Excellent thermal insulation, thermal storage and sound insulation as well as a high resistance to mold, pests and fire... Alfawall load bearing straw wall panel. In Spain, the company Okambuva …
Charcoal Stick Filters
Looking for plastic-free water filtration? Try activated charcoal sticks...the only significant difference between a Brita filter and a stick is that water is filtered through a Brita …
Gladiators Were Vegan
Archeologists recently unearthed a burial site in Turkey containing the bodies of 60 Roman gladiators. Tests to their remains led researchers to conclude that the gladiators all ate an …
Kombucha Fabric
Designer Suzanne Lee shares her experiments in growing a kombucha-based material that can be used like fabric or vegetable leather to make clothing. The process is fascinating, the results are …
Genetically Modified Cartoons
John McPherson Dave Coverly www.speedbump.com Robert Ariail www.robertariail.com www.allvoices.com Originally found at …
Is Milk a Whole Food?
The definition of a whole food, is a natural food that has not been processed or has been refined as little as possible. Unfortunately, ultra-pasteurized, homogenized, grain-fed cow's milk is not a …
7 Best Veggie Burgers
Flickr pic: miikkahoo 1) Beet and Bean Burgers Inspired by the veggie burgers at Northstar Cafe in Columbus, Ohio Makes 6 burgers Ingredients 1/2 cup brown rice (a bit more if you love …
Dent Corn Puts a Dent in Our Health
Field corn and sweet corn might have similar roots but are very different crops. Field corn is considered a commodity crop in the United States and is grown on 97 million acres of farmland …
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Food Choices Affect the Climate
From the “Meat Eater’s Guide to Climate Change and Health” The Environmental Working Group's new report takes into account the full “cradle-to-grave” carbon footprint of each food item based on the …
Food Dyes Linked to Behavioral Problems
"Exposure to food and food components, including AFC (artificial food colors) and preservatives, may be associated with behavioral changes..." so says the U.S. Food and Drug Association.(3) Yet recent …
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Fruit Flies Live Longer on an Organic Diet
When Ria Chhabra was but 13 years old she heard her parents discussing whether the cost of organic food was worth the benefit. She decided to research the topic for a school science project and during …
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All the Different Sugars
Which Sugars are Toxic? A List. I had been meaning to do a post on sugar for some time, as I had no idea which sugar was 'good' or 'bad' in the health food store any longer. Then in April, the NY …
The 4 Types of Solar Cookers
Downing trees or gathering sticks to fuel stoves is a major cause of deforestation and desertification. But if you could get that fuel free from the sun... The Panel Solar Cooker The Panel …
BPA Free Cans
According to Bloomberg News, 4.7 million metric tons of BPA valued at about $8 billion was produced in 2012. The chemical has been linked to birth defects and decreased social activity that spans …
Food Consumption In America
Stunning statistics about what Americans eat. What Are We Eating? What the Average (U.S.) American Consumes in a Year Who Is The Average American? The average American is 36.6 years …
25 Grams of Sugar a Day
The World Health Organization recommends eating no more than 25 grams of added sugar a day. The old 2002 recommendation that sugars should make up less than 10% of total energy intake per …
Fresh Drinking Water Resources & Links
Sections: Bottled Water Climate Change Conservation Organizations Conservation Reports Conservation Tips Corporate Responsibility Databases Desalination Developing World Drinking …
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Plastic Bag Statistics
Environmental Damage From Plastic Bags Some 4 to 5 trillion plastic bags—including large trash bags, thick shopping bags,and thin grocery bags—were produced globally in 2002. Roughly 80 percent of …
Biodiversity Organizations
Biodiversity Organizations- Gov't and UN: www.undp.org UN. Biodiversity Planning Support Programme is a multi-donor initiative implemented by the United Nations Development Programme and the United …
Air Pollution Organizations
Air/Atmosphere Organizations www.epa.gov Environmental Protection Agency's Air Page. Long list of Air Subtopics. www.noaa.gov National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Supplies daily …
Living Walls (Green Walls)
A living wall, or green wall, is a gorgeous display of life that helps to keep buildings cool. Green Walls By Patrick Blanc The Caixa Forum in Madrid. Patrick Blanc vertical designer. The …
Wooden Bathtubs
Not the wooden tub of yesterday... Are wooden bathtubs environmentally positive? If you grew the bamboo or cedar in your backyard and then made it yourself—definitely! These examples might not be …
Cork Chair Inspiration
Corky Lips Chair Made of recyclable natural rubber foam covered with cork leather. Design by Rodrigo Vairinhos of Neo Studios with offices in Portugal and Germany. neo-studios.de A Wine Cork …
Glass Bottle Walls
Instead of cutting down trees, re-use glass bottles to form the structure of your home. Tom Kelly, a miner in treeless Rhyolite, Nevada, had this idea back in 1906. More than a century later, …
Plastic Bottle Homes and Greenhouses
