This floating pavilion on Vancouver's False Creek is being used as a temporary restaurant featuring 4-star local cuisine. Which is neat on its own, but it's doubly cool when you find out it's floating on nearly 1,700 recycled 2L pop bottles. And gets even sweeter when you discover that the Pop Bottle Dining Barge is a fundraising project for the School of Fish Foundation, which......read more
The fish-eating denizens of Edinburgh Zoo are joining the sustainable food movement. Miranda and Sofus, the zoo's two sea lions, have been switched onto a diet of Marine Stewardship Council-approved Scottish herring. The Patagonian sea lions are said to be loving the new sustainable feed. Next up are the zoo's 200 penguins, who will be soon guzzling MSC-certified South African hake......read more
Aww, is it "too cold" to ride your bike in the winter? No matter where you are, it ain't as cold as St. Petersburg, Russia, where Adams Carroll rides his Ukrainian beast — made from surplus military tank parts — through the snow. Check Carroll's notes on winter cycling at the Fader. On a one-way path to wind energy dominance, China is steady flouting world......read more
Falling Up: Almost a year ago, we happily reported that global deforestation rates were falling sharply, thanks in large part to less logging in the Amazon. But newly released study, is turning our upside-down frowns back around again. The figures in the report say that Amazon deforestation rates are up 1000% from last year. Dirty Air Act: Faced with stiff pressure from Congressional......read more
As of April 22 (aka Earth Day 2012), Whole Foods shoppers will no longer be able to purchase fish pulled from depleted waters or collected through unsustainable means. The Austin, TX-based retailer will no longer stock fish and other seafood rated red, as in "avoid," by a color code established in partnership with the Blue Ocean Institute and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. That includes......read more
London's Eco Age is a store, showroom and consultancy that acts as a hub for all things green. Founder Nicola Giuggioli doesn't think "sustainable design" should infer any particular aesthetic. Neither do we. Here, Giuggioli discusses the concept....read more
We could get used to working here. Designed by FLOAT architecture, 'Watershed' is a 100 square foot writer's studio that reveals the complex ecology around it. Little tunnels under the structure bring reptiles and amphibians into view through the floor-level window. A water collection basin, doubling as the front step, attracts birds and deer. All of the structure's parts are......read more
As part of its footprint reduction project, Puma commissioned Yves Behar of fuseproject to create a new packaging system for Puma shoes. The result is a revolution in showbox design. Using 65% less paper than a traditional shoebox, the "Clever Little Bag" is a cardboard stock frame wrapped in reusable shoe bag. The packaging has no laminated printing, no tissue paper, requies less space......read more
Earth is increasingly being touted as the building material of the future, leading to a hot new architectural trend: grass houses. Designed by GRID Architects, the Amalia House in Styria, Austria joins the trend...sort of. The family holiday home is completely covered with artificial turf, highlighting the interchange between indoors and out. We may be taking the idea of "green" design......read more
This sleekly sustainable, cleverly conceptual accessory from Rogan house comes just in time for summer. Made in NYC from repurposed vintage time pieces, the Timeless Watch is a unique and sharp-looking example of upcycling. More than that, though, it's empty face offers a sly comment on our obsession with keeping time. Available in matte black and gold. ...read more