Hasta La Gadget!

Christmas is right around the corner, and for all of you procrastinators out there, we recently shared our handy guide to last-minute gifts that can be whipped up in the 11th hour. We also have some great suggestions for non-consumerist gifts of time and if you’re crafty, don’t forget to check out our DIY guide for cool make-it-yourself gift ideas like these useful texting gloves and this curiously strong solar charger upcycled from an old Altoids tin. For a fun activity to do with the whole family, check out our homemade holiday greeting card and DIY Christmas cracker tutorials, and before putting your gifts under the tree, don’t miss our guide to eco-friendly gift wrap alternatives.

Continue reading Inhabitat’s Week in Green: invisibility cloak, a Hobbit House and a portable washing machine

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This week Inhabitat reported live from the Los Angeles Auto Show as we brought you the hottest new green cars — beginning with the 2013 Fiat 500e electric vehicle. We’re also eagerly awaiting the unveiling of BMW’s new i3 Coupe concept. In other green transportation news, JR Tokai unveiled Japan’s new lightning-fast 310 MPH MagLev train, while Amtrak announced that trains traveling between Chicago and St. Louis were cleared to accelerate to 110 MPH on a short stretch of track. It’s no MagLev, but we’ll take it! Designer Jeffrey Eyster also unveiled the MRV-1, a recreational vehicle that doubles as a sustainable nature retreat.

Continue reading Inhabitat’s Week in Green: vertical farm, solar energy funnel and a brainwave monitor

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The planet is in rough shape. A new report from the Renewable Energy Industry Institute found that total levels of global greenhouse gas emissions reached a record high last year. And we’re starting to feel the consequences of all that carbon output as climate change leads to freakish superstorms like Hurricane Sandy. As New York City prepares for more large, destructive storms, many urban planners have raised the possibility of installing giant Rotterdam-style floodgates to protect the city. There are no current plans to install floodgates around NYC, but given the increasingly unpredictable weather in the region, it might be a good idea. In a different answer to rising sea levels, Dutch studio Whim Architects produced plans for floating, self-sustaining homes made from plastic waste from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Scientists also found that climate change is actually affecting satellites that are orbiting the planet, and a separate study warned that climate change could wipe out coffee production by 2080.

Continue reading Inhabitat’s Week in Green: self-sustaining homes, wooden wind turbines and the world’s first solar-powered nation

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Inhabitat’s Week in Green: self-sustaining homes, wooden wind turbines and the world’s first solar-powered nation originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Nov 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hurricane Sandy dominated the news this week as the storm surge flooded large swaths of New Jersey and New York, knocking down trees, crippling the New York subway system, and leaving thousands of people in the dark after a Con-Ed station in lower Manhattan exploded. The storm caused an estimated $10 billion worth of damage in Manhattan and Brooklyn alone, and it caused lasting environmental contamination when 336,000 gallons of diesel fuel spilled between Staten Island and New Jersey. And it reminded us of the potential dangers of nuclear power when the storm forced three nuclear reactors offline and New Jersey’s Oyster Creek power plant was placed on alert.

Continue reading Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Tetris pumpkin, giant cardboard ghetto blaster and the world’s largest offshore wind farm

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Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Tetris pumpkin, giant cardboard ghetto blaster and the world’s largest offshore wind farm originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Nov 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We tend to look to green designers and architects to inspire us and reshape our understanding of what’s possible, and this week we’ve seen plenty of visionary green designs over at Inhabitat. First, JM Schivo & Associati unveiled ambitious plans for “Earth City,” a futuristic green city that would be entirely powered by renewable energy. Then, inspired by NYC’s High Line, Fletcher Priest won the Green Infrastructure Ideas Competition with his proposal for an underground mushroom tunnel beneath the streets of London. At the World Architecture Festival, Nikken Sekkei took home the sustainable building award for its evaporative cooling bioskin building in Tokyo, and science fans successfully purchased Nikola Tesla’s old Long Island workshop to turn it into a museum.

Continue reading Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Bicymple, computer-age fossils and an underground mushroom tunnel

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Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Bicymple, computer-age fossils and an underground mushroom tunnel originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Oct 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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