If you’re into marsupials (and who isn’t?), my favorite, hands-down, is the wombat. Not just because they are vegan and terribly, terribly cute, or because they’re a bit lazy and are known Down Under for their ability to find shortcuts between A and B whenever possible — but because they have developed an incredible physical adaptation: The reinforced rump. When a predator attacks a wombat, it runs to its burrow and uses its tough cartilage-filled bum to block the hole. Since the super tough wombat behind is just made from modified skin cells, this physical feature would be a smart place for designers and fabricators to look when they are considering more natural alternatives to non biodegradable, unsustainable plastics.

Read the rest of Amazing Natural Packaging: The Wombat’s Super Butt!http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: Animals, australia, biology, ecology, green design, green packaging, natural packaging, packaging the future, sustainable design, Video, wombat

Read the rest of Stunning Hawaiian Residence Features Cyclone of Reclaimed Woodhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", belzberg architects, eco design, eco residence, green architecture, Green Building, green design, hawaii, kona, natural ventilation, photovoltaics, rainwater collection, reclaimed wood, Solar Power, solar system, Sustainable Building

You’ve dreamed of having a summer cabin settled along a lake, but did you ever imagine an escape placed directly on the water? Architect Daniel Andersson has envisioned a nouveau lake house that lets guests sleep with the fish — where the living space sits directly below the water’s surface and from above emerges an expansive roof deck. Andersson’s design came about when he was approached by his client, Ålands Hotell & Restaurangskola, to create a fresh concept able to attract more guests to a resort located on the Åland Islands in the Baltic Sea. What resulted was an incredible iceberg shaped building that sits beautifully on the waterscape and provokes onlookers to consider new, unconventional forms for living.

Read the rest of Beautiful Iceberg on the Baltic is a Brilliant Summer Cabinhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: Ålands Hotell, Baltic sea cabin, Daniel Andersson, floating house, houseboat, Iceberg Cabin

Read the rest of 2 Nest Village is a Cluster of Shaded Prefab Homes for El Pasohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", 2 nest village, Eco Architecture, eco design, eco home, el paso, green architecture, green design, green home, ofis, ofis architects, Prefab, Prefab Housing, prefabricated home, solar, solar shading, sustainable design, texas

Talk about upcycling — this tiny barbeque grill is made from a single Altoids Sours tin, two salvaged computer fan guards and a handful of nuts and screws, and it’s big enough to handle a wiener or a hamburger patty! Instructables user vmspionage claims that he (or she) got the inspiration from the eBq, which employs the larger Altoids mints tin, but in the name of progress vmspionage has made that original grill look like a 1980s computer by comparison.


Read the rest of The ‘Altoids Sours’ BBQ Grill Is Curiously Awesome!http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: altoids, bbq grill, green bbq, repurposing, upcycling, vmspionage

Join Inhabitat at West Coast Green this month!

Heads up Bay Area architects, designers, and green builders! West Coast Green 2010 will be taking San Francisco by storm this September with another incredible event that explores green innovation in the built environment. We’re looking forward to an exciting lineup of offerings including talks by William McDonough and Michelle Kaufmann, an incredible exhibition of innovative green products, and of course, the unveiling of this year’s sustainable showhouse. The event takes place from September 30th to October 2nd and tickets are currently available, so check out this year’s schedule and register today – Inhabitat readers get a 30% discount!!

REGISTER FOR WEST COAST GREEN >

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Post tags: "announcement", "sustainable architecture", Green Building, green design, San Francisco, sustainable design, west coast green, west coast green 2010

Drip Detective is a smart new iPhone/iPad app that shows you exactly how much water and money is lost from a water leak. Designed with a fun, interactive interface, the app is a lot more appealing than most conservation oriented apps. Check out a demo video here or to download Drip Detective for free, check it out at the iTunes store and click on the Redeem link from the Quick Links in the upper right corner. Then, just use code: 644KAHN76YTP.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: app, apple, drip detective, green app, green technology, iPad, iPhone, water conservation

Remember those desks we had in elementary school with the space inside for notebooks and pencils? Well this beautiful Knu desk may make you nostalgic, but trust us, it’s a lot better than your workstation of yore. Made of FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified wood and finished with an extremely tough environmentally friendly catalyzed varnish, it has cubbies for envelopes, a laptop (up to 17”), folders, paper, CDs, and whatever else you need to store. It even comes with a handy pencil drawer made from recyclable injection molded plastic, and its production is 100% carbon-offset.

+ Knu Desk on Vivavi

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Post tags: "green furniture", "sustainable furniture", eco design, eco desk, eco furniture, fsc certified wood, green design, green desk, knu, Knu Green Desk

When it comes to producing solar power, efficiency is the key – efficiency of the panels, efficiency of the system’s collectors and, according to SkyFuel, efficiency of the solar concentrator technology. Solar concentrators are increasingly being used in the industry, due to their efficiency in providing cheap solar energy. By harnessing the sun’s energy, a solar concentrator can provide the necessary heat for dozens of homes and thus save electricity. As such, the systems are more efficient than regular solar generators as captured power is not just converted into electricity. But according to SkyFuel, a U.S.-based company, their SkyTrough solar concentrator technology has a thermal efficiency of 350˚C (662 ˚F), which exceeds the standard by 73%. More than just a shallow claim, their statement has been confirmed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which has certified the SkyTrough solar concentrator technology to have the highest efficiency in its class!

