The United States of America is 233 years old tomorrow and we the people got a big ol’ birthday present from the Department of Energy.

President Barack Obama and U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu launched new energy efficient efforts on Tuesday that will remove the emissions of millions of tons of CO2 and save American consumers billions of dollars per year. The initiatives include many that are directly related to greening buildings.

Seven percent of all energy consumed in the U.S. is for lighting and the new standards, which take effect in 2012, focus on less efficient fluorescent tubes and the incandescent reflector lamps used in r...Read More

Comments (0)

If you're gearing up for a big summer picnic out on the green, make sure your serving utensils are green too. Branch's Biodegradable Party Kit is just the ticket, including enough biodegradable plates, utensils, cups, and platters to serve 50. The kit includes plates, bowls, and trays made from bagasse, utensils made from potato starch, your choice of cups, recycled-paper napkins, and even compostable waste bags for easy cleanup. The whole kit costs just $48. More from Branch here.

Comments (0)

Another trashy photo, but unlike last week’s image of carpet heading to Shaw’s carpet reclamation program, this stuff isn’t on its way to recycling. It’s headed for the landfill.

I took the photo at a demolition site. Everything on the left side – a mixed bag of metal, glass, wood, cardboard and various plastics is being loaded into the truck on the right and crushed into an inseparable mass of trash. It was painful to watch.

This property was obviously being demolished rather than deconstructed – a more labor intensive and costly process. However, our buildings should be valued for what we can mine...Read More

Comments (0)

As a designer focused on humanitarian issues, I've become very sensitive to attempts at design for social impact which are too quickly dubbed "good design" simply because they appear to be "design for the greater good." I was reminded of this this past weekend in Los Angeles, when I spotted the Oiti egg carton vase displayed in the usual design style. With a $15 price tag, it caught my eye (and not in a good way). I had heard the story of this vase the night before: a "social impact project," in which the designer purchased the scavenged egg crates from poor individuals in Brazil, then turned them into "green high design" by punching six grommets in the tops and dubbing it a vase. Is this design for soci...Read More

Comments (0)

Marmol Radziner's new prefab design debuted last week as the launch of the new Dwell Homes Collection, a line of standardized, eco-friendly modern prefab homes. Marmol Radziner's contribution to the collection, the Skyline Series, is intended to fit typical lots in urban areas, and boasts mix-and-match floorplans ranging from two to six bedrooms, solar power, energy efficient appliances, and more. Read more via Marmol Radziner. 

Comments (1)

This may not be the stunning product photography you’re used to seeing on this page, but to me, it’s absolutely gorgeous – bundles of reclaimed carpet collected by Shaw Carpet at its Evergreen Nylon Recycling facility in Augusta GA.

Evergreen is based on the Cradle-to-Cradle methodology that recycles Nylon 6 carpets back into its molecular components to produce fiber virtually indistinguishable from virgin fiber, which is then used to make new carpet.

Turning a material back into itself (verses down-cycling) is the gold standard of recycling and Evergreen is attracting attention in the hospit...Read More

Comments (2)

Photo: Sharp

For anyone who thinks LEDs are "too blue" to make for good ambient lighting, Sharp may have your answer with their recently released 7-tint bulbs. The company recently announced 9 new LED bulbs to the Japanese market, but the DL-L60AV takes the cake for its "Adjustable Color Function." The bulb is customizeable with seven different shades of warmer-to-cooler light. Plus, as it's an LED bulb, it lasts for 40,000 hours.

Via Treehugger

Comments (2)

Yup, I’ve got it, the Twitter bug. It started just before NeoCon when some friends mentioned that it would be cool for me to Twitter from the show about the wonderful green products I was sure to see. They could then vicariously follow me around the Mart without having to endure a cab ride into the city from O’Hare.

A successful Twitterer has followers who are people who want to read your Tweets. I have, as of today 120, which is a puny number compared to say Ashton Kutcher who has 2,340,505 followers, but his life is far more fascinating than mine, unless of course you really care about the fabulous fabric/flower display Heather Bush put together in the Carne...Read More

Comments (5)

I'm a sucker for puns and ice cream (a Mies Vanilla Rohe ice cream sandwich, anyone?), so it's no shock that the clever Coolhaus ice cream stand is my new favorite concept. Two young design-minded girls, Freya Estreller and Natasha Case, conceived of the pop-up ice cream stand inspired by big names and ideas in modern architecture. Flavors of their "prefab" ice cream sandwiches, include Frank Behry, Mintamalism, and Oatmeal Cinnamoneo.

Comments (1)

Graphic designer Eric Ku has taken flat-pak to a whole new level, designing a five-component chair that literally speaks for itself. Ku says that the "Chair Chair" is inspired by American contemporary artist Joseph Kosuth's One and Three Chair. Instead of using rectilinear components, he redefined the pieces using his typographic skills. Coincidentally, it makes a gorgeous piece when constructed, too.

Comments (1)

It’s hard to know where to begin with 3Form – it just keeps getting better and better. The additions to the product line I saw at NeoCon are dazzling.

The centerpiece of the 3Form exhibit space was a stunning light sculpture constructed from the company’s signature Varia Ecoresin and LED lamps. Light Art, as its known, is available as large, medium or small fixtures, each built to order. Check out the amazing installation at Saks 5th Avenue in Palm Beac...Read More

Comments (0)

What is recyclable and how can be quite the daunting task, enough to make you want to just toss it all in the trash. Mode's new all-in-one recycling center makes recycling the easy choice, and it fits compactly in any kitchen. The system sorts and stores recyclables and even reminds you when to take it out for pick-up using the great green bins that come with it. Check out the full specs on the Mode website here.

Comments (0)