Photo via cletch We kind of already know this - if not intuitively then through past studies - but a new study has shown that when you spend more time out in nature,
you feel more alive. Published in this month's issue of the
Journal of Environmental Psychology, the study shows that getting out and communing with nature is better for feeling rejuvenated than reaching for the ever-so-urban cup of coffee. "Nature is fuel for the soul, " says Ri...
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Photo by poolie So just how does garbage get from your hand all the way out into the middle of the Pacific Ocean where it swirls in a soup of trashy debris -- or if not there, then to one of the 4 other trash gyres in the oceans across the globe? Cartoonist Jim Toomey decided to send two of his characters off on an adventure to show you in the comic strip
Sherman's Lagoon. The journey starts in the fictional Kapupu Lagoon by the island of Kapupu in the South Pacific Ocean, west of the Elabaob Islands in the Palauan archipelago...
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The Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI) is an organization after Inhabitat’s own heart. It was formed by the visionary eco architect/designer’s family in 1983 to champion Buckminster Fuller’s amazing legacy and provide the design world — and the rest of humanity, for that matter — with the tools we need to solve the world’s most pressing problems. Buckminster Fuller was a “full systems thinker” — he was a renaissance man who foresaw the problems we are facing now decades before anyone else, and came up with innovative, thoughtful ways to solve humanity’s most pressing problems around energy, shelter and natural resources. Sadly, this amazing man is no longer with us, but The Buckminster Fuller Institute marches forward in his name with a handful of thought-provoking programs for designers. Their flagship initiative is the Buckminster Fuller Challenge design competition to provide solutions to complicated social/environmental problems. Inhabitat covered the BFI Challenge finalists back in April, and we are thrilled to announce the winner of the competition here in our latest video! Watch our video profile (above) to learn about BFI, Bucky’s legacy, and the inspiring winner of this year’s $100,000 prize.
Read the rest of VIDEO: Buckminster Fuller Institute Announces 2010 Challenge Winner!http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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Post tags: buckminster fuller challenge, buckminster fuller institute, Green Design Competitions, holistic design solutions, holistic solutions, whole systems solutions
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Students in Israel at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev have developed new technology that allows blind people to “see” objects around them through a simple radar system. The device consists of a computer, two video cameras and a scanning light source that audibly alerts the individual of objects that are close in proximity. The system scans surrounding objects and their distance from two points, much like the human eyes. Currently, vision impaired people need either a sensor cane or a guide dog in order to walk freely, both of which take up the use of one hand. This invention could prove to change all of that.
Read the rest of Students Develop Radar Device to Help Blind People “See”http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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Post tags: blind can see with radar, blind person, en-Gurion University of the Negev, guide dog alternatives, radar assistance, radar inventions, vision assistance devices
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Green building is making big strides in Texas as evidenced by this cute little zero-energy home in Fort Worth, which opens for public tours today. The Zero Energy Casita, erected by the award winning green builder, Don Ferrier, is a two bedroom, 1,051 square foot home packed with sustainable features. A residential wind turbine supplies power for the energy efficient home built from reclaimed materials. If you’re in the area, definitely take the time to check it out and see all of the green building techniques first hand.
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Zero Energy Casita in Texas Opens to the Public Today!http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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Post tags: "wind turbine", don ferrier, eco design, eco home, ferrier homes, fort worth, Green Building, green design, net zero home, reclaimed wood, renewable energy, SIP, Sustainable Building, texas, wind energy, Zero energy, zero energy casita
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Image credit: NRFTO With
deadly cyclist vs motorist conflicts going on in our streets, and
bikers even getting shot for riding with their kids, the launch of the country's first defensive cycling classes could not come at a better time. But what is defensive cycling all about? ...
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We’ve come to the point where we’re pretty darn pessimistic about almost any supposed advancements in the BP oil spill saga – but as of yesterday, there seems to be some actual good news. According to Admiral Thad W. Allen, who is overseeing the federal response to the disaster, a key riser pipe at the Deepwater Horizon site was successfully cut yesterday, meaning that we are one crucial step closer to capping off and containing the leak. Not everything went smoothly though – read on to see what has officials worried about this still fragile, but momentous progress.
UPDATE: As of last night, technicians were able to go one step further and actually get the containment cap or “top hat” in place. On NBC’s Today Show this morning, BP’s chief operating officer, Doug Suttles, confirmed that oil has started flowing up the pipe from the cap, but that we would have to wait until later in the day to see how much is actually being diverted.
Read the rest of BP Oil Pipe is Cut, “Top Hat” Containment Cap in Placehttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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Post tags: BP, british petroleum, coast guard, deepwater horizon, Gulf, gulf coast, Gulf oil spill, halliburton, key riser pipe, obama, of mexico, oil spill, oil spill solutions, riser pipe cut
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Photo by invisibleconsequential via flickr. Air quality is not something we tend to complain about - a rain shower or snow flurries can stop cyclists in their tracks, but gradually worsening air doesn't make our daily talking points. Perhaps it should - we are a bit like frogs in the hot pot, not realizing the danger until we're dead. A new UK study
reported in the Times shows cyclists can be among the most vulnerable to dirty, particulate-rich city air, inhaling fiv...
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A water buck attempts to swim from Starvation Island to the mainland in northern Zimbabwe. Photo by the Associated Press It may take another
Noah's Ark to save the population of
Zimbabwe's sadly aptly named Starvation Island, where record seasonal
rains have flooded the
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Another week goes by and oil continues to spew into the Gulf of Mexico and if we have a rough hurricane season, things could get apocalyptic. All the attempts to plug the oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico have failed so far, and even the latest attempt to cut-and-cap the well has hit a snag. BP has apparently banned oil spill clean up contractors from sharing photos of dead animals washed ashore; One contractor took a Daily News reporter out to see, in his words, what BP didn't want President Obama to see. In other news Sarah Palin defends "Drill, Baby, Drill" on Twitter; Bugatti is experimenting with an electric powertrain that d...
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