The Race To Zero

Architecture 2030

Giant Interactive Headquarter - Morphosis

Architecture Lab Post

Inhabitat Post

Giant Interactive

Morphosis Architects

Morphosis unveils their undulating campus of grass and glass in Shanghai. Giant Interactive Group headquarter is an engineering and architectural marvel.

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IDEO - Fred Dust at the Aspen Ideas Festival: "Can We Rethink Consumer Behavior? Going Green in America."

Fred Dust at the Aspen Ideas Festival: “Can We Rethink Consumer Behavior? Going Green in America.”

IDEO

Age of Stupid

Clip - War for Resources

Clip - Contract & Coverage of Resources

Age of Stupid (motion picture) takes REAL clips of news, media and documentary, then juxtaposes it with a fictional post-apocalyptic setting.  Though the clips above touch on issues, mainly, concerning oil and energy resources, the film itself illustrates an array of global world issues.

Whatever your stance or personal reactions are to the following clips, Age of Stupid deserves recognition and commentary. Bringing awareness and attention to global conditions is a step in the right direction. Knowledge is part of the tipping point, but change won’t happen until we all take responsibility and action.

Ban Plastic - Video Goes Viral

Green Sangha Website

SLUMtube: Affordable Pallet house

Picture Provided by PALLET HAUSRelated Article @ Inhabitat

SLUMtube Main Website

Designers Andreas Claus and Pils Gregor are frontman for their exploration in turning pallets into functioning spaces. SLUMtube is yet another project that features the pallet as the main builing material. Located in South Africa this dwelling is low cost and affordable.

The semi-circular tube form while industrial appearing lends fucntion to shape. SLUMtube utilizes other discarded materials such as clay, straw and formwork panels. These materials intentionally are designed to protect and insulate the space from dramatic climate conditions. Although inhabitable the space also acts as an education center.

Seeing is Believing

Picture via Yanko Design

Treehugger Post

Isn’t it difficult to visualise something on such a huge scale when you can’t even see it? Water, electricity, natural gas, these are just some of the resources we hear about so often. We love this idea of bringing the issue into visual / tangible form. And if you are going to expose something, why not do it in a beautiful expressive way.

Even when recycling seemed like a far fetched idea and no one really thought 1 can or 1 piece of paper would make a difference. Here we are years later and recycling is “arguably” common practice. Lets hope that more design will lead to positive inventions like this.

Coal Simplified

Original Post on TreeHugger

If you are like us and find that BIG ISSUES are sometimes daunting and a little overwhelming, then you’ll love this video. This is a short, visually simple and comprehensive insight into the devastating and lasting effects of coal consumption.

4 simple steps in embracing the BIG ISSUES:

1. WHAT - Acknowledge the problem
2. WHY - Learn about the issue and come to an understanding of its cause(s) and effect(s)
3. FIX - Formulate an educated response to the issue by providing a solution
4. ACTION - Get involved with the solution

Pee & Grow - 1 Minute Video

This 1 MINUTE TO SAVE THE WORLD video is another great example of simple ideas with a big impact. Plus it’s just a really fun video.

Dr. Steven Chu Q & A: Energy

The Following Information Is Quoted From TREEHUGGER.COM

Department of Energy Homepage

Photo: Youtube screen grab from DOE video.

Casual Q&A With the Secretary of Energy
Who better to answer questions about energy conservation than a Nobel-winning physicist Secretary of Energy? The Department of Energy (DOE) has asked people to submit questions about energy, and a 15 minutes video of Steven Chu giving his answers has now been posted (see below). Most questions have to do with very concrete things that you can do, not so much about high-level DOE policy.



e2 - The Economies of Being Environmentally Conscious

PBS e2 [website]

The website has a lot to offer, including exerts, videos, and a TEACHING section to list a few. The teaching section has been organized in a way to fully outline curriculum based materials that are all available to use as a learning tool.

If you are a NETFLIX member, currently the first season is available for instant watch and the rest of the series is available for your queue.

[the following has been transcribed via PBS, Season 1 Episode 1 page]

The first episode begins in New York, a city that is leading the charge to green its industrial skyline with several groundbreaking projects. New York combats the urban myth of the bustling city as a “concrete jungle.” “The Green Apple” explores some of Manhattan’s most prominent and technologically advanced structures like One Bryant Park and The Solaire, as well as the innovative minds behind them. The episode illustrates how the ubiquitous skyscraper can surprisingly be a model of environmental responsibility.

[the following has been transcribed via PBS, About Series page]

e² is a critically acclaimed, multipart PBS series about the innovators and pioneers who envision a better quality of life on earth: socially, culturally, economically and ecologically.

