Eco-Vlog

Le Botaniste, an organic, plant-based restaurant is now the only carbon-neutral restaurant in New York City. This is the result of a partnership since 2016 with environmental consulting agency CO2logic. They helped Le Botaniste reduce energy use to a minimum and offset greenhouse gas emissions, as well as friendly to the planet in the foods they serve. To become certified carbon neutral requires a lot of research. CO2logic first calculated the greenhouse gas emissions generated not just by the restaurant but by each recipe . The organization used data from a French environmental organization to determine the carbon footprint of each of Le Botaniste’s organic vegetables, grains and other ingredients they use in their dishes. Related: Ovolo is the world’s first hotel group to go vegetarian Then, they calculated electricity consumption and the carbon footprint of paper goods and other supplies used in the restaurants to give an overall look at the environmental impact of the entire...

A few years back, chickens applauded and cows jumped for joy as poll after poll showed a growing worldwide trend toward veganism. Faux meat purveyors proliferated, cookbooks and new websites were born. But a new study by Chef’s Pencil showed a marked decline in the popularity of veganism in the first quarter of 2022 as compared to the first quarter of both 2020 and 2021. Australia -based food magazine Chef’s Pencil writes about food industry news and trends, in addition to providing recipes and how-to cooking guides. For its report on vegan popularity, it relied on analyzing Google searches. Researchers looked at the most popular keywords related to veganism and analyzed how they performed over the last four years. They checked out searches for vegan restaurants, vegan butter and other favorite vegan items. They searched top vegan terms in multiple languages. Here’s what they found. Related: Vegan milk that everyone can drink is the real deal Veganism peaked in 2019 — at least so ...

Danish Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects won an international architecture competition to design the world’s tallest residential timber building in Switzerland. Their winning proposal focused on creating an active neighborhood connected with the area’s history. Rocket and Tigerli will have a load-bearing structure made from wood . It will feature plenty of natural daylight, and rising 100 meters above the skyline of the Swiss city of Winterthur, near Zurich. Related: One of the largest CLT construction in the US is in Oregon “We approach this project with a great sense of humbleness. It is a big project that will have a significant influence on the community , socially as well as aesthetically,” said Kristian Ahlmark, partner and design director at Schmidt Hammer Lassen.  The city of Winterthur was historically known for its machine industry and locomotive production. Today, the city is a center for higher education and culture. However, contained within the city in the Lokst...

Acclaimed Artist James Perkins completed a nature-inspired installation that is currently on display in the Hannah Traore Gallery in New York. BURYING PAINTING is a collection that reflects Perkins’ love of the environment . It will be on view from May 12 to July 30, 2022.  The series is a creation formed within nature on the beach of Fire Island. The process starts with silk stretched over wood frames. Then, the canvas is partially buried or stacked in a location chosen by Perkins. He refers to the temporary works as “post-totem” land art. They are a combination of sculpture and painting.  Related: Art installation raises concerns on the rising sea level Furthermore, the art is created through the melodic rhythm of the planet, with all the forces of nature weathering the materials. Rain, snow, sleet and the beating sun all impress their power on the canvas. Some natural materials even remain stuck to the art, including sand, pollen, leaves and twigs.  Thro...

In 2018, the city of Radford asked Virginia Tech University students and faculty to construct a new train observation tower along the New River. The project developed over two years and incorporated locally-sourced building products. It highlight Radford’s transition from a historic industrial town and the university’s advanced interdisciplinary research. The New River Train Observation Tower is located in a brownfield area with views of the river and historic railroad bridge. Early on in the design process, the team selected cross-laminated timber (CLT) as the primary building material. It is sustainable and sturdy enough to support a variety of structural needs. However, as the project developed, the students realized that the carbon costs to ship industrially-produced CLT were too high. Instead, the team began investigating materials they could source locally. Related: Students design a house that revolutionizes urban design Around the same time, another interdepartmental gro...

Glass walls, natural growing plants and wood will meet you everywhere you go in the Sekisui House. The Sumu Fumu Terrace in Minato City, Japan was designed by nendo architects in collaboration with Yukiko Tomotsune. The glass panels create an open, expansive design everywhere, no matter where you’re within the space. The glass panels actually function something like greenhouses. These areas provide space for plants, creating walls of green all around. This is how nature can be integrated into interior design in a way that’s elegant and easy. Related: Low-E glass helps Frost Bank Tower reach LEED Platinum Furthermore, natural light fills up the spaces, keeping everything bright. The whole design is made with glass panels and two hundred frames . The frames are placed in a spiral shape and there are plants everywhere to create division and natural beauty throughout. Additionally, rails were built into the glass doors to allow for hangers, hooks, monitors and shelves . The rest o...

Located in a mountainous and nature-rich region of Shizuoka, Japan, the Pergola House was designed by Takayuki Kuzushima and Associates with the simple goal of merging into the environment .  The client’s building site consisted of a main house that underwent minor improvements. There were also a series of ill-placed shacks that needed to be replaced. The shacks sat along the edge of the cliff, so the client and the architects removed them in favor of a redesigned functional and eye-catching pergola, work and storage area.  Related: Old fisherman’s shack is reimagined as a dreamy eco retreat Additionally, existing trees on the property heavily guided the shape and design of the project. With an emphasis on keeping the assortment of plum, sarsaparilla and maples in place, the roofline contoured around branches. The height was also adjusted to accommodate the trees. The architects paid special attention to the location of cross beams so they would not restrict the natural...

JuneShine is an alcohol brand with a serious commitment to sustainability. For starters, they source 100% clean energy, combining carbon-free solar and wind energy through SDGE’s Power100 program. They use 100% organic ingredients and upcycled an old brewery for their operations. Furthermore, they use glassware instead of plastic in the breweries, treat wastewater to reuse it, use recycled products and source local organic food for the JuneShine restaurant Enclave. JuneShine makes tequila, rum, vodka and hard kombucha . It’s a unique brewery, and an even more unique company that is committed to sustainable operations on all fronts. Believe it or not, that’s just the beginning of how JuneShine continues to work toward fully sustainable operations. Right now, it’s a complicated thing to turn a brewery green, because everything from energy to packaging and shipping carbon footprint needs to be addressed. JuneShine donates one percent of sales to 1% For The Planet. They request thei...