[ By Delana in Art & Design & Nature & Ecosystems & Science & Research. ]
Bricks have built much of our modern world, but how often do we consider the origins of these common building blocks? Brick production – involving a coal-fired kiln – causes a staggering amount of pollution. In fact, the 1.23 trillion bricks manufactured every year produce more pollution than all of the world’s airplanes combined. What can be done to reduce harmful emissions while maintaining the usefulness of the ultra-useful brick? According to one architect, the answer is to grow bricks rather than baking them.
(all images via: Metropolis Mag)
The Better Brick was the 2011 winner of Metropolis Magazine’s Next Generation Design Competition. Conceived by 32-year-old assistant architecture professor Ginger Krieg Dosier, the Better Brick exists at a strange intersection of chemistry, architecture and microbiology. Rather than forming clay into rectangles and firing it at 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, her method calls for microbial-induced calcite precipitation. Her bricks are made from sand, calcium chloride, bacteria and urea, a compound found in urine.
The method for making Better Bricks is rather simple, but the chemical process that takes place is less so. Using a simple form, sand is packed into a brick shape and doused with bacteria and the urea solution. After leaving the brick to harden for a week at room temperature, you have a building block that required only simple, renewable materials to build. When building a wall or other structure with the Better Bricks, the same binding method is used to hold them together, making mortar unnecessary. Eventually – when the formula is just right – Dosier says she can even program 3D printers to build the bricks layer by layer to her exact specifications, even in funky shapes.
Like many new green technologies, however, there are some slight snags. The process currently takes roughly three times longer to make bricks than the conventional method, which will mean that the entire building process would be significantly slowed down. But even more troubling is the fact that the process releases massive amounts of ammonia, which is eventually converted to nitrates and can poison groundwater. Dosier’s answer to this problem is to look more closely at developing a closed-loop system where the waste products are recycled to be used in the manufacturing process rather than released into the environment.
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Breathe Easy: Building Concept Cleanses Dirty City Air
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Breathe Easy: Building Concept Cleanses Dirty City Air
[ By Delana in Art & Design & Nature & Ecosystems & Science & Research. ]
What if, instead of trying to remove all of the things that poison our environment, we built an infrastructure that uses these poisons as fuel to build a better world? That is the idea behind Bubble Wrap, a concept from Andrew Tetrault and Ben Lee for the purification of New York City’s air. An active, living infrastructure would take the very things we hate about city life – the pollution and poor air quality – and turn them into a vibrant, sustainable public space.
Bubble Wrap was designed specifically for New York City, a metropolis known both for its pollution problem and its rich culture. This futuristic project would mesh both in a surprisingly sophisticated way. Densely planted “bubbles” would be linked together and used as a unique type of building material to create living public spaces.
The plants inside the bubbles would take in polluted air and scrub it clean, releasing it again at ground level. Air from the subway exhaust system and from street level is drawn in to be purified and cleansed, making the “pods” into a large-scale air purifier.
The space inside the bubble structure would become a new venue for cultural and neighborhood events. Imagine a farmer’s market in the freshly-cleansed air inside this bubble building – or an open-air festival where everyone can breathe with no worries about pollution.
The designers call this idea a “parasite” that feeds on the excess energy and pollution of the city. Perhaps the relationship between the concept and the city could be seen instead as a symbiotic one: the conceptual building is “fed” by our lifestyle and the city receives a beautiful, living, breathing public space in which to enjoy and experience life.
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Red Tides: When Tiny, Toxic, Single-Celled Animals Attack!
[ By Steve in Animals & Habitats & Food & Health & Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Red tides kill huge schools of fish, poison oyster and shellfish beds, and leave swimmers’ skin itchy, irritated and inflamed. Is this fearful phenomenon a case of nature running amok, or is human activity at least partly to blame?
Roll Tide!
(images via: Water Babies, Alan Guisewite and Underwater Times)
Crimson tides are cool when you’re sitting in a stadium cheering on your team. In the ocean or the odd freshwater lake, not so much. Though they may appear exotic and beautiful – especially at night in some cases – red tides often mean bad news for sea creatures and those who consume them… like us.
