The concept of service design has literally exploded in the last couple of years. We love that. It’s a result of a wish to create more sustainable and human centered services, organisations and…

“The way we cool our buildings right now is totally wrong,” said Indian architect Monish Siripurapu in a video produced the United Nations' Environment New Delhi firm Ant Studio has developed a flexible environmental cooling system made of terra-cotta that is inspired by ancient techniques.

Environmental justice is the intersection of both social justice and environmentalism—here’s why it’s essential for a truly sustainable future.

Best vegetables & herbs to regrow from kitchen scraps in water or soil. Start a windowsill garden indoors, or grow foods using grocery lettuce, beets, etc!

Looking for inspirations for self-sustaining homes? If you want to start living off the grid and want a home that can sustain itself, here are great ideas!

The other day I was scrolling through Pinterest, as you do, and came across this photo . Of course the link was broken, causing me to become obsessive. I scoured the website trying to find the tutorial on how to make the delightfully rustic looking DIY sponge thing of my dreams but alas, no luck. S

Eco-Column: By: Kelsie Fronheiser, Gene Edwards, Jenny Kraus, Justin Lange Introduction: These instructions will help you create your very own eco-column in your home or classroom. An eco-column is a self-sustaining ecosystem on a small scale, made of plastic s…

No-dig raised beds with a difference – great for building fertility, holding moisture, maximising surface volume and for growing fruit, vegetables and herbs in even small gardens.

Read At the 16th International Architecture exhibition La Biennale di Venezia with the title FREESPACE to mark her participation in THIS IS NOT A SHIRT we met Anna

Spanish designer Nacho Carbonell designed Communication Line, a public bench with added cocoons for telling secrets at Dutch Design Week.

This is not my idea, but I know a good one when I see it, and I had to tuck this away to do this summer with the kids. Some kids at one of our schools did something similar for a science project, and then my friend Michelle, over at Scribbit, detailed the project when she did it with her children up in Alaska. That being said, so that I take no credit whatsoever, this is a really, really cool thing to do with your kids, young and old. Even my sixteen year old daughter was completely engaged for the hours we spent. First, here's what you need for each one: 3 clear 2-liter (empty) soda bottles clear packing tape aquarium gravel water dechlorinator rubber band 4" piece of netting (I used cut up pantyhose) soil fish, snails, or other aquatic life elodea, (which is banned in CA), duck weed (which the store didn't have), anachris, or other aquatic plants crickets, pill bugs, earthworms a few dead leaves and small sticks You can use the link to Scribbit for perfectly detailed directions, but first you get your soda bottles, 3 for each ecosystem, and you begin cutting them up. The bottom one (basement, AKA pond life) gets the top cut off of it. The middle one (AKA coupler) gets both bottom AND top cut off. The top level (AKA earth level) gets bottom cut off, but saved to reattach at the end. Once you have your pieces, you take your basement/pond life level and add an inch or so of gravel. Fill it almost to the top with water and add a few drops of dechlorinator. Then add special friends, like the plants, guppies, and snails. You can use different fish, but guppies are the sturdiest. These snails that the nice fish store man chose for us stay fairly small, and they're beautiful. Each ecosystem got 2 snails, 2 branches of anachris (plant), which they could break into smaller pieces, and 3 or 4 guppies so that hopefully 2 will live. The guppies and snails were happy almost immediately, exploring their new home. Well, except for one of Aiden's that just floated to the bottom. And then swam like a madfish to the top only to float to the bottom again. Aiden named him "Wheeeeeee!" We're not sure how long Wheeeee! will be around for. For the top/earth level, we put the layer of pantyhose over the open mouth of the bottle, secured it with a rubberband and then turned it upside down. Next, we added a layer of gravel, and then some super-soil from our garden. Into this level we planted some grass seed, but rye/alfalfa/mustard would work well too. I just couldn't find my sprouting seeds. Then we added our friends, one cricket (with a small chunk of potato for him to nibble), 3 pill bugs, and an earthworm each. Then a few dead leaves and small sticks went on top. Just for fun, I gave each child a garden tag to use for a nameplate. The bottom of that soda bottle (which is now the top) was taped back on, with the edges tucked just inside the rest of the bottle so water doesn't run out. Then that top level is set inside the coupler level and taped. Both of those two top levels are now set inside the pond life basement level and secured with tape. Now it should be airtight and self-contained, as a proper ecosystem should be. Can you see the little fishies swimming around? Now just set them in front of a sunny window so that photosynthesis can happen, setting in motion the cycle of life. The water will evaporate to the top to rain down on the soil, helping the grass to grow and the dead leaves to decompose, which feed the insects. There will be plenty of oxygen from the plants, and the algae that will grow will feed the fish and snails. Can't wait to watch it all happen! Oh, and by the way, all of the supplies for 3 ecosystems, including the soda bottles came to under $17. Nice.

