Green Goals for 2011

A new year provides the perfect opportunity to be more green. If you’re new to the eco-world, here are several tips to keep in mind in 2011; for veterans, these serve as friendly reminders, since the best of us forget once in a while that it’s our planet on the line.

Try green cleaning
There’s no need to bring any more chemicals into your home, even in the name of getting rid of bacteria. You can invest in bleach- and chemical-free green cleaning sprays and scrubs (Seventh Generation is a reliable company), or you can make your own with cheap materials you probably already have in your pantry. White or apple cider vinegar, baking soda, Borax, and lemon juice are the key players here. You’ll save tons of money and make your home a safer place for kids and pets. Plus, now that your cleaning materials are safer for kids to be around, maybe you can recruit a few helpers on cleaning day. Check out The Daily Green website for cleaning recipes: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-cleaning-spring-cleaning-460303?click=nav

Install CFLs
One CFL (compact fluorescent light) bulb lasts about 10 times longer and uses 75% less energy than and incandescent bulb, which could mean $30 savings over its lifetime (including the initial $5 cost of the CFL bulb).

Use power strips to eliminate ghost energy
It might be news to some people that even when not in use, electronics like cell phone chargers and computers use power if left in the socket. This can cost you about $200 a year for just one flat-screen plasma TV left plugged in. Plugging it into and turning off a power strip can eliminate this ghost energy.

Take shorter showers
I’m a bit of a clean freak, and I love being doused with boil-a-lobster hot water on cold winter mornings, but in an effort to waste less water, I tried this trick: If you have an iPod dock or an old CD player, listen to your tunes while you shower. Since each song is about 3 to 6 minutes in length, try keeping your shower to a maximum of three songs at first. Three days later, limit your shower to two songs. Work your way toward one song per shower.

Rely less on the A/C
While the winter months last, turn down the heat and put on a sweater. If your ceiling fan runs in reverse, try it, as this will bring the warm air back down since it has a tendency to travel up. In the summer, set your temp for warmer than you’d call ideal but open the windows on breezy days, draw curtains closed around sundown when rooms tend to get really heated up, and use that ceiling fan. Put ice in your water (and drink lots of it) to stay cool. Squeeze a lemon or orange into a pitcher of water for those extra hot summer days.

Buy used books
If you’re a book worm, avoid going to Barnes & Noble and either check out the library or, if you insist on having your own collection like I do, check out a used bookstore or swap books with some friends. If you’ve got your eye on a book on Amazon, try buying used instead of new. Many of the major book publishing companies log rain forests for trees unsustainably and illegally (this includes Harper Collins, and Random House isn’t much better). Check out this pocket guide that lists major book publishers in terms of which companies are doing more (and less) for the environment: http://ran.org/sites/default/files/rankidsbooks_pocketguide_media.pdf

Buy used clothes and household goods
Instead of buying new clothes or things around the house you think you need, go to thrift stores before checking out department stores. Second-hand shopping keeps old items in circulation (and come by a lot cheaper than new items), which means that no more trees need to be cut down or oils melted into poisonous plastics to make what you need. It’s also important to not buy new non-organic cotton; more workers in developing countries die in a year due to the pesticides used in its production than you could ever imagine. Check out this video for more on how you can keep your wardrobe green in 2011: http://www.bbc.co.uk/thread/video/.

Written by Maria Renier
Bio: Maria Rainier is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She is currently a resident blogger at Online Schools.

Eco Speakers

This is a review that I think will be of some interest to those of you that, like me, have to spend a certain amount of time in front of their computer and for whom the little things that live on the desk are a source of interest and possibly even entertainment.

In a bid to further ‘green up’ my personal life I took an extraordinary amount of time in choosing a pair of desk speakers. I wondered whether anyone had bothered to think ecologically when designing this seemingly unimportant object and, just like that, I came across the people at Merkury Innovations. A short time later I am the proud owner of a pair of Cardboard DIY speakers complete with a set of pencils to really make them my own.

I was pleased with the simple design, the easy set-up and the creative imagination that must have gone into making something as simple as a small cardboard box into a pretty effective rudimentary amplification system for small speakers. I wondered how I would do them justice with my infantile colouring skills and whether I would draw a scene or a person or maybe an animal on them. In the end I liked them so much ‘au naturelle’ that they sit there in the same way they arrived: clean pure natural cardboard with a hint of eco chic. If you are of a more artistic disposition, there are six pencils in the box to get you in the mood.

