The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See -Global Warming-

The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See -Global Warming-

ECO VILLAGE

Many people are learning to live sustainably, without money. In this video, they discuss their struggles, how they got to and developed kew bridge eco-village. They discuss about food, family, diferent activities.

Do you like the history The Hobbits (Movie The Lord of the ring)? Here you can see his house!!!

It's a style of life. you can have your house like The Hobbits Shire...

Straw Bale House made by Single Mom

4 Tips for Maintain Healthy Household Plants

Having plants in the house is a great idea, both for decorating purposes, as the oxygen they breathe into a room. The following are a few tips for keeping your indoor plants healthy and vibrant.

1. Lighting: The amount and intensity of light that your plants receive is one of the biggest factors affecting their growth. But It is also possible that your plant is getting too much light, so here are some warning signs telling you to move your plant out of direct sunlight:

• Brown patches on the leaves making the plant look ‚Äúscorched‚Äù
• Leaves look faded or washed out
• Plant begins to wilt around mid-day
• Leaves become too dry and start to fall off.

2. Watering Your Plants: It’s hard to know exactly how much water your plant needs, especially when the amount changes depending on the species of plant, soil, light, temperature and the humidity in your home. Plants need more water if they have a lot of leaf surface and soft, lush foliage or if it’s their growing season. The only way to really know whether your plant it thirsty or not is to stick your finger into the soil up to your first knuckle. If the soil feels moist, the plant is fine. If the soil feels dry, it wants water.

3. Grooming Your Plant: When the flowers on your plant begin to wilt and die, you should remove them immediately for two reasons: the decaying material will attract insects and disease, and it will avoid the plant expending energy for making seeds. It is also good practice to wipe down leaves once in a while with a damp sponge to remove any accumulated dust, and remove any dead leaves or branches as you see them.

4. Raise the Humidity: If your plant looks droopy, burnt at the tips or has flowers that bloom half-heartedly and then die, it may need more humidity. Here are a few tips on how to give your plants the humidity they need:

• Spray them with a fine mister once a day.
• Place your plants on a tray filled with water and pebbles. The water will slowly evaporate and humidify the area immediately around it.
• Group all your plants together so that they all benefit from the moisture they are each emitting.

Read Original: agreenliving.org/How to Maintain Healthy Household Plants

Solar-Powered Compact Illuminates Inside and Out

Need to do a quick face check in a dimly light car or restaurant? Stila’s solar-powered compact features an illuminated mirror that makes touchups on the go a cinch. Made from recycled plastic, the energy-efficient palette comprises a mini-photovoltaic panel that charges up to 1,000 times for roughly five years of preening. Plus, it’s refillable, which means less packaging waste ends up moldering in the landfill.

Read Original: Ecoterre/ Stila's Solas-Powered compact illuminates inside and out.

Treehouse Tents a safe haven in the Treetops

Imagen (Inhabitat)

Tentsile is a portable habitation unit that can be suspended amidst trees to provide accommodation for three people. With three anchor points and the use of tension instead of poles, the Tentsile is part tent and part hammock. The structure is made from a collapsable frame of webbing straps with fire retardant, UV PU and water resistant polyester fabric infill panels. The three points serve as sleeping chambers and the middle is held in suspension and serves as a vestibule and gathering space. Access is gained via a rope ladder in the middle. It comes in a wide variety of colors and each tent is made by hand and there is also an option to hang the tent with a stand if no trees are available.

Read Original: Tentsile Treehouse Tents Provide a Safe Haven in the Treetops! | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

The 2012 Detroit Auto Show

World's smallest Solar Movie Theatre (solar Power)

The Sol Cinema is a micro movie house powered entirely by the Sun. We can accommodate 8 adults comfortably for a unique cinematic experience. We have a full library of comedy, SteamPunk, music videos and short films with inspiring environment themes.

Sol Cinema is an ideal solution for showing short videos within your community, festival, event or party. They are a non-profit project from the award winning arts charity, Undercurrents.

