Environmental damage highlighted by Google Earth
Aug 19, 2017: Rampant forest destruction, retreating glaciers and explosive urban growth have been highlighted by a partnership between the United Nations and internet search giant Google. Under [...]…
Finding Black Gold with Ultrasound Scans
Aug 19, 2017: The technology resembles the ultrasounds used by doctors to inspect a woman’s womb. But a team of scientists are using it to map rocks deep [...]…
Scientists begin Human tests on ‘bionic eye’
Aug 18, 2017: Scientists from the Bionic Eye Foundation at Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital have launched human clinical trials of the device, which employs the same technology [...]…
Germany is electrifying part of the autobahn to cut freight emissions
Aug 18, 2017: Semi trucks are massive energy hogs - that's why Germany is helping change that with electric highways. We rely on trucks to get all of the goods we need from one place to another, but all of those semi trucks spew a lot of pollution - at least 12.5 percent of all emissions in the US. So Siemens and the Germany state of Hesse teamed up to create a 10km stretch of eHighway on the autobahn, where trucks can connect overhead electric cables while driving on the road, and move back to diesel power when...
Woman's lost engagement ring found rooted to a carrot - 13 years later
Aug 18, 2017: Via NPR Images via Liz West/Flickr, Shira Gal/Flickr, and Nate Steiner/Flickr…
Greenbuild: The world's biggest green building expo is coming to Boston
Aug 18, 2017: The world's biggest conference dedicated to green building is coming to Boston this November, and you won't want to miss it. The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo will bring together experts, professionals and leaders in sustainable building for mind-blowing exhibits, learning activities, a Net Zero zone, and pavilions with the latest in green building technology.
South Korea is building a $10 billion agriculture city in Egypt
Aug 18, 2017: Within six months, an area of 300,000 feddans (non-metric unit) in Egypt will be transformed into an integrated agriculture city by South Korea. The $10 billion deal was signed on Tuesday by Egypt and Korea-Arab Society (KAS). The project will feature 50,000 smart greenhouses in addition to a number of seawater desalination and solar power plants. Arab Finance reports that the protocol was signed by the General Authority for Reconstruction Projects and Agricultural Development, an affiliate...
Compact OffGridBox provides drinking water and power where it's needed most
Aug 18, 2017: An Italian company has developed a compact solution for communities that lack access to clean drinking water and electricity - the OffGridBox. Measuring 6x6x6 feet, the container box features everything necessary to generate, convert and store solar energy, as well as collect, treat and distribute clean drinking water. But the system does have drawbacks - including a $15,000 price point that's hard to justify in certain corners of the world. Read on to learn how the founders are trying to make their...
Score one of 4 Voltaic Converter solar backpacks in Inhabitats Back to School Contest
Aug 18, 2017: With summer coming to a close, it's back-to-school time for many students and their parents. But it doesn't have to be a drag. We've teamed up with Voltaic to give four lucky readers the chance to win a special backpack as compensation for returning to the studious life. Their brand new solar-powered Converter backpack can charge your laptop and your phone using either solar power or electricity from the grid. It doesn't matter if you're an Apple person or prefer Samsung, this backpack has got you...
Huge circular windows flood Melbourne's Cirqua Apartments with natural light
Aug 18, 2017: Huge circular windows flood the interior of this apartment block in Melbourne with natural light. BKK Architects designed the Cirqua Apartments as a staggered volume that references the region's historical housing type and reinterprets it in a modern way. The block occupies a steeply sloping site in a residential neighborhood in Melbourne. Its exterior is dominated by huge porthole windows that span almost the full height of the six cubes. The openings bring natural light into the interior and...
Woven bamboo pavilion offers shelter to passion fruit farmers in China
Aug 18, 2017: Amazing projects like Ibuku's Green Village in Bali, and Tokyo pavilion by Vo Trong Nghia demonstrate the strength and malleability of bamboo. Students and researchers from the University of Hong Kong (HKU) have also recognized its limitless potentials as a great sustainable alternative to conventional building materials. After completing a glowing pavilion in their hometown, they designed another innovative bamboo structure– this time in China– using traditional weaving techniques and digital...
