Category: Green
Posted by James on 8/7/2009 8:17:00 AM
One giant step for eco-friendly back to school gear
 So you've got a kid, and you want to be "green," but let's face it, this is easier said than done. You have plastic this-and-that, one-use items, all of those school supplies, disposable lunch bags... etc., etc., etc. Sourcing environmentally responsible children's products is a royal pain!
What if one day your kid's tree-hugging school requires that you send waste-free lunches?! This is what happened to Renata Bodon who found it challenging to find safe and high-quality reusable lunch ware. Fortunately for you, Renata decided not only to solve her problem, but yours as well.
Meet One Small Step--your one stop shop offering a bevy of waste-free, lead-free, BPA-free, Phthalate-free, and PVC-free lunch and school supplies as well as items for babies and toddlers. And to top it off, One Small Step not only selects items with an eye for design, but also donates 10% of their gross returns to non-profits and partnering schools... you can even register your fave.
Link: One Small Step
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 8/31/2007 9:59:00 AM
Sign the petition for cleaner air
You gotta fight for your right to cleaner air!
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced changes in ozone pollution standards that fall short of what the scientific community recommends. In response to this news, and to the lobbyists working against tougher air quality standards, non-profit public interest law firm Earthjustice has created a project called Adopt The Sky to raise awareness about this issue.
Visitors to the site can add their own personalized message about the issue and "adopt" a square mile of sky above the U.S. to pledge their support for cleaner air.
Sign the petition... its free, people.
Link: Adopt the Sky
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 9/21/2006 9:26:00 AM
Behind the scenes prefab production tour in Los Angeles
 LA based architecture firm Marmol Radziner has launched full scale production of their award-winning, green, modern prefab homes... and they are offering tours of their new modular factory. Of course they intend for this to be a preview for petential prefab homeowners, but I am sure a few of you prefab geeks will slip your way in just to chek it out.
The "Utah House 1" design is currently in production. Marmol Radziner Prefab's 65,000 square foot factory accommodates the fabrication of 20 prefab modules at once, including a cabinet shop, metal shop, and door and window shop.
Two tour dates are currently offered:
Sunday, September 24, 2006, noon to 5pm
Sunday, December 3, 2006, noon to 5pm
Mandatory RSVP to rsvp@marmolradzinerprefab.com or (310) 689-0089. Free to the public. Children must be over 12 years of age.
Link: Marmol Radziner Prefab
Link: Marmol Radziner + Associates
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 6/21/2006 2:33:00 PM
A social oasis in the urban environment... she's electric
 Nothing to do with the UK national treasure... the London Oasis is a temporary structure on Clerkenwell Green installed as part of national Architecture Week. It is a kinetic sculpture by architect Laurie Chetwood designed to demonstrate sustainability and renewable energy while providing entertainment, a place for meeting and tranquil space for Londoners. Self-sufficiently powered by solar cells, a hydrogen fuel cell and wind, the Oasis interacts with the environment around it. Shade providing "branches" open and close in response to the weather. Enclosed pods at the base provide a place of seclusion for people to rest with "cleaner cooled air and relaxing sounds." At night the Oasis acts as a beacon in the cityscape with lights which repsond to the movements of people around it. It even uses rainwater it has collected for irrigation and cooling.
Link: London Oasis
Firm: Chetwood Associates
More: MSNBC - Urban 'Oasis' of clean energy lands in London
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 5/2/2006 7:14:00 PM
Interlocking system puts fabric scraps to use
 San-Francisco-based designer Galya Rosenfeld has created a system that uses fabric scraps which can be attached and configured without glue, stitching, buttons, etc. to create a wide variety of objects. One of her creations from this ingenious system are Modular Pillows. The beauty of the system is that there are practically infinite configurations of colors and forms - damaged pieces can be replaced and the entire object can be disassembled and recycled.
Galya will be featured at HauteGREEN later this month.