Red original and Photos from thesolcinema.org

Eco Wines

There are numerous factors to consider in selecting a fine wine—including whether or not it was produced in an environmentally-friendly manner and if it has been certified as such. The national organic farming certification rewards growing practices. The international biodynamic farming certification focuses on growing practices as well as the laws of nature’s spirituality. The regional sustainable certification encourages improvements in many areas, touching on the above as well as energy resources, waste-reduction, working conditions and community responsibility. And the FFF certification offers another angle on sustainability, this time addressing land management of the farm as a whole. All of these factors influence my wine choices.

Of the many reasons to choose one food or wine over another, flavor is certainly at the top of the list. But when you discover that your favorite winery also operates on solar power, fertilizes through companion planting, bars chemical insecticides and fungicides, and constructs its roads to assure the health of native wildlife, a new level of satisfaction comes into play. My food and drink choices are not based only on (rightly so) selfish pursuits of flavor, accessibility and body image. My choices—and they are choices—encompass ecology, community, sustainability and ethics as well. It’s good to know that one does not exclude the others, but rather enhances them. Indeed, in my estimation the best wines on Earth are those that are eco-consciously produced!

Read Original: ecohearth.com - The 'Fish Friendly Farming' Wine Cert

If My Plants Could Talk…

It's every plant's wish... and its owners too.
Hand made clay plant pot.
Designed and produced in Spain.
Plant not included.

Cement Pet Houses That Double as Planters

Hi bloggers, we are sharing a really awesome post from Urban Gardens! thanks for sharing with ours your feedback.

Gotta say, I just love these lightweight cement dog and cat houses that double as planters from French company, Loft Dog. Even if you don’t one, almost makes you want to get a pet just to have one these.

Made of micro-concrete, with two coats of an ornamental coating for a polished effect. Weigin in at 5 kg or about 11 lbs, the critter homes are offered in a few styles…

Great for outdoors…

Or indoors…

I’d love the Cocoon, above, in the garden as they look a bit like rocks.

Loft Dog offers 5 bed design models, like this one above.

Designing in collaboration with a company that specializes in concrete technology, all the houses and beds are available in a range of colors, though I must say I still really like the natural cement color.

For the real cosmopolitan dog, the New York style skyscraper-inspired bed.

I might add a soft blankie inside to cushion the pet, but they are stylish, oh so stylish.

Lotus House of Michelle Kaufmann architect

5 Prefab Homes

1. WEEHOUSE

At just $125 per square foot, the WeeHouse is a single module that can be plopped on just about any site, including a rooftop. The basic unit is framed with steel and wood, and comes with tongue-and-groove bamboo flooring, and Ikea cabinetry, kitchens and sinks. Despite what the name implies, don’t let it size fool you- this is one awesome modern residence.

2. TINY TUMBLEWEED HOUSE

Founded on his personal philosophy and desire for low-impact living, Jay Shafer’s Tiny Tumbleweed House has represents what he calls “subtractive design,” rejecting typical spatial assumptions and opting for clarity through conscientious use of space. This tiny house ranges from 40-500 square feet and accommodates a whole slew of needs from home office to vacation home or full-time residence. They’re also road-ready for the ultimate nomadic portability.

3. SUSTAIN MINI HOME

The Sustain MiniHome is quite the compact green machine, packing a ton of green materials and technologies into a small but very livable space. No vinyl, formaldehyde, toxic adhesives or finishes, all water-based or plant oil-based finishes, FSC certification, natural ventilation… the list goes on and on. Not to mention, it’s portable, modern, and cutely compact!

4. LOFTCUBE

Not only is the LoftCube tiny, it can be strategically plopped on a rooftop so as to not consume any additional footprint. Especially in urban environments where there’s nowhere to go but up, LoftCube provides a small but clever solution to your housing needs. Built by Werner Aisslinger, LoftCube also boasts an affordable pricetag at just $55,000, and can be easily transported to your next rooftop location via helicopter.

5. MICROCOMPACT HOME

This tiny residential cube packs a highly-functional punch, providing a double bed, bathroom, lobby, dining space for 4-5 people, and state-of-the-art entertainment technology, all for just 50,000 Euros. And size-wise, it measures in at a tiny 2.65 m cubed (roughly 77 sq ft), but incorporates everything a person needs in a home in its super compact design.

