In 1965 Archigram envisioned the Plug-in City. Geoff at Bldgblog describes it: Archigram proposed using construction cranes as permanent parts of their buildings. The crane could thus lift new modular rooms into place, add whole new floors to the perpetually incomplete structure, and otherwise act as a kind of functional ornament. The crane, “now considered part of the architectural ensemble,” Archigram’s Mike Webb wrote, would simply be embedded there, “lifting up and moving building components so as to alter the plan configuration, or replacing part… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo: Bike Contrail Follow the Rainbow What if cyclists could leave behind a trail, a bit like in Tron , the old-school arcade game? That would be very cool for bike activists trying to make their presence felt and encourage local authorities to create new bike lanes where there are lots of cyclists using the road. That’s what the Bike Contrail, which we wrote about last year , attempts to do. Pepin Gelardi and Teresa Herrmann, the… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …New York’s Fresh Bodegas Program Brings Farmers’ Market Produce to Inner City Food Desert
October 29, 2010 No Comment
In wealthier NYC neighborhoods, bodegas often stock a wide range of healthy produce, but in poorer areas your options are generally limited to four food groups: Sugary, highly processed, alcohol and tobacco. Photo: Paul Lowry / Creative Commons . The phenomenon of healthy food deserts existing in America’s poor communities is well documented. In New York City, Grow… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo: Richard Harrison , Geograph, Creative Commons “There is no need for the public to have information beyond what is entering the atmosphere” As part of the EPA’s plan to begin cracking down on the nation’s largest greenhouse gas emitters next year, the agency is requiring polluting companies to disclose their emissions. These disclosures will be collected in a database, which the EPA will use to monitor companies’ pollution and their reduction achieve… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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photo: Agustín Ruiz / Creative Commons It may seem overly provocative to compare climate change to the scourge of human slavery, but when it comes to the sorts of cultural changes that are needed to stop them, they really have much in common. That’s what University of Michigan professor Andy Hoffman posits in a new issue of the journal
Continue reading …French Artist Turns ‘Garbage With Talent’ Into Beautiful Lighting (Photos)
October 29, 2010 No Comment
Photos: Gilles Eichenbaum Those old rusty colanders, kettles, pots and pans of yours have hidden talents. That’s according to Parisian craftsman, artist and bricoleur extraordinaire Garbage , a.k.a. Gilles Eichenbaum, who refurbishes old, seemingly mismatched objects like kitchenware, scales, toasters into fantastic lamps. … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Screengrab: ABC California Arnold Schwarzenegger had some harsh words for Washington politicians — perhaps especially the Obama administration — during his interview with Diane Sawyer earlier in the week. He said that Washington DC is full of “wimps” who backed down on energy and environmental policy after the oil companies lobbied them — and then he called on our leaders to “stand up and fight” them. Rousing words from a man whose legacy will likely end up being his commitment to clean energy and fighting climate change. Watch:… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo: DVIDSHUB , Flickr, Creative Commons And yet another chapter emerges in the seemingly never-ending saga of corporate malfeasance and complete disregard for human and operational safety that’s fast-rising as the legacy of the BP spill. In this latest revelation, we find out that none other than BP and Halliburton — a corporation just begging to be helmed by a Bond villain if there ever was… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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TreeHugger founder Graham Hill is trying to radically reduce his footprint and live happily with less space, less stuff and less waste on less money, but with more design. He calls it “LifeEdited.” I have been having so much fun with LifeEdited, , trying out all the ideas I have been thinking about for years, getting my old mad Sketchup skilz back, designing again. Here is a riff on Yen Ha and Michi Yanagishita’s pullout bed/ raised platform that we showed a few years ago, with a twist…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …The Week in Animal News: Lion Cubs Swimming, Halloween with Hippos, and More (Slideshow)
October 29, 2010 No Comment
Credit: AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin What happened in the animal world this week? Ants got closeups, birds got snapped with bees (well, technically a wasp), and baby tigers hit the water for their first swimming lesson — plus a nearly-invincible black rhino, a hippo celebrating Halloween, and wild dolphins teaching each other new tricks.
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