(images via: Island Nature, Life In Freshwater and CNRS)
Let’s clear up a few misconceptions. Red tides aren’t tides per se, and their appearance bears no relation to the sea’s natural tidal cycle. The term “red tide” originated at a time when observers didn’t have the technology to look closer – MUCH closer – at what was tinting the water red.
(images via: Expateek and Worth1000)
Though it’s probable that red tides have been appearing for many thousands of years, if not longer. The toxic red tides that continue to plague Florida’s coasts in modern times were first documented in the ship’s logs of 16th century Spanish explorers. Speaking of plagues, the phenomenon may have been noted even earlier, in the Bible’s Old Testament. The first of the Ten Plagues inflicted upon the Egyptians was described in the Book of Exodus thusly: “… and all the waters that were in the river turned to blood. And the fish that were in the river died, and the water stank.”
Whip It, Whip It Good
(images via: Marine Science, Underwater Times and Pixdaus)
With the invention of the microscope, biologists were for the first time able to determine the nature of red tides and the type of tiny creatures that produce them. Turns out the culprits are dinoflagellates, a type of protist or single-celled creature that has characteristics of both plants and animals. The term “dinoflagellate” is derived from the Greek word dinos, meaning “whirling”, and the Latin word flagellum which translates to “whip.”
(images via: Coastal Care, Sir Francis Drake Highschool, Rashid’s Blog and Green Prophet/M.Godfrey)
Basically, these tiny creatures propel themselves through the water by whirling and whipping a threadlike extension of their bodies. Though some dinoflagellates are semi-transparent and colorless, others are tinted various shades including red. When the populations of dinoflagellates boom; or “bloom”, as is often stated, their abundance can change the hue of large expanses of ocean to red, pink, purple, orange, gold – and every hue in between. The spectacular red tide bloom just above was caused by dinoflagellates of the species Noctiluca Scintillans, and occurred just off the coast of New Zealand.
(image via: NASA Earth Observatory)
Red tides are often reddish but their color depends on both the concentration and the type of the responsible protists. Photosynthetic algae can burst into huge greenish blooms that can be seen from orbit. Red tides and other harmful algae blooms (HABs, for short) have also been spied by satellites, as the image above shows: check out Florida’s southwest coast.
(images via: Microbial Life, Growing Algae and NASA Earth Observatory)
Being the color of blood alone was enough to worry ancient mariners but the effects of red tides sealed their reputation as harbingers of death and destruction – to sea life, at least. Some (but not all) of the dinoflagellates responsible for red tides produce a potent neurotoxin that is released when they’re ingested. A single dinoflagellate pumps out a tiny amount of toxin, but multiply that by multi-billions and you’ve got poison in the poisson… pardon my French.
Selfish Shellfish
(images via: Slate, Smithsonian NMNH and FEIS)
Massive fish kills – at times numbering in the millions – are often associated with red tide events but it’s what lies beneath that concerns health-conscious seafood consumers. Commercial shellfish such as clams, scallops and oysters can survive red tides but in doing so, they concentrate the neurotoxins in their tissues.
(images via: Lonelee Planet and Serious Eats)
Eating contaminated shellfish (which aren’t red, by the way) can induce symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), the effects of which are similar to those induced by toxins ingested in poorly prepared Fugu (Puffer fish) at sushi restaurants.
(images via: Kleepet, The National Academies and LIFE)
Paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) has been noted on both the east and west coasts of the United States and a range of dinoflagellate species have been implicated as the original source of the toxins – the species of dinoflagellate known as Alexandrium Fundyense is blamed for red tides in the American northeast coast and the Gulf of Maine.
