India’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, has courted excess by building a $1 billion house for himself and his family in Mumbai – however now that the massive building is complete they still have yet to sleep in it! The home, called Antilia, boasts 27 stories, a spa, a yoga studio, a movie theater, hanging gardens, a swimming pool, and an ice room – but for unknown reasons the family still has yet to move in. Although the family denies it, some have speculated that the building does not follow an ancient Indian design philosophy called Vastu Shastra, which is similar to the Chinese practice of Feng Shui.

Read the rest of Owners of $1 Billion Antilia House Have Yet to Sleep in World’s Most Expensive Residence

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Post tags: $1 billion house, Antilia, eco design, green design, Hirsch Bedner Associates, Mukesh Ambani, Mumbai, perkins + will, sustainable design, Vastu Shastra

Read the rest of 24 Gorgeous Green Lamps That Look Great With Energy-Saving LED Bulbs

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Post tags: energy efficient lighting, green design, green floor lamps, green lamps, green lighting, green pendant lamps, green task lamps, green wall lamp, lamp buying guide, LED, LED bulb, light emitting diode, low energy lighting, Philips LED bulb, recycled lamp, sustainable design

Mike Schropp of TotalGeekdom has combined technology and the natural world with his modified desktop computer that uses its own heat to grow plants! The compact DIY unit allows the plants — in this instance, wheatgrass — to flourish in an office space with limited sunlight, in what could be considered the very definition of green computing.

Read the rest of This Modified Desktop Computer Uses its Own Heat to Grow Plants

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Post tags: bio computer, computer plants, computer wheatgrass, green computer plant, green computing, mike schropp, total geekdom

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", Alberta, Bioi Architects, canada, Daylighting, eco design, EnerGuide, green design, insulation, passive cooling, southern exposure, sustainable design, Warburg House

Good lighting design can change your mood, define living spaces, and with LED technology, it can last a lifetime without needing bulbs replaced. The AmbientOne Table Lamp has a custom LED array that will fill living and work spaces with warm and inviting light. In addition, the AmbientOne has been designed and manufactured to preserve energy and American jobs. It only draws 19 watts of power, puts out light that is comparable to a 75 watt incandescent bulb, and it’s designed to be manufactured in the USA from high-quality, durable materials. The AmbientOne is on Kickstarter to raise money to complete a 100 unit production run – if you’re a fan of this beautiful LED light donate today!

+ AmbientOne LED Lamp Kickstarter

+ Highlight Design

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

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Post tags: ambientone, energy efficient lighting, green design, green interiors, green lamp, green lighting, highlight design, LED, led table lamp, light emitting diode, sustainable design, sustainable lamp

Read the rest of Curved House is a Modern Residence with Distinctive Sustainable Strategies in Missouri

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This month, Coach went back to its roots by introducing ‘The Baseball Heritage Collection’, featuring limited-edition men’s wallets and billfolds made from vintage baseballs. Coach scoured eBay for one year to find 70-year-old baseballs to create the series which is highlighted by 200 one-of-a-kind, stamped for authenticity wallets. Each wallet is hand-assembled from about one and a half baseballs. Also in the collection are baseball paperweights, duffle bags, a key ring, and of course, a baseball.

Read the rest of Coach Launches Baseball Heritage Collection Made From Recycled Sporting Goods

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Post tags: Coach, coach limited-edition bags, coach limited-edition baseballs, coach limited-edition men’s wallets, eco friendly leather accessories, eco friendly leather bags, recycled baseball gear, Recycled Materials, The Baseball Heritage Collection, The Baseball Heritage Collection by coach

Despite recent clashes between the US and Chinese solar industries, it seems that the entire solar power sector is prospering. As stated in a new report from GlobalData, with the ever-increasing number of solar power installations, the cost of energy generation is falling. In fact, it is falling so quickly that the report predicts that by 2017 it’ll be cheaper than generating power from traditional fossil fuels.

Read the rest of Solar Energy Generation Costs to Compete with Fossil Fuels by 2017

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Post tags: "solar energy", globaldata solar power parity, NREL solar panel, optical furnace, renewable energy, SILICON WAFERS, Solar cells, solar energy generation costs, solar grid parity, solar panel construction, Solar Power, solar power energy usage

Read the rest of QisDesign’s Aurelia LED Lamp Looks Like a Mesmerizing Underwater Jellyfish!

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Post tags: "green furniture", aurelia lamp, eco design, green design, ICFF, International Contemporary Furniture Fair, new york design week, QisDesign, sustainable design

It’s getting to be common knowledge that LEDs are among the most energy-efficient lighting options out there, but they still maintain some problems: ugly light color, for one; and shortened life due to their own heat damaging themselves, for another. But now Jake Dyson (yes, his dad is the vacuum god) has devised a new lamp that addresses both those problems. His CSYS desk lamp, which debuted during New York Design Week, has a built-in heat pipe running inside its arm that carries the heat generated by the LEDs away from them. The arm itself acts as a heat sink, releasing the heat into the air. The result is that the attached LEDs will last a whopping 37 years longer!

