Here is the kind of simple, minimalist, elegant design that just makes me smile. Mast is a humidifier designed by Shin Okada and crafted by Masuya Koubou out of Japanese cypress. "Known for its high-quality timber, rot-resistant qualities and lemony scent, the thinly sliced Hinoki mast absorbs water from the hull and diffuses it, and its intrinsic aroma, into the room." Instead of electricity and a fan, just capillary action....Read the full story on TreeHugger

Via Starbucks

As Jaymi noted in Green Mood Lighting for Starbucks! Switching 8,000 Stores to LEDs, Starbucks is going through a big makeover, and is aiming for LEED certification of all of its stores starting in 2010. With over 16,000 stores worldwide, going green is a big deal. Corporate Architect Tony Gale used to be Chief Architect for the City of Seattle, the kind of job where you do the tough stuff, working with agencies, communities, entrenched interests and NIMBYs on policy, directio...

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Image via Plant Fantasies

Green roofs keep buildings cool, reduce heat island effect and provide habitat for insects and birds; they are wonderful whether or not people can see them. But they also are great amenities for people in the buildings. Older, lower buildings are well suited for them, if their structure can be beefed up to support them.

A neat one just opened at 250 Hudson Street in New York that is accessible by the tenants of the building. While green roofs aren't cheap, the developer thinks it's worth the cost....

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Image via: Cycling.com

A few years ago, Alex Wilson of Green Building Advisor wondered how much energy was being used commuting to offices, versus the actual energy consumed by the offices. After all, we going to all of this effort and expense to make our buildings more energy efficient, but is it meaningful in the face of all the travelling people do to get there? Wilson did the math.

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Image via Greenpeace Apple remains our culture’s most lauded example of great design. But could it be that the company considered to have reached the pinnacle of design is, in fact, an impostor? The definition of good design is changing. It used to be that design which combined form and function in delightful and unexpected ways was good enough. But in the 21st century, that’s just the price of entry. Good design today has to be beautiful and functional not just today, but tomorrow and yesterday....

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