What about the sound? Ok, they are not going to win competitions, they are not going to compete with B&O or with a set of Harman Kardon speakers, but for a pair of inexpensive, unpowered, computer speakers they do remarkably well. They are much better than any of the free pairs I have so often received with a new computer and even slightly better than a cheap pair of plastic ones people sometimes buy at computer shops. In an office with little surround noise they do really quite well.

I love the unexpected portability aspect, they can easily be clasped down and taken on the road, they can plug into anything with a standard 3.5 mm jack. They do perform best in an office though, where they wouldn’t have to compete with the sounds of the sea or traffic or people in general.

All in all this is a great little desk addition, they do the job they are supposed to do and do it very well indeed and you can rest assured in the knowledge that the components are as ecologically minded as possible. They are reasonably priced at 14.99 USD and are available from the Mercury Innovations website

Some technical specification:
• Made from 70% post consumer recycled material
• Runs off your device power supply
• No batteries required
• Frequency response: 400 Hz
• Speaker: 57mm speaker, 8 Ohms
• Rated impedance: 1 W
• Max power input: 2 W
• Plug: Stereo 3.5 mm

Eco Libris

Founded in 2007, Eco-Libris is a green company working to green up the book industry by promoting the adoption of green practices, balancing out books by planting trees, and supporting green books. More than 30 Million trees are cut down annually for virgin paper used for the production of books sold in the U.S. alone. Eco-Libris aims to raise awareness to the environmental impacts of using paper for the production of books and provide readers with an affordable and easy way to do something about it: plant one tree for every book they read.

Customers also receive a sticker made of recycled paper for every book they balance out saying “One tree planted for this book” and can later display these stickers on their books' sleeves.

Eco-Libris partners with three highly respected US and UK based non-profit organizations that work in collaboration with local communities in developing countries to plant these trees. These trees are planted in high ecological and sustainable standards in Latin America (Nicaragua, Guatemala, Panama, Belize, Honduras) and Africa (Malawi), where deforestation is a crucial problem. Planting trees in these places not only helps to fight climate change and conserve soil and water, but also benefits many local people, for whom these trees offer many benefits, such as improvement of crops and additional food and income, and an opportunity for a better future.

So far Eco-Libris balanced out over 130,000 books, which results in more than 143,000 new trees.

And now they have a special giveaway that reward customers with green gifts that promote green reading, from gift cards for Strand Book Store and BookSwim to free “green” books that were printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper. They wanted to show their customers their appreciation by providing them a greater value for their actions and they thought it would be a win-win solution to give them gifts that not only are good for the environment, but are actually great examples of “green” reading, from books that are printed responsibly to gift cards at a great independent bookstore and a Netflix-style book rental service.

With the new gifts, greening up your reading with Eco-Libris is more rewarding than ever! More information can be found on the campaign’s webpage – www.ecolibris.net/gifts.asp

A bio-dynamic winery

The Domaine Chandon de Briailles has been owned and managed by the same family for 7 generations and now it is François de Nicolay’s turn, assisted by his sister Claude. The vineyard is located amidst three different villages in the heart of the Cote de Beaune: Savigny les Beaune, Pernand Vergelesses and Aloxe Corton. It has a total of 13 hectares, almost all Premier crus and Grands crus.

Here at the Domaine there has always been a great respect for the environment, especially within the two last generations. François’s mother, Nadine de Nicolay - who trained the vineyard from 1984 to 2001 - had decided to stop the weed-killers in the 1990’s and re-start ploughing the soil. Since 1995, the wish to use more and more organic products and techniques against diseases has become an integral part of their philosophy.

The big decision was taken in 2005 to work all 13 hectares in the bio-dynamic method and even some horse ploughing was introduced. “Life has come back in our subsoil and we don’t fight against the diseases anymore, we cope with them…” Every year, new experiments are carried out, knowing that it will take 10 years to completely establish the method.

Today, the Domaine is in process of certification for both Ecocert and Demeter and, in 2011, they’ll be able to say it on their back label!

For more information contact :

Mme de NICOLAY Claude
Domaine Chandon de Briailles
1 rue Sœur Goby
21420 Savigny les Beaune
Tel: +33 380 21 52 31
Fax: +33 380 21 59 15
contact@chandondebriailles.com
www.chandondebriailles.com

Eco Lives: Seth Riney

Going The Green Mile

On New Year's Day circa 2003, while reading Natural Capitalism, a book on environmental entrepreneurship, I wondered why hired vehicles such as taxis and limos were still based on traditional platforms—everywhere I see Crown Victorias, Lincoln Town Cars and mini-vans commanding the streets. The only innovation of late has been to make the platforms larger by switching to SUVs. I thought, “Why are livery fleets, the largest class of public vehicles on city streets, comprised of mostly large, inefficient, gas-guzzling beasts while the rest of the world is going green?”

