306 Shares Sand Magnified Sand grains magnified 110-250 times reveal each grain is unique. The tip of a spiral shell has broken off and become a grain of sand. After being repeatedly tumbled by action of the surf this spiral sand grain has become opalescent in character. It is surrounded by bits of coral, a pink shell fragment, a […] More
1 Shares Cob Fireplaces Cob Fireplaces… Cob fireplace. americanclay.com Cob fireplace in Hilde Dawe’s house, British Columbia. onelessbrickinthewall.com Cob fireplace by Charles Andre. www.fasttraxfilmcorp.ca Cob fireplace (Rumford) www.firespeaking.com Cob Fireplace. Budownictwo Naturalne. earth-heart-grupa.blogspot.com More
11 Shares Bicycle Art Every year about 109 million bicycles are produced, and 140 million people are born. That adds up to lots of extra bikes to make art with. Burning Man Festival 2007 by Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector Bikes reclaimed from garbage dumps and recycling centers form a 30 foot high archway. Pic: Jenene Chesbrough www.flickr.com Bicycle […] More
923 Shares Hugelkultur Instead of putting those branches, leaves and grass clippings in bags by the curbside…build a hugel bed. Simply mound logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, straw, cardboard, petroleum-free newspaper, manure, compost or whatever other biomass you have available, top with soil and plant your veggies. What’s Hugelkultur? Why Hugelkultur? Hugelkultur (HOO-gul-culture). It’s German for hill culture or […] More
19 Shares Green Roof Inspiration A green roof—essentially, a garden atop any office building or home—helps save energy, promote drainage, and feed you. Why Build a Green Roof? Sod roofs are common on the Faroe Islands, west of Norway. Traditionally the roof was covered with sod on top of several layers of birch bark over wooden boards. Today, commercial roofing […] More
17 Shares Shipping Container Homes Shipping container homes seem like a no-brainer. Approximately 30 million steel shipping containers are in existence, filled and floating, or standing empty in a port. 8 feet wide by 8.5 feet high, and either 20 or 40 feet long, the steel shipping container has been the globally standardized transportation module since 1956. Sending empty containers […] More
270 Shares Greenhouses from Old Windows and Doors Calling all used awning windows, bay windows, storm doors, and clerestories back to service. 1) Recycled Window Greenhouse, Minnesota Greenhouse made from recycled windows by Jan and Ed Vitse of New Look Floral (a garden and floral business) in Rochester, MN. This little gem, made from recycled windows was built in 2003. The structure is 12 […] More
2 Shares Eco Sports Cars Porsche 918 Spyder Plug-in Hybrid prototype (all of Porsche’s concept cars have been brought to market) has emission levels of just 70 grams CO2 per kilometre on fuel consumption of three litres/100 kilometres (equal to 94 mpg imp). Acceleration from a standstill to 100 km/h in just under 3.2 seconds, top speed of 320 km/h […] More
8 Shares Noise Pollution Alters Bird Behavior It takes no observational feat to notice that people enjoy birds. As human developments dominate the landscape and evict so many of our wild neighbors, we spend a disproportionate amount of our energies coaxing the birds, specifically, back. Why else the feeders and birdhouses and baths so common to neighborhood backyards? Perhaps the exact reasoning […] More
13 Shares Wood Fired Pottery Humans have been enamoured of wood fired ceramics for thousands of years. Yet since the invention of electric and gas kilns, wood firing was pushed aside by many. Fortunately the unique beauty of wood fired pottery is again becoming a highly appreciated art form throughout the world. (The Japanese have always held wood fired ceramics […] More
64 Shares Human Urine As Fertilizer A study out of Finland has found that plants fertilized with urine performed four times as well as nonfertilized plants and just as well as plants given commercial mineral fertilizer. Urine plus wood ash (collected from a wood stove) produced as well, yet with the added benefit of reducing the acidity of the soil. The […] More
2 Shares Wedge Shaped Cars The future looks wedge shaped… The 3 Wheeled Elio. Order yours now. More than 50,000 have already been pre-ordered… Made in America. Costs $6800. Designed for a 6’1” 220 lb person in the single front seat with one additional seat in the back. Elio projects that it will employ 1500 in Shreveport, LA, at an […] More
49.5k Shares Microscopic Images Of Seeds The diversity and intricacy of shapes and sizes of seeds is extraordinary. Even more amazing is that within even the tiniest of seeds lies the complete genetic information required to birth and structure such organisms as the complex passion flower, or a 360 foot tall sequoia. Seeds are also amazing travelers, either with the help of […] More
46 Shares Butterfly Eggs Julia Heliconia Butterfly Egg in a tendrill of a Passion flower creeper. The Julia Heliconia is an orange butterfly found along the periphery of the Gulf of Mexico. Image by Martin Oeggerli. www.micronaut.ch Large white butterfly egg (Pieris brassicae). The yellow eggs of the large white butterfly are laid in clusters on the undersides of leaves in […] More
