Subscribe to My Feed
Loading ...Toward a Green Building Rating System for Mexico
Tuesday, October 2nd, 2007Quiz time, folks. Did you know that Mexico has one of the two Latin American buildings that are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified? That nine other Mexican projects await LEED certification by the US Green Building Council (USGBC)? That Mexico has had its own green building council since 2005? That the Council […]
LAC Explores Sustainable Consumption and Production Policy
Thursday, September 27th, 2007This past April São Paulo State’s environment agency, CETESB, hosted Brazil’s National Roundtable on Sustainable Sustainable Consumption and Production. At the end of June the top body of the five-nation MERCOSUR (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Venezuela), the Common Market Council (CMC), adopted a binding Decision calling for an action plan, program and common policy on […]
Attention Eco-designers! Eco-diseñadores, ¡atención! Eco-desenhistas, atenção!
Wednesday, March 21st, 2007For those interested in eco-design in a developing country context in general, or in sustainable design for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in particular, listen up! The First International Symposium on Sustainable Design (ISSD), slated for Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil 04-06 September 2007, has issued a call for papers and speakers. Those wishing to present […]
Guadalajara Building Keeps Cool by Design
Saturday, January 6th, 2007Just read about this very interesting experiment in “sustainable office building design” in Guadalajara, Mexico. The office building was designed by Catalan architect Carme Pinos, in part with a view to providing a way to keep the occupants cool year-round in sunny Guadalajara without (energy-sucking) air conditioning. Read all about it at the Myninjaplease Architecture […]
The Stove of the Future May be Mexican
Thursday, December 14th, 2006Every year Electrolux Design Lab sponsors a competition aimed at producing greener appliances and accessories that are also stylish. In 2004 the winner was a waterless dishwasher, in 2005 a waterless washing machine. This year the theme was healthier lifestyles, and the first place winner was a multi-layered food carrier. But we’re not going to […]
More Construction with PET Bottles
Tuesday, November 21st, 2006In a prior entry I introduced you to Brazilian experiments with constructing homes using PET bottles. Today I’ll introduce you to Andreas Froese, a man who not only did it first in Honduras, but has gone much beyond the experimental stages to actually build over a dozen homes and community centers made of PET bottles, […]
Brazilians Seek to Design the Eco-Efficient Home
Sunday, November 19th, 2006In a prior entry I introduced you to the experiments of the Federal University of Santa Catarina’s (UFSC) Construction Systems Laboratory with constructing homes using PET bottles. Today I’ll introduce you to the work of another innovative part of the UFSC, the Energy-Efficient Construction Laboratory (LabEEE). LabEEE’s main mission is research and development in improving […]
“Trash Photos” III: Houses Made of PET
Monday, September 25th, 2006Photo: Rodrigues Moura, in Eco-Pop I mentioned in my prior “Trash Photos” post some of the creative ways Brazilians are thinking about reuse and recycling of materials from end-of-life products and their packaging. Here’s another one: constructing houses utilizing empty PET bottles. Yes, those plastic bottles everyone’s soft drinks come in these days, particularly the […]