Interior Design Sense

Mr. Peanut is in for a big upgrade. Planters has decided to give the him a ride of his own: the Nutmobile, an entirely green, environmentally-friendly vehicle. Based on a 2011 Isuzu NPR truck, the Nutmobile is made from a 11,000-pound fiberglass outer shell, runs on biodiesel, has solar panels, a wind turbine, LED lighting, and its interiors are primarily made from recycled parts. Even the wooden floors are from an old barn!

Read the rest of Mr. Peanut Gets His Own Environmentally-Friendly Nutmobilehttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: alt fuel cars, alt fuel vehicles, alternative fuel cars, biofuel, green mr. peanut, green nutmobile, mr peanut, mr. peanut vehicle, nutmobile, planters |, solar panels

Submitted for the latest design competition produced by Enel Contemporanea for the MACRO museum in Rome, winners Bik Van der Pol created an architectural marvel named after an MC Escher quote, “Are you really sure that a floor can’t also be a ceiling?” The spectacular structure is both a homage to the original Farnsworth House designed by Mies van der Rohe in 1951, but in this version of the architecture great, you can find a new home for hundreds of butterflies.

Read the rest of Bik Van der Pol Unveils Butterfly Sanctuary Inspired by Mies van der Rohehttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: Bik Van der Pol, Butterfly conservatory, Enel Contemporanea, environmental change, Farnsworth House, Jos Van der Pol, Liesbeth Bik, MACRO Museum

Stanford researcher Zhenan Bao has developed a new stretchable, solar-powered “super skin” sensor that is so sensitive it can feel a fly touch down. The flexible electronic material harnesses polymer solar cells to generate electricity and can detect chemicals and sense various kinds of biological molecules. The technology holds potential for an incredible array of applications ranging from clothing, to robots, prosthetic limbs and beyond.

Read the rest of Stretchable Solar Cells Power Ultra-Sensitive Electronic “Super Skin”http://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: bionic skin, Design for Health, flexible senors skin, polymer solar skin, self-powering skin, solar powered skin, stanford research zhenan bao, stretchable skin technology, super skin

Not sure whether you want to drive an all-electric car, a hybrid or a powerful sports car? Well, now you can do it all the with Volvo‘s new diesel plug-in hybrid, a new design based on their V60 estate. The car will be on display at the upcoming Geneva motor show, and from what we can tell, it will be the first vehicle of its kind.

Read the rest of Volvo’s New Car Goes From All-Electric to Hybrid or Diesel With the Push of a Buttonhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: diesel hybrid, diesel hybrid cars, geneva auto show, hybrid cars, plug-in diesel hybrid, plug-in diesel hybrid cars, volvo, volvo hybrid, volvo hybrid vehicle, volvo plug-in, volvo plug-in diesel hybrid

Among the first of its kind in Buenos Aires, Home Hotel is a ‘green’ beacon leading the way in the Argentine hospitality industry. Opening over five years ago when the environmental movement was just a whisper in the city, the beautifully designed hotel reflects an air of tranquility and a calm space amid pollution and chaos. In a country where sourcing sustainable and environmentally-friendly goods can be problematic — or worse still a logistical disaster — co-owners Patricia O’Shea and Tom Rixton have persevered with their objectives of creating a hotel as green as the country will allow.

Read the rest of Stylish and Sustainable Home Hotel is Ahead of the Green Movement in Buenos Aireshttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: Buenos Aires, chic hotel, design green awards, eco design, eco hotel, eco-tourism, green design, green movement argentina, Home Hotel, sustainable tourism

Read the rest of Massive Ford Assembly Building Restoration Emulates a Green Renaissancehttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: adaptive restoration, Albert Khan Ford Factory, Bay Area Green building, Bay Area mixed use development, East Bay green building, Ford Assembly Plant, Green Building, green historic retrofit, green restoration, Mountain Hardware Office, Richmond green building, roof top solar array, Rosie the Riveter, SunPower solar, Vetrazzo

Mail carrier services use a substantial amount of gas as they deliver packages, so it comes as no surprise that they’re also on the forefront of a lot of eco-friendly, fuel-efficient practices. UPS just started substituting diesel fuel with lower-emission liquified natural gas, which is stored at 260 degrees below zero. In fact, a growing number of large trucks are turning to liquefied natural gas as an alternative — especially since diesel prices reached over $5 a gallon in 2008. Natural gas prices, on the other hand, have either dropped or have stayed stable.

Read the rest of UPS Switches Trucks From Diesel To Liquefied Natural Gashttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: alt fuel, alt fuel trucks, alternative fuel trucks, compressed natural gas, diesel trucks, liquified natural gas, natural gas, united postal service, UPS, ups fuel efficiency

Overlooking the bluffs of Pacific Palisades, California, the ultra-sustainable Vicino House features 180-degree views of both the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Monica Bay. The original house, built in the mid 1950’s, was gutted and rehabilitated into a LEED platinum marvel. Additional square footage was added to the final design, which incorporates a remarkable range of sustainable and energy-efficient systems and materials.

Read the rest of Luxury Beachside Vicino House in SoCal Earns LEED Platinumhttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: “leed”, Forma Design, Green Building, green design, inhabitat, Inhabitat LA, LEED platinum, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Vicino House

Who didn’t love playing with Legos and Construx as a kid? Now that we’ve grown up, 3form has made the adult equivalent: Ditto, a modular cross-shaped product that forms together to create partitions, sculptural center pieces and wall art. Made from 40 percent pre-consumer recycled materials, the modules come in a variety of colors and can be used to create endless organic structural designs.

Read the rest of Make Your Own Wall Art With 3form’s Ditto Moduleshttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: 3form, Construx, Ditto, LEGOs, modules, Office decor, pre-consumer recycled materials, Recycled Materials, varia ecoresin

Read the rest of Historic Ford Factory Transformed Into SunPower Photovoltaics Headquartershttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed

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Post tags: “sustainable architecture”, adaptive reuse, eco design, ford factory, green architecture, Green Building, green renovation, marcy wong donn logan architects, old ford assembly building, photovoltaics, photovoltaics manufacturere, solar panels, Solar Power, sunpower, sunpower corporation, Sustainable Building