Read the rest of SkyFuel’s SkyTrough is World’s Most Efficient Solar Concentratorhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: nrel skytrough, Skyfuel claim, skyfuel efficiency, skyfuel skytrough, skytrough concentrator, skytrough efficiency

As it turns out, the United States and China are going to walk hand in hand into the renewable energy future. Yesterday, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu announced that the two countries have formed the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center and will both provide a total of $100 million dollars in funding to research to get both energy hungry countries on the path to a greener future. While the plan sounds like a green dream come true, there’s a twist — the problem with the new initiative is that a half of the cash is going to clean coal technology, something we know doesn’t exist.

Read the rest of US and China Invest $100 Million in Energy Research Partnershiphttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: biggest petroleum users, biggest polluters, china renewable energy research, china renewable energy resources, renewable energy in north america, united states energy research, united states renewable energy

If you love cruising along the city streets on your two-wheeler or charging along the sidewalks on foot, what better way to take advantage of the outdoors than with this super practical solar bag? Designed by Swiss company Sakku, the sakku.traveler is a stylish solar bag that not only stores energy from the sun to power up your favorite gadgets, but each bag has been made from recycled boat sails! Built to last, the choice material offers some signs of wear for a truly unique and vintage meets modern look. And to show that you’re definitely the proud owner of a one-of-a-kind piece, each bag has been numbered and labeled with the origin of the sail. If you’re loving this bag as much as we are, then good news — in our latest Back-to-School contest where we’re giving away a sakku-traveller stuffed full of eco-friendly school supplies (worth $600!) to one lucky winner! Enter to win here!

+ Sakku

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Post tags: back to school bags, green bags, renewable energy, sakku, sakku traveler, solar bag

Adaptive reuse is all about starting with an object and transforming it into something new and useful through the power of smart design. Case in point: these old dumpsters turned into swimming pools! Talk about trash to treasure. Read more about the story behind this example of turning trash into treasure (literally) and comment here if you can think of any other examples of intelligent adaptive reuse.

READ MORE >

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Post tags: + pool, adaptive reuse, Brooklyn, community pools, community spaces, dumpster, dumpster pool, dumpster pools, green design, guerrilla installations, Macro Sea, Macrosea, new york city, New York summer activities, New York., public pools, public spaces, Recycled Materials, reuse, sustainable design, swimming pool

Read the rest of New LEED Gold Old Faithful Education Center in Yellowstonehttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, LEED gold, national park, nps architecture, old faithful, old faithful education center, old faithful visitor center, Sustainable Building, yellowstone, yellowstone national park

While the reflective and shiny solar panels that researchers have been making thus far look pretty, they’re no match for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) recently discovered black silicon solar cell. The scientists at NREL discovered that etching thousands of tiny holes into a silicon wafer causes it to be almost black and thus able to absorb almost all of the sun’s rays, and more absorbent solar cells mean more efficient panels.

Read the rest of New Black Silicon Solar Cells are Cheap and Absorb More Sunhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: black solar cells, efficient solar cells, how to increase solar efficiency, increased efficiency for solar cells, natrional renewable energy laboratory, NREL

Read the rest of v100 Mod Box: the Next Generation in Prefab Designhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", eco design, energy efficient, futuristic prefab, Green Building, green design, micro house, mod box, modular housing, Prefab, prefab construction, prefab home, prefabricated construction, sustainable design, tiny house, tiny house design, v100 mod box, vine saccento

Read the rest of Amazing Urban Concepts Reinvent India’s Skylinehttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", aecworldxp, Design Competition, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, hp, hp skyline 2020 competiton, sustainable design, Urban design, vertical farm

GO BACK TO SCHOOL WITH AN AMAZING NEW SOLAR BAG!

If you want to put your best (and greenest) foot forward as you start the new school year, we’ve got something that will help – a lot. We’re giving away a fantastic Back to School Prize Package (worth over $500) packed with green school supplies to one lucky winner – and it could be you! This amazing bundle includes 7 awesome 100% recycled hardcover notebooks in assorted colors and styles by ecosystem, a 100% recycled binder, tabs and binder pouch from Naked Binder, and to top it all off, an amazing solar-powered bag by Sakku (worth $450) that keeps all your gadgets charged up using power from the sun!

ENTER HERE >

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Post tags: back to school, contest, eco bag, eco binder, eco notebook, eco school supplies, ecosystem, giveaway, green back to school, green bag, green binder, green notebook, green school supplies, naked binder, photovoltaic bag, sakku, sakku solar bag, sakky, solar bag, solar powered bag

Read the rest of Gorgeous Green Tree Home Takes Root in Bulgariahttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: Bignatov Studios, brownfeild redevelopment, Bulgaria green building, geo source, geothermal heating, Green Building, green house, ground source heat pump, Ignatov Architects, solar heating, solar thermal

Read the rest of Miami’s Only LEED Gold Tower Can Withstand 300mph Winds!http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: "leed", "sustainable architecture", 1450 Brickell, eco design, eco office, eco skyscraper, eco tower, green architecture, Green Building, hurricane resistant design, hurricane winds, LEED gold, Miami, Sustainable Building

Read the rest of Garden City K66 is a Pixelated Modular City Filled with Terraceshttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", Eco Architecture, garden city k66, green architecture, green city, green space, Ljubljana, modular, modular housing pixelated city, ofis architects, pixelated, prefabricated, Slovenia