(images via: Texas Parks and Wildlife, BC/CDC and Alaska Tsunami Papers)
It’s not even necessary to EAT contaminated seafood in order to be adversely affected by red tide toxins. The red tide organism Karenia Brevis, which blooms on a near-annual basis in the Gulf of Mexico, exudes a neurotoxin known as Brevitoxin. Winds blowing inshore can pick up the toxin as an airborne aerosol, causing people living up to several miles inland to suffer respiratory irritation, coughing, sneezing, and tearing. The aerosol can affect marine mammals such as seals, manatees and whales as well. The Humpback whale shown above right washed up on a Massachusetts beach after feeding in a red tide.
(images via: Coastal Care)
In response to the perceived dangers red tides can cause, both the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department regularly issue and update online status reports on red tides along their respective coastlines.
Don’t You Make My Red Tide Blue
(image via: The Jetpacker)
“Red tides at night, red tides at night, oh OH…” Can you see a red tide at night? Yes and no… the customary red hue is invisible by night but a different color is often easily and spectacularly evident: blue! many red tide organisms are also bioluminescent – that is, they produce and emit ghostly blue light through through a chemical reaction that occurs within their bodies.
(images via: The Olsons, Comcast Forums and Photoshelter)
Wave action, stormy weather and other sorts of disturbance will provoke these tiny creatures to pump out blue light, but swimmers should keep in mind light isn’t the only thing dinoflagellates can produce.
(image via: Panoramio/Joeyrigatoni)
Waves washing onto beaches can also bring dinoflagellates onto dry land. The tiny creatures can remain alive for some time on or in wave-soaked beach sand, and tales have been told of beachcombers leaving eerie blue footprints as they stroll along the seashore.
Red Tides, Dead Zones… Red Zones?
(image via: Harmful Algae)
Red tides and other algae blooms are prompted by a sudden influx of nutrients into lakes or oceans – yes, even lakes can experience red tides, as seen in the photo of an Italian alpine lake above.
(images via: WIRED and Mongabay)
Nitrate- and phosphate-rich agricultural runoff is one such nutrient source. Not only can runoff spark red tides, over a period of time the result can be a marine “dead zone” like the one in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
(images via: Esquire and Shorecrest)
Excess fertilizer, untreated sewage, farm waste and other organic material washed down the Mississippi river pour into the Gulf, cause massive algae blooms, and deoxygenate the water as billions of protists die and sink to the ocean floor. Similar scenes occur with regularity on the coasts of dense urban conglomerations such as Hong Kong (above).
(images via: Daily KOS, National Geographic and WN.com)
Nutrients aren’t always organic or farm-related, however. Scientists have established a distinct correlation between windblown dust from the Sahara Desert and algae blooms in coastal Florida waters: the iron oxide in the dust acts as a nutrient to certain types of algae.
(image via: National Geographic)
El Niño events and natural upwelling of nutrients caused by ocean currents also play a role in the formation of red tides but it can be stated that without human activity, there would be a corresponding reduction in the frequency and severity of many red tides and algae blooms.
I Sea Red
(images via: Coastsider, Harmful Algae and Daily Telegraph)
If red tides have one saving grace, it’s their redness: it acts as a giant, liquid STOP sign for those who would normally enjoy seafood and shellfish oblivious to any consequences. To that we can probably add their often quite astonishing beauty, as illustrated in the many striking images that accompany this article.
(images via: MSauder and North County Times)
Better red than dead? Absolutely – not a single human fatality has occurred over the long history of Florida’s frequent red tides so look, admire and enjoy nature’s colorful show… and don’t plan any clambakes.
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Our Fiend The Atom: INES Rates The Worst Nuclear Accidents
[ By Steve in Energy & Fuel, History & Trivia, Science & Research. ]
Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, damaged by the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, joins a listing of 9 major nuclear accidents rated on the IAEA’s International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES) as the worst the world has seen… so far.
Mihama Nuclear Power Plant, Japan, 2004 (INES 1)
(image via: Ayumu Kawazoe)
The INES scale introduced in 1990 by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is logarithmic, with each increasing level representing an accident approximately ten times more severe than the previous level – similar to the Richter scale used to judge the magnitude of earthquakes. Therefore our listing of the World’s Worst Nuclear Accidents begins with the August 9, 2004 steam explosion at Japan’s Mihama Nuclear Power Plant, given an INES rating of 1.
