Floating House Inspired by Nature

Portland, Oregon-based architect Robert Oshatz created this beautiful, floating home for the Fennel family on the Willamette River. Oshatz is known for his curvaceous, swooping architecture and unique approach to design. Since active construction is prohibited on the Willamette, Oshatz had to construct the home off-site on the connected Columbia River and pull it by barge to its mooring. This unique home is kept afloat by locally sourced 80-foot Douglas fir logs, and the exterior design takes its cue from ocean waves.

I’ve always wanted to live on a houseboat. It seems like it would be so relaxing, enjoying the gentle sway of the houseboat as it’s rocked by waves. Sigh.

Link [Environmental Graffiti]

Robots Made From Recycled Styrofoam

Styrofoam: no matter what we may do to avoid it, somehow it still ends up in our possession time after time. I mean, we do have to buy new stuff sometimes, and manufacturers still haven’t put the time and energy into finding a suitable, less planet-killing replacement. I know I have a pile of it in my basement that I haven’t figured out how to dispose of yet.

That conundrum is what prompted artist Michael Salter to come up with a creative reuse for the ubiquitous material, and the results are downright rad. He built this 22-foot-tall robot and its smaller companions in an attempt to make a statement about our consumerist culture.

From Komo News, via Treehugger:

“I have a sneaker collection,” he admits, “which is absurd, right? You don’t need more than one pair of sneakers. But at the same time, I’m conscious of the fact that this culture is about collecting stuff. The fact that we buy electronics at a time when they’re no longer really repairable … I mean, I know there’s a TV-repair shop somewhere, but I’ve never gone to a TV-repair shop in my life. You drag it to the curb and then you buy a new one. And the foam takes up more space in the box than the object does.”

Sure, styrofoam robots may not be the solution to styrofoam, but they sure are a fun way to make use of it and call attention to the problem!

Link [Komo News] + [Treehugger]

Obama: ‘We Can’t Solve Global Warming Because I F—ing Changed Light Bulbs’

Gotta love this: Newsweek caught several candid Obama moments during their behind-the-scenes Special Election Project, and one of the statements he made was pure gold.

From Newsweek, via The Huffington Post:

The debates unnerved both candidates. When he was preparing for them during the Democratic primaries, Obama was recorded saying, “I don’t consider this to be a good format for me, which makes me more cautious. I often find myself trapped by the questions and thinking to myself, ‘You know, this is a stupid question, but let me … answer it.’ So when Brian Williams is asking me about what’s a personal thing that you’ve done [that's green], and I say, you know, ‘Well, I planted a bunch of trees.’ And he says, ‘I’m talking about personal.’ What I’m thinking in my head is, ‘Well, the truth is, Brian, we can’t solve global warming because I f—ing changed light bulbs in my house. It’s because of something collective’.”

Obama is rad (and right). Sure, changing your light bulbs is an important step, but it’s very small in the scheme of things.  It’s nice to get these snippets of off-the-cuff remarks from Obama since his oration is so carefully scripted.

Link [The Huffington Post]
Photo credit: Jonas Karlsson/Vanity Fair

Eco Geek: Why Gaming is Green

Hank Green of EcoGeek.org is sick of people saying that geeks adversely impact the environment, and he’s telling us why in a series called ‘Why Geeks are Greener’.  Geeks are often accused of being less than environmentally responsible because of ‘power-sucking computers, toxic game consoles, and general disinterest in the outdoors’. But, in the first installment of ‘Why Geeks are Greener’, Hank’s telling us why gaming – a popular geek activity – is greener than you think.

From Eco Geek:

1. Children don’t need boyscouts to care about global warming. I will fully admit to have been affected greatly in my experiences in the outdoors. But saying that caring about the environment is dependent on experiencing nature is like saying that caring about sex is dependent upon talking to girls. Just because you haven’t experienced it doesn’t mean you don’t want to do all you can to protect your chances at having a healthy future with it.

Protecting nature isn’t about loving nature anymore, it’s about liking the idea of life continuing on the planet.

2. Gaming isn’t that power intensive. Depending on what kind of system you have, your console might draw as much power as a CFL, or an incandescent lightbulb. Yes, the Wii is far more efficient than the XBox 360, but even the 360 only pulls a maximum of 150 watts. It’s just not that much power, especially because neither pull much power at all when they’re off. And the act of gaming itself, it turns out, is quite good for the environment.