Read more: Top 5 Tiniest Prefab Homes Weehouse – Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Ford EcoBoost Engine 2011

Ford announced it was cutting the amount of water used in vehicle production by 30% by 2015. While this environmental initiative is worth praise itself, in the past week, Ford has followed up this announcement with three more reasons why environmentalists may want to consider Ford’s eco friendly cars, before they settle on the Leaf, Spark, i, or Volt. Keep reading below to see how Ford is staying green in 2012.

1. Recycled and sustainable materials in vehicles

The newest edition of the Ford Escape is going to have its bolsters (inside parts of doors) made from Kenaf, a plant fiber similar to bamboo and related to cotton and okra, in place of what used to be made with oil-based resin. Not only is the raw material far more sustainable than what was previously used, it’s also lighter, amount to a reduction of 25% in the total weight of the door bolster. Lighter doors means less fuel is required to move the car, which in turn makes the vehicle more fuel efficient. And from an environmental standpoint, the use of kenaf in the bolster production will offset 300,000 lbs of oil-based resin every year in North America alone.

2. Tripling EcoBoost deployments

While it would be nice if everyone was ready to switch over and drive a hybrid or electric car, the fact is we aren’t there yet. So for those who are still buying vehicles powered by traditional fuel, Ford has something to appeal to your environmental side: a unique fuel efficient engine called the EcoBoost, which has so far been limited to a few models. However, in 2012 Ford is tripling the number of vehicles which will be shipped with EcoBoost technology, making a standard gasoline-fuelled car more fuel efficient by maximizing the amount of energy that’s produced from each drop of fuel. In other words, “the performance of a V8 with the fuel economy of a V6″.

3. An electric car and an award-winning plug-in hybrid

2012 will see Ford releasing the Focus Electric, complete with a home charging system and MyFord mobile app to monitor your eco-friendly car’s performance and battery life. The new electric car will also feature seats made with 100% recycled materials. The 2012 Ford Focus Electric will be out later this year and priced at around $40,000 before taking advantage of Federal Tax Credits ($7,500 for electric cars).

This year, Ford is also releasing a plug-in hybrid vehicle, the C-Max Energi, which just received Green Car Journal’s 2012 Green Car Vision Award. The C-Max Energi (pictured in the header banner) is Ford’s first foray into the plug-in hybrid market, but for a late bloomer the car is expected to be released with a range of 500 miles. The C-Max Energi is being released later this year, and although Ford has yet to announce pricing for the car, it’s being estimated between $35,000 and $40,000

Read originaly from: www.greenerideal.com/vehicles/8769-vehicles/ford-eco-friendly-cars-2012/

EcoFabulous Construction

Eco Friendly Architecture

Green building and solar energy

Passive solar homes in which solar energy is used through photovoltaic and active solar techniques. Green building architects use recycled materials such as bricks, tiles, woods and bamboos. Gravel that is properly packed is used instead of concrete in parking lots which replenishes ground water resources. It helps to protect natural resources such as energy, land and water.

Materials used for buildings

The materials used for the constructions should be appropriate. Building constructions should consist mainly of wood as it is eco friendly and the least amount of energy is used. Eco friendly architecture should have provisions for ground water recharge and rain water harvesting. The use of cement, steel and aluminum are replaced by natural elements. The main point on which green architecture focuses on is to maintain harmony with the features and resources that surrounds the building. The building is generally surrounded with greenery so that fresh oxygen circulates freely in the air. It also aims in improving the productivity of employees, to protect the health of people living around, reducing air and water pollution and also to reduce land degradation. Insulated concrete and panels, straw bales are also considered to be ecologically friendly and hence are also used. The main thing that helps to create such building is the design. The designs that are used to construct buildings should harvest water, light and air. Terrace garden or aqua house can be constructed at the roof to provide a cooling effect to the house. Gardens can be decorated with small pebbles and various other plants to give the house a touch of greenery. Provisions for generating electricity through solar energy are also an important necessity. Aluminum produces a lot of pollution and therefore it should be totally avoided.

Read Original: protectearth.net

See our next publication. You can see a video about EcoFabulous Construction

Power Plant to Amusement Park

If an abandoned nuclear power plant doesn’t sound like a fun place to spend an afternoon with the family, you clearly have never visited Wunderland Kalkar. The unusual German amusement park was built in what was once intended to be a nuclear power station, turning a potential environmental hazard into a family-friendly attraction that brings hundreds of thousands of visitors to the town each year.