The series explores attainable solutions to pressing environmental and social challenges, and its stories are culled from a variety of fields including design, energy, transport, water, food and urban development. Episodes have profiled Nobel Peace Prize-winner Muhammad Yunus’s efforts to bring renewable energy to Bangladesh’s rural poor through microfinance; architect William McDonough and his “cradle-to-cradle” design philosophy; and former Bogotá Mayor Enrique Peñalosa’s sweeping redesign of that city’s transportation network, emphasizing alternatives to automobile culture.

The 2008 season of e² is presented in two parts, “e² design” and “e² transport”, and will visit Cairo, Nova Scotia, Melbourne, San Francisco, London, Paris, Amsterdam and Seoul. Featured interviews include luminaries like acclaimed author Michael Pollan, His Highness the Aga Khan, and Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano.

e² is a poetic combination of compelling storytelling, provocative cinematography and an emotive original music score. Narrators include Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. Currently entering its fourth season, e² continues to feature new advances in sustainable living, adaptive reuse, eco-efficient transportation and more. e² is directed by Tad Fettig and executive produced by Karena Albers and Fettig, both co-founders of the New York-based production company kontentreal.

ABC - Extreme Makeover Home Edition

ABC. Extreme Makeover Home Edition - Website

Hulu - Extreme Makeover Home Edition - Website

Ty Pennington Style - Website

I find it hard to believe that anyone wouldn’t know what ABC’s Extreme Makeover Home Edition is all about or who, Ty Pennington, the star team leader is. Although I’ve attached “The Ward Family” video above, this post is dedicated to the show itself.

There just aren’t words to justify how special this program is. I can’t imagine what it must mean for the people they help. It’s pay it forward on a grand scale. It would be interesting to see how many people are affected by this gesture of kindness.

It’s reassuring to the humanitarian in my heart that GOOD DOES EXIST. Beyond what it can do for a single family or neighbor, it’s a reflection on this great nation and its community. I believe people want to be good and do good. It’s unfortunate when you see so much willpower from those you least expect and how difficult they struggle to provide. So many of us have so much to be grateful for and appreciative of, but so few of us are taking major leaps in the effort for others. This is a movement of selflessness, hope, inspiration and change.

What I love most about this show is, how real the people are. They aren’t foreign to our ways of life or CGI animations. These are our brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, friends, children and loved ones. It’s one of those pure moments in life that consume your emotions. A reflection that is so easily lost in our chaotic routines. It’s an exceptional and liberating journey into the soul. 

REX - Reuse Everything Experiment

Is it possible to reuse and ENTIRE house?… YES!!! While you reuse everything you also are saving money, getting tax breaks and setting an example.

HGTV designer and author, Shannon Quimby thought so and proves it in this video. My favorite part is when she talks about this kind of project being second nature. So that, her children will just think that this is how it works.

Read the full article HERE

World's Greenest Homes - Planet Green - Discovery Channel - Shopping Guide

 

THE BETTER WORLD - Shopping Guide

WORLD’S GREENEST HOMES is a program on the Discovery Channel that is worth watching. I know how you must feel, because I feel it as well…

What difference does this “1” item that I buy REALLY matter?

The truth is that it does matter. It may seem like a trend and cliche, but it’s not some liberal hippie thing anymore, it’s a lifestyle choice. And it takes a lot of effort and consciousness to make any kind of a difference.

Society had the same response to recycling when it started, now it’s mandated in some parts and second nature for most at this point. The truth is that we create too much, waste too much and we don’t personally witness the ramification’s of this process.

The charts and graphs seem almost worthless at this point. Statistics the same. It’s a problem that is too large for us to comprehend. But we don’t have to be naive and unprepared. It’s programs like this that bring awareness, but also bring SOLUTIONS.

I urge you and myself to research our products. Use less. Think about the longevity of things you buy, but also the things that are disposed of. Don’t stop at the product itself, but what are the materials, where was it manufactured, how was it distrubuted, what are the lifecycle processes, and most importantly…IS THERE A BETTER DECISION I COULD MAKE.

Eco-Valcucine

Eco-Valcucine Blog
Valcucine Website

Valcucine has gained a reputation for over 27 years as a leader in ECO-FRIENDLY KITCHEN DESIGN. From experience I can attest that designers and consumers alike are constantly impressed with Valcucine’s equipment. The hardware and mechanisms are like no other. The designs are infinite. The minimalist workspaces and storage solutions are without a doubt some of the most elegant on the market.

This is a company with values as well. Valcucine is known for their reliable customer service, portfolio of award winning kitchen designs, higher standard of installation and thoughtfulness to the environment.