• Welcome
  • Community
  • Blogs
  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Join
  • Log in
Follow MNN    
MNN - Mother Nature Network - Envrionmental News
improve your world

 

Monday, May 21, 2012
  • Earth Matters

    Browse All » Animals Weather Energy Politics Space Translating Uncle Sam Wilderness & Resources

  • Health

    Browse All » Allergies Fitness & Well-Being Healthy Spaces

  • Lifestyle

    Browse All » Arts & Culture Travel Natural Beauty & Fashion Recycling Responsible Living

  • GREEN TECH

    Browse All » Computers Gadgets & Electronics Research & Innovations Transportation

  • Eco-Biz & Money

    Browse All » Green Workplace Personal Finance Sustainable Business Practices

  • Food & Drink

    Browse All » Beverages Healthy Eating Recipes

  • Your Home

    Browse All » At Home Organic Farming & Gardening Remodeling & Design

  • family

    Browse All » Babies & Pregnancy Family Activities Pets Protection & Safety

Tweet
Pin It
Email Bookmark and ShareShare
WorldShares lets you earn donations for your favorite nonprofit. Earn up to 20 points now.
Learn More

Earn Points
What's this?
MNN.COM›

MNN BLOGGERS

Matt Hickman

Playing catch up: May the best link win

For your perusal this Super Bowl weekend: Mind-altering compost, recycled content flooring, handgun-controlled LED table lamps and a Texas subdivision with net-zero energy inclinations.

Fri, Feb 03 2012 at 4:30 PM EST

A rendering of a home at Sol Austin, a green subdivision in Austin Image: SOL Austin
The New York Times chats up the developer and a few very happy residents of SOL Austin, an affordable, 5.5-acre sustainable housing development in the Lone Star State built as "an ambitious attempt to upend the conventions of the American subdivision." The small-ish and minimalist "matchbook" homes (rendering above) in this cul-de-sac community with net-zero energy ambitions are being purchased by "young homesteaders [that] say they love the way the neighborhood is filling up with others like them, but they also praise the presence of the subsidized renters and homeowners, a generally older and more racially diverse group. In short, they are buying into the 1950s suburban ideal without leaving the city behind." A fascinating piece, especially with regards as to how developer Chris Krager pulled this all together despite a hostile economic climate.
 
Dwell admires the gumption of Brian Whitlock, a prefab-obsessed resident of Jackson Hole suffering from a serious case of SSTF (Swanky Ski Town Fatigue). Long story short, Whitlock got the hell out and relocated to Bozeman, Mt. where he didn't buy a modern prefab (too pricey) but instead built an eco-friendly custom home on a small infill lot. Whitlock kept costs low by performing the electrical and landscaping work himself. 
 
Jetson Green is fascinated by Rubble Floor, a new building material made from, umm, old building materials like roof tiles, glass, nails and screws, and bricks. Dutch designer Dave Hakkens is behind this intriguing concept.
 
Core77 partakes in some target practice at the winter 2012 session of the New York International Gift Fair with some assistance from Bitplay's BANG! Lamp, a LED table lamp that can be turned on and off with a remote control shaped like a handgun. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
 
The Atlantic bogarts the compost in an article about the mind-altering, antidepressant qualities of M. vaccae, a microbe that lives in compost piles. Pagan Kennedy lays it out all in the first sentence: "I'm holding a bowl of dirt up to my nose, in hopes of getting high on the fumes of my backyard compost pile."
 
Gigaom reports that Japanese electronics giant Kyocera has developed a three-in-one home battery system comprised of rooftop photovoltaics, energy management system, and lithium ion battery that will enable homeowners to both generate and store their own power in the event of widespread natural disasters like last year's earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster in Japan.
 
TreeHugger shares a quote from MoMA curator Paola Antonelli: "Few labels are as frayed and worn out as 'green' is. In absence of any organised approach or regulation, manufacturers and users alike have flaunted and overstated ecological virtue to the point of devaluing it, much as has happened to the label 'organic' in American food retail. People have been encouraged to trust as 'truly green' only products that manifest holier-than thou austerity, vaguely crude looks and a sprinkling of freckles on the packaging to indicate recycled paper or plastic, all aimed at being a Birkenstock-style atonement for our vanity and sins of indulgence. But is it really true that everything that is tasty and sexy is bad for you? And is it really true that in order to be a better person one needs to flagellate one's natural inclinations towards lightness, humour and pleasure? Environmentally responsible design should be like dark chocolate: delicious and sensual, yet still good for the health of body and soul.
 
 

 

Previous Post
The Solner Residence: When life gives you felled trees ...
   Next Post
Hiber-Nation: Hoodies
You might also like:
Related Topics: Energy Efficiency, Gardening , Green Architecture, Green Building, Green Design, Home improvement

Comments

Follow this conversation
Add your comment
View:
  • All (0)

Add your comment

Sign in with one of these accounts or just add your comment below.
    Log in or
    create an account
     
    •  
Used only for emailed comments and will not be displayed with your post
Notify me with an email when other people comment on this article.
The posting of advertisement, profanity or personal attacks is prohibited.
Click here to review our Terms of Use

ADVERTISEMENT

EDITORS' PICKS

tease to rocket launches

tease to sunscreen

tease to Kennedy

NEWSLETTER

Mother Nature. Delivered

CONNECT WITH MNN

Follow @twitterapi
 Tumblr
 Google +

About Matt Hickman

Eco-living expert blogs about best ways to go green at home.

RSS feedMore about Matt

Recent Posts

  • Playing catch up: Summer's coming, Summer's gone
  • Mary Richardson Kennedy leaves legacy of green design
  • A work of Arc: Bike rack-inspired prefab 'unpacks' for Sunset Celebration Weekend
+ Add this to my site
From our sponsor

Calculate the amount of water you use to wash dishes

New Ziploc® VersaGlass™ Containers make saving water and time a snap! more >

Photo gallery: 6 most pesky warm weather bugs

Don’t let annoying bugs ruin your outdoor fun. Keep insects out with plant-based... more >

Play the Glade Decor Scents Fragrance Photo Hunt

Test your skills of observation by spotting all five differences in each pair of... more >

Healthy home, happy family: Facts about SC Johnson products

Being a fifth generation family business gives SC Johnson a unique perspective.... more >

What’s Inside SC Johnson: A look at our product ingredients

As a family company, SC Johnson goes beyond industry standards in creating... more >
SC Johnson: A family company since 1886

Matt's BLOGROLL

Design BoomDwell
GOODCo.Design
Jetson GreenCurbed National
Core77TreeHugger
NY Times Home & GardenL.A. at Home

ADVERTISEMENT



Quick Links

  • About Us
  • Advisory Board
  • Editors' Blog
  • Press
  • Privacy
  • Sitemap
  • Terms of Service
  • WorldShares

MNN Tools

  • Advice
  • Blogs
  • Day in History
  • Eco-glossary
  • Infographics
  • Lists
  • Photos
  • Videos

Connect

  • Community
  • Contact Us
  • Contests
  • Idea Lab
  • Mixed Greens
  • Newsletters
  • Polls
  • RSS

Channels

  • Earth Matters
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Green Tech
  • Eco-Biz & Money
  • Your Home
  • Family
  • State Reports

Follow MNN

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Tumblr
  • Google+
  • StumbleUpon
 

Copyright © 2012 MNN Holdings, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Website by GLICK INTERACTIVE | Powered by CIRRACORE
 
SPONSORS