Metro Hippie

Green Design + Lifestyle

Frosine is the Cosine of Stylish Glasses

		Monday, 17 November 08 - 04:58 PM (GMT -06:00) By Joshua Foss in Design

How's this for innovative reuse?  Designer Michelle Ivankovic collects used glasses from thrift stores (a plentiful resource as I'm sure many of you may attest) and sandblasts them to a uniform finish, thus creating the Frosine line for Umbra....

Second hand glasses can be as unique as snowflakes, from expensive crystal wine glasses to cups celebrating Dale Earnhardt Sr's 1995 Brickyard 400 championship... Ivankovic's frosted finish will turn complete strangers into best of friends.  The glasses are sold in random sets of 4 for $50, HERE.

-j

Thrive Design Studio 2.0

		Thursday, 13 November 08 - 06:44 PM (GMT -06:00) By Joshua Foss in Design

Greetings,

I have to throw a little self-promotion in the mix... I recently had the website for my business, Thrive Design Studio, redone and I'm pretty pumped on the how it turned out, so logically I feel inclined to share.

The timing of Thrive's new look coincides with an expansion to larger design projects and sustainability consulting.  We are now open to working with businesses on creating effective eco-identities and selecting sustainable strategies.  Please let your fingers wander the new site to learn more...

Check it out, y'all, and let me know what you think!

-j

Droppin' Greenaids Like it's Your Job

		Tuesday, 11 November 08 - 08:20 PM (GMT -06:00) By Joshua Foss in stuff

There are increasing numbers of options out there to replace those heinous plastic bags that bog down our fills... This is by far the freshest one I've come across.  Let me introduce you to the Greenaid, produced by design firm Lovegrove and Repucci.

Open the Greenaid at your own risk... here's what you might find:

Lovegrove and Repucci are selling these fierce plastic fighters HERE, for $16.

-j

Masdar | The City of the Future, Starting Today

		Wednesday, 05 November 08 - 04:06 PM (GMT -06:00) By Joshua Foss in Design

Chances are we're gonna be hearing an increasing amount of talk about cutting carbon emissions and becoming energy independent.... These undertakings are pretty hefty and can seem pretty overwhelming, if not impossible.  Lucky for us, we will soon have some shining examples to follow.  The United Arab Emirates Masdar Initiative is one such case study and their initial project is the development of a carbon neutral city in Abu Dhabi.  The $22 billion dollar Masdar City is scheduled to house 50,000 residents by 2016 and become a global hub for clean technologies.  Foster + Partners architects are taking the helm of master planning, and logically some pretty incredible eco-strategies will be implemented.

The idea is to build a city that will have no carbon emissions... An incredibly optimistic goal, particularly when noting the huge amount of resources and energy that will be used in the construction process... the developers will take this into consideration by building a 40 to 60 megawatt solar plant, which will supply power for all construction activity.

When built, the city will feature narrow streets and shaded walkways, minimizing the need for air conditioning.  Solar panels and collectors on rooftops will generate enough electricity to meet most of the city's needs.

Another key ingredient to the vitality of Masdar City is that it will be car-free... Designers are working on something they are calling a personal rapid transit (prt) system.  Basically solar-powered electric cars will run underground on a complex grid of 1,500 stations.  The six-passenger vehicles will be super easy to use... type in your destination and off you go!

Water will be another major component that will set Masdar apart... City planners are claiming that 80% of it will be recycled.  The idea is to reuse water as many times as possible, from public use to agriculture.  A solar-powered desalination plant will be utilized to supply the city's water needs, which are expected to be 60% lower than similar sized communities.

Similarly, how waste is managed will be extremely innovative.  The goal is to be the first city where waste is converted to energy and reduced to zero.  Using materials that can be broken down and recycled is an imperitive.  Repurposing human waste for landscaping requirements and setting up a waste-to-power facility will contribute to meeting ambitious goals.

The project is headed by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company.... they are anticipating that 1,500 businesses, primarily commercial and manufacturing facilities specializing in eco-friendly products, will make their home in Masdar.  It will also be the location of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology (MIST), which will be assisted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).  Basically, it will be the future hub for renewable technologies... Construction has already begun and the first phase is scheduled to be complete and habitable in 2009.

A little commentary:  There's no denying this project rocks some serious socks.  It is however a little bittersweet because (as far as I know) there has yet to be a project like this even on the drawing boards for us here in the states.... as we keep scrapping for every last ounce of oil, other parts of the world are investing in long-term solutions.  Global visionaries are screaming by the dozens that clean technologies will be the defining discoveries of the 21st century (research projects that Clean Tech will go from a $55 billion industry (2006) to $226.5 bill by 2016).  Learning that MIT, our nation's premier technology institution, is on board for this project in Abu Dhabi is like rubbing salt in a wound.  

Innovation and education are becoming the new economy drivers as consumption becomes a sad, distant memory... As our metaphorical country spits and spatters down the road on fumes of 19th century fossil fuels, other countries are accelerating past with their electric and hybrid technologies.... I'm getting all worked up... I'm gonna go have some organic butternut bisque.

-j

Sneak Peak: Tesla Model S

		Monday, 27 October 08 - 04:08 PM (GMT -06:00) By Joshua Foss in transit

Tesla Model S:

-4 door, 5 passenger zero emissions luxury sedan.