That’s just a taste - get the rest at EcoGeek.org.

Well said, Mr. Green. Three cheers for geeks!

Link [Eco Geek]
Photo credit: Nerdfighters

Thai Temple Made of 1 Million Recycled Glass Bottles

A temple in the Sisaket province of Thailand is built of more than a million recycled glass bottles in shades of green and brown.  The Wa Pa Maha Chedio Kaew temple is nicknamed ‘Wat Lan Kuad’ or ‘Temple of Million Bottles’, a fitting name for a structure that takes low-tech eco-friendly architecture to a whole new level. The crematorium, surrounding shelters and even the toilets are made of glass bottles.  The monks continue to gather recycled bottles so they can create more buildings with them.

From Inhabitat:

The bottle-collection-turned-building started in 1984, when the monks used them to decorate their shelters. The shiny building material attracted more people to donate more bottles, until eventually they had enough to build the temple standing today. Bottle caps are also integrated as decorative mosaic murals. Going beyond use of glass as a sustainable building material, the bottle bricks don’t fade, let natural light into the space and are surprisingly easy to maintain. So if you’re looking to find Nirvana in a bottle, you might want to consider making a stop at the Wat Pa Maha Kaew Temple.

Who would have thought that you could build such a beautiful temple from items deemed by most as trash? Instead of piling up in a landfill, these bottles have given the monks a place to worship and live. I can only imagine what it looks like illuminated by sunlight – it must be quite a sight! Check out the rest of the photos over at Inhabitat.

Link [Inhabitat]

Tweaked-Out ‘Green’ Natural Gas-Powered Mustang GT

Green Autogas, a German natural gas conversion company, teamed up with Rollin on Chrome to produce this 300-horsepower, natural gas-burning Mustang GT in an attempt to prove that green doesn’t have to be boring. They tweaked the Mustang’s 4.6 liter V8 to run on natural gas, and also installed a body kit, carbon-fiber hood and 22-inch wheels.

From Autopia:

The CNG engine produces about 20 percent less CO2 than the gasoline engine it is based on and 95 percent less nitric nitrogen oxide (NOx) than a typical diesel, according to Motor Authority. It’s tough to put that in perspective, though, because no one’s provided fuel economy data or a cost-per-mile comparison with the stock ’stang.

Autogas isn’t the first outfit to build a green Mustang. The BioConcept Mustang built by German tuners FourMotor used a biofuel-burning 2.0-liter turbodiesel that produced 280 horsepower and 368 foot-pounds of torque. The car was good for 152.2 mph and raced in the 24 Hours of Nurburgring.

Pretty sweet, but definitely not as green as it could be – pure electric recharged with solar and/or wind would have been the straight green play.  But, it’s commendable nonetheless!

Link [Autopia]

7 Awesomely Cool Green Costumes We Hope to See on Halloween

Halloween is less than two weeks away, and with it will come millions of people wandering the streets dressed in various incarnations of vampires, flappers, pirates and super heroes. If you’re going to be dressing up anyway, why not choose a green-themed costume that spreads awareness of environmental issues and is really scary at the same time? After all, there aren’t many things that are more frightening than penis shrinkage, blue men in red panties, mountains of plastic – oh yeah, and global warming. Here are seven awesomely creative, goofy, scary and funny green costume ideas. Bonus points if you make them yourself out of scrap materials!

7. Captain Planet

Captain Planet has been done many times, by many people, but there’s always room for your own special interpretation. Some wannabe green superheroes choose plastic masks and muscle-mimicking padding while others go for ladies’ pantyhose, face paint and red boxer briefs complete with access hole. The creepiness of Captain Planet brought to life is indeed Halloween appropriate, and there aren’t many things scarier than blue men in red panties, especially if you forgo the body stocking and just paint your body blue instead (eww, paint-covered happy trails!).

And, by the way - if you decide to dress as Captain Planet, do it right. A mullet is an essential part of the costume, and your body stocking or paint should be the same color as your face.