New Message Boards
Aug 18, 2017: Hey everyone, we’ve just launched our new message boards, they’re still very empty but please come by and support them, if everyone spends 5 minutes [...]…
Cozy charred timber box adds a new social heart to Dublin home
Aug 18, 2017: A tiny new addition has made a big impact on a terraced home in North Dublin. Stephen Kavanagh Architects designed Copeland Grove, a sun-soaked home refurbishment and extension that connects to an existing garden. Formerly a leaky kitchen extension, the new timber-and-glass structure provides transformative panoramic views and greatly increases thermal comfort. Lighting was key in the design of the 24-square-meter timber extension. Full-height glazing and a skylight increase solar...
Going Green? Where is my Green!!!
Aug 18, 2017: Some environmental government initiatives are well known; bottle deposit and refund programs are immediately visible to the consumer, are comprehensive, and their motivation is clear. [...]…
White House kills ban on bottled water at National Parks
Aug 18, 2017: Photos by National Park Service/Flickr…
An Island Is Born
Aug 18, 2017: Off the coast of Iceland on the morning of 14 November 1963, the crew of a lone fishing trawler spotted an alarming sight. Off to [...]…
Scientists harness tobacco plants to produce polio vaccine
Aug 18, 2017: After all of the poor health outcomes caused by tobacco over centuries, it's about time that the plant starts doing some good for a change. Scientists in the United Kingdom have developed a technique to infect relatives of the tobacco plant with a virus which contains the genetic material of polio in order to produce leaves from which a polio vaccine could be extracted. This procedure is affordable, straightforward, and efficient and may be…
Atmospheric Ozone Recovering In Mid-latitudes, Report Shows
Aug 18, 2017: Well finally some good news confirmed by NASA. The Ozone is recovering, if anything this is a confirmation that human beings can and do affect [...]…
Subterranean Oxygen Park is a breath of fresh air in the Qatari desert
Aug 18, 2017: A “green lung” in Qatar’s desert landscape is helping people stay healthy and active, and reconnecting them to nature. Erik Behrens and James Haig Streeter of AECOM recently completed Oxygen Park, a unique public space in Doha’s Education City. Built to promote exercise and social gatherings, Oxygen Park is partly buried underground and features undulating, organic forms masses inspired by the desert’s wind-eroded rocks and landscapes. Oxygen Park derives its name from the...
Donations online and needed
Aug 18, 2017: Hello, thank you for supporting aboutmyplanet.com by visiting the site. We’ve been experiencing tremendous growth over the last few months and want to thank you, [...]…
Wal-Mart Aims To Sell 100 Million Compact Fluorescents In One Year
Aug 18, 2017: Fast Company reports that, in the next 12 months, starting with a major push this month, Wal-Mart wants to sell every one of its regular [...]…
Robots of the future?
Aug 17, 2017: This time it’s no science fiction movie, it’s for real. Robots might just soon walk and look like humans. Check out the newest robot from [...]…
The Arctic Sunrise has been seized. Here’s why:
Aug 17, 2017: The message is clear: Norway, it’s time to choose people over oil. 35 activists from 25 countries around the world are in the Barents Sea to demand an end to Arctic drilling. Today, activists from the Arctic Sunrise on inflatable boats and kayaks entered the exclusion zone of Statoil’s Korpfjell well, Norway’s most northern oil drilling site to date, and attached a giant globe to the rig Songa Enabler.The globe carried written statements from people from all over the world, with a message to the Norwegian government to stop the oil drilling.The activists halted the operation of the rig, and after several hours of demanding an end to the drilling in the Arctic, the Norwegian Coast Guard interfered with the peaceful pro…
Revolutionary glass building blocks generate their own solar energy
Aug 17, 2017: There's a new building block in town, and it generates its own clean energy. Researchers from Exeter University developed revolutionary new glass blocks that are embedded with small solar cells. Not only do the blocks generate energy, but they also provide thermal insulation and allow natural light to enter buildings. Called Solar Squared, the blocks are embedded with an array of optical elements that focus sunlight on tiny solar cells - during the manufacture process. The design ensures...
