green

The Systems That Power The Year’s Most Sustainable Buildings

Only a decade ago, sustainable building techniques were fairly rare, a fringe culture on the periphery of mainstream architecture. But with Stephen Colbert interviewing radically green architects, like Mitchell Joachim and Passive House buildings popping up in New York City, that’s all changing very quickly.


One Of The World’s Greenest Commercial Building Opens Today

You didn’t know it was Earth Day? You probably aren’t alone. The 43-year-old fauxliday has declined in popularity over the past few years, perhaps because it’s been so thoroughly co-opted by companies interested in associating with sustainability — it’s easy to be cynical about greenwashing.


Monster Machines: This Natural Gas Plant Is Turbocharged By The Sun

With the decreasing popularity of coal and increasing volatility of petroleum prices, natural gas is emerging as a major energy resource. And while we have plenty of reserves, an estimated 84 trillion cubic metres, it’s still a non-renewable resource that must be used sparingly whenever possible — like this new natural gas power plant prototype from the Department of Energy. It produces just as much electricity with 20 per cent less gas every time the sun shines.


These Apartments Grow Their Own Air Conditioning

A newly completed 15-unit apartment building in Hamburg, Germany, is already turning heads. Although, with a facade covered in sun-tracking algae tanks, it’s hard not to stare.


There’s Gross Alternative Fuel Just Hanging Out In The Sewers

Everybody knows about using oil as a fuel source, but London is putting a new spin on the concept. Soon, the city will be mining its own sewers to bring up glorious globs of old cooking grease and melting them down into fuel. Delicious.


Monster Machines: This Water Treatment Plant Is Powered By Poop

The Inland Empire’s cadre of water treatment plants clean millions of litres of waste water every day. But what to do with all that left over poo? Normally, it’s unceremoniously dumped in a local landfill, but at Regional Water Recycling Plant No. 1, that massive pile of crap is put to a better use — making electricity with the largest biogas fuel cell generator in America.


These Bicycles Made From Old Cars Are Gorgeous And Green

Bicycled is a new company that’s building bikes out of junked cars. While that sounds like it could be a recipe for disaster, the results are actually amazingly beautiful.


Japan Mulls Nixing Nukes In Favour Of Farming Wind

Japan has quite had its fill of nuclear power, thank you very much. As the country rebuilds from the devastating 2011 tsunami and subsequent Daiichi power plant disaster, it’s looking toward alternate energy sources. Good call, minna-san.


Boeing’s Concept SUGAR Plane Plugs In Like A Prius

In November of 2011, American commercial airlines consumed 1.83 million litres of fuel — every day — and paid a total of $US49.8 billion that month to do so. And with increasingly tight operating budgets, fuel efficiency has quickly become a primary concern for the airlines. Boeing thinks one possible solution is its new plug-in hybrid jet concept that burns 70 per cent less gas per flight with the help of local power grid.


The Science Behind The Simplest Type Of Solar Power

Garden hoses are the devil. They lay there, quietly baking in the hot summer sun, just waiting for some dumb schmuck to come along and try to take a sip — then BAM! A faceful of scalding hot water.


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