With that question, PlanetTran was born. My vision: an urban transport infrastructure that utilizes the most efficient transportation technology available. My mission: start a livery service based exclusively on the gas-electric hybrid Toyota Prius, the most technologically advanced vehicle on the road.

I was previously consulting on web infrastructures, financial services and biotechnology applications for various clients. After working for a startup internet company, I realized that there are two types of people in the corporate world: people who make things happen and everyone else who works for them. I wanted to be someone who makes things happen. So, I utilized my software architecture experience to create an industry-leading integrated application to deliver a comprehensive online booking service.

What started with just one Prius quickly grew a loyal following and earned national press, establishing PlanetTran as the nation’s first livery service to exclusively use ultra fuel-efficient hybrid vehicles. We’ve been able to serve individuals and organizations in the greater Boston and Bay area, and are now recognized as one of the most influential vehicles in reducing the carbon footprint of Corporate America.

I chose to focus on four key principals–the environment, reliability, value and technology–that have won us both accolades (voted Cambridge Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year in 2006) and a customer list that boasts a 98% return rate. In March we received financing from Cue Ball Capital, the Boston-based venture and early growth equity investment firm. This aided our mission to help local businesses and consumers become eco-friendly, making Boston’s mandate to “GO GREEN by 2010” even more realistic.

Being green has helped our branding substantially—since our hybrid fleet consumes up to 8x less gas than traditional car services, we are able to provide customers with a lower price point than black car services. With the recent economic downturn, companies have turned to us for a cost-effective alternative that also helps save the planet.
And I went the extra mile to add unique features such as free in-car WI-FI, electronic booking and receipts and an impact calculator with a summary of client’s greenhouse gas reduction from using PlanetTran over traditional car service.

We are continuously growing in Boston and San Francisco, with a recent rebranding on Earth Day. Our logo has transformed into a dragonfly, which is characterized as agile, elegant and efficient. Like the dragonfly in its natural surroundings, PlanetTran thrives in today’s transportation landscape. The icon embodies more than our green status, it communicates our dedication to delivering sophisticated, nimble and attentive customer experiences.
More than ever, PlanetTran has become a necessary component in the green movement, as well as the transportation environment. And knowing I help others green the earth is benefit enough! Stay tuned for new service announcements as we expand our capabilities and further enhance the reliability and value.

I hope you share this vision of smarter urban transportation services, and continue to contribute to the earth’s sustainability. Please check us out at Planettran.com!

R. Seth Riney, Founder
PlanetTran

Eco Lives: Marilyn Raftopulos

Spring 1990 brought us to the small island of Ithaca, in recent times known for little but its sheer beauty, but famed for its king and hero Ulysses who, history tells us, was the brains behind the winning wooden-horse idea that ended the long war of Troy. He then spent 10 adventure-filled years roaming the Mediterranean seas before returning to his island, and the ever-faithful Penelope.

Our purpose in leaving Australia was to spend two years building a holiday house on this island of our ancestors. Ah, the plans of mice and men! It’s 2009 and we’re just now finishing the ‘holiday house’, which has become home. Our plans have been slightly skewed.

Back to 1990 when an abandoned citrus orchard at the end of an overgrown pathway was the favoured adventure walk and destination for our two small children. They would run ahead of us, down the small roadway, onto a track, pushing past the enormous oleanders and agaves which grew wantonly over the ever narrowing path. Into a clearing under olive trees, behind a ruined stone house, over a dilapidated stone wall and into the orchard. The favourite tree, laden with sweet oranges, was long forgotten by its owners, but now daily visitors and admirers kept it company.

The tree grew amongst many on the steep hillside. Obviously once tended carefully the orchard, had an intricate system of irrigation. An open topped stone water tank was filled from a well. The overflow wound it’s way down through the orchard in open channels formed with cut stone, from one tank to the next, until the entire orchard was watered.

It was intriguing that one water channel found it’s way under a fence to a flat terrace behind the stone ruin and at the end of this one lonely channel, hidden by tangled blackberry vines, were the shattered remains of a large ceramic water urn.