Americans threw away 33 million tons of plastic in 2013, according to the EPA. How long does it take a plastic bottle to degrade in a landfill? Some say 500 years, some say 1,000. Plastic hasn't been …
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Plastic Bottle Lights
Plastic bottles and other upcycle-able materials as never before. The Colourball By the amazing Heath Nash of South Africa. Multicolour flower and butterfly shapes attached to a handmade …
Bench Ideas
Dozens Of Incredible Ideas For Benches Centipede Bench - www.studiobanana.com Tube bench Ryan Dart Quarry Bench made of plywood. bones-studio.com Tree trunk bench by Jurgen …
Upcycled Chairs
Upcycled chairs are chairs made from salvaged or recycled material. Suitcase Chair An old khaki canvas suitcase has been recreated into a slick Suitcase Chair. The chair has a steel reinforced …
Savin Couelle
Savin Couëlle was born in Aix-en-Provence, France in 1929. He studied architecture at the National School of Fine Arts in Paris. After school he spent seven years in Madrid designing film sets. In …
Silo Homes
Round houses have been a successful design option for thousands of years. Wind passes around the building and finds no resistance. Round buildings achieve much higher wind ratings than traditional …
Wood Stove Decathlon
Changing the wood stove's antiquated format. The Wood Stove Decathlon was created to focus more interest in designing the next generation wood stove. Clean burning, efficient stoves are becoming ever …
Salvaged Wood Bathrooms
Trade in the glare and hospital-feel of tile for the soothing look of wood—and be green by using salvaged material rather than new tile. Reclaimed wood bathroom in Austin, Texas. By …
Salvaged Wood Cabins
Old wood from barns, farmhouses, factories, even snow fence, is potential siding for a new home. Salvaged wood cabin in Montana built almost entirely of reclaimed wood by …
Salvaged Wood Interior Walls
Reclaimed wood walls give your interiors a timeless look—and save the Earth the trouble of growing new trees for you to cut down. Reclaimed wood paneled bedroom at Blackberry farm, …
Salvaged Wood Sheds
Turn salvaged wood into a small structure for storage or for sleeping. Shed at Linden Hill Gardens, Bucks Co, Pennsylvannia. Constructed from reclaimed wood, doors, and …
Corrugated Metal Ideas For The Home
Corrugated galvanized iron was invented all the way back in the 1820s. Now you can find corrugated sheets in numerous types of metals. The best 'type' for the environment is reclaimed corrugated …
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Homes on Stilts
For those living close to the coast, putting your home up on stilts will reduce the risk of damage caused by hurricanes and rising tides. Why Put Your Home On Stilts? Building a new home on stilts …
Integrated Solar
Solar cells and thin film are being homogeneously integrated with traditional roofing materials such as metal, slate, fiber-cement and asphalt roofing. Integrated solar roof. The south face of …
Boathouses
Boathouses. Keeping the rain out of your boat. Camp Topridge boathouse, Adirondacks, NY. Camp Topridge was bought in 1920 and substantially expanded and renovated in 1923 by Marjorie Merriweather …
Modern Underground Homes
"As an architect, I'm ashamed of what my fellow professionals and I have done during the last fifty years. What do we do? Look around you: America's best land: destroyed, nature: crushed under …
River Rock Fireplace
A river rock fireplace incorporates stones smoothed by eons of rushing water—and, as in some of the examples, the motion of the water itself. River Rock Fireplace Artist Lew French For over 30 …
Masonry Heaters with Ovens
Bake ovens can be either white (the fire is in another box, usually below the oven) or black (the fire is in the same compartment as the food being cooked). For efficiency and pollution reasons, doors …
Cob House Interiors
Earthy and warm, the inside of cob homes exude an incomparable charm. Gary Zuker's Cob Home Near Austin Hand built cob home in Texas by Gary Zuker. Gary (a computer engineer) had no experience …
Historical Cob
"If ever the counties of England recover their bygone loyalty to their own materials and their old traditions, then cob-building will return to Devon and the West. [...] For with it will come again …
Steam Bent Shingles
Shingle thatch or American thatch is the technique of using cedar shingles to recreate the texture and look of a reed-thatched roof. The shingles are bent along a curved framing support and roof …
Book Furniture
Due to the glue that binds books along their spine, most paper recyclers will not take books for recycling unless the cover and glue is removed. Bed of …
Cob Homes
Dwellings in Jericho, which were built in 9000 BC of mud brick, still stand today as testament to the longevity of earthen homes. Cob has also been popular in the UK and Ireland as their soils have a …
Recycling Old Doors
43 Amazing Ideas To Recycle Old Doors 1) Framed Painting Painting on an old door by Cory Bonnet. Originally found at "www.elanarts. com/artists/bonnet_cory/bonnet_cory.htm." 2) Message …
Salvaged and Painted Stairs
Inspiration for updating the look of your stairs—use salvaged items or get creative with paint. Piano Stair, Valparaíso, Chile. piccsy.com Paint worn treads with old crate signage. How-to here: …
Pebble Mosaic Underfoot
For thousands of years we have been pressing pebbles into patterns onto earthen floors. And numerous fine artists continue the tradition today... Pebble mosaic by Gwyn …