(images via: NY Times, SMH and China Daily)
The Mihama Nuclear Power Plant is located in Japan’s Fukui prefecture about 320 km (about 200 miles) west of Tokyo. The plant, which was commissioned in 1976, was the site of several small nuclear-related accidents in 1991 and 2003. On August 9 of 2004, a water pipe in a turbine building adjoining the Mihama 3 reactor burst suddenly as workers prepared to conduct a routine safety inspection. Though no radiation was released, the steam explosion killed 5 plant workers and injured dozens of others. Mihama’s notoriety increased in 2006 when 2 plant workers were injured in an on-site fire.
Davis-Besse Reactor, USA, 2002 (INES 3)
(images via: WKSU, Scientific American and NRC)
The Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station, located about 10 miles (16km) north of Oak Harbor, Ohio, was commissioned in July of 1978 and is scheduled for final shutdown in April of 2017.
(image via: Ohio Citizen Action)
The plant has racked up a number of safety problems over its lifetime, including being struck by an F2 tornado in 1998, but the worst of those occurred in March of 2002 when a serious corrosion issue forced the plant to close for roughly 2 years.
During maintenance, plant workers discovered a 6-inch deep corrosion hole in the top of the carbon steel reactor vessel. Only 3/8” of steel cladding remained to prevent a catastrophic pressure explosion and subsequent loss of coolant. If nearby control rod mechanisms would have been damaged in the explosion, shutting down the reactor and avoiding a core meltdown would have been difficult to say the least.
National Reactor Testing Station, USA, 1961 (INES 4)
(images via: U.S. Militaria Forum and The ’60s At 50)
One of the earliest major nuclear power plant accidents occurred on January 3, 1961 when a steam explosion and meltdown killed 3 workers at Stationary Low-Power Reactor Number One (SL-1). The reactor, located at the National Reactor Testing Station roughly 40 miles (60km) west of Idaho Falls, Idaho, was of a now-discontinued design that featured a single large, central control rod.
(images via: Wikivisual, U.S. DOE and Wikipedia)
A maintenance procedure that involved withdrawing the control rod about 4 inches (10cm) somehow went horribly wrong: the rod was lifted 26 inches (65cm) and the nuclear pile went critical. Three plant workers were killed in the resulting explosion and radiation release; one man was found impaled to the reactor building’s ceiling by one of the reactor’s shield plugs. About 1,100 Curies of nuclear fission products were released into the surrounding environment but any damage was mitigated by the station’s remote location in the Idaho desert. In the image above at top, you can see the damaged reactor core being lifted out of the containment building by a heavily shielded crane.
Jaslovské Bohunice, Czechoslovakia, 1977 (INES 4)
(image via: Kyberia)
Talk about accidents waiting to happen. At the Bohunice Nuclear Power Plant in Jaslovské Bohunice, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), all the ingredients for a nuclear disaster were already in place by 1977 when A1, the plant’s oldest reactor, overheated and nearly caused a large-scale environmental disaster. Where to begin? Let’s see… the model KS-150 reactor was of a unique and unproven design from the Soviet Union which was built in Czechoslovakia. Not a good start, and then it gets worse.
(images via: EnergyWeb and IAEA)
Construction of A1 began in 1958 and took an amazing 16 years! The untested design of the KS-150 reactor soon revealed numerous flaws that led to over 30 unplanned shutdowns in the first few years of operation. Two workers were killed by a gas leak in early 1976. Just over a year later a botched fuel changing procedure compounded by human error – workers forgot to remove silica gel packs from the new fuel rods – resulted in a core cooling emergency. It’s expected that ongoing efforts to decontaminate and fully decommission the A1 reactor won’t be completed until sometime in 2033.