As the children happily consumed their daily quota of oranges, using a large stone as their seat, admiring the panoramic sea view below kept us endlessly occupied. The bay displayed an enormous variety of blues and turquoises, different each day. It’s backdrop was a long headland, bounded by high limestone cliffs with fingers of Mediterranean maquis tumbling down the ravines towards the shore, marking out small beaches below the cliffs. The orchard became our resting and dreaming place.

Little wonder at our surprise 18 months later when we were told that the stone ruin was the birthplace of my father-in-law. The mysterious single water channel was the only source of water for the 16 people who had once occupied the small four room house with its dirt floor, outdoor oven and outdoor sleeping ‘room’ for the boys of the family during the warmer months. The house had been home for the family since 1860 when 18-year-old, newly-married great-great-grandfather had brought his 16 year-old wife to the valley. The broken ceramic water urn was at the end of the family’s vegetable garden, which was also the place where the women washed clothes.

Nineteen years later, the garden is again a vegetable garden, the house foundations have been given a new life, olive trees have been brought back into fruit, yet more fruit trees have been planted and an expansive garden of Mediterranean flora occupies the hillside.

This has been the result of our dreaming with the original house now having three neighbouring houses, built to be within the hillside rather than on it, and scattered around the terraces and groves. The ideas tumbled through the years so now there’s a coffee shop too, a salt water pool that appears to merge into the bay far below and that takes its design from ancient Greek architecture, hammocks swing from ancient olive trees and hidden in the forest is an al-fresco pavilion where the delights of holistic massage therapy are enjoyed to the tranquil backdrop of waves lapping the cliffs.

Levendis Estate fuses romantic, secluded and family-friendly holiday retreat with sustainable farming and organic food production.. It doesn’t fit any pre-conceived ideas of holidays in Greece. It’s on an island, yet the atmosphere is country, it’s not a villa holiday or resort, but accommodation and services are those you’d expect of a five-star hotel. Our emphasis is on restoring the soul through being in a tranquil setting within nature, enjoying natural fresh foods, rejuvenating your body through massage and natural body-care products, seeing children take pleasure in feeling free and secure, exploring at will, helping with farm chores, and enjoying family fun activities of swimming, snorkelling, boating during the warmer months, or exploring the island’s mountain pathways awash with wildflowers during spring.

Somewhat like Ulysses, an adventure which has taken years sees us on Ithaca too, but our adventure has been on his island, rather than wandering the seas around it.

Marilyn Raftopulos
Levendis Estate
Ithaca, Greece
www.levendisestate.com

Eco Lives: Chris Barclay

I first started coming to the Yangshuo area when I was living in Guangzhou in the mid 90's. I had a lot of expat friends who liked to get away and we had all heard about great trails & climbing in Yangshuo so we came out to explore. We started making regular pilgrimages and while we were staying in the quaint town each time, I thought it would be great if there were a place closer to the villages and pristine countryside. I also though it would be a great place to bring clients for team-building events, as at the time I was running a corporate training business that served many of the multinationals in China. In 1998, I began talking to local government officials about building a training center on some terraced rice fields by the Yulong River.

The government was extremely supportive and helped arrange a 30-year land lease for the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat, which was to become a 30 room eco-lodge, serving as an educational center for corporate and international school clients. We opened in September 2000, and word soon spread throughout the expat community in China. Before long, we were receiving visitors from throughout the region and across the world.

From the beginning my aim was to promote and conserve Yangshuo's natural beauty, while supporting the local community. We hired staff from the surrounding villages as well as a full-time North American coach to teach them English and service skills. We have since grown from 8 to 20 staff and provide housing for them on-site. We sponsor local schools as well as provide scholarships for children of our staff. We also encourage guests to explore our staff's villages, having a meal there or even staying over night with their families.

In October of 2008, together with Yangshuo Mountain Retreat's Resident Manager, Little Fish, I opened the Yangshuo Village Inn, an 8-room boutique hotel in Yangshuo's Moon Hill Village, which has been a big hit with guests so far.


I really enjoy taking guests out on hikes or mountain biking, and showing them places where other tourists don't go. I have been lucky to have the support of the Yangshuo government as we open up tourism to the Yulong River Valley. As part of a trip to visit their sister city in the U.S. last year, I took some of these officials to national parks and historical places around Washington D.C., to help educate them about preservation and sustainable tourism. Since that trip, I've seen the government planning more strategically about protecting the valley from an overgrowth of road and river traffic.

It's also great to work with the local people, and help them share their traditional ways of life with our western guests. The Yangshuo Mountain Retreat began as a weekend project that is now a full-time ongoing business. I feel blessed to be able to work in such an amazing place and share it with people who can really appreciate its beauty.

