This tiny home on wheels features white shiplap walls

The Heritage  tiny home  by Summit doesn’t sacrifice style for convenience. It features a spacious loft bedroom, a bay window bump out of the living room and a galley kitchen with white shiplap walls. This tiny house is designed for full-time living and comes in two sizes, the 24-foot Heritage and the 28-foot Heritage. Each model comes move-in ready with $6,000 to $8,000 worth of built-in upgrades, coming to a total of $69,999 and $78,500 respectively. The models are built on a trailer with a two-foot bay window that extends over the edge, two large  skylights  over the bedroom loft and a living room filled with windows to allow ample natural light. Related: A tiny home on wheels with brilliant interiors and two lofts can be yours for $56K The kitchen comes with a 24″  farmhouse  sink, gas stove, quartz counters, a full-size refrigerator, shelving units for a pantry and an off-grid 20″ propane range hood. Since the tiny homes are made-to-order, buyers can customize everything from the exterior color and storage options to updated kitchen appliances and washer/dryer combinations. The 24-foot Heritage provides 220 square feet of living space, while the 28-foot Heritage offers 250 square feet. Designers offer upgraded premium options for sustainability features as well, such as  solar panels , rainwater collection and a composting toilet. Stylistically, the Heritage features a modern-meets-rustic aesthetic, with its bright white shiplap and numerous windows that capture the feel of a larger family home on a smaller scale. The kitchen’s butcher block countertops, soft close shaker cabinets, 24″ fridge-freezer combination and the potential for a washer/dryer combo provide modern creature comforts with all the convenience of a  home on wheels . For storage, the staircase comes with built-in compartments, and there is a 28″ storage closet with rod and shelf (34″ in the larger model). The bathroom has a built-in vanity and shelving, with either a 48″ shower with glass door for the smaller model, or a 60″ tub and shower combo in the larger model. There is also a standard flushing toilet below the bathroom window and upgraded black fixtures throughout. + Summit Tiny Homes

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This tiny home on wheels features white shiplap walls

3XNs green-roofed offices to sport an elevated cycling path in Stockholm

Danish architecture firm 3XN has won a design competition for Kvarter 15 (District 15), a new office that will revitalize Stockholm’s Östra Hagastaden neighborhood with eye-catching architecture, public spaces and an elevated pedestrian and cyclist pathway that will connect the city with the nature-rich Hagaparken and Brunnsviken. Conceived as both a destination and an experience for the surrounding community, the mixed-use building will offer flexible office spaces for tenants and new attractions and amenities for the public. Moreover, the building will be engineered to protect the adjacent park from the noise and environmental pollution from the nearby highway. Green roofs will help retain rainwater as well. Developed for Swedish real estate company Atrium Ljungberg, Kvarter 15 will occupy a long, wedge-shaped plot and provide a new connection to Stockholm’s northern city gate from the old “quarry” to the public Hagaparken park and lake Brunnsviken. The adjacent Hagaparken shaped the design of the building, which features an undulating profile and terraced levels along its east facade for a smooth visual transition between the building and the park. The lower terraces will connect to the elevated pathway for pedestrians and cyclists, and portions of the roof will be landscaped and possibly topped with solar panels. In contrast, its western facade that faces the city more strongly resembles its urban neighbors. Related: 3XN unveils LEED Platinum-seeking Forskaren innovation center in Stockholm The undulating facade has also been engineered to allow for numerous flexible office spaces optimized for natural light and views of Hagaparken and Brunnsviken. Ground-level retail, restaurants, cafes, new urban spaces and landscaped plazas will activate the streetscape to aid in the urban revitalization of Östra Hagastaden. The offices will be designed to encourage “social synergies” and collaboration between the building tenants. ”There is a need to create spaces that stimulate people’s imagination and creativity,” said Jan Ammundsen, 3XN’s senior partner in charge of the project. “In a complex building with many tenants, it’s crucial to provide options for knowledge sharing and inspiration across the various organizations and people.” + 3XN Images via 3XN

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3XNs green-roofed offices to sport an elevated cycling path in Stockholm