Construction was started in 1972 but protesters, worried about the effects of nuclear power, halted the project for more than a decade. The plant was finally completed at a cost of around $4 billion, but thanks to ongoing political debate and funding problems it would never actually provide power to Kalkar and surrounding areas. In 1991 the project was officially abandoned.

In 1995 the property was purchased by Dutch entrepreneur Hennie van der Most who has a knack for turning old industrial properties into something new and fantastic. Since the power plant was never actually put into use, there are no health concerns or environmental issues for visitors to worry about. Instead, they can ride the exciting rides and be happy to know that they are supporting the environmentally-sound concept of adaptive reuse.

(all images via: Wunderland Kalkar)

The amusement park even uses some of the unique power plant features in its new overall design.

Read original: Nuclear Family Fun: Power Plant to Amusement Park?!

Vertical Parking Lots

Urban centers may benefit greatly if more commuters started using bikes instead of cars, but the problem of where to put those bikes is a somewhat difficult one. Public bike racks take up space that is often in high demand – but this concept would solve that problem by using the spaces that normally go unused.

The concept is ingenious in its simplicity: it is a human-powered revolving rack that can hold up to 36 bikes at a time. Riders attach their bikes to an empty space on the rack, then when they are ready to leave they hop on the human power generator (a small stationary bike) to move their own bike around to the bottom position. Then they just grab it and go – simple, clean, and even healthy.

(all images via: ArchDaily)

Read More: Vertical Parking Lots: Brilliant Urban Bike Hanger System

Smartphone Apps That Will Help You Save Energy

1. iPhone Energy UFO : Visible Energy’s iPhone app works in tandem with the Visible Energy UFO Power Center (a series of four smart power strips installed at home) to provide on-the-go visual feedback of electricity consumption and cost. In addition to providing information on the power usage of each power strip, the app also shows energy costs and gives users the option to turn outlets on and off on a daily schedule. It’s cheaper than installing an entire home energy management system.

2. Control4 Mobile Navigator: This home energy app, available for the iPhone, Blackberry, and Android, allows users to control everything from security, lighting, and temperature to music and video. The app is similar to Wiser’s offering. iPad users can also download a separate Control4 app.

3. MeterRead: This handy iPhone app lets you read your electricity meter using your phone. Each time you check it, the app tell you how many kilowatt hours (kWh) of power were used since the last read. That information can then be used to predict your total energy usage over the next 30 days.

4. Wiser: Anyone who owns a Wiser Home Control energy management system would be wise to download the iPhone app, which provides a 3G or wireless connection to your system. That means everything from lighting to security, climate and even camera monitoring can be controlled from your phone. So if you, for example, forgot to turn off the lights in the living room, you can just click them off remotely using the app.

5. SunPower Monitoring System: SunPower’s innovative Solar Electric Home Energy Management System lets you monitor energy produced from SunPower-branded solar systems in real time. The iPhone app offers statistics on the lifetime energy generation of the panels as well as daily production, usage, and net energy use.

Read more: 5 Smartphone Apps That Will Help You Save Energy | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

6 Green Easy Gifts For Valentine’s Day

You can do green gifts for your girlfriend, boyfriend, husband or wife. Only need imagination. These picture are green gifts example. !go ahead!

Original post: 6 Super Easy DIY Gifts For Your Valentine’s Day Sweetie

Picture: ecoture and inabitad

Tires are 100% Recyclable

Bridgestone recently unveiled an airless tire of its own at the Tokyo Motor Show. Bridgestone’s air-free concept is supported by a mesh of spokes that are made of thermoplastic resin. The material is flexible and durable, and best of all, it’s 100-percent recyclable!

Read more: Bridgestone's New Air-Free Tires are 100% Recyclable | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World

Bridgestone’s pavilion " Future Seed"

Images © Phuttipan Aswakool and Luke Yeung

After the floods in 2011, Thailand has been rebuilding, and the BOI Fair is part of a larger effort to encourage those efforts and restore economic and public confidence. Bridgestone’s theme is “Going Green For the Future” with the goal of showcasing environmentally friendly technologies, materials and products that can help Thailand recover and grow in a more sustainable way.