See the Yangshuo Mountain Retreat here

Eco-Friendly Flying

When we think of recreational flying it would be hard to think of it as an environmentally friendly activity, yet one aircraft producer is proving the World wrong and doing it in style. Not content with winning a whole array of awards, including the super-prestigious NASA CAFÉ PAV Challenge 2007 and the NASA
GAT 2008 competitions for Personal Air Vehicles of the future, Pipistrel have now created the World’s first ever production two-seat electric powered aircraft. It seems like a small step, but we really are staring in the face of what could become the ultimate eco-friendly personal transportation device.

What makes this achievement all the more interesting is that it doesn’t cost any more than its closest combustion engine counterpart despite the incredible amount of R&D that the firm has put in. The Taurus Electro was built onto the company’s already very successful Taurus glider design; it uses a special lifting body shape concept and features enough room for an auxiliary, yet fully retractable engine leaving lots of space in the cockpit. The pilots in the Taurus are placed side-by-side for comfort and ease of communication, for added comfort they enjoy adjustable headrests, in-flight adjustable rudder pedals, separate vent windows and an incredible view - thanks to the large glass surfaces.

Pipistrel is a company that really cares about the environment and this product is not the only evidence of this. Their HQ in Slovenia boasts one of the most up-to-date research centres in the world designed to be completely emission free and self-sufficient. The heart of the building is Slovenia's largest solar power plant which, combined with a very sophisticated geothermal unit, makes for a totally energy-independent construction. Here at EHOTW we hope to see more aircraft manufacturers take on the environmental challenge and we salute Pipistrel for their excellent start!

For more info, click here

A Director’s Green Dream

In the early 80’s, Francis Ford Coppola visited the fledgling democracy of Belize (formerly British Honduras) to try to convince the government to establish a satellite address and become a hub of communications. The government demurred, but Coppola fell in love with Belize, whose verdant jungles reminded him of the Philippines where he’d filmed Apocalypse Now.

Coppola visited an abandoned lodge called Blancaneaux and bought it. For more than a decade, his family and friends used it as a retreat. Then, in 1993, he opened his jungle paradise to the public. Coppola explains that having a resort in the remote reaches of the jungle didn’t intimidate him at all. It’s like being on location for a movie – you just bring everything with you or build it yourself. Coppola’s done just that – he is delighted that his laptop computer is run by clean, free energy that his river-powered hydroelectric plant provides.



Coppola sees his role as that of a conservator, preserving the pristine environment – loves the fact that the river water is pure enough to drink, and strongly supports Belize’s commitment to eco-tourism. In December 2000, Coppola opened Turtle Inn, his second resort in Belize, in the seaside fishing community of Placencia. Hurricane Iris swept it away into the ocean less than a year later. For the man who saw his production Apocalypse Now shut down by a typhoon, it must have been déjà vu all over again.

Turtle Inn reopened in January 2003 and once again, Coppola has taken disaster and turned it into triumph. “The new Turtle Inn fulfills my vision of a beachfront paradise” says Coppola. “I love being by the beach and in the water and our new incarnation of Turtle Inn provides the ideal balance between luxury and nature. There are things to do – or just do nothing.

And of course, the food is great – fresh, simple and absolutely delicious. I think our guests will enjoy it as much as we do.”

You can read more about Blancaneaux here

Eco Lives: Christopher Minnes

If you met me, you might not think that I run the green hotel, 968 Park. You might suppose instead a former marine or NYC police officer. Many of those looking for a job with resumes long with coffee shops, hemp stores or organic food markets seem equally surprised. Green is no longer a thing of the hippy subculture or granola eating vegans.

I have a bumper sticker that reads “Animals Taste Good”. It was my way of quietly protesting in the town in which I was raised in Vermont. The town was so liberal it was legal to be naked in public; and people exercised that right. Today I find myself choosing organic coffee, going to the local coffee shop, skipping over the chain. I’ll run back to my car to grab my travel mug instead of using a disposal paper cup. Why? It makes sense. I support the local guys, they’re my friends, so it helps my town. I drink organic coffee; it’s better for me and use my own cup…well because it saves me money.

This is why green is becoming mainstream. It just makes sense.

Each day in the operation and development of 968 Park Hotel we are challenged to find new ways to adapt our needs to our mantra, “Everything must be organic, natural, reused, recycled or sustainable.” For example our business cards were printed on recycled paper. The next batch will be printed on seed paper that when tossed away will sprout into wild flowers.