-240 miles per charge.

-100% electric.

-0-60mph in less than 6 seconds.

-Base price of $60,000.

-Produced in brand new $250 million dollar facility near San Jose, CA.

-On sale late 2010.

-Detroit killa.

Greenprints | Car Maintenance

		Sunday, 26 October 08 - 01:37 AM (GMT -06:00) By Joshua Foss in Greenprints

 

Treasure Trove

		Monday, 20 October 08 - 06:28 PM (GMT -06:00) By Joshua Foss in Design

The majority of peops out there instantly associate wallpaper with the dreaded process of removing it while flipping their deceased great aunts' house for resale.  It is, believe it or not, slowly dropping its negative reputation... Trove is one of the many reasons why. 

Designed by Jee Levin and Randall Buck, the Trove line features gorgeous oversized organic patterns that redefine what wallpaper can be... honestly the freshest wall application I've seen in a long time.

    

If these papers were made out of pure PVC with inks of hazardous waste, I would still consider using them (cause they're that fly)... The fact that they're eco-friendly, made from linen textured paper with a non-toxic wax-based coating, makes my year (fiscal 2008).

The two patterns shown above are Indi on the left, and Errai to the right.  Below are my two favorites... Ankaa and Alula (is this a Sigur Ros album or something?).  I'm considering either of these for an accent wall in my office. 

    

For more info on this incredible product line, which stole the show at the 2008 International Contemporary Furniture Fair, follow this link HERE.

-j

Thinking About Buying in London?

		Wednesday, 15 October 08 - 10:15 AM (GMT -06:00) By Joshua Foss in Design

.... Consider this home, the Clere Street Penthouse by Tonkin Liu.  This incredible rooftop abode is currently on the market through The Modern House Estate Agents.  Price?  You'll have to find that one out yourself!

When I first saw this, I was a bit angry... why might you ask?  Well, this is kinda my personal dream.... to build a house on an old warehouse in the middle of the city.... to add greenery and life to a building or neighborhood that's been overlooked for generations... to show by example that we can shatter conceptions of what the urban experience can be.

This specific residence consists of the top level of the warehouse and the steel and glass addition above.... It totals 2330 sq feet and features 6 bedrooms, 5 of which are on the warehouse level.  A rooftop patio offers panoramic views of downtown London.

I love this quote by architecture critic and author Ruth Slavic, "Spend a little time [in the apartment] and you begin to see other flat-roofed blocks as somehow unfinished. Homes in the sky have never looked so appealing."

Could Ruth be on to something?  Might we, twenty years down the road, see all of these flat-roofs developed, forming a community of rooftop dwellers?  I certainly hope so!

So yes, I'm still a little bit bitter that someone else beat me to the punch, but I'll get over it... Visualizing myself flying a kite from my rooftop patio 7 stories above the city streets seems to be helping.

And if you have seven figures to throw into a London lair, follow this link HERE for more info.

-j

Sewer Free Works for Me

		Tuesday, 07 October 08 - 04:14 PM (GMT -06:00) By Joshua Foss in Building

Flushing toilets with water may seem like something that always has been and always will be.  In reality, it's one of the greatest misallocations of a valuable resource we've ever come up with.  Accessing freshwater is becoming a huge issue for not only third world countries, but for us here in the US of A... Good ol' Benjamin Franklin stated a couple years back that "when the well is dry, we know the worth of water." 

Toilets are major culprits in water consumption in both residences and commercial buildings.  That's why what the CK Choi building in Vancouver BC has done is absolutely incredible.... The 30,000 sq ft structure is 100% sewer-free!

How in the world might they accomplish something like this?  Well, they utilize a number of strategies including composting toilets, waterless urinals, graywater recycling and rainwater capture.  The toilet system is the most innovative.  The graph below shows how the system works... basically there's a composter in the basement with a fan system that doesn't allow air to escape.  THe building maintenance crew adds a bag of wood chips or bark mulch to each toilet every day, speeding up the composting process.  Every six months, the compost is removed from the system and becomes fertilizer.
 

The CK Choi building uses an astonishing 132 gallons of water a day!  A similar sized structure with normal water habits would go through 1850 gallons each day.... so what does this mean?  Basically that modern buildings can be self reliant on small and large scales in regards to the sewage system.  A huge amount of water ($$$) is saved each year, and pressure is taken off of water treatment facilities down stream.  The fertilizers, captured rainwater, and recycled gray water can be used to take care of all landscaping needs.

Wow... someone was thinking, eh?

good stuff,

-j

Thou Shalt Install Solar

		Tuesday, 30 September 08 - 05:39 PM (GMT -06:00) By Joshua Foss in stuff

And God said, 'Let there be light'... and the Pope answered, 'Yes Lord, let there light and let it become energy."

This is wicked cool... the Vatican is currently installing solar panels on its papal audience hall.  It will include 2,700 PV panels which will create 300,000 kilawatt hours of energy, providing about 70% of the 6,000 seat hall's energy needs... a huge install, to say the least!

The panels, reportedly worth $1.5m, were donated as a gift to the German-born Pope Benedict XVI by a Bonn-based company, Solar World, AP reported.... Thanks Solar World! 

Pope Benedict is walking some green walk... He recently released a list of "new sins" that modern Catholics should avoid, which included "destroying the environment."  

Word, Pope.... word.

-j

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