Blog

It was a hot summer evening as cargo bikes in all shapes and sizes wheeled in for Portland’s Cargo Bike Roll Call.  It is typical to witness unique rides; however, this was one different.  Attached to the bike by a steel pipe, this recreational vehicle is a concept designed and built by Alexander Main. The Bike RV Project is a one-month experiment in which Alexander sleeps in his bike RV prototype and records his discoveries.  An eBook and plans were published, free of charge, which reflect his original design, creating a crowd-sourced model and allowing anyone to access and improve. Alexander and I sat down at a local food cart for a delectable Venezuelan lunch and spoke about the vision behind The Bike RV Project, discussing ideas for the next prototype.  Tag along to learn about his exc...Read More

Friday, 24th of August started very early for me. I had to venture on a 3,5 hour long car journey  to visit one of the most important green industry events in Poland – the exhibition, “Green is Life”, which takes place annually in Warsaw, Poland. This year I went to see the jubilee, 20th edition of the event. The exhibition is organised by two prominent bodies involved with horticulture and landscape architecture: The Polish Nurseryman Association and Agencja Promocji Zieleni (Agency for Greenery Promotion). It claims to be the most important industry exhibition in Central – Eastern Europe. This year, it was held within the Warsaw International Expo Centre XXI. It also included an outside exhibition area with show gardens and plant fair. Altogether, it covered an area of around 13 00...Read More

There are almost 400,000 plant species in the world, a number changing constantly because of new discoveries and extinctions.  Narrowing it down to ten species was difficult, so we chose based on their peculiar characteristics, such as use, beauty, weirdness, or response to external factors. We also wanted to highlight different families and genuses. The intention is not only to show how amazing and diverse the plant’s world can be, but also to promote the exclusion of other examples from plant-related articles. Follow along and we hope this list can act as a supplementary resource to improving your plant knowledge.  Some you may be aware of, however others may be new.  Regardless, this collection is only a small fraction of the thrilling plants in existence.  After all, these living organ...Read More

Following the success of our “Do You Know a Hobbit” article, we wanted to see if we could track down the creators of all three nominated Hobbit houses and ask our burning questions concerning their unique designs.  These include: The Cambridgeshire straw bale hexagon house, which was designed and built by Kelly and Masoko Neville, Archer and Buchanan’s Pennsylvania Hobbit House, and Simon Dale’s eco-woodland dwelling in Wales.  All the buildings present characteristics and resemblances to what is considered to be a true Tolkien-inspired home of Middle Earth in regards to nature, natural inspired motifs, and ecological building materials. The first project that we tackled is Archer and Buchanan’s Hobbit House in Pennsylvania. Their architecture firm was founded in 1996 on the base of a high...Read More

If you are reading this article, you are probably a landscape architect, looking at architecture programs, a Landscape Architecture student or simply a fan of anything landscape connected. You also probably have your favourite style in landscape design, your beloved era and the landscape architect you adore. Like any specialized industry, landscape architecture has representatives that marked milestones in its development. These are the precursors of their era, the people who changed the history of landscape architecture, introducing new ideas and concepts or designing the most famous parks and landscapes. Their talents and vision put them well ahead of their time. Now, they are the source of inspiration, as people who were not afraid to chase their dreams. The list below contains names th...Read More

It’s truly said that green is the new black.There was a time when telephones were invented and soon we got to see and use the wireless telephone technology; by mentioning this example I only aim to guide you to think how one invention after another mostly changed our lives for the better and so is the case with the greener objects which have been replacing their alternatives. Going green is the new way to satisfy your needs, and now that the eco-friendly minds and products get their much awaited attention, this is the perfect time to bring out the top 10 eco friendly products for your use. Scroll down and let your eyes and mind go through the complete green range.  10. Hand powered shredder You know it’s important to shred your personal documents before trashing them, and you know you shou...Read More

Have you heard of Splashpads? Have you ever used one, what’s it all about? Across the world Splashpads are becoming an increasingly popular amenity.  “In North America, Splashpads have been at the top of the list for planned additions at facilities of all kinds for several years running” (Recreation Management 2011).  It is no surprise that many have been constructed, as there are significant benefits associated including: the ability to support a healthy lifestyle, the ability to enhance “family well-being,” the ability to provide safe and sustainable play environments, and the ability to substantially lower recreation costs, over an extended period of time. According to studies, declining levels of play, which have more than tripled since the 1970s, have led to soaring obesity rate...Read More

Since the time humans have put their feet on earth, they have modified nature. These modifications have constantly damaged the environment; from deforestation to destruction of habitats, endangerment to extinction of flora and fauna, from pollution to desertification and from overuse of natural resources to their depletion. But there are some brilliant minds, who decided to innovate, work together, experiment and implement their ideas in a way that suits their desires and at the same time the health of the planet doesn’t have to suffer. Humans have always benefited from nature, but a very few people know that nature can be trained. You might think it to be just a natural pattern but it’s more than that, it is an art. I am sure that you have seen a picture of a tree with its roots or ...Read More