The pavilion, named “Future Seed,” refers to Bridgestone’s high performance products and technologies as well as their company commitment to sustainability. The exhibition design is by DesignLAB and construction is coordinated by Pico.

Read the original here: Bridgestone Pavilion Showcases Innovative Eco Technologies at Green Fair in Bangkok

7 Ways Your Web Hosting Company Can Help You Go Green

The OurChurch.Com case study:
While the environmental movement is most often identified with the political left, care for God’s creation has become a mainstream issue important to many Christians.  According to Catalyst  Leadership Digital Magazine:
“90% of evangelicals (as well as 62% of mainline Protestants and 52% of Catholics) would like to see fellow Christians take a more active role in caring for creation in a biblical way.”
“45% of evangelicals report making environmentally conscious life-style changes in the past year.”
With that in mind there are a number of ways your web hosting company can help your organization take better care of God’s creation.

1) Send an eNewsletter – If your organization prints and mails a paper newsletter, consider switching to an electronic newsletter.  This will save lots of paper and ink.  If you mail your newsletters, it will save lots of postage as well.  If you think some people will resist an eNewsletter, give people the option to continue receiving the paper version.   Even if some people still opt for the paper version, you’ll still cut your paper use by half.

2) Print teasers, post stories – If you do print a weekly bulletin, program, or newsletter and believe it’s absolutely essential to continue it, you could reduce your printing needs by only putting essential information or teasers in the print form and referring people to your website for more information or the rest of the story.

3) Set-up an eStore – If you are a local retailer, setting up ecommerce on your website not only makes good business sense, but it can help the environment as well.  It saves people a trip to your store, which cuts down on auto pollutants.

4) Opt for electronic invoices – If you receive paper invoices for web services, see if your host gives you the option for invoicing by email or automated billing.  OurChurch.com has led the way on this as we’ve been doing electronic invoices exclusively since our inception 12 years ago.

5) Chose SEO over direct mail – If you do any direct mail marketing, have you ever considered how much paper waste that generates?  And with postage and printing rates rising and response rates falling, direct mail doesn’t yield the return it used to.  Doing search engine optimization (SEO) for your website so it rankings in the top 10 for your targeted keywords, can bring better results and is 100% environmentally friendly.

6) Get a new website instead of a Yellow Pages ad – An estimated 540 million phone books weighing on average 3.62 points are printed every year.  That’s nearly 1 million tons of paper.  It takes 24 million trees and 380 million gallons of oil to produce all those phone books.  What’s worse is that most people hardly ever use them anymore.  Most people search online instead of searching the Yellow Pages.  If you have purchased ads in the Yellow Pages in the past, consider investing that money in a new website, which requires no trees or oil to produce and will probably give you a better return on your investment.

7) Choose a green hosting company – When looking for a web hosting company usually things like cost, disk space, and customer service ratings are a top the list of criteria, but have you considered how green your web host is?  Some web hosting companies use renewable energy.  Others allow their staff to work telecommute.  In fact, we estimate that OurChurch.Com prevents about 50,000 pounds of CO2 emissions each year by allowing our staff to work from home offices.

The great thing about theses options is that most of them will not only help save the environment but they’ll also help save you money.
What are you thoughts on these green options?  Got any other ways your website or web hosting company can help you go green?

Innovation Portable laptop table

In this post, I’ll showcase three successful muses inspired by The 4-Hour Workweek book, including lessons learned, what worked, and what didn’t. Income ranges from $1,500 – $25,000 per month…
“LapDawg” by Tonny Shin
Describe your muse in 1-3 sentences.
Portable laptop table(s).

What is the website for your muse(automated business)?
http://lapdawg.com

How much revenue is your muse currently generating per month (on average)?
$10,000 – $25,000 per month

To get to this monthly revenue number, how long did it take after the idea struck?
6 months.

How did you decide on this muse?
I got injured one day, severely twisting my ankle while playing tennis. The doctor said to stay in bed with minimal movement. Well, there is not much to do in bed lying around all day, and I needed my laptop. But it was super uncomfortable to use! Your groin area heats up a lot when it’s on your lap, which is no good for a male.  I tried propping it up on a pillow but the laptop would overheat.  I also got sore in a hurry when I was on my stomach.  I needed something to hold my laptop that was portable, ergonomically comfortable, and easy to adjust to any position I wanted.