Images via Estrip.org, POPWRAP, Daily Costume

6. T. Boone Pickens

This billionaire oil magnate may have made his fortune from petroleum, but as one of the most outspoken figures warning against peak oil, he has lately been known more for his massive wind power projects. The reformed Republican is loudly warning the world that a shift to clean alternative energy is crucial, recently announcing a major energy policy proposal called the Pickens Plan that promotes natural gas, wind and solar power.

If you’re going to dress up as Pickens, you’ll need a business suit, a wrinkly old man mask (or a printout of Picken’s face, made into a mask), a stack of fake cash, a mini wind turbine and the willingness to butt your way into conversations to tell people about alternative energy.

5. Global Warming/The Hockey Stick Graph

This Halloween, spread the scary knowledge of impending doom by dressing as the hockey stick graph, or perhaps pairing that idea with global warming like Senator James ‘Global Warming is a Hoax’ Inhofe here. To mimic Sen. Inhofe’s costume, make yourself a melting globe hat out of stuffed felt and a chin strap. Cut little shapes out of felt for the continents and melting ice. Stick a dangerously hot thermometer in your mouth and wear a sandwich board displaying the hockey stick graph. If you prefer gory costumes, perhaps you’d like to take this idea in another direction by dressing as one of the effects of global warming: a dead polar bear or a diseased corpse popping up from the melting permafrost.

4. That Guy Who Saved All His Trash for a Year

You know, that guy. Get a giant clear trash bag, cut arm and leg holes and step inside. Fill it up with trash and tie up the top. You might want to also make yourself trash jewelry and a hat to top it all off. A year worth of trash is a lot – obviously, more than you’ll be able to carry – but try to pack on as much as you can. The costume will be more fun if you put weird, gross, embarrassing items inside like condoms, cat litter and unidentifiable bottled substances. You can totally make it look better than our photoshopped example, we promise.

3. Willie Nelson

If you’re going to dress up as everybody’s favorite green country music legend, there’s one accessory you must include. Just make sure it’s not the real thing if you go out in public, or you could be in for a long night in the pokey. Just fill a little baggie with ‘oregano’ and smoke hand-rolled cigarettes (or keep one in your hand, if you’re not a smoker!). Don’t forget the braids, cowboy hat and/or American flag bandanna, beard, ratty jeans and an acoustic guitar.

2. ManBearPig

As Al Gore warned us, ManBearPig is a real threat. This terrifying creature, “half man, half bear and half pig”, roams the earth and attacks humans. You can go all out and dress as the actual ManBearPig, as seen in Imaginationland, or you could be Al Gore AS ManBearPig. If you choose the second option, be prepared to speak in a lisp and yell ‘Excelsior!’ and tell people you’re “super-cereal”. Faux fur, a pig nose and a pair of pig ears will do the trick.

1. Phthalates

So, we recently heard that phthalates might be responsible for reducing the size of men’s penises. That’s scary enough in itself, and phthalates – compounds used to make plastic softer – lurk in every corner. They’re found in baby bottles, plastic cups, lotion, cosmetics, toys, raincoats, shower curtains and furniture. Dress up as sinister phthalates incarnate by dressing in a white outfit printed with the toxic compound’s chemical structure and adorned with tiny crocheted penises with frown faces. Get a pattern for the crocheted penises at Etsy shop mellenlatta (just turn that smile upside down). A white mask adds to the eerie quality. You’ll definitely have to explain this one to people, but crocheted penises are a sure-fire way to get everyone’s attention.

New Nightclub in London Gets 60% of its Power from Dancing Clubgoers

Last weekend saw the grand opening of Britain’s first ‘eco-nightclub’, “Club4Climate”.  The London club features a high-tech dance floor that generates power from the people who are dancing on it.  The dancer’s body movements cause the floor to generate an electric charge that is said to produce an estimated 60% of the club’s energy needs.

From Atypical Events:

Club4Climate was started by a property developer named Andre Charalambous, who goes by the alias of “Dr.Earth.”

The entrance fee to the club is just £10 but upon entrance, customers are must sign a pledge promising that they will work to curtail climate change.

Customers who arrive at the club on foot or on bikes will get in for free, although they will still have to sign the pledge to fight climate change.