The devastating reason Mumbai dogs are turning blue
Aug 17, 2017: Lately, blue stray dogs have been spotted running around Navi Mumbai, India, and it isn't because someone got a little too liberal with the hair dye. Inadequate waste treatment at a local river has allowed dye to leach into the water, turning dogs who wade in to turn bright blue. To add to the concern, the pollution is likely harming fish and birds who rely on the water resource.
You can build one of these tiny backyard offices in less than a week for under $7000
Aug 17, 2017: Austin-based Sett Studio designs tiny offices that take conventional workspaces to task. These micro-offices can be used for a variety of applications and offer a flexible solution for an affordable price. The firm's newest design, named NOVI, is a compact DIY concept perfect for those looking for a mobile outdoor workspace. As the tiny living concept is gaining in popularity, an increasing number of people are looking into more flexible office spaces that bring them closer to nature. This year,...
Scientists just created green solar cells - and they're working on white, red and additional colors
Aug 17, 2017: Solar energy may provide power to approximately 5.7 million homes in the United States, but its application could still be more widespread. The issue is, many find the blue-black photovoltaics to be unsightly. Fortunately, this may no longer be a problem as researchers in The Netherlands have developed a process for making conventional solar panels bright green, and are in the process of developing other colors. By making the panels more appealing, more people and businesses are likely to invest...
Prototype 9 is a retro electric roadster with the Nissan Leaf's heart
Aug 17, 2017: Infiniti is bringing us back to the 1940s with its Prototype 9 roadster, which is going to debut this month at the 2017 Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. On the outside the Prototype 9 is a sexy retro concept, but under the skin it's all about the future, since it's powered by the next-generation Nissan Leaf's electric powertrain.
Give goods, find goods, and do good on National Thrift Store Day
Aug 17, 2017: If you’re the type of scavenger that lives for finding hidden gems in vintage shops, then you’ll want to mark August 17th on your calendar. That’s when National Thrift Store Day returns to encourage everyone to support their local thrift shops and score secondhand goods. New York City is taking this initiative a step further by bringing awareness to the day’s charitable component and reminding us why it would do a world of good if we went the thrift store route instead of buying brand new....
Largest-ever modular Gomos building to be completed in just a few months
Aug 17, 2017: Related: Modular Gomos homes can be assembled in three days flat + Gomos Housing Modular Gomos Housing, modular housing, prefab housing, flatpack housing, Gomos System, Portugal prefab building, modular structures in Portugal, modular architecture Portugal, prefab architecture, concrete modules, Porto, Portugal architecture, Samuel Gonçalves…
New refrigerator camera takes aim at food waste
Aug 17, 2017: We know food waste is an issue, but often it's all too easy to forget about that bag of lettuce in the back of your refrigerator until it rots. It turns out 40 percent of the salad British families buy each year ends up in the trash - but a new refrigerator camera could help slash that food waste. The Smarter FridgeCam helps people monitor expiration dates and even suggests recipes - for far less than the price of a smart refrigerator. Related:…
Rooftop farms in Gaza provide a lifeline to the community
Aug 17, 2017: Meeting even basic needs in Gaza can be a challenge for the nearly 2 million people that live in the territory's 141 square miles. Under the Israeli blockade, which prevents vital supplies from reaching Gaza and inhibits international trade, the Palestinians of Gaza rely on resilience and innovation to survive with the resources they have. Squeezed out of arable land, many Palestinians are farming upwards, on the rooftops of the dense urban Mediterranean territory.
6 Surprising uses for garlic you probably didnt know about
Aug 17, 2017: It's garlic harvesting season, and those glorious, aromatic bulbs will be adorning farmer's market stalls everywhere. Garlic isn't just good for flavoring bread and warding off vampires: it has many great uses for your health, as well as around your home and garden. Read on to find out some of its more surprising uses, and develop even greater love for this fine and fragrant bulb. Topical Treatment for Cold Sores and Acne Organic Pesticide for House and...
