Inhabit

As the fashion world looks for alternatives to plastic and leather, mycelium is rising to the top of the material supply chain. Derived from fungi, including mushrooms, mycelium is actually the underground network of filaments called hyphae. Mycelium has been under the microscope as an option for sustainable construction, but one company is now focusing on it as the answer to replace leather in fashion. Continue […]

The Trump administration has once again rolled back an important policy regarding the protection of birds. Only about a week ago, the administration stripped protections of migratory birds from accidental deaths by oil companies. This week, it has removed over 3 million acres of Pacific Northwest land from northern spotted owl protected habitat. This means that the land will now be opened to loggers, a situation […]

Seven years after the infamous Flint, Michigan water crisis, former governor Rick Snyder was charged Wednesday for his part in the environmental disaster. If Snyder is found guilty of two counts of willful neglect of duty, he could be fined up to $1,000 and spend up to a year in prison. Eight other former members of Snyder’s administration have also been charged. Continue reading below Our […]

Austin-based Mckinney York Architects has completed its second micro-house for the Community First! Village, a program by Mobile Loaves & Fishes to uplift people experiencing chronic homelessness in Austin with affordable, sustainable tiny homes. As with the firm’s first project for the community, Mckinney York Architects teamed up with Bailey Eliot Construction to design, underwrite and build a permanent new home for a Community First! resident. […]

Stefano Boeri Architetti — the Milan-based architecture firm best known for the Vertical Forest skyscrapers — has partnered with a team of consultants to design and develop the architectural and communication concepts for Italy’s COVID-19 vaccination campaign. All aspects of the project, which was completed free of charge, are united by a floral logo of a pink primrose and the motto “With a flower, Italy comes […]

How can architecture serve the needs of culture and civilization? IMK Architects, a pioneer in urban design founded in 1957, answers that question with Auric Hall, its new project in Aurangabad, India. Continue reading below Our Featured Videos Auric Hall serves as a landmark building for Aurangabad, an industrial smart city. The city itself was developed as part of a strategic development plan created by the […]

Turkey’s capital Istanbul could run out of water in the next 45 days if rain does not fall. Other major cities in the country also face the risk of running dry in the next few months. These circumstances are due to poor rainfall in the past year, leading to the country’s severest drought in over a decade. Istanbul alone is home to over 17 million people […]

The European bison’s population has increased sufficiently for it to be removed from IUCN’s list of vulnerable species. Thanks to long-term conservation work, the population has increased to more than 6,200, up from a 2003 figure of only 1,800. Rather than vulnerable, the European bison is now classified as “almost threatened.” Continue reading below Our Featured Videos Romania is the place to be if you’re a […]

Locally sourced bamboo and adobe bricks make up the new Meditation Cathedral & Sunset Sala, a cluster of organically shaped buildings on top of a hill in northern Chiang Mai. Commissioned by Khunying Noi, a member of the Thai royal family, the net-zero carbon project provides the client with a space to enjoy the sunset with loved ones as well as a meditation cathedral for the […]

While many big businesses and brands cause overwhelming environmental problems, Adidas works to clean up its act. In a bold move last January, Adidas acknowledged its contribution to plastic waste, noting the waste’s negative impacts on the world’s oceans. The brand followed up this acknowledgment with plans to move forward with the environment in mind. Adidas’s new Outdoor line stays true to this environmental commitment with […]

Charleston, South Carolina has raised the bar for inclusive healthcare design with the opening of the new Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and Pearl Tourville Women’s Pavilion. Designed by Perkins and Will in collaboration with associate architect McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, the new, 625,000-square-foot facility aims to be one of the country’s most autism-friendly hospitals with its welcoming design that emphasizes […]

Manatees resemble half-ton potatoes, but researchers can tell them apart. According to Patrick Rose, aquatic biologist and executive director for Save the Manatee Club, most adult manatees have unique scars from accidents like boat strikes. But one manatee stands out more than the rest. This week, viral videos showed a West Indian manatee with “Trump” scraped into its back. Continue reading below Our Featured Videos The […]

Two gorillas have tested positive for COVID-19 for the first time since the pandemic started. The gorillas showed symptoms, including coughing, at the San Diego Zoo last week. The staff took tests, which came back positive early this week. Continue reading below Our Featured Videos “Despite all our efforts and dedication from our team members to protect the wildlife in our care, our gorilla troop has […]

For those who love the idea of a tiny home but hate the thought of feeling cramped inside a small space, the Loft Edition model from Mint Tiny Homes should definitely be on the radar. With three layout options and two sizes to choose from, this tiny home is super customizable. Best of all, there is a huge amount of natural light built into the design. […]

The University of Oregon recently welcomed the Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact, a 160,000-square-foot campus built to accelerate groundbreaking scientific discovery and development in a collaborative multidisciplinary environment. Designed by New York-based Ennead Architects and Portland-based Bora Architecture & Interiors, the Knight Campus raises the bar for research facilities with its human-centered design that prioritizes wellness and socialization as well as energy efficiency. The […]

Designed by Tomek Rygalik, Circula is a circular bench made from sustainable materials such as FSC-certified wood, recycled plastic and phosphate steel. Round in shape and with room for multiple people, the benches are meant to encourage dialogue and social interactions. Continue reading below Our Featured Videos The project was originally commissioned for use among children in schools, but the Poland-based designer believes that the benches will […]

