By now most readers of this blog probably realize that driving isn’t the most efficient or eco-friendly method of transportation (unless you’ve got one of these) but many of aren’t able or willing to give up our cars. A new app can help by teaching you how to cut out wasteful driving habits, saving money and reducing emissions. (more…)

Building energy codes that require increased energy efficiency are one of the most effective mechanisms for reducing energy consumption of our building stock. It has been stated that building energy codes are the “quickest, cheapest and cleanest way to improve energy efficiency in the building sector.”  (more…)

One of the most promising aspects of energy storage is that it’s used to make an existing system more efficient. If you think of the grid as the system, then energy storage can help make generation, transmission, distribution, and even customer energy use more efficient.

How many different systems are there? The grid is the (more…)

A house is not merely the sum of four walls and a roof. As urbanization, rural development, and economics continue to change the way people think about homeownership globally, new formulas for home design, technologies for efficiency, and home value are emerging. (more…)

A delegation of water companies and reps from the Israeli Water Authority and the Standards Institute of Israel plans to travel to the Philippines – ahead of IWA’s Water Loss 2012 conference in Manila on February 26-29. The aim of their visit is to promote a better understanding of water loss reduction and smart water management – fields in which Israeli (more…)

Few industries have got the black eye, literally and metaphorically, of mining.

After centuries of environmental effects ranging from toxic emissions to unsightly tailings ponds, acid mine drainage, massive energy consumption and other impacts, mining is slowly cleaning up its act. (more…)

In our 21st Century the label of ‘sustainable business’ is very trendy, as is having a green badge on your company’s website, signifying an environmentally conscious company. These are good things and we certainly wouldn’t want to discourage them but more often than not they’re quite empty denotations. Here at Inhabitat we’re keen to inspire (more…)

A recent New York Times article reported that 75% of Americans use mobile devices during bathroom breaks. The number rises to a whopping 91% when you consider those aged among 28-35. The point I’m trying to make, we have a major obsession with our iPhones, Droids and the other not so recognizable smartphone brands. In fact, I can relate. My lunch (more…)

To simplify where we are as a civilization and where we’re going with respect to energy consumption, economics, and environmentalism, it’s useful to postulate three broad “plans”:

Plan A: We continue on our current course. We ignore the fact that our population will soon be (more…)

The New Year is upon us, and President Obama has delivered his State of the Union address, which offered high-level insight on the energy sector in the US but was reminiscent of messages we’ve already heard. Now it’s time to turn our attention to another really important event of the year: the 2012 Super Bowl. As always, this year’s game will be a staggering display (more…)