Because we stan Mother Earth.

Growing potatoes with aeroponics is a simple, sustainable alternative to traditional potato farming. It could be the method of the future to feed the world.

© 07 Sketches

Learn how to make natural plant-based watercolor paint for children. Step-by-step process and fun activity for the whole family.

Sustainability and eco-brands on the raise, we find some are far off being ethical or align with sustainable values. Here’s how to step up from greenwashing.

Discover how climate-specific architectural design creates eco-friendly homes for diverse climates. Embrace sustainability and harmony with nature.

783 original hands-on activities for kids (as well as a compiled archive of ideas from all over the web) with a strong focus on inquiry, design thinking, problem-solving skills, imaginative / creative thinking, nature, drama, learning with movement, music, arts integration and PLAY! - Creative Genius Kids! - for teachers and homeschoolers

Rømmegrøt is a wonderful Norwegian classic dish that is warming, rich, and delicious. A rustic porridge recipe that is amped up with great ingredients like cream, sugar, butter, and flavor!

You have a great idea. Now, you want to gather an expert team and show stakeholders that your project is viable. But how exactly do you do that? Before your idea is approved, you need to cover how you will finance and sustain your project. That’s wher...

When I saw her kombucha SCOBY leather dress walk the runway, I internally complimented the style, the ethereal drape, and how stunning the..

This article is an introduction to Solarpunk as a vision, culture and movement of radical hope. Part explainer, part analysis, and part strategy,

I’m continuing my plant experiments in CD cases. An earlier bean seed grew too fat, so I thought I’d try some thin grass. 1. I started with just a couple spoonfuls of house plant soil soaked in enough water to get it really

Miriam Ribul

Can the fast fashion industry ever truly be sustainable? Earlier this month, H&M released its 110-page Conscious Action Sustainability Report, its 13th annual review of its green practices and efforts towards fair wages within its factories. Although many of its figures and initiatives are commendable (e.g. its in-store recycling program brought in around 13,000 tons […]

