Eco-Vlog

Safdie Architects oriented the Albert Einstein Education and Research Center (AEERC) in Sao Paolo, Brazil , around an indoor forest. They hope to inspire the next generation of doctors to orient their mindset around wellness. The AEERC project is meant to reflect Einstein’s interdisciplinary approach to education , research and healthcare delivery. The building is essentially a giant greenhouse surrounded by office space, classrooms, an auditorium, laboratories and simulation facilities meant to replicate exam rooms, clinics and operating rooms for training. Related: LEED-Platinum Knight Cancer Research Building champions “team science” Meanwhile, the interior of the building is covered with a 3,800-square-meters glass roof shaped into three integrated structural domes. This skylight vaults 86 meters with minimum structural steel weight. The roof is made of a layered system that filters sunlight, mitigates heat transfer and absorbs sound. The outer skylight layer is made of up 1,...

Researchers at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY ESF) have found a way to help revive American chestnut trees. Outside of orchards , scientist say the tree is “functionally extinct.” Now, genetically-engineered pollen carries a DNA that is capable of fighting diseases that have led to the diminishing of American chestnuts. The researchers say that they have done sufficient testing and are now ready to disperse the seeds in the world. The only problem at the moment is the lack of regulatory approvals. The American chestnuts once ruled much of Appalachia, with billions of mature trees towering over leafy forests all the way from Mississippi to Maine. However, they were wiped out by an exotic fungus at the beginning of the 20th century. The young ones still sprout out, yet they rarely reach maturity due to attacks by the same fungus. Related: A tree that survived the Jurassic era is now endangered The modified seeds now provide a solu...

Wetlands are key to the environmental recovery plan of Fortaleza, Brazil . The new Rachel de Queiroz park occupies one of the city’s flooded preservation areas by adopting the drainage system as a structural element. Green sports fields sit between walkways that interlace with lagoons and wetlands to create a system that improves the water quality of the Riacho Cachoeirinha. The park was built after hydrological studies indicated the best water filtering process could be constructed with nine interconnected ponds and lagoons. The ponds would use decanting and phytoremediation, a process in which microorganisms on the surface of the soil and on the roots of aquatic plants help to clean the water. Related: Service center in national park honors history of the area Parque Rachel de Queiroz is enormous, especially considering the dense urban space around it. It will be over six miles in length and about 500 acres total when completed. The park will be the second largest in Fortaleza...

Sometimes all we need is a little bit of skin refreshment to get through the day. The goal of IsFrom is to make products that boost your skin’s vitality as well as your mood.  IsFrom’s line of skin oils and mists is intended to moisturize and create glowing skin. It primarily sells two types of products.  Related: School of medicine beautifully blends health and nature The first is a three-blend oil. It is available in four vibrant colors, each with its own scent. First, Bright Rosy is red with a rose scent. Then, Coooly is a cool blue color with a lavender scent. Next, Golden is a rich yellow with strong notes of neroli. And lastly, Greenery offers a bold green tone with a scent of bergamot. These oils are applied following washing and toning of the skin. To use, place a few drops of oil on your palm. Then lightly rub your hands together and inhale the aroma before lightly tapping your hands to your face. Each product is available in a 1.01-ounce bottle, as well as...

Canadian startup TransPod recently unveiled a hybrid between a train and an aircraft that could transform the transportation industry as we know it. The fully-electric  FluxJet can travel at speeds of more than 621 miles per hour. Such speeds are even quicker than an average private jet and almost three times that of high-speed trains. The science behind the train is based on a new field of physics known as “veillance flux.” This technology also features a “contactless power transmission” and aerodynamic and propulsion systems to reduce friction. Essentially, a vacuum tube is set up, in which magnetically levitated pods travel at faster speeds than trains , cars and jets. Related: World’s fastest bullet train can travel between Beijing and Shanghai in 4.5 hours Additionally, FluxJet can carry up to 54 passengers and two wheelchairs. It also contains luggage racks for passenger bags, carrying up to 10 tons of cargo at a time. Since the train travels within a vacuum-like tub...

Endangered mussels are reproducing again in the Cedar River in Minnesota for the first time in decades. The Department of Natural Resources has been making efforts to spur the reproduction of mucket and black sandshell mussels in the river. In the past three years, the department released thousands of sand shells and mucket mussels into the river in the hope that they will start reproducing in the waterway. The Cedar River endured devastating human activities for the past few decades, driving away the once-thriving population of mussels . Excessive pollution and overharvesting have already depleted most of its shells and the mussels themselves. The efforts to repopulate the tiny animals are now paying off. Related: Heatwave roasts mussels alive in California Among the important roles that mussels play in the river include water filtration of bacteria such as E. coli. They also sequester chemicals and poisons by depositing them into their shells. Their shells are one of the popular...