2 Shares Upcycled Maps Tear em, decoupage them, fold them, paint on them. Many Rivers, 2009 Inlaid maps, acrylic, on panel, 48 x 78 inches. By Matthew Cusick, mattcusick.com Bonnie, 2004. Maps on wood panel. By Matthew Cusick, www.mattcusick.com Matthew Cusick Rachael’s Wave, 2011. Inlaid maps on wood panel. www.mattcusick.com Geronimo, 2007 Inlaid maps on panel, 30 x 24 […] More
1 Shares Algae Streetlight Microalgae Street Lamps (in prototype stage). French biochemist Pierre Calleja has invented a streetlight that is powered by algae AND which absorbs CO2 from the air. Pierre reports that one lamp can take 1 ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere per year. This is as much CO2 as an average tree absorbs during its […] More
5 Shares Kitchen Of The Future “Energy-saving light bulbs will only take us so far. We need to push ourselves to rethink domestic appliances entirely, to rethink how homes consume energy, and how entire communities can pool resources” says Clive van Heerden, Senior Director of Design-led Innovation at Philips Design. Philips believes the solution is likely to come from biological processes, […] More
2 Shares Telephone Wire Art Telephone wire as an art medium. Telephone cord sheep by Jean Luc Cornec. jeanluc.cornec.de Telephone cord sheep at the Communication Museum, Frankfort, Germany. jeanluc.cornec.de Telephone wire Guinea Fowl by Celia Smith. celia-smith.co.uk Walking Puffin. Telephone cabling and copper wire. celia-smith.co.uk Telephone wire robin. celia-smith.co.uk Telephone wire Peacock. celia-smith.co.uk Telephone Wire Head by Hilary J. Baker. […] More
4 Shares Best Electric Cars For City Drivers Wheego Whip Life All electric. 100 miles per charge, 5 hours to charge, top speed 70 mph. MSRP $32,995. Qualifies for Federal and possibly State and Local Tax Credits. ($7,500 federal tax credit for electric vehicles.) Final assembly in California. Company is based in Atlanta, Georgia. www.wheego.net MiEV (Mitsubishi innovative Electric Vehicle) Mitsubishi’s electric […] More
14 Shares The Art Of Henrique Oliveira The artist Henrique Oliveira uses old plywood, fencing and PVC as his medium. Recycled from dumpsters and landfills from his home city, São Paulo, Oliveira shapes plywood around PVC forms. Casa dos Leoes, 2009 Biennial, Porto Allegre, Brazil. Turning a house into a sculpture. www.henriqueoliveira.com Casa dos Leoes, 2009, detail. Brazil in Portuguese is Brasil. […] More
3 Shares Nuts And Bolts Sculpture This sculpture is constructed of thousands of steel nuts. By Park Chan-girl, South Korea. blog.naver.com Steel Nut Sculpture By Park Chan-girl, South Korea. blog.naver.com Park Chan-girl, South Korea. blog.naver.com Park Chan-girl received his BFA in Sculpture from Chungnam National University and his MFA in Fine Arts from KyungHee University. blog.naver.com “OTOÑO” by Manuel Marti Mareno […] More
3 Shares Stone Furniture No more plastic! Or vinyl, or PVC! Stone Couch at Chanticleer Gardens, Wayne, Pennsylvania Image by Carolyn’s Shade Gardens, Bryn Mawr, PA. carolynsshadegardens.com Stone chair at Chanticleer Gardens, Wayne, Pennsylvania. Image by Carolyn’s Shade Gardens, Bryn Mawr, PA. carolynsshadegardens.com Stone seating group at Chanticleer Gardens, Wayne, Pennsylvania. Image by Carolyn’s Shade Gardens, Bryn Mawr, PA. […] More
2 Shares Green Home Plans Home Plans: (See PreFabs also) a small, small sampling… www.freegreen.com FreeGreen– Free Green stock plans !!! *** dreamgreenhomes.com Dream Green Homes. Numerous designs using Earth, Wood, Straw, Bamboo, Stone, Manufactured, Lightweight Concrete, Organic, Domes, Earth Sheltered, etc. www.architectural houseplans.com Architectural House Plans. Working drawings for client-inspired, architect-designed, built homes. Straw Bale House Plans, Solar, lots […] More
3 Shares Alternative Building Methods Alternative Building Methods: www.greenhomebuilding.com Green Home Building. Info about Earth, Wood, Straw, Bamboo, Stone, Manufactured, Lightweight Concrete, Organic, Domes, Earth Sheltered, etc. www.naturalbuildingnetwork.org Natural Building Network is a not-for-profit membership association promoting natural building principles, materials and practitioners worldwide. Good events list. www.earthbagbuilding.com Earth Bag Building– earthbag (sometimes called sandbag) construction. Lots of pictures, videos, […] More
9 Shares Pebble Pathways “Nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebble that causes you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.” Unknown. A pebble and stone path with gaps increases permeability. By Jeff Bale. jeffreygardens.com Pebble path in the UK, image by Hermes.goldenagegardens.blogspot.com Pebble Mosaic in […] More
2 Shares Firewood As Art Firewood Sculpture By Jaehyo Lee Wood ring. By Jaehyo Lee. leeart.name Wood chair. By Jaehyo Lee. leeart.name Wood chair. By Jaehyo Lee. leeart.name Wood Stool. By Jaehyo Lee. leeart.name Wood sculpture, 2009. By Jaehyo Lee. leeart.name Incredible Firewood Sculpture From Around The World Woodpile by Michael Buck. michael-buck.blogspot Hu Qingyan, “Firewood”, 2012; © Hu Qingyan […] More
9 Shares Egg Shell Art The ancient Vietnamese technique of crushing and then applying egg shell with lacquer to a surface is beginning to find favor with some contempoarary artisans. Mother of Pearl, Egg Shell & Lacquer on Panel. By Sook ja Kong of South Korea. kongsookja.com ‘Back’ Mother of Pearl, Egg Shell, Gold plate, Lacquer on Panel. By Sook […] More