Welcome to summer! My kids have been home since last Friday and we're making lists of fun projects to keep the vacation fun. Each Wednesday this summer I'll be publishing kid projects and today I'm starting with something David's class did months ago. They built a perfectly contained ecosystem that functions on its own (as an ecosystem is supposed to do) without any outside work or maintenance. They put it together and sat back to watch it grow and mature and I'll tell you, it's really quite fun to see. There is pond life in the bottom and land life in the top and the two exchange water and oxygen so that you can watch bugs crawling on the second floor and fish swimming in the basement. I'm not sure how long you can keep it this way but it's been months since they made it and it's still going strong. What a great educational activity and a step up from just going out and catching frogs (also fun). You'll never have to change water or clean a tank or feed an animal--I promise. Here's what you'll need: 3 empty and clear 2-liter bottles clear packing tape aquarium gravel (or fine, rinsed pea gravel) water de-chlorinator (optional) rubber band 4-inch square piece of netting soil mustard, rye or alfalfa seeds fish, snails or other aquatic life elodea or other aquarium plants duck weed crickets, pill bugs or earthworms a couple dead leaves or small sticks Step 1: Cut the top off of the first clear bottle (make sure the labels are removed, you'll need the bottles clear so the sunlight can get through). Don't cut it too short, just chop off the spout so you have enough of a bowl left over to fill with lots of water. This will be your "bottom floor." Step 2: Cut the top and the bottom off of the second clear bottle, making a clear coupler that will eventually link the two other sections together. Step 3: Cut the bottom off of the third clear bottle but save it, you'll reattach the bottom with tape after you fill it with good stuff and it will be your "top floor." Step 4: In the bottom floor (the one you cut up in Step 1) put an inch of aquarium gravel and fill it nearly full with water. Make sure it's treated with de-chlorinator to take out the chlorine or, if you don't have any on hand, you can set out the water in a shallow pan for 24 hours and the chlorine will evaporate. Step 5: Choose your guests! In David's case the class used two little guppies or other tiny pond fish along with two little snails. They also put a couple elodea plants (you can find them in any pet store that sells aquarium supplies) and the snails and guppies live quite happily by eating the plants and algae that accumulates in the bottle, keeping the system in balance. The class also put a bit of duck weed that floats on the top of the water, its pretty little roots dangling down. The plants help keep oxygen in the water and filter the water. Step 6: Now fill your top floor. Place the piece of netting over the neck of the bottle and secure it with the rubber band. With the bottle upside-down and the bottom off fill with about an inch of gravel then with a couple inches of soil and plant your choice of seeds (alfalfa, rye or mustard work well and are easily found in health food stores). Step 7: Choose your top floor guests. You can use pill bugs or an earthworm or crickets. Lots of possibilities. Let them loose among the grass seeds and throw in a few dead leaves and a stick or two for decomposition. Step 8: Replace the bottom to your top floor bottle and secure it with packing tape. You might want to have the top edge fit slightly down inside of the bottom edge (and that's when the bottle is upside down and the soil is in the spout) because as moisture collects in the top part it will trickle down the walls and if the seal isn't tight you'll get water on your counter. Fix this problem by putting the edges down inside of the edge they're to join up with. (Make sense?) Step 9: Slip the taped up bottle down into the coupler, secure it with packing tape and then slip the bottom edge of the coupler down into the top edge of the water-filled bottom floor. Secure it with packing tape. Step 10: Place in a well-lit spot where sunlight can get through the clear plastic to do its work. Sunlight will allow photosynthesis which will keep the cycle in motion. Keep an eye on your guests, our snails had a population explosion and we had baby snails everywhere. It's really quite exciting. Sponsored by Polkadot Peacock for children's bedding.

The Lexicon of Sustainability is a project that almost wriggles with excitement. It's taking all those very important and even edgy things that we should

the treated vegetables are molded into shape and left to dry to evaporate the moisture, creating the colorful undulated surfaces.

How to regrow green onions, scallions, spring onions from kitchen scraps infinitely! 2 fast easy ways to grow cuttings in water or soil indoors & outdoors!

A delicious recipe for elderflower champagne, best enjoyed on a warm summer’s evening.

A new book celebrates the artist’s unique vision, featuring more than 200 projects he has conceived since the 1980s.

Explore Nigel Hawtin's 145 photos on Flickr!

Recycling Paper at Preschool - A hands-on look at how paper is made. Perfect way for preschoolers to see (and feel) how paper is recycled into new paper | you clever monkey

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STEM mom shares how students, with very little background can design wind turbines out of very simple materials. Good for K-12!

Why Coppicing/Pollarding is part of This Permaculture Design Coppiced Tree We teach the fundamentals of coppicing and pollarding at every full Permaculture ...

A Walk Around Britain

Find out how your teeth react to different liquids, including soda pop, acid and coffee with these experiments using eggs.

This project is an ecosystem in a bottle showing how animals, plants, and non-living things are all connected.