Norwegian architect Snøhetta has pledged to only design carbon-negative buildings, meaning their projects will generate more energy than they consume over their lifetime. The firm plans to make the shift over the next 20 years. Snøhetta co-founder Kjetil Thorsen said the firm was making the move because the need to respond to climate change “feels so bloody urgent”. “For the […]
This Architect Pledges To Only Design Carbon-Negative Buildings
Eco-Tourism Northern Lights
Between Norway and the North Pole is Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago and one of the most rugged and northern inhabited areas. With an average January high of 9 degrees and 24 hours of darkness, you might not expect this to be a tourist hot-spot. But the northern lights are drawing bigger and bigger crowds through Svalbard’s dark winter. The trick […]
Freezing Faulty EV-Batteries May Make Cheaper Disposal
When an electric car’s lithium-ion battery is damaged or found to be defective, it has to be transported for recycling/disposal within an expensive explosion-proof container. According to a new study, though, such batteries could soon simply be frozen. The danger in transporting compromised lithium-ion batteries lies in the fact that they could go into thermal runaway, a phenomenon in which […]
The Most Rewarding Side Hustles Worth Pursuing in 2020
Have you grown sick and tired of living paycheck to paycheck? Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to make more money and save more money? What better time to brainstorm clever ways to make those goals a reality than right now? As 2019 comes to a bittersweet end, it’s time to look toward 2020 and all of the potential […]
Biomimetic Solution To Reduce Food Waste
As one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest producers of tomatoes, Nigeria grows up to 1.5 million tons of the fruit annually, yet nearly half of that harvest fails to make it to the market. In a bid to provide a solution to post-harvest food waste, a team of Pratt Institute students designed a storage facility for tomato farmers in Nigeria that […]
Zero Waste Holiday
It’s the year that the Swedish concept of flygskam, or flying shame, hit headlines around the world. Now, it’s November and time for holiday travel. Unfortunately, you might feel like you’re choosing between hurting the environment and hurting Grandma’s feelings. If you find yourself traveling this time of year, here are some zero-waste tips to take the edge off your […]
Rain Harvesting Panel
Designer Shaakira Jassat has created a rain-catcher that is slim enough to fit on the outside of buildings in dense urban environments. The Aquatecture panel is designed to collect rainwater as it trickles over the openings in the structure before pumping it into a building’s grey-water system. Jassat, who is the founder of Studio Sway, was inspired to create the […]
Reimagining Cardboard As Chair
After more than a year of prototyping, Savannah studio Donttakethisthewrongway has unveiled its design for a chair that consists of a single cardboard box. In order to make it stand the test of time, it has been carefully “over-engineered” to be resistant to both wear and water. “I think a cardboard box has the potential of being a chair without […]
Self-Testing Kit for HIV and 5 Things You Don’t Know About STDs –– But Should!
One of the largest obstacles in HIV prevention is the lack of clinics and resources in developing countries around the world. Now, British product designer Hans Ramzan has unveiled a solution that could potentially save thousands of lives. CATCH is a low-cost, self-testing HIV kit, partly made from recycled plastic, that is designed to help individuals check for HIV in […]
Hologram Table
Interactive 3D images that appear to float in the air, above a table that a group of people can stand around without needing any special headsets or glasses: that’s what South Australian company Voxon Photonics has built with its US$10,000 VX1 table. Fiction has promised us holograms for decades, with one of the most famous examples appearing in 1977’s Star […]