LEED-seeking illumina i3 campus lets workers work anywhere
Aug 17, 2017: San Diego’s new BioMed Realty i3 campus is raising the bar for corporate research parks everywhere. Perkins+Will recently designed the iconic science and research campus that’s on track for LEED Platinum certification and exemplifies the “work anywhere” culture. Filled with natural light and topped with green roofs, this environmentally progressive design features a wide variety of energy saving measures and reduces energy and water use by 30 and 20 percent. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWoSGnm6C0c Located...
Various Architects turn an industrial Oslo building into contemporary offices
Aug 17, 2017: A historic building in Oslo’s locomotive industrial zone has been transformed into contemporary offices filled with natural light. This adaptive reuse project, called Lokomotivstallen, has been praised as a positive example of recycling and historical restoration in the city. Designed by Various Architects, the modern offices house the rail-based intermodal company CargoNet. The 3,000-square-foot building has a peculiar rectangular footprint that’s much longer than it is wide with...
Elephants rescue 600 people from floods in Nepal
Aug 16, 2017: Due to heavy rains in Kathmandu, India, at least 15 people have been killed and 2.3 million displaced in just the past few days. Fortunately for approximately 600 foreigners who were visiting Sauraha, no additional lives were lost after the nearby Rapti River overflowed its banks. This is because elephants at the Chitwan National Park transported the tourists to safety. https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera/videos/10155908311438690/?ref=notif¬if_t=notify_me_page¬if_id=1502737875516262 Said...
Luxury Tree Villa communes with breathtaking nature in India
Aug 16, 2017: A picture-perfect getaway roosts in the treetops of west India. Architecture BRIO completed the Tree Villa, a two-story luxury getaway on the cliff of a 160-acre “treesort.” Set within the rich river landscape of Tala near the Kuda caves, the treehouse-like glass dwelling offers an immersive experience within a forested tropical setting. Architecture BRIO built the Tree Villa around existing mature trees, which grow up and through the roof, deck, and fencing, and give the structure...
Montana judge stops massive coal mine expansion, citing climate impact
Aug 16, 2017: In another strike against coal, a federal judge just shut down plans for a large coal mine expansion in Montana, saying that US officials had exaggerated the economic benefits of the mine while downplaying the impact it would have on the environment. Signal Peak Energy wanted to expand the Bull Mountain coal mine by 28-square kilometers (11-square miles) and 159-metric tons (176-million tons). U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy blocked the proposal, ruling that approving such a request should...
TSEH transforms 14 shipping containers into a cozy and modern Kiev cafe
Aug 16, 2017: Unit Cafe’s interiors are so cozy and modern it’s easy to forget that it’s built inside shipping containers. TSEH Arhitectural Group transformed 14 clunky shipping containers into Unit Cafe, a light-filled contemporary cafeteria and meeting space for the IT school 'Unit Factory' in Kiev, Ukraine. The 275-square-meter Unit Cafe doesn't disguise its industrial roots. The corrugated texture of the stacked shipping containers is left exposed with the lower containers and the vertically...
Historic Amsterdam park gets new life with a funky climbing "blob"
Aug 16, 2017: Related: Basurama transforms landfill trash into playgrounds in Taipei + Carve Photography by Marleen Beek via Carve Carve, Beatrix Park Amsterdam, urban parks, urban design, green space amsterdam, landscape architecture, park design, park landscape, playground design…
Fixing Earth's ozone layer has other surprising benefits, new study shows
Aug 16, 2017: As climate change steadily advances while global leadership moves ever so slowly towards taking action, it can difficult to have faith in international solutions to a global environmental problem. However, such international collaboration has a record of success in the Montreal Protocol, an agreement signed nearly thirty years ago by dozens of nations to stop the expansion of a massive hole in the ozone layer. Today, the hole in the ozone layer has shrunk as the United States and other signatories...