Our front desk and much of the furniture and décor around the hotel is constructed of reclaimed wood. The old paint remains on much of it. The distressed material is older than me. It has wisdom and stories to tell. It gives the newly remodeled hotel soul. The guests feel it too. The moment they walk in the door you see their gears switch. They’ve been on the road from San Francisco for four hours, in rain and snow, over mountain passes and chain control checkpoints. But everything changes in that moment when they step into the lobby; they see the warm glow of a fire burning denatured alcohol, distressed wood, and a glass of organic wine waiting for them.

After they’ve checked in we see them again. They are there to tell to brag to us about their beautiful room. Soon they’ve become friends. They’ve gone from being guests at a hotel to feeling like guest in our home. Some have stumbled upon us at just the right time when we sponsor a party at one of the nearby nightclubs. And there we all are, the front desk, housekeeping and maintenance staff, investors, myself and hotel guests dancing until 3:00 in the morning. Not your typical hotel experience.

And when the morning comes, the old distressed wood will have new stories to tell and will proudly be part of this new mainstream green movement as a part of 968 Park Hotel.

Christopher Minnes
General Manager
968 Park Hotel

A Farm in the City?

As the city of New York takes a step towards accepting the age-old tradition of city bee-keeping, we started to ask ourselves whether our fundamental need for farm produce will eventually mean that every skyscraper in every city will also have its very own roof-top farm.

A little while ago the Evolvo Skyscraper Competition highlighted an advanced version of this concept. Eric Vergne, one of three finalists, created an unusual biomorphic building designed to be a hi-tech vertical farm to fulfill the needs of future New York City residents. With official assessments stressing that 80% of the world’s population will be living in urban centers by 2050, vertical farms like Eric’s are an important part of the plan to help feed people in a sustainable manner.

Historically, we know that in times of dire need (during both World Wars for instance), some European citizens were able to successfully grow a variety of products from small allotments within their city boundaries, and in Stockholm this ‘rooftop allotment’ concept continues till this day. As a result, some of the most advanced concepts are still developed in that city.

There are companies now that can offer new, sophisticated designs in which watering and fertilizing are done automatically and huge conversion projects can be completed without stress or damage to the building or the people living in it. There are even people who can help turn your indoor spaces into veritable gardens of Eden.

Of course the idea of ‘Living Roofs’, ‘Sky Gardens’ and ‘Rooftop Farms” are not new and in time they will be an accepted part of our everyday life. One day, whilst walking through your city, you will find it natural to look up and see someone enjoying a little break from their busy schedule in a mini farm on top of their building, away from the traffic, surrounded by fruit, flowers and bees.

Super Eco Buildings

As it’s traditional during a long period of economic crisis, the age of large projects is upon us. Important architects all over the world are working on large scale buildings that aim to revitalize the economy whilst keeping an eye on environmental concerns - perhaps the best long-term way to save money!

One project that has caught our eye is the incredible new California Academy of Sciences building. This project, put together by Italian super-architect Renzo Piano, is the world's largest eco-friendly public building.

The original building was completely re-worked with a new concept that has subsequently revolutionised the way a museum is visited. A single building replaced 12 separate structures and houses an aquarium, a planetarium and a natural history museum; that’s filled with hundreds of innovative and engaging exhibits and thousands of animals.

The sections all flow into each other providing this incredible organic experience. The animals of the Steinhart Aquarium, for example, once confined to their own hall, are now found throughout the building. And the building, itself, now functions as an exhibit - inviting discussion about sustainable architecture and green practices.

Here are some of the most impressive architectural concepts in place:

1 Recycling: One external wall and a portion of the African Hall from the original structure remain in place. The rest of the building — 9,000 tons of concrete, 12,000 tons of steel — was demolished and recycled.

2. Passive climate control: The undulating roof helps guide fresh, cool air into the central piazza, hot air out through high-point vents. This lessens the need for air-conditioning and ventilation systems. Shredded blue jeans insulate the walls.

3. Living roof: 1.7 million native plants insulate the roof, capture rainwater, and provide a 2.5-acre habitat for butter flies, hummingbirds, and other critters. And all of it framed by 60,000 photovoltaic cells along the roof's perimeter.

4. Natural illumination: Computer modeling determined optimal locations for windows to maximize illumination of sunlight-hungry coral reef and tropical rain forest installations without overheating the rest of the building.

5. Water conservation: Ocean water piped in from the Pacific cycles through natural filtration systems for aquarium tanks. Toilets flush with reclaimed water, sparing California's stressed-out water-delivery network.

For more see: Here