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Post tags: csys, desk lamps, green lighting, ICFF, jake dyson, LED lighting, LEDs, new york design week

These tiny little houses by Lyn Deutsch are a great way to add a little flair to aquariums, plant pots and even lighting fixtures. Painstakingly handcrafted by Deutsch, the Philippine Miniature Houses are constructed from recycled, natural, and sustainable materials, including bamboo, palm leaves, roots, coconut shells, grass tubes, plywood and wood scraps. Deutsch carefully details each piece to mirror real-life stilt houses, and features such as windows and doors can be opened and closed. Each house measures 2.75″ x 2.75″, and with the steps and bridges, the whole structure measures 4.5″ x 4.5″ x 13″ height.

+ Lyn Deutsch

The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing!

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Post tags: green home decor, handcrafted art, house art, Lyn Deutsch, miniature houses, miniatures made from eco materials, Philippine Miniature Houses, Recycled Materials, tiny little houses

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Post tags: Amazon resort, eco design, eco lodge, eco resort, green design, Peru tourism, Posada Amazonas, Rainforest Alliance, sustainable design, sustainable tourism

Read the rest of Sugarhouse Studios Pop-Up Cinema & Workshop Encourages Community Interaction in London

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", 2012 London Olympics, adaptive reuse, Assemble, community building, community space, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green renovation, London, london 2012 olympics, london legacy development corporation, London Olympics, pop up cafe, pop up cinema, pop up theatre, pop-up, Reclaimed Materials, Recycled Materials, sugarhouse studios, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, temporary cinema

Here in the UK, we do love a good cup of tea – in fact, I’m having one right now while writing this article. We love tea so much, that it is estimated that as a country, 66% of the population drinks tea – which adds up to 165 million cups every day. That is a lot of teabags. Currently, a large percentage of teabags go into landfills, but now manufacturing giant Unilever (who owns PG Tips) has teamed up with two local councils and Wrap, the government’s advisory body on waste, to create a new teabag recycling scheme.

Read the rest of PG Tips Urges Britons to Recycle Teabags in Landmark Composting Plan

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Post tags: keep calm and drink tea, pg tips recycling, recycling compost scheme, teabag compost, teabag recycling, unilever pg tips recycling, unilever pg tips recycling scheme, unilever sustainable plan, used teabags

Read the rest of Luxurious Floating Home Makes the Most of Its Small Footprint on Lake Union in Seattle

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", eco design, Floating Home, floating house, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green home, lake union, lake union floating home, low maintenance, passive solar design, Seattle, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Vandeventer + Carlander Architects

If you’re about to tuck into an freshly grown, locally-produced organic lunch, then here’s something that may interest you. According to a study conducted at Loyola University in New Orleans, those who eat organic good are more likely to be “smug,” exhibit judgemental attitudes and “be a jerk.” But before heaving your lunch into the compost bin and reaching for a pesticide-covered peach, read on for the nitty-gritty details on this ‘groundbreaking’ study.

Read the rest of Ridiculous Study Alert: Eating Organic Food Can Make You A Judgemental Jerk!

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Post tags: eskine organic food, eskine organic food study, kendall eskine, moral judgement organic consumers, organic consumers, organic farming, organic food, organic food study, wholesome food wholesome morals

The design team at Dorothy in the UK has created a souvenir of environmental destruction. Their “No Globes” are tongue-in-cheek snow globes that riff off the familiar tchotchke’s form while criticizing the dirty coal industry. The knickknack is a powerful- yet cute – way of drawing attention to the worldwide problem of pollution caused by the burning of coal and fossil fuels.

Read the rest of ‘No Globes’ Fill Up With Dirty Coal When You Shake Them

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Post tags: dirty coal, Dorothy UK, eco design, environmental destruction, green design, No globes, smog, sustainable design, united nations climate change conference

Seattle designer Jeff Skierka’s new Mixtape Table appeals to the 80’s child in all of us. The handmade wooden table harkens back to the days of high school crushes and passing notes. Made from reclaimed maple wood, Skierka’s design is the perfect coffee table conversation piece for any room!


Read the rest of Jeff Skierka’s Nostalgic Mixtape Table is Made from Reclaimed Wood!

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Post tags: eco design, green design, Jeff Skierka, Lucite, Mixtape Table, novelty table, reclaimed furniture, reclaimed wood, sustainable design

The destruction of rainforests has long been a huge cause of concern for environmentalists due to trees’ ability to capture carbon — however a new collaborative study published in the journal of Nature Geoscience has found that seagrass can actually store more carbon per square mile than forests can. The plants, which populate coastal wetlands, could play a major role in combating climate change.

Read the rest of Study Reveals That Seagrass Stores More Carbon Than Trees

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Post tags: ocean carbon, seagrass carbon storage, seagrass climate change, seagrass environment, seagrass florida international university, seagrass study, seagrass university of virginia, wetlands restoration

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Post tags: eco design, eco-art, Emil Lukas, green design, sperone westwater art gallery, string art, sustainable design, thread art