Wind power may be clean, green, and renewable, but it doesn't come without its problems. It's noisy as hell for people living nearby, and it poses serious risks to flying wildlife and sensitive shoreline habitats. A group of mechanical engineers from Cornell have responded with a solution that may represent the future of wind energy tech. The working prototype, dubbed Vibro-Wind,......read more
Coffee lovers alert! The keen eyes at Cool Hunting put us on to this innovative take on the French press, and it should surprise no one that it comes from the Pacific Northwest. The Portland Press, created by Bucket, is a long-lasting, sustainable alternative to the generally fragile French press. The joe-maker replaces the French press's plastic plunger and glass beaker with wood and a mason......read more
Founded by future-focused architect Dustin Feider, O2 Treehouse designs and builds geodesic domes for leafy habitats. The company is guided by principles of sustainability; domes are hung in the canopy using a cable suspension system, so not a single hole is drilled in the host tree during installation; also, because the polygon design distributes stress evenly across the entire structure, the......read more
Coming from the same folks who brought you the Original Tree Swing, this classic sling shot is handcrafted from branches of the Buckthorn bush. The Buckthorn is a common European hedge plant found across the northern US, and is now considered an invasive species. The hardwood "Y" branches are ideal for sling shots, and harvesting Buckthorn wood has the added benefit of helping control the......read more
Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek has been transforming waste materials into distinctive furniture since long before sustainability became the zeitgeist it is today. But while the reduce-reuse-recycle approach is central to his practice, Hein Eek's work is more nuanced than that. "It’s not just about recycling, it’s about a respect for the materials," he says. This low bucket......read more
As regular browsers of Vimeo know, there is a new form of time-lapse photography on the scene. Hyperlapse videos use time-lapse techniques but with moving cameras that are typically focused on one point. The results, as you can see in this video from Teehan+Lax, can make you dizzy. Here the San Francisco-based web designers used images from Google Street View to take us on a wild......read more
Since its founding in 2007, Baggu has become the most well-known name in reusable bags. Now the company is venturing beyond nylon grocery bags and into other carry goods made from vegetable-tanned leather. Included among the wares are leather versions of the classic Baggu bag, leather pouches made from waste scraps, and this simple and elegant drawstring purse described as "the perfect bucket......read more
It's not unusual for creative types to go for walks to find inspiration. But for Australian artist Lizzie Buckmaster Dove, daily walks also serve the purpose of uncovering the materials she uses in her work. Walking along the seaside near her home in Coledale, New South Wales, Lizzie collected concrete fragments from an old swimming pool which has been claimed by the to-and-fro of the......read more
At an age when most kids are just learning to not pick their noses and eat it, Vanis Buckholz is running a business with an eye on helping not only the planet but also the less fortunate folks in the community. The 10-year-old from Corona del Mar, CA is the CEO of My ReCycler, which collects recyclable waste for delivery to the local recycling plant. Launched when he was only 7, My ReCycler......read more
Berlin-based company Zendome develops these innovative, flexible, and stylish dome-like spaces. Thanks to their non-hierarchical geometry, the structures can be set up in a snap in virtually any location. Available in sizes ranging from 30 m2 to 300 m2, Zendomes can be erected in 10% of the construction time of conventional architecture, which makes them perfect for all kinds of indoor and......read more