Tomsk-7 Reprocessing Complex, USSR, 1993 (INES 4)
(images via: Jishi Xooob and Girasole Online)
The Siberian Group of Chemical Enterprises is a group of factories and nuclear power plants located in the Russian city of Seversk. Formerly a Soviet “secret city”, Seversk was until 1992 known as Tomsk-7, which is actually a post office box number. Though former Russian president Boris Yeltsin relaxed some of the restrictions on Seversk (including its name), to this day non-residents are not allowed to visit the city.
The Tomsk-7 Reprocessing Complex was one of the “enterprises” at Seversk, and on April 6, 1993, the facility achieved some very unwanted fame. Workers were cleaning out an underground tank at the Tomsk-7 Plutonium Reprocessing Plant using highly volatile Nitric Acid. The acid reacted with residual liquid inside the tank – liquid that contained traces of plutonium. An explosion then occurred which blew a reinforced concrete lid off the top of the tank, punched holes in the building’s roof, short- circuited the plant’s electrical systems and started a fire. Last and not least, the explosion released of a large cloud of radioactive gas into the surrounding environment.
Tokaimura Uranium Processing Facility, Japan, 1999 (INES 4)
(image via: LiveInternet)
Human error compounded by rash business decisions led to the so-called Tokaimura Criticality Accident, which took place on September 30, 1999, at Japan’s Tokaimura Uranium Processing Facility in Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture north of Tokyo. The facility, formerly operated by JCO Ltd., processed and purified Uranium fuel used by Japan’s many nuclear power plants.
(images via: BBC and SOS: El Planeta te Necesita)
The accident was caused by poorly trained workers at the Tokaimura plant taking shortcuts in the refining procedure. Under pressure to complete their duties on time, the workers skipped several steps in the process. Uranium Oxide powder and Nitric Acid were mixed in 10-liter buckets instead of several dedicated tanks, and ended up dumping 7 times the recommended amount of Uranium/Acid mixture to a precipitation tank. The mixture reached critical mass and a chain reaction lasting 20 hours then ensued. Two of the plant workers died from radiation exposure and dozens of others were exposed to above-normal levels of radiation.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, Japan, 2011 (INES 4+)
(images via: InventorSpot, LA Times and 2Space)
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, located 170 miles or 270 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, is one of the largest nuclear power plants in the world with 6 nuclear reactors supplying power to the Tokyo megalopolis and the Japanese electric power grid. In the immediate aftermath of the devastating 9.0 magnitude Sendai Earthquake on March 11, 2011, power outages caused the reactor coolant pumps to stop. Backup diesel generators had been stored in a low-lying area and were damaged by the quake-related tsunami.
(images via: Edmonton Journal and SOS: El Planeta te Necesita)
By the time a working generator could be set up inside the building housing reactor #1, the core had begun to overheat and hydrogen gas built up to dangerous levels inside the containment building. A spark from the generator likely caused a hydrogen explosion that blew the roof off the containment building. The next day a similar, more powerful explosion occurred the next day in the building containing reactor #3, on March 14 yet another explosion shattered the containment building of reactor #2, and inside reactor #4′s containment building stored fuel may be on fire after water in a storage pool boiled off.
Here is a video of the first explosion:
福島第一原発 爆発の瞬間 Explosion at Fukushima nuclear plant, via Studiomu00
(image via: PopSci)
Though the INES has given the ongoing critical situation at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant a provisory rating of 4, France’s ASN nuclear safety authority has suggested the rating should actually be much higher. “Level 4 is a serious level,” commented ASN President Andre-Claude Lacoste, speaking at a news conference on March 14, 2011, but “We feel that we are at least at level 5 or even at level 6.”
Three Mile Island, USA, 1979 (INES 5)
(images via: EOEarth, How Stuff Works and Reason)
On March 28, 1979, coolant pumps in reactor TMI-2 at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, failed and a pressure-relief valve failed to close. Control room staff began to hear alarms and see warning lights. Unfortunately, faulty design of the sensors caused plant operators to miss and/or misread signs that the reactor core was first overheating, then actually melting.
