A Firsthand Look at the Magnolia 2300 Yurt – the First Energy Star Home in British Columbia
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Erlebnest is a Breezy Open-Air Treehouse Retreat in Germany
16-Year-Old Egyptian Scientist Finds Way to Turn Plastic Waste Into $78 Million of Biofuel!
Plastic waste photo from Shutterstock
Egyptian teenagers are on a roll lately – if they’re not proposing the next-generation of space propulsion systems, then they’re figuring out how to use the country’s plastic waste for fuel! Sixteen-year-old Azza Abdel Hamid Falad has found that an inexpensive catalyst could be used to create $78 million worth of biofuel each year. Egypt’s plastic consumption is estimated to total one million tons per year, so Azza’s proposal could transform the country’s economy, allowing it to make money from recycled plastic.
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Iceberg Twice the Size of Manhattan Breaks Off Greenland Glacier
A massive chunk of ice twice the size of Manhattan just broke off from Greenland’s Petermann Glacier, which is one of the two largest glaciers left in the country. The ice island was part of a major ice shelf (connecting the great Greenland ice sheet with the ocean) that has waned in past years due to the region’s warming climate. The event was reported by Andreas Muenchow, associate professor of physical ocean science and engineering at UD’s College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment in his “Icy Seas” blog.
Dutch Energy Company Eneco's New Rotterdam Headquarters is a Gleaming, Sustainable Office Building
Massive Crocheted Alligator Playground Pops Up in São Paulo!
German Scientists Develop Aerographite - The World's Lightest Material
Last year, researchers at the University of California Irvine developed a material that was as strong as metal yet 100 times lighter than Styrofoam — but now a team of German scientists claim to have bested them with a new material called aerographite, which weighs in at a mere 0.2 milligrams per cubic centimeter. The scientists, from Kiel University (KU) and Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH), claim that their porous carbon material is the lightest in the world .
1 Liter of Light Project Illuminates Thousands of Filipino Homes With Recycled Bottles
What if something as simple as an old plastic bottle filled with water could mean the difference between light and darkness? Rudimentary as it may sound, the almost no-cost solution is uplifting the quality of life of thousands of impoverished families in the Philippines who have no access to electricity and use dangerous kerosene lamps indoors. These makeshift solar lamps basically act as skylights, and reflect and amplify the rays of the sun during daylight hours – effectively performing the work of indoor lightbulbs – but without using any electricity at all. The organization behind the installation of the bottle lights, Isang Litrong Liwanag or 1 Liter of Light, was started by Filipino student Illac Diaz just a few years ago but their cause has inspired so many that now they’ve committed to a goal of placing 1,000,000 bottle lights in Filipino households. Read on to see how 1 Liter of Light has energized the people of its country to participate in lighting the way for their own future through this fascinating initiative.
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Tato Architects' Hilltop House in Rokko, Japan Provides Both Dramatic Views and Privacy
Finnish Artist Jaakko Pernu Uses Tree Branches To Make Huge Public Sculptures
Visitors Can Bask in the Glow of Anthony McCall's Light Beam Sculptures
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£60,000 Is Needed To Restore Scotland's "Harry Potter" Steall Gorge Path!
At the foot of Ben Nevis in Scotland is a mile-long, rocky, winding track that has attracted thousands of hikers, ramblers and even film crews. The classic Steall Gorge Footpath in Glen Nevis, near Fort William, was famously used in the fourth Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where the young wizard was confronted by a massive dragon. However time has taken its toll of the pathway and now conservation charity, the John Muir Trust (JMT), has launched a national appeal for £60,000 of funding to restore it to its former glory.
Sophie Aschauer's Beautiful SerpentSea Rugs Are Made From Upcycled Marine Rope
Unless you grew up at the seashore or work in the sailing industry, you’ve probably never thought about what happens to marine rope once it’s no longer useful aboard a boat. Thankfully, there are artists like Sophie Aschauer who live to save these materials from the landfill and transform them into practical items that are as beautiful as they are mesmerizing. Aschauer started making floor mats out of recycled rope after a sailing trip to Nantucket in 2011.
Christopher Boffoli Creates Edible Larger-Than-Life Food Landscapes!
8 Overarching Urban Systems That Make a City Sustainable
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