Urban Gardens

For children of all ages and the young at heart alike, here are my picks for some of the coolest fun and educational nature and gardening gifts for kids:

Edited with new products 12-26-22.

Greenhouse and Garden Set
This traditional … Read More...

This post is contributed by Canadian horticultural therapist, Bianca van der Stoel. Horticultural therapists are educated in plant science, human science, horticultural therapy principles and have experience in the application of horticultural therapy practices. 

The first time Luella and I … Read More...

I’ve hand-picked these last-minute nature and gardening gifts for kids of all ages and also for the young at heart!

Little Botanist Play Kit
One of my absolute favorites: For budding botanists, this sturdy cardboard case designed and made … Read More...

Here’s a civilized idea for getting away from civilization…or for hunkering down right in your backyard. Escape off-grid (or not) with Ecocapsule, an egg-shaped smart, self-sustainable mobile micro home powered by high-efficiency solar panels and a wind turbine. 

An … Read More...

 Photo via Living Lights.

Read by the light of your arugula and kale? Researchers at MIT in Massachusetts are embedding specialized nanoparticles into the leaves of plants and vegetables such as arugula, kale, spinach, and watercress to create…edible lights and … Read More...

Photo: Robin Plaskoff Horton, Urban Gardens.

“Climate change arguably represents the greatest threat of this generation. Fortunately, it also represents a tremendous opportunity.” commented L. Rafael Reif, President of MIT, in response to the US withdrawal from Paris Climate Accord.… Read More...

This curated selection of planters for the desktop, tabletop, or kitchen counter includes some that are so smart they practically take care of themselves. Others I have selected just for their good looks and because they’d make great design focal … Read More...

Ecovative Interior’s Wall Flower acoustic tiles. Photo via Ecovative.

There’s a fungus amongus and it’s sprouting some cool designs. For sustainable and innovative industrial design solutions, designers and manufacturers are growing mycelium-based materials to replace wood and plastic foams.

Ecovative … Read More...

During Milan Design Week, visitors to the city’s Botanical Garden, or Orto Botanico, experienced an art installation that doubles as exercise equipment.

MyEquilibria represents Miami-based Italian “innovation designer” Vito Di Bari’s vision for the “cross-pollination of arts and technology for … Read More...

Talk about making science fun! Want to learn about photosynthesis? A team of four 7th and 8th grade students from the Nueva School in Hillsborough, California rap about photosynthesis in They Grow, a ‘science-ified” version of the popular Drake … Read More...