Whole Travel Blog

In 2006, the house was still in its planning stages: a house built with more than 600,000 lbs of construction materials recycled from the Big Dig highway project in Boston. The “Big Dig” is the unofficial name of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, the chief highway through the heart of Boston and the most expensive highway project in the United States. The Big Dig House is literally made from much of the waste materials from I-93 overcrossings.

The Big Dig House - don't drive here anymore

The final cost was approximately $150 per square foot, with most of the materials provided only for the cost of shipping. Single Speed Design used this project to prove the point that infrastructure materials can be salvaged and reused to create amazing structures. Most of the materials were used as-is from the I-93 teardown, so they created a structure significantly stronger than necessary for a residence. As such, the house features an amazing garage-top garden. Not too shabby!

Park your car and walk upstairs!

Tree Hugger recently did a feature on Museum of Nature by Ilkka Halso.  I thought it was really cool and have shown the photos below.  To read more about it, check out Tree Hugger.  Photos came from ilkka.halso.net

While many celebrities practice green living and have lent their name to the green cause, whether it’s arriving at the Oscars in a Prius, taking commercial flights (Leonardo DiCaprio), promoting solar energy (Robert Redford), or advocating oil independence (George Clooney), Hollywood itself hasn’t been quick to adopt the green movement.

In an effort to change this, iHollywood Forum is hosting its second annual “Hollywood Goes Green” event in which media, entertainment, and advertising executives will converge to learn how Hollywood can “increase its profitability and at the same time plan a meaningful sustainable strategy.”

Visit their site to find out what specific topics will be discussed.

With Halloween just around the corner, here are some tips to having a ghoulishly green time:

1. Bobbing for apples? Make sure to buy locally or organically grown varieties.
2. Go to a pumpkin patch nearest you to pick out your pumpkins for carving and decoration or make sure your grocery store has purchased them from a local patch.
3. Use LED lights instead of candles inside pumpkins; they’ll last longer and you can reuse them next year.
4. Save the pumpkin seeds you removed while carving and roast them for a healthy seasonal snack.
5. Make your own costume instead of buying one. Consider revamping an old skirt or shirt into something wicked, or explore the local Goodwill. Some tips for do-it-yourself costumes can be found at Planet Green.
6. Decorate your house with orange and black CFL bulbs.
7. Consider buying environmentally friendly treats such as candy made with fair trade or organic chocolate. Some ideas can be found at Global Exchange’s Fair Trade Store or Chocolate Bar.
8. Having a Halloween party? Use plastic cups, plates, bowls and cutlery which you can stick in the dishwasher and re-use next year.
9. Be sure to give kids cloth bags or pillow cases for trick-or-treating.

Want to test your inner greenness? Go Green Travel Green has a list of quizzes

The newest in eco-friendly destinations?  Eco-clubs.

Earlier this summer in July, the world’s first eco-club, Surya, opened in London.  Surya doesn’t charge cyclists and walkers for entry and the club’s energy needs are powered not just by solar and wind power, but by club-goers on the dance floor through the use of piezoelectric technology.  The club is the work of millionaire property developer Andrew Charalambous, aka Dr. Earth.

A similar club opened in Rotterdam last Thursday: At WATT, dancers generate power to light the floor, drinks come in recyclable cups, and toilets flush with rain water. Read the rest of this entry »

This past weekend, San Francisco hosted an outdoor music festival in Golden Gate Park, Outside Lands, that proved to not only be jam-packed with such notable acts as Beck, Radiohead, Ben Harper, and Jack Johnson, but also, to be eco-friendly. Artists jammed on a solar-powered stage, music lovers feasted on organic, sustainably farmed foods, and various eco-education opportunities abounded. Ecomomentum discusses the event here. Check out the festival’s “Eco Lands” website for more detailed information.

Richard Branson has yet another Virgin endeavor – to transform one of his private islands, Mosquito Island, known as the destination wedding location for a handful of a-listers (Google’s co-founder Larry Page, among them), into the “most environmentally-friendly resort on the globe.”

Included in the eco-friendly plans for his resort are villas powered purely by wind technology and solar panels, air-conditioning “captured” from the cool thermal airflows, meals coming from the island’s organic orchards, and bio-fuel powered beach buggies.  If Branson can inject some much needed energy into  the airline industry, (and he is already planning commercialized trips to the moon), let’s hope these goals are within reach too.