Urban Gardens

In part a celebration of the social aspects of wine, Brazilian designer Tati Guimarães created Dvinus as an interactive user experience that forces one to contemplate reusing otherwise disposable objects for a sustainable design.

Dvinus is a collection of … Read More...

Next generation of urban farmers and food justice leaders.

Within New York City’s approximately 305 square mile radius and amid its vast stretches of concrete and high rises, there is a school without borders whose mission is to cultivate modern-day … Read More...

Mikasi in Swahili means scissors, which is descriptive of the Mikasi Sunscreen Tent’s design. The Sunscreen tent is both a stylish teepee for the nomadic urban wanderer and a shaded temporary backyard retreat for those who choose to stick around.… Read More...

Like ready-to-wear fashion for plants, Scheurich’s lightweight StylePot, a tear-resistant UV-resistant textile planter, has a rigid plastic insert with drainage holes that, if desired, can be closed with specially-fitted plugs during indoor overwintering.

When the weather warms up again … Read More...

Remember the old science class project making clocks operated by potatoes? You can do the same thing with mud–either from scratch, from a kit, or with a ready-made clock.

Essentially, the potatoes and the mud work like a battery. A … Read More...

Green curtains outside the Arakawa City Hall in Tokyo, Japan.Photo, Bloomberg.

Anticipating rising energy costs after Japan’s nuclear disaster, and inspired by the green curtains on the facades of many municipal and commercial buildings, many Tokyo residents have created DIY … Read More...

Honey, I’m home. Is the lettuce ready? This planter is a great concept for producing food in tight urban spaces with minimal effort.

Milan designer Stefania Minnella’s vertical self-sustaining hydroponic system, Elica Idroponica, automates all the tasks busy people … Read More...

Conventional ‘roll out’ green roof systems are not feasible for certain roof conditions. Some systems are bulky, built like mattresses, require specialized teams to measure and survey the site, can be difficult to retrofit, and require at least two experienced … Read More...

Here’s a piece of fantasy multi-tasking furniture. With its central blown glass vase, designer Roberto Lazzeroni’s Large Flower bench for Ceccotti Collezione offers seating and a way to display flowers. 

I love how the bench does double duty circling the … Read More...

Mike Score, President and spokesperson for Hantz Farms at proposed tree planting site. Photo, Sarah Hewitt, NPR.

Despite heated controversy surrounding the sale of a large parcel of its municipally-controlled land, the Detroit City Council recently approved an entrepreneur’s acquisition … Read More...