Environment

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“This eye-catching residence designed by Fiona Winzar Architects is both an interesting study in angles and in eco-friendly building techniques. The home’s unusual feature is a roof extension that is used to provide privacy and shade and mimics the shape of an eyelid — inspiring its name, the Eyelid House. Built for a family of five living in a city environment, the home needed to feel airy and inviting while also incorporating smart eco-friendly features that would have money-saving, energy-efficient benefits. Highlights include preserving the existing building, a rainwater collection system, use of solar hot water, passive ventilation, and the use of materials made in Australia.

The architects were initially confronted with several challenges that resulted from the urban setting, in particular the site is surrounded by taller buildings on two sides which would cause problems for privacy. The “eyelid” of the home proves to be a good solution with practical and aesthetic benefits. The partial roof extension blocks views from the neighboring three-story building while allowing light into the space. To create harmony between the angle of the extended roof and the rest of the home, tessellated plywood paneling is used as a decorative element on many of the walls — which, assisted with a varied palette of building materials, also helped to give the home a more casual and playful atmosphere.” (via)

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“Architect Enrique Norten and his NYC-based firm, TEN ARQUITECTOS, are in the midst of building a mixed-use high-rise in Hell’s Kitchen called Clinton Park, which will provide some much-needed green space to concrete jungle on the west side. The unusual stepped roof and S-shaped design reminds us a bit of terraced farming — an age-old agricultural method — and provides ample space for budding urban gardeners to sow their seeds. When you consider the stepped terrace with the contemporary look-and-feel of the building’s facade, I know this green and attractive addition to the urban grid is sure to please future residents.”

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“Cool break for biotechnology!

On Tuesday, an Air New Zealand airplane successfully completed a flight that used a hybrid veggie oil fuel.

This biofuel could lower airplane emissions and cut costs, according to airline reps.

One engine of a Boeing 747-400 airplane was powered by a 50-50 blend of oil from jatropha plants and standard A1 jet fuel.

There’s been a real push this year for alternative fuels by airlines, which were slammed by super high oil costs earlier in the year.

Coupled with the massive economic crisis at hand it’s not surprising that cost-saving innovations are being embraced.

An Air New Zealand rep couldn’t say if the veggie oil blend would be cheaper than standard jet fuel, since jatropha is not yet produced on a commercial scale.

Biofuels were once dismissed for use in aviation because most freeze at the low temperatures up in the skies.

But this new test shows jatropha, whose seeds yield an oil already used to produce fuels like biodiesel, has an even lower freezing point than jet fuel.

Air New Zealand Chief Executive Rob Fyfe said to the media, “Today we stand at the earliest stages of sustainable fuel development and an important moment in aviation history.”

The company has also stated that their goal is to become the world’s most environmentally sustainable airline.

We hope they reach that goal and that the others follow suit!

[Image via AP Images.]” via PerezHilton

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The dutch are at it again. Natuurcafe La Port has installed a rotating door, that harvests the kinetic energy that’s created when customers enter and exit the store. Could you imagine if Wal-Mart had something like this? (via)

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Mr. Williams is the new spokesperson of Bionic Yarn, a company that specializes in recycling plastic bottles and turning the material into yarn. Check it out here

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Check out this sad article

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I was in Austin tonight and watched this movie, which I believe was meant to portray a mans environmental journey as well as changes of heart along the way, and how he proposes we start solving it.

Of course Denmark was overlooked for our eternal rival across the “sund”, Sweden, but I am happy that Scandinavia is not overlooked, since there is a lot of exciting stuff going on over there in terms of the environment, and most of it is government sanctioned, and not solely let by small individual steps, but a collective thought of the green movement.

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Check out more about Fuel at it’s imdb page here…

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I saw this over on Inhabitat.com and I am thrilled that Amazon.com have cut back on the amount of wasteful plastic in toy packaging. Everyone should care about recycling, that way the environment gets a christmas present as well this season.

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see the reast of the videos after the jump

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Reuseage..

Saw this over on picdit and couldnt help post it. I really like how the old trainsystem has been transformed, and as far as I am informed, NYC sends their old trains down the east coast and dumps them in the ocean to create corral reefs. Read the rest of this entry »

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