What ideas did you consider but reject, and why?
Starting an internet marketing and consulting business. There were just too many negatives. It turned out to be: (1) Un-scalable, since there is only one of me; (2) Time-consuming, not only in the technical/maintenance side, but also educating the client; (3) Cost heavy. You need to find good web designers and skilled programmers, and pay them a good hourly rate; (4) Research heavy. You need to keep up with this stuff all the time; (5) On call. You have to be around if you want to bring in sales and keep your clients happy, no matter what situation comes up.
My most important goal for me planning my own business was all about “ROE,” or Return On Effort, and NOT just “ROI.”  The ROE for consulting would have been way too low, while LapDawg happens to be very high!

What were some of the main tipping points (if any) or “A-ha!” moments? How did they come about?
The main “A-ha” was realizing that starting with the right complementary partners was key to long-term success!  Fortunately, my job at the time gave me access to talented web designers and programmers. Selling them on the idea, getting the right agreements in place, and then splitting the work involved took time to develop.  But in the end, you have to trust that people will do what they are best at.
To this degree, it substantially cut our initial costs as I partnered up with a web designer, and business analyst/programmer who, by profession, allowed maximum efficiency in getting things done right!

What resources or tools did you find most helpful when you were getting started?
Since my partners lived far away from each other in our city, it was hard to get together face-to-face on a regular basis. We decided that a private online collaboration tool would help us communicate better getting the project up and running.  So we signed up for Central Desktop.  At the time, they allowed one project to be free. Anymore and you had to pay. We definitely maxed out that one free project!
We had good private discussions and everything was documented. It turned out to be valuable in that I can now look back and see what I did wrong or right.

What were your biggest mistakes, or biggest wastes of time/money?
Getting the pricing of our product right. Our initial price included shipping. It turned out that, due to the dramatic variations in shipping costs, we were not making any money and actually lost some in our first month.
Raising the price, splitting shipping separately, and changing the value proposition on our website helped significantly.

What have been your key marketing and/or manufacturing lessons learned?
Very important: For Chinese manufacturers, make sure they are the original manufacturer. A lot of Chinese companies will claim they are manufacturers but are in fact middlemen. They will take your requests and modifications, then outsource them to the lowest priced manufacturer who may not produce the best quality, but will give them the best deal. They will go to great lengths to produce authentic proof that they are the original manufacturer, and you have no way of knowing unless you physically visit them.
Hire a consultant who will check them out in person and report their findings back to you.

If you used a manufacturer, how did you find them? What are your suggestions for first-timers?
Make travel plans to visit Canton Fair. Not only is it one of the largest in the world, it’s also a real eye-opener on what brand names companies use to produce their stuff. Each booth will have brochures and catalogs on what they manufacturer, which are free to pick up in exchange for your business card. Make sure to bring LOTS of business cards!

Any key PR wins? Media, well-known users, or company partnerships, etc.? How did they happen?
We were mentioned in Kevin Kelly’s newsletter (contacted him).
Placement in “The Shop” in Rolling Stone Magazine for 2 months. (Paid advertisement)
Hands-on reviews from The Gadgeteer, Virtual Hideout, About.com’s Mobile Office, and Digital Trends (all contacted via email).

Where did you register your domain (URL)?
http://moniker.com

Where did you decide to host your domain?
http://softlayer.com

If you used a web designer, where did you find them?
I partnered with one.

If you were to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
Make sure that you have your business basics down first. Proper business bank account(s), incorporate earlier, record expenses properly, keep receipts, and get your accounting straight. It’s very hard to switch things over later, so invest some time at the outset and get it right.
Although obvious in practice, it’s hard to do as it is detail-oriented work and requires patience. It takes away from the “real” work that needs to be done but come tax time, you will absolutely regret that you did not do this from the start. It becomes much more error prone and harder to do everything at the end of the corporate year.

What’s next?!
Develop more products, improve our current products, create more product videos, try affiliate marketing, and experiment more with social media.  There is a whole world of exposure methods online.  You have to dig in and try them all!