A new upcycling facility in Singapore , the DB Schenker’s Upcycling Hub by Airlab SUTD, explores new production methods needed for a sustainable manufacturing future. “This project demonstrates how materials deemed useless and destined for landfills can be repurposed into functional and beautiful design objects,” the designers explain. The project started in 2018 to raise awareness of circularity in the logistics and supply industry. The idea: develop an entire facility from waste materials and present ways to respond to the climate crisis . It started as a design brief for the DB Schenker employee lunchroom, but Airlab’s goal expanded. Related: A home that incorporates recycled materials from the jobsite The new space helps visitors conceptualize how waste can be used through all stages of a supply chain from design to production to consumption. Meanwhile, 3D printing technology is at the fore, using the tech to create novel shapes for furniture and light shades through the spac...

Marine waste and unemployment are two significant concerns in Kenya. A non-profit organization called Ocean Sole is on a mission to address them both. Flip-flops litter the beaches throughout the region, adding stress to marine animals and detracting from the beauty of the beach. After the founder of Ocean Sole, Julie Church, witnessed children making toys out of flip-flop material, she encouraged them to continue and to get parents involved. As villagers began to wash, sort, cut and create, they found a viable side income by turning flip-flop waste into art they then sold at the local market. Related: Divers remove nearly 50 tons of debris from coral reefs This year, the non-profit plans to recycle over one million flip-flops. Moreover, Ocean Sole’s plan is in alignment with its mission to lessen the rampant pollution on Kenya’s shores. In addition to progressively helping the environment, the company is community focused, with a goal of decreasing the nearly 40% unemployme...

Raccoons raiding your garbage, squirrels on wires, coyotes scouting for pets left out after dark — they’re not the urban riffraff of the animal world. According to author Peter S. Alagona, “The recent explosion of wildlife in American cities is one of the greatest ecological success stories since the dawn of conservation, but it happened largely by accident.” In his fascinating book “ The Accidental Ecosystem “, Alagona helps readers peer into the secret lives of the wildlife next door and details how certain species came to thrive in urban areas. The book is full of surprising revelations and historical tidbits. Related: These works of art record and provide shelter to urban wildlife Urban areas are natural areas Why would animals want to dwell in big cities? Well, because they already did before humans got there. In fact, some of the same geographical features that attracted humans to set up shop are also attractive to wildlife. For example, places with protected coastlines, p...

Dutch e-bike brand VanMoof has just released a limited-edition S3 Aluminum frame that celebrates electric riding with a streamlined form. The premium S3 Aluminum was released on August 18 in a limited number of raw-cut bikes, the manufacturer announced, purchased directly from the bike maker. This is the first time the brand has dropped a unique S3 colorway, VanMoof says. But they aim to make the bike more than a collector’s item. It’s a performance bike that captures the essence of the VanMoof brand’s history of bike design. Every element of a VanMoof bike is essential, the designers say, but elevated to the highest standard. The foundational idea of VanMoof is that there is beauty in simplicity while creating bikes that last with use over time. Related: The world’s lightest and foldable e-bike is here by VELLO The earliest designs from VanMoof were non-electric bikes . “VanMoof’s design philosophy has always been grounded in one indisputable truth: that the joy of riding a bik...

When you first find ZZ Top House, nestled between Victorian cottages in a warehouse district of Sydney , it’s hard to tell what you’re looking at. Is the kitchen and living room outdoors? Are there walls or windows on the ends? This modern home is full of unexpected surprises that bring the outdoors in — or turn the inside out. Designer CplusC Architectural Workshop created the home to make use of a unique site, while making what was originally a Victorian home sustainable and usable for a modern family. The house was designed on a long and inwardly looking site with “zero view bounded by two warehouses ,” according to the designers. How can you take a site like that and create a beautiful home, much less one that takes in the outdoors? ZZ Top House is a unique and refreshing take on domestic living and integrating with the natural world, especially considering how little of it the designers had to work with. Related: Space Age home built in 1961 is now revived for the present ZZ...

From snowflakes to leaves, nature is full of incredible shapes and intricate designs. Nature itself is a wonder, a world full of plants and animals that adapt themselves to better suit the natural world. This is exactly what biomimicry is all about. What is biomimicry? It’s actually a simple idea: use what exists in nature to build and design areas for human beings. Biomimicry is about bringing nature into every project as a mentor and a guide, not something to destroy or change. Biomimicry copies forms found in nature, but it also finds a way to integrate nature into the design itself. Even as this design concept uses the natural world for inspiration, it also molds itself to existing nature instead of taking away from it. Related: Biomimicry house hints at a solution to the climate crisis How design firms are using biomimicry in architecture Jamie Miller is the director of biomimicry for architecture firm B+H. Miller’s job is to use nature to inspire physical designs . This ...