Link: Galya Rosenfeld
Via: Treehugger
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 4/20/2006 10:55:00 AM
Top ten examples of sustainable architecture in the U.S.
 The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and its Committee on the Environment (COTE) have selected the top ten examples of sustainable architecture and green design solutions that protect and enhance the environment. The projects will be honored on May 3 during a presentation at the National Building Museum in Washington and again in June at the AIA 2006 National Convention and Design Exposition in Los Angeles.
The 2006 COTE Top Ten Green Projects address environmental conservation and the notion of sustainable development with designs that integrate architecture, technology, and natural systems. They make a positive contribution to their community, improve comfort for building occupants, and reduce environmental impacts through strategies such as: reuse of existing structures, connection to transit systems, low-impact site development, energy and water conservation, use of sustainable or renewable construction materials, and design that improves indoor air quality.
Link: AIA/COTE 2006 Top Ten Awards
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 3/4/2006 11:36:00 AM
Custom contemporary furniture from reclaimed lumber
 Andrew Moe is a
designer/craftsman and founder of a new green design company based in Brooklyn, New York. Moe builds custom contemporary furniture crafted from reclaimed lumber from old structures.
I love the quality of old wood, let's face it... new lumber just isn't the same... old wood provides a richness and quality unachievable with new material. And of course recycling old material saves trees and room in landfills. I am drawn mostly to the pieces which recall some sense of the past use of the materials - chunky beams and planks crafted into simple forms providing a nice contrast of rustic and modern.
Link: Moe Design Studio [Thanks, Andrew!]
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 2/7/2006 4:07:00 PM
Putting alternative construction study into practice
 At the University of Arizona in Tucson, Mary Hardin has established a sort of desert Southwest counterpart to Mockbee's famed Rural Studio, blending architecture education and practice into a practical laboratory of experimentation and discovery.
Ms. Hardin's academic and professional activities involve community outreach and the design of affordable housing. She leads students in the exploration of alternative construction methods - such as rammed earth, paper bale and straw bale - and is presently researching the strength and other qualities of rammed earth in partnership with UA Civil Engineering faculty. She has written and published a number of papers about design/build studios and the projects done with her students.
Professor Harden has also designed a beautiful modern rammed earth home with Richard Eribes, Dean of the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture at UA, which we spotted over at Earth Architecture.
Link: University of Arizona D+B
Link: Mary Hardin
Article: AridLands - Rammed earth constructions
Book: Stylus Publishing - From the Studio to the Streets
Related: Design Matters: Best Practices in Affordable Housing
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Category: Green
Posted by James on 1/10/2006 5:17:00 PM
A free book that shows how to attain Platinum LEED on a conventional budget
 Portland based Interface Engineering has published an illustrated guide demonstrating how to achieve Platinum-LEED on conventional building budget in a FREE 48-page book which uses their current project for Oregon Health and Science University as a case study.
Busting a key economic myth, Interface Engineering of Portland, Oregon (has) engineered a top-level green building on a conventional budget, opening the way for other large scale projects to achieve high performance at standard cost. The firm also released an illustrated guide sharing the secrets and principles behind the project, formally known as The Center for Health and Healing at the River Campus of Oregon Health & Science University.
Link: Green Building Breakthrough
Via: Groovy Green - Green Building: Delivering Champagne on a Beer Budget
Center for Health and Healing project team:
Architect: GBD Architects
Engineer: Interface Engineering
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Category: Green
Posted by Deborah on 11/4/2005 11:30:00 AM
Project Import Export serves up something different
With so much furniture on the market today it's sometimes hard to find something different. The furniture from PIE Project Import Export is not only different, but features work from some very talented and experienced designers from around the globe. Their merchandise represents some of the best work that is coming out of small young independent firms today that use modern methods and natural, environmentally friendly materials. PIE is setting out to explore the idea of 'living space' in an attempt to heighten the Modern lifestyle experience.
Link: PIE
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