even the world's wealthiest people still have toilet problems - from unhygienic public toilets to sewage disposal that destroys our waterways." They ar]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Sulusso Offers 20% Off Sustainable Jewelry

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:00:02 -0500

Image via Sulusso. Looking for high-end, luxurious jewelry while being sustainable as well? The pieces found at Sulusso are just that, and so much more. Sulusso is an online marketplace featureing jewelry designers that all have one thing in common - a commitment to social and environmental responsibility. Sulusso offers the best selection of beautiful jewelry made with recycled metals, confli]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Help Wanted: Extreme Green Consultant to Help TreeHugger Founder Renovate 420-square-foot Apartment in NYC

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:18:05 -0500

Dear Readers, Buildings comprise 40% or more of our emissions in the U.S., so I'm trying to create a personal living situation for myself that might be a model for how more of us could live in the future (at least in cities like New York). I'm gunning to design a tiny, ultra-green-yet-sleek (almost luxurious in parts), extremely functional, financially smart ap]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Dieter Rams and His Design Ethos at the Design Museum

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 05:04:25 -0500
KF 20 Coffee Machine, 1972 "Question everything generally thought to be obvious." That's the motto of Dieter Rams. You may not know his name but you have probably owned something that he designed--he was the former head of design at Braun for forty years. Considered one of the most influential industrial designers of the late 20th century, an exhibition at the Design Museum in London shows the range of his work. More than 500 products were created whilst he was a designer and then head of design at Braun. The pieces are elegant but simple in function, w]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

GEO Power System Preheats and Precools The Air with a Vertical Earth Tube

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:48:00 -0500

Passive House is a fresh air system. Often they are heat recovery ventilators, and others have used earth tubes running under the home or in the garden. Japan's Geo Power Systems has turned it into a clever system. They call it a solar geothermal system, preheating the air from the ]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Interview: Tony Gale, Corporate Architect at Starbucks

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:49:53 -0500

Via Starbucks As Jaymi noted in Green Mood Lighting for Starbucks! Switching 8,000 Stores to LEDs, Starbucks is going through a big makeover, and is aiming for LEED certification of all of its stores starting in 2010. With over 16,000 stores worldwide, going green is a big deal. Corporate Architect Tony Gale used to be Chief Architect for the City of Seattle, the kind of job where you do the tough stuff, working with agencies, communities, entrenched interests and NIMBYs on policy, directio]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Glidehouse Is At The End Of The Road For Green Modern Prefab

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 08:00:17 -0500

Prefab and started a revolution. Architects and entrepreneurs all over America started looking at prefab differently. Early off the mark were Michelle Kaufmann, who launched her Glidehouse, and myself, launching the Q. It was an exciting time, we were all going to reinvent the building industry. We had so many cute lines- ]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

MP3 Player for the Deaf Features LED Light Show

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:21:27 -0500

Images via Yanko Design l This new invention is fascinating on just about every level--it's an mp3 player for the deaf that translates musical notes into nuanced vibrations. Holding the pillow-sized stereo against your chest, one can feel the rhythms, beats, and melodies--allowing the hearing impaired to fully enjoy music for the first time. The experience is fleshed out even more with the innovative use of LED lights that change color and brightness along with the music. ]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Recycled, Native, Socially Aware Eco Design from Argentina at Sustentable Festival [PHOTOS]

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:55:16 -0500

Photos: Paula Alvarado Argentine sustainable design was on the spotlight last week, when the second edition of Sustentable Festival took place in Buenos Aires featuring more than 100 products in an exhibition. Some of them familiar, some newish, we pick some of the objects and designs that called our attention in these 13 photos. Take a look inside the post.]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Local Movement Comes to Forestry

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:00:42 -0500

National Network of Forest Practitioners that "promotes the mutual well being of workers, rural communities, and forests by supporting individuals and groups that build sustainable relationships between forests and people."]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Surprises From Greenbuild (Slideshow)

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:17:57 -0500

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SF Green Festival 09 - Elephant Poo Paper Saves Pachyderms

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:25:00 -0500

Mr. Ellie Pooh, a company that makes paper from elephant dung. Elephants in Sri Lanka are killed for their interference with agriculture, but they interfere with agriculture simply because they're running out of space of their own. By making a lucrative market for paper from their dung, they're given a better chance at survival. ]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cool New Evaporative Cooler From Speakman Sips Electricity, Guzzles Water

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:07:40 -0500

solar powered air conditioner, when water changes state from liquid to gas it absorbs a great deal of heat. People have been using this fact to build desert coolers for over a hundred years. But the traditional ones added a lot of moisture to the air, which makes it feel warmer because you don't sweat as efficiently. ]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Caroma Makes A Toilet With Sink Look Elegant

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 09:09:01 -0500

home-made and aftermarket plastic versions. Now Caroma gives us a dual flush toilet that they claim will save a family of four 30,000 gallons of water per year over an older toilet. ]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Best of Show For Green Booth Design: Autodesk

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:13:13 -0500

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ForestEthics Keeps Up The Pressure against SFI Certification

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 08:07:04 -0500

ForestEthics, who never miss a chance to expose it as greenwashed lumber. They ran full page ads in USA Today during Greenbuild, naming the companies that use wood from "destruction as usual" logging with the SFI Label on it.]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Steve Mouzon on Learning from Old Buildings

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:25:05 -0500

Richard Moe was last year. Another ignored voice is Steve Mouzon, who designs new buildings that work by learning from the best of old buildings, and writes about them in books and onl]]>... Read the full story on TreeHugger

St. Olaf Regents Hall Sets Record as Largest Academic Facility to Achieve LEED Platinum

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:10:14 -0500

Image: St. Olaf Press Release Share