The High Ambition Coalition (HAC) for Nature and People has made a pledge to protect 30% of the land and water on Earth by 2030 to slow destruction of nature and species extinctions. The pledge was made public last Monday during the One Planet Summit in Paris. Continue reading below Our Featured Videos HAC is a coalition of more than 50 countries that was formed in […]

The U.K. government is reversing a ban on a dangerous pesticide. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and British Sugar lobbied hard to get a product containing neonicotinoid thiamethoxam sanctioned for emergency use on sugar beets. Not only is this chemical thought to kill bees, but rainwater will wash it from fields into rivers. Last we heard, fish weren’t requesting neonicotinoid thiamethoxam any more than were insects, […]

Washed Ashore is an environmental nonprofit that spreads the message about ocean pollution using the visual appeal of art. The giant animals created from marine debris have appeared at various events, both locally and as a traveling exhibit, since the organization’s inception in 2010. Now, the company is pivoting to also make jewelry from ocean plastic. Continue reading below Our Featured Videos Living in a coastal […]

Air pollution is a widely reported contributor to poor health conditions worldwide. While outdoor air quality is regularly monitored for dangerous levels of toxins, indoor air is often overlooked. But most of the developed world spends up to 90% of their time indoors. With this in mind, AirBird has taken flight as a product that measures and reports on the air quality indoors. Continue reading below […]

Just 20 minutes from the town of Odda, through the steep Norwegian hillsides, something magical sits at the edge of the fifth-longest fjord on Earth. Two suspended treehouses are built 5 to 6 meters above the forest floor and fastened with steel collars to the individual trunks of two living pine trees. The treehouses, known collectively as Woodnest, were created by Helen & Hard Architects in […]

Last year was the hottest year ever recorded on Earth, according to an analysis done by the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service. The study shows that the year tied with 2016, making this decade the hottest decade in modern history. Scientists say that this information should be alarming. If world nations do not take action to curb greenhouse gas emissions, rising temperatures and other extreme […]

If you’re already vegan — or you love Veganuary so much you decide come February to move to a more veg-friendly locale — here are the top places in the country and the world to live. Every year, the website Chef’s Pencil uses Google search statistics to rank the best cities and countries in the world for vegans. The site, which covers industry trends and news […]

Global architecture and design firm Perkins Eastman has earned WELL Platinum certification for its new Chicago studio, making it the first WELL Platinum-certified project in the state of Illinois and the fourth of its kind in the U.S. Awarded through the International WELL Building Institute’s (IWBI) WELL v2 pilot, the workplace earned this prestigious distinction with its health-focused design based on 10 categories of building performance. […]

Since the introduction of the initial Tesla electric vehicle (EV), consumers have sought accurate information regarding the total carbon footprint of EVs as they compare to traditional internal combustion engines (ICEs). We know Elon Musk’s Tesla vehicles create less pollution out of the tailpipe, but what about those batteries? The truth is, direct comparisons are difficult to make due to the endless variables to take into […]

Located in the beautiful County Kilkenny of Ireland, the River House contains a unique mixture of Portuguese design influences and sustainable elements. The design comes from Isabel Barros Architects, who said that the project started with the desire to preserve the region’s ecological heritage while meeting contemporary lifestyle demands. The site presented several challenges, such as its proximity to a special conservation area along the River […]

The Trump administration has suffered a major blow to its environmental policy rollbacks. On Wednesday, the open bid for oil companies to drill in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge came to an end, without any big oil companies placing a bid. Interestingly, only three bidders expressed interest in the leases, one of the bidders being the state of Alaska. The other two bidders were small companies […]

If you think that investing in solar panels and a sustainable wardrobe instead of fast fashion are expensive, take a look at how climate change is escalating the cost of repairing disasters. The U.S. spent $95 billion on fixing damage caused by natural disasters last year, which was almost twice the 2019 costs. Continue reading below Our Featured Videos These figures come from Munich Re, a […]

There’s more than one great reason to consider a tiny home, whether for living minimally, reducing energy use or saving money. Now, Australian company Ubertinyhomes is making tiny homes even more accessible by selling DIY plans for its Patara Tiny Home for just $250 AUD (about $190). The plans, which were designed by Samuel Commerford, come in both metric and imperial measurements to make construction even […]

MVRDV has shared its designs for the Matrix 1, an office and laboratory complex to be located in the heart of Amsterdam Science Park. Engineered to meet BREEAM Excellent certification as well as ambitious Amsterdam targets for energy performance (EPC 0.15) and water retention, the innovative building will also house the University of Amsterdam’s new SustainaLab. This will be a specialist facility for researching technologies and […]

Foster + Partners has unveiled its competition-winning designs for Guangming Hub, a new, lushly landscaped Transport Oriented Development that will serve as a “forest gateway” into Shenzhen, China. Strategically located on the high-speed rail link connecting Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Guangzhou, the contemporary urban center will feature a sustainable mix of transit options from new metro lines to shared surfaces for cyclists and pedestrians. The design […]

In a last-ditch effort to protect fossil fuel companies, the Trump administration has reversed a conservation law that prohibits such companies from killing migratory birds accidentally. Fossil fuel industries have long been seeking the reversal of the law, which is part of the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act. The law has been protecting migratory birds from deaths caused by disasters like oil spills for over 100 […]

Researchers have discovered a new blue whale species, according to a paper recently published in Endangered Species Research. The researchers behind the paper recorded a novel blue whale song and verified it in the western Indian Ocean. The song was heard from the Arabian Sea coast to the Chagos Archipelago in the central Indian Ocean and even as far as Madagascar.  Continue reading below Our Featured Videos […]