The green efforts at Club4Climate don’t stop at the electricity-generating dance floor, the venue also sells organic drinks in polycarbon cups and the bathrooms are equipped with waterless urinals and low flush toilets.

The club also has its own solar power and wind turbine system, and any excess power will be donated locally.

60% is a pretty high number! If it’s correct, we love this – this is some major eco-innovation.  The website is kind of hilarious (check out Dr. Earth), with a tagline of “all you have to do is dance to save the world” and the statement that “Dr. Earth wants you to be environmentally aware, but he sees no reason why environmental awareness and hedonism shouldn’t go hand in hand. They are not mutually exclusive.”

Check out the video below:

Link [Atypical Events] + [Club4Climate]

Recycled Cardboard Sculptures by Mark Langan

Inhabitat has once again proven that they’ve got a sharp eye for fantastic eco-art with a recent feature on artist Mark Langan, who creates art from cardboard.  Unlike Chris Gilmour – another cardboard artist previously featured on Inhabitat, who utilizes mostly the smooth side of the material – Langan celebrates the texture of corrugated cardboard, making it the star of his creations.  It’s interesting to see such different takes on this recycled art concept.  Langan collects the materials for his work from his own neighborhood.

From Inhabitat:

Langan does not use any computer rendering to visualize a project: he sketches it the old-fashioned way, by drawing it out on a piece of paper. Each piece is built through a process of cutting, layering, and sealing with a non-toxic glue. For a more sculptural texture, the artist will run his cardboard through a paper-shredder and make it into a putty with glue and water.

A completely self-taught artist, Langan dedicated himself full-time to his corrugated masterpieces after being laid off from an office job. Some of the pieces are more overt proponents of the green lifestyle than others: one pieces says “Waste: it’s what haste makes” while in another, Uncle Sam declares “I want YOU to recycle” (above). Most of the works, however, are elegantly trimmed celebrations of a cast-off material. It’s the grown-up version of playing with cardboard boxes.

Who would have thought that you could achieve such detailed, textured, creative works of art with a material that most people toss in the trash without a second thought? It just goes to show that with a little creative thinking, we could save mountains of materials from landfills– they’re all useful to somebody.

Link [Inhabitat]

Sarah Palin Goes Hunting the Ol’ Fashioned Way

O. Ba. Ma. (Thanks Jerry King!)

Check out these mean, bitter, angry, ignorant, stupid Palin/McCain supporters. This is a scary group of people who are going to be awesomely disappointed next month. (Video after the jump)

[Read more]

EarthFirst’s Shea Gunther on Green Talk Radio

EarthFirst.com Publisher and VP of Content Shea Gunther was interviewed on episode 135 of ‘Green Talk Radio’ with Green Living Ideas’ Sean Daily!  Shea talks to Sean about his various green ventures, including the 5(!) companies that he’s founded by the age of 30 and upcoming projects like the organic screenprinted t-shirts he’ll be selling at MeatSpaceTees.com.  He also discusses the need for ‘greedy greens’, how he crafts the snarky editorial voice here on EarthFirst and how companies can get good publicity for doing green works (and bad publicity for greenwashing).

“I really don’t think that we’re in danger of there being a green burnout because it just makes too much sense.  It might take a little bit longer for everyone to come around to it, but when you can show people that we can live in a world where we can have TVs, and we can take trips and we can wear nice clothes, and you know – we can do all that stuff without polluting the crap out of the world – then, how do you argue with that?”

Check out the podcast at PersonalLifeMedia.com!

Link [Green Talk Radio]

The Hamster-Powered Paper Shredder

Next time your kid asks for a hamster, put your reservations about stinky cedar bedding and the inevitable hamster funeral aside for a moment to consider what the little creature can do for you.  You might be pleased to learn that hamsters have the potential to be more than somewhat creepy, beady-eyed freeloaders that eat their own babies when left to mate and reproduce.  They can power your new eco-friendly paper shredder, saving you money and getting exercise at the same time.   Now if only someone would create a poodle-powered industrial version, we’d get a lot more done and wouldn’t have to walk our dogs, either.

Okay, so this isn’t a real product, and wouldn’t be all that efficient or animal-friendly if it were – it’s part of an installation at a Milan, Italy art gallery by artist Tom Ballhatchet.  But, hopefully it will get some wheels turning in inventors’ minds about (people-powered) manual tech.

