Dubai’s Chillout Cafe Brings a Subzero Ice Lounge to the Middle of the Desert

As if having the tallest and most expensive skyscraper in the world wasn’t enough, Dubai has shown its decadence once again, this time by putting an ice lounge right in the middle of the desert. The Chillout Café looks as if it were lifted right out of Sweden or Quebec , with couches, chandeliers, and even glasses made from ice. The carved-ice café hits about 21 degrees Fahrenheit, offering designer winter gear for its patrons to keep warm while the city blazes at 95 F outside. Read the rest of Dubai’s Chillout Cafe Brings a Subzero Ice Lounge to the Middle of the Desert Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: burj khalifa , Chillout Cafe , eco design , green design , ice cafe Dubai , ice hotel , Sharaf Group , sustainable design        

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Dubai’s Chillout Cafe Brings a Subzero Ice Lounge to the Middle of the Desert

Purchase Tickets for the Bay Area Screening of Studio H’s New Documentary “If You Build It”

Click here to view the embedded video. If you find yourself in the Bay Area on May 28th, don’t miss out on your chance to attend a sneak peek screening of If You Build It —a full-length documentary film about Studio H ‘s revolutionary design/build program at a rural high school in Bertie County, NC. The full-length documentary chronicles one year in Studio H and tells the story of designers Emily Pilloton , Matthew Miller and their 13 students who dreamed up—and built—a beautiful solution that changed the face of their hometown. The story exemplifies the power of hands-on education, the raw brilliance of youth, and the impact a few budding minds can have on the future of a community. Come see the film before it is widely released, meet some of the Studio H’s new students from REALM Charter School , and learn more about how design and hands-on building can transform youth education. All proceeds from tickets sales will go to help fund building materials for the Studio H program in Berkeley. Inhabitat readers also receive 25% off their tickers—just enter “ inhabitatlove ” at checkout! PURCHASE TICKETS HERE > Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: architecture film , Emily Pilloton , if you build it documentary , if you build it fil , if you build it move , project h , Studio H , Sustainable Building , sustainable design        

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Purchase Tickets for the Bay Area Screening of Studio H’s New Documentary “If You Build It”

How Does Your Electricity Use Compare to the Rest of the World?

The United States has been doing a good job of cutting carbon in recent years. Emissions are down 12% in the last 5 years, and half of those cuts have come in the power sector where natural gas, wind and solar have been replacing coal. But when it to comes to electricity emissions from the home, we still have a lot of work to do. In a comparison of sixty countries , we found only Saudis have bigger electricity footprints. The average American uses 4,700 kWh in the home each year, costing them $600 and generating almost three tons of carbon emissions. Getting smart about tackling your electricity use can slash both your power bill and your carbon footprint. Learn more at Shrink That Footprint . + Shrink That Footprint The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat ? Send us a tip by following this link . Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing! Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: average american carbon footprint , average emissions USA , cut your energy bill , emissions , emissions of the average american , green energy , reduce your carbon footprint , us emissions        

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How Does Your Electricity Use Compare to the Rest of the World?

Rianne Koens’ Peelpride Turns Fruit Peels Into Aromatic Food Seasoning

Read the rest of Rianne Koens’ Peelpride Turns Fruit Peels Into Aromatic Food Seasoning Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Design Academy of Eindhoven , dry fruit peels , food enhancer , green kitchen , Peelpride , recycling / compost , rianne koens , sustainable food        

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Rianne Koens’ Peelpride Turns Fruit Peels Into Aromatic Food Seasoning

Kinetic Energy Floors Convert Sweet Dance Moves into Power

Read the rest of Kinetic Energy Floors Convert Sweet Dance Moves into Power Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: eco design , Energy Floors , green design , kinetic energy tiles , renewable energy , Sustainable dance floor , sustainable design , Temple Night Club        

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Kinetic Energy Floors Convert Sweet Dance Moves into Power

Connecticut’s Hotchkiss School Boasts an Undulating Green Roof and a Biomass Power Plant

Read the rest of Connecticut’s Hotchkiss School Boasts an Undulating Green Roof and a Biomass Power Plant Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: “energy efficiency” , centerbrook architects , connecticut , FSC , green roof , Hotchkiss Biomass Power Plant Architecture , school , waste woodchips        

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Connecticut’s Hotchkiss School Boasts an Undulating Green Roof and a Biomass Power Plant

Michael Jantzen’s Seed-Sowing Machines Plant Flowers in Response to Environmental Destruction

Artist  Michael Jantzen  has released designs for a solar-powered seed-sowing machine that would plant flowers in response to evidence of environmental destruction. Placed in various locations around the world, these structures would detect signs of pollution and automatically release small quantities of flower seeds onto the ground below. The result is a paradox: the more flowers blooming around one of the apparatuses, the worse the environmental degradation in the surrounding area. Read the rest of Michael Jantzen’s Seed-Sowing Machines Plant Flowers in Response to Environmental Destruction Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: “solar energy” , American artist , Art , eco-friendly art , environmental art , environmental degradation , environmental destruction , green design , green solar design , michael jantzen , renewable energy , Solar Power , Solar-powered Eco-Seed Sowing Machines        

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Michael Jantzen’s Seed-Sowing Machines Plant Flowers in Response to Environmental Destruction

New Tiny Lithium Ion Battery is 2,000x More Powerful and Can Charge 1,000x Faster

With lithium ion batteries , it used to be that you would have to choose between power and storage capacity. But researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have proven that it is possible to have the best of both worlds with their new microbattery . Led by William P. King, the team published their results in the journal  Nature Commincations this week. Their technology could enable radio signals that could be broadcast 30 times farther and create devices 30 times smaller. The amazing new battery is able to be charged 1,000 times faster than rival batteries, and it’s about 2,000 times more powerful than its competitors . Read the rest of New Tiny Lithium Ion Battery is 2,000x More Powerful and Can Charge 1,000x Faster Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: anode , cathode , charge , electropolishing , lithium ion battery , microstructure , nature communications , power , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , william p. king        

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New Tiny Lithium Ion Battery is 2,000x More Powerful and Can Charge 1,000x Faster

Schmidt Hammer Lassen Breaks Ground on the International Criminal Court in The Hague

Read the rest of Schmidt Hammer Lassen Breaks Ground on the International Criminal Court in The Hague Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: “sustainable architecture” , “sustainable development” , Daylighting , eco design , green architecture , Green Building , green design , ICC , international criminal court , schmidt hammer lassen , Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects , Sustainable Building , sustainable design , the hague , the netherlands , transparency        

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Schmidt Hammer Lassen Breaks Ground on the International Criminal Court in The Hague

Ice in the Antarctic is Melting Ten Times Faster than It Was 600 Years Ago

Photo via Shutterstock Recent research published by British Antarctic Survey and the Australian National University  shows that Antarctic ice is melting ten times faster than 600 years ago. Taking a core sample of ice near the northern peninsula, they were able to observe the rates of melt in recent centuries, finding that temperatures today are 1.6 degrees Celsius higher. The most rapid melt has occurred within the last 50 years, having an incredible impact on the region. Read the rest of Ice in the Antarctic is Melting Ten Times Faster than It Was 600 Years Ago Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Antarctic , Arctic , australian national university , british antarctic survey , Climate Change , dr nerilie abram , geoscience , global warming , ice melt , International Energy Agency , south pole        

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Ice in the Antarctic is Melting Ten Times Faster than It Was 600 Years Ago

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