Name Name
titledescript
The food-based locavore movement is maybe best defined by the "100-Mile Diet," which involves eating only what's available in your region. Now, that concept is being applied to architecture with the "100-Mile House," an approach to homebuilding that involves using only materials available in your immediate environment (duh). The idea is being promoted by the 100 Mile House......read more
This futuristic home concept, developed by Polifactory for British Columbia's 100 Mile House design competition, makes use of every sustainable technology imaginable to produce food and energy for its inhabitants. Dubbed HOUS.E+, the residence is constructed from rammed earth walls (using soil excavated on-site) that act like breathing structures that allow air exchange without significant......read more
If you know anything about the bizarre art of Genki – the Japanese porn/film company that has made “eel porn” a household world in Tokyo (watch the show on VBS.tv if you don’t believe me) – the juxtaposition of naked ladies with tentacles is probably not so shocking in the work of Zak Smith. Smith has become a hot, hot commodity as of late and has landed in numerous important art......read more
Perennial SHFT fave FEED Projects comes through with another great product that helps in the global fight against hunger. Made from natural burlap and organic cotton, the FEED 2 Bag features two comfy green straps (including a messenger strap for bikeriding) and a copper ring closure. Like all their products, the FEED 2 Bag comes with an important cause: Each bag sold feeds 2 children in school......read more
Based in the golden hills of Northern California, CleanFlame™ creates the world’s best ultra-clean burning, 100% recycled firelogs and firestarters. These safe, family-friendly products deliver enchanted firelit evenings, toasty campfire experiences, and even outdoor cooking fun—all while safeguarding the environment. CleanFlame’s patented manufacturing process uses 100% non-recyclable......read more
Surrealist sculpture and green architecture collide in this hillside Austrian home that might make M.C. Escher blush -- and Mies van der Rohe cringe. The detached house, designed by Weichlbauer Ortis Architects, is covered in a soft synthetic turf, offering a strange yet somehow literal take on green wall design. With willfully superfluous windows extending from other windows and weirdly placed......read more
Here's another video for Dexter Tortoriello's bliss pop project, Houses. Directors LAMAR+NIK made ice sculptures using a series of handmade clay molds, then took time-lapse stills of the melting process in a garage. The entire budget: a little over $200. Houses' recording process was similarly lo-fi. The entire All Night album was recorded off-the-grid in Hawaii, on a laptop......read more
There's not a ton to this video. Actually there's very little. But the song is some lovely, blissful pop, and there's an interesting backstory. The standout single from All Night, Houses' first full-length, "Endless Spring" was recorded in Hawaii where sole bandmember Dexter Tortoriello spent time with his partner living off the grid. In his words: "We moved out to a little cabin in Papaikou,......read more
Boskke's quirky, upside-down Sky Planters series invert the very idea of indoor plants. Last year, the company unveiled a new range of the hanging planters made of recycled polypropylene. The Sky Planter Recycled landed the company a 2011 Red Dot design award for the use of recycled materials and for integrating a Slo-Flo internal irrigation system that waters the plants directly at their roots.......read more
Wilder Quarterly, the quarterly (duh) journal of all things plant-related, is one of our favorite magazines out there right now. With inspiring content from green thumbs, rooftop gardeners, chefs, seed savers, architects, hobby farmers, and horticulturalists, WQ's interests are fully aligned with ours. The latest Wilder Quarterly blog post offers some simple tips on something that often......read more