Cool vegan recipes for a hot summer

What makes food summery? Our top summer food picks are lighter than winter meals. They’re unfussy dishes that won’t have you standing inside for hours over a hot stove when you could be enjoying a summer evening. Better yet, some are foods that you can cook outside on a grill. Vital tips for summer recipes include using fresh seasonal fruits and  vegetables , incorporating more raw ingredients and trying some dishes that you eat at cooler temperatures. Dust off the patio furniture and get ready for summer dining! Fresh and delicious summer salads You can get endlessly creative with salads as a main course. Even if you ate salad every day for a week, you could vary the ingredients enough that you wouldn’t get bored. Start with fresh, crisp greens.  Everyday Health  ranked the five most nutritious: kale, spinach, beet greens, Swiss chard and dandelion greens. Each will give your salad a distinctive flavor. If you’re planning salad as a meal, you’ll want to include  protein  in the way of lentils, garbanzo beans, quinoa, black-eyed peas, nuts, seeds, chunks of tempeh or similar. Adding pasta, or whole grains like millet or brown rice, will provide energy and give that salad more staying power. Find your salad inspiration in these 25 recipes from  It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken . Related: Wonderful recipes for all the weird veggies in your CSA box Gazpacho — the summer soup This chilled Spanish soup has a long and intriguing history. You can find mentions of gazpacho all the way back in Greek and Roman literature. But the recipe must have been different then, as  tomatoes  and green peppers, two of the soup’s now standard ingredients, came from Central and South America. Gazpacho recipes vary regionally, but usually include tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, garlic, olive oil, onions and breadcrumbs. This gazpacho recipe from  The Spruce Eats  only takes 20 minutes to prepare and is perfect to eat outside on a summer evening. For an extra summery recipe, try basing your gazpacho on watermelon rather than tomatoes. This watermelon gazpacho recipe from  Forks Over Knives  spices things up with jalapeño, jicama and chili powder. Endless taco variations Tacos are another easy and highly adaptable dish. It all starts with the tortillas. Most store-bought tortillas seem to be vegan these days, but double-check to be sure you’re not buying ultra-traditional tortillas made with lard. Or buy a bag of masa harina and make fresh corn tortillas with this recipe from  Mexican Please . It’s easy, if a little messy. For a balanced taco meal, choose a protein like tempeh, tofu or walnut taco meat like this recipe from  Make it Dairy Free . Topping choices are endless. Add some sautéed fajita veggies like mushrooms, peppers and zucchini, or choose raw toppings like shredded red cabbage and diced tomatoes. Cauliflower is especially trendy this year.  Brand New Vegan  has a recipe for cauliflower-mushroom taco “meat.” What vegans grill Backyard dining often calls for the grill. Red peppers, zucchini strips and onions are grilling standbys. But you can get creative. The folks at  Meatless Mondays  have crazy tips for grilling cucumbers, kale,  avocados , romaine lettuce, watermelon and grapes. Vegans also like veggie burgers. If you’re in a hurry, pick up frozen patties from the store. Otherwise, you can craft your own. This innovative mushroom-based veggie burger from  Love and Lemons  incorporates short-grained rice, paprika, walnuts, breadcrumbs and other good stuff for a thick burger that will put most frozen patties to shame. It’s berry time Summer is time for fresh berries. If they’re perfectly ripe, they need no accompaniment. You can also mix your fruit and veggies by adding fresh raspberries to vinaigrette  salad  dressing. This recipe from  The Spruce Eats  adds the oomph of Dijon mustard. Of course, lots of us with a sweet tooth like berries even better when they’re in a pie.  Feasting on Fruit  meets all your blueberry needs with thirty recipes. Homemade vegan ice cream If you have an ice cream maker, you might have already dusted it off for your summer frozen treat needs. But even if you don’t want to acquire yet another appliance, you can still make vegan ice cream at home. For the lightest indulgence, try a two-ingredient ice cream made from frozen bananas and cocoa powder with this recipe from  Bowl of Delicious . Those who crave something creamier can use coconut milk,  coconut  cream, avocados or nuts as a base. Once you get the hang of making homemade ice cream, it’s endlessly adaptable. You can add peanut butter, vegan chocolate chips, fresh fruit or spices. Related: Easy vegan ice cream recipes to enjoy all summer long Vegan lemon bundt cake Citrus fruits are so summery. This vegan lemon bundt cake from  Vegan Yumminess  has been a huge hit at my  house , already showing up for a birthday and an anniversary celebration. The key is the glaze, which goes on before the frosting. It moistens the cake so nicely. Use a combination of fresh lemon juice, lemon zest and lemon extract, and all tasters will know this cake means serious citrus business. Images via Teresa Bergen

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Cool vegan recipes for a hot summer

This vision of the post-pandemic food system looks a lot like a microgrid

Redundant, distributed, resilient, smaller scale and locally powered, yet connected to the larger world in ways that benefit it when safe.

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This vision of the post-pandemic food system looks a lot like a microgrid

Sodexo’s Rohini Anand on the relationship between diversity and inclusion and corporate social responsibility

The workforce and workplace are the focuses of diversity initiatives; the larger communities are for CSR. But can both initiatives work together for good?

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Sodexo’s Rohini Anand on the relationship between diversity and inclusion and corporate social responsibility

Survey Results: Will Your Next Home Be Larger or Smaller?

Thanks to those of you who responded to last week’s … The post Survey Results: Will Your Next Home Be Larger or Smaller? appeared first on Earth911.com.

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Survey Results: Will Your Next Home Be Larger or Smaller?

Morningstar and the democratization of ESG information

Morningstar’s new sustainability ranking for mutual funds will be applied to 21,000 funds globally, but does the larger investment community even care?

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Morningstar and the democratization of ESG information

The future of reporting: Goodbye, annual PDFs; hello, real-time feeds

Don’t get too excited about the death of the yearly corporate sustainability report. Soon reporting will be always on, wide open and searchable, says the Global Reporting Initiative.

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The future of reporting: Goodbye, annual PDFs; hello, real-time feeds

Holly Fowler: Sodexo can be a sustainability game-changer

Sodexo's senior CSR director discusses a growing emphasis on food as part of the larger sustainability discussion.

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Holly Fowler: Sodexo can be a sustainability game-changer

Smart grid wins: 10 companies that hit it big

Companies from ABB to Ambient made big gains this summer.

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Smart grid wins: 10 companies that hit it big

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