(image via: Timemapped)
By the time the situation was brought under control, half the reactor core had melted and approximately 20 tons of molten uranium was slowly solidifying at the bottom of the reactor’s containment vessel. Venting of steam and gas from inside the containment building allowed significant amounts of radioactive material to escape into the atmosphere and surrounding environment.
(images via: OCRegister, From The Vault Radio, Sodahead and Pennlive)
The Three Mile Island accident caused no deaths or injuries to plant workers or residents of nearby communities but it still is rated as the most serious accident in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history. Extensive – some say sensationalistic – news coverage of the event, comparisons to the plot of the film The China Syndrome (released just 12 days before the accident), and a memorable sketch on Saturday Night Live all contributed to the incident’s prominent place in late 20th century pop culture. It’s no, er, accident that not a single new nuclear power plant has been built in the United States since.
Kyshtym Disaster, USSR, 1957 (INES 6)
(images via: Crashstuff, Wikipedia and Bellona)
In the Soviet Union’s frantic race to catch up with the USA in the post-war, Cold War nuclear arms race, corners were cut and mistakes were made. By far the largest of the latter occurred in September of 1957 at the Mayak nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in the closed city of Ozyorsk, formerly (before 1994) known as Chelyabinsk-40. A cluster of reactors at the site produced Plutonium for Soviet nuclear weapons and, as a by-product, nuclear waste. LOTS of nuclear waste. The waste was stored in underground steel cisterns set in concrete and cooled by an unreliable cooling system.
(image via: Bellona)
In the fall of 1957, the cooling system around a vessel containing up to 80 tons of solid nuclear waste failed. Radioactivity quickly heated the waste to the point where the container exploded, sending its 160-ton concrete lid into the air along with a massive cloud of very dirty fallout. Approximately 10,000 people were evacuated from the affected region and about 270,000 in total were exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. At least 200 deaths from cancer can be directly attributed to the accident and around 30 town names vanished from Soviet maps.
(images via: Bellona and Narod)
Though the full extent of the Kyshtym Disaster was not revealed by the USSR until 1990, the CIA was aware of the incident yet decided not to reveal any information as it might reflect negatively on the American nuclear power industry. Meanwhile in Kyshtym, the vast East-Ural Nature Reserve (also known as the East-Ural Radioactive Trace) remains heavily contaminated by radioactive Caesium-137 and Strontium-90 over a roughly 300 square mile (800 sq km) area.
Chernobyl Disaster, USSR, 1986 (INES 7)
(image via: Stuck In Customs)
As bad as the Kyshtym Disaster was, the Chernobyl Disaster was worse: 4 times worse, if dispersed radioactivity is the measuring stick. To date, the steam explosion and reactor meltdown of Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant is the only nuclear accident to rate a 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
(images via: Scrape TV, Stockani News and Stormchaser)
The disaster began on April 26, 1986, when technicians at Reactor 4 were conducting an experimental power-down procedure. Human error led to a series of unexpected power surges that explosively burst the reactor’s containment vessel, starting a fire that impelled clouds of radioactive fission products and fallout into the open air. The cloud would eventually drift over large areas of eastern, western and northern Europe forcing over 335,000 people to be evacuated from a Zone of Alienation. Though only 53 deaths resulted directly from the accident, many thousands of other suffered (and still suffer) debilitating, chronic illness.
(image via: Funny Old Planet)
These days the area around Chernobyl exhibits a strange dichotomy: the abandoned towns of Chernobyl and Pripyat slowly decay while wildlife in the surrounding woods and forests is booming now that the human presence has been removed. Reports of lynxes and even bears, which have not been seen in centuries, prove the eminent resilience of nature and life’s ability to adapt and adjust to even the most hostile of conditions.
(images via: Maison Bisson, Pumachassures and Funny Old Planet)
Chernobyl is the poster child for nuclear accidents, with atomic power protesters warning of “another Chernobyl” as often as anti-war advocates advising against “another Vietnam”. As for the apocalyptically named Zone of