Link [Technabob] via [ThisNext]

Manhattan’s Car-Free ‘Summer Streets’ Will Return

Good news for Manhattanites! This August’s ‘Summer Streets’ program, which closed select streets in Manhattan on three consecutive Saturdays, will be back next year and possibly the year after that! The Summer Streets program prohibited motor traffic on a 7-mile stretch from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, allowing pedestrians and bicyclists to take back the streets – and oh, they did.  Revelers strolled, danced and even did yoga while children decorated the pavement with sidewalk chalk.  They enjoyed air free of fumes and freely crossing the street without fear of being hit by a cab.

What a great concept.  We’d love to see this catch on, on a larger scale – cities across the world should start similar programs.  It’s an awakening to what life can be like without relying on motor vehicles for everything.

Link [Gothamist]

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Off To Strip Mine We Go- Our Weekly Caption Contest #2 Kicks Off

Congrats to EarthFirst.com reader Kevin Bedell for his winning entry in our first Caption Contest. Our own Jerry King got things started last week of a captionless ‘toon of a little boy in a big green room listening to his dad read him a story. Our readers flooded the comment boxes with suggested captions and after a good slug or three of cheap vodka we picked the one that made our sides hurt the most. Kevin hit it spot on with “So the 7 Dwarves engaged in unsustainable mining practices?” Soak in the ha ha.

Kevin walks away with both both bragging rights and his pick of the shop over at Teecycle Tees. Our good friend Tim at Teecycle kindly signed on to sponsor our little contest here and deserves all of our kudos, clicks, and business. Tshirts are rad, Teecycled Tshirts are even radder.

We love giving away other people’s gear, so for another shot at another Teecycle Tee, have a crack at filling in a good caption for this gem of a panel

You have until next Thursday, September 25 at midnight EST to get your caption into comments here on this post. Have at it, good hunting.

Making Cotton Candy with Pedal Power

No need for a fancy set-up when making cotton candy – street vendors in China have shown that it’s easy to do on a bike with a can of propane. The propane heats the sugar, and it’s spun using the pedals on the bike.  Smart, low-tech, pragmatic green design – we love it!

Link [Gizmodo]

Lego Windmill on eBay for Just $1700

Sure, the limited edition Lego windmill made for wind company Vestas is cool.  It’s the kind of thing we wish they made in large quantities for the public so that kids can play with them, but alas, since they’re limited edition they’re hard to get a hold of.  I guess that’s why they’re selling on eBay with opening bids as high as $1900.   So far, no one’s biting on the higher priced auctions, but one auction with 8 bids is up to $510.  Seems crazy, considering that some people have built themselves the real thing for less than that, and the Lego version doesn’t produce energy - it runs on batteries! But, collectors are willing to pony up a lot of cash for limited edition.

Link [Gizmodo] + [eBay]

Awesome Crafts Made from Recycled Tech Parts

Folks at the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) came together recently to create crafts from old tech parts that would otherwise have ended up in landfills.  Computer parts ranging from keyboard keys to chips and wires adorn items like photo frames, earrings, and even a beer cozy.  Some are just plain silly while others are downright cool.  Check out the photos below! Great job, guys – let’s continue finding new ways to reuse this stuff instead of just throwing it out!

Link [NNEDV]

Get Out Your Thinking Cap: Enter Our Caption Contest and Win a Teecycle Tee

We’ve been really excited to have cartoonist Jerry King join us here at EarthFirst.com over the past few weeks. He’ll be doing custom cartoons for us and suggested that we start running a caption contest to fill the space between his weekly features. We loved the idea and he whipped this one to get things kicked off.

Leave your entry for a funny caption to the following cartoon in comments here. We’ll pick our favorite and give the winner hizzer pick of a shirt from our friends at Teecycle Tees, who have been kind enough to pick up the sponsorship tab. You have until Midnight EST on Monday, September 15th to get yours in for this week. Just leave it in comments here.

Uh… Honey- There’s A Penguin in the Freezer

Happy Sunday. Here’s a laugh to go with your coffee.

Cartoon by EarthFirst.com’s own Jerry King.

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