Swiss grocery store chain will be the first to sell insect burgers
Aug 16, 2017: Would you eat a burger made of mealworms? Coop, the second-largest supermarket chain in Switzerland, will start selling food made with insects after food laws changed in May. No other European country has yet authorized sales of insect-based food, making Switzerland the first. Coop will sell insect burgers and balls from Switzerland-based startup Essento. Related:…
Spectacular 'Dome of Visions' greenhouse pushes the envelope for wood construction
Aug 16, 2017: Finnish wood company Metsä Wood is known for pushing the envelope when it comes to building with wood. Their latest dome experiment, the largest one to date, relies of the company's innovative structural use of laminated veneer lumber as a sustainable alternative to commonly used building materials. The structure, named Dome of Visions, was designed by Atelier Kristoffer Tejlgaard. The Dome of Visions 3.0 is the third project in a series of experiments that explore the idea of creating...
South Australia to build world's biggest single-tower solar thermal plant
Aug 16, 2017: South Australia is going big again -- as in world-beating big. Last month the state government signed a deal with Tesla to build the world's largest lithium-ion battery storage facility. Now State Premier Jay Weatherill has announced plans to construct the world's biggest single-tower solar thermal plant in Port Augusta -- the 150 megawatt Aurora Solar Energy Project. …
Thomas Heatherwick's London Garden Bridge officially scrapped
Aug 16, 2017: Plans to build Thomas Heatherwick's controversial Garden Bridge in London have been officially scrapped. The Garden Bridge Trust, charity that was to build and run the bridge, just announced the end of the project due to the lack of support by London mayor Sadiq Khan. The main reason behind this, according to mayor Khan's earlier statement, was the project's spiraling construction and maintenance costs. A financial inquiry into the Garden Bridge project found that the initial estimated costs escalated...
Global ocean circulation may be slowing down due to Arctic ice loss
Aug 16, 2017: Humanity is entering a phase of grave uncertainty as rising temperatures wreck havoc on our planet. Researchers from Yale University and the University of Southhampton have found evidence that Arctic ice loss may be having a negative impact on the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) study published recently in Nature A recent study published in Nature outlines research by a team of Yale University and University of Southhampton scientists. The team found evidence that Arctic...
Bill Gates gives away $4.6 billion worth of Microsoft shares
Aug 15, 2017: Time and time again, Bill Gates has proven himself to be quite the philanthropist. Now, he’s affirming his charitable nature by reducing his stake in the Microsoft company to just 1.3 percent (compared to 24 percent in 1996). Gates is doing this by donating 64 million shares of Microsoft, which is worth a total of $4.6 billion. Bloomberg reports that the donation is the biggest since he gave away $16 billion worth in 1999 and $5.1 billion of shares in 2000. The news was revealed...
Mexico's gorgeous Sunset Chapel looks like a gigantic boulder
Aug 15, 2017: Through several contrasting features, this striking chapel in Acapulco, Mexico, embodies both the feeling of hope and sadness. Mexico City-based Bunker Arquitectura constructed the Sunset Chapel on top of a hill and gave it an appearance of a huge boulder that blends into the natural environment of the site. The chapel provides view of the bay and combines contrasting materials–glass and concrete–to reflect the duality of the experience the building aims to provide. By embodying both...
Restorative Healing Gardens take over a concrete garage rooftop in L.A.
Aug 15, 2017: A healing green landscape has blossomed in the place of a former concrete plaza in Los Angeles. Local firm AHBE Landscape Architects transformed a concrete site atop a multi-level garage into the new Healing Gardens for Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The unique, green roof-inspired system features four distinct gardens that promote healing, health, and well being for patients, hospital staff, and visitors. Since the site was located atop a building, AHBE had to develop a multi-layered...
Airy Costa Rica home enjoys incredible views of the ocean and jungle
Aug 15, 2017: This gorgeous residence in Costa Rica occupies a unique location near Santa Teresa Beach in Costa Rica, where the jungle meets the Pacific Ocean. Architect Benjamin Garcia Saxe designed the Ocean Eye House as an airy residence that offers stunning views of its natural surroundings and supports an outdoor lifestyle. The house, listed for the WAN House of the Year 2017, rests against the back of a steep hill. It combines closed, private spaces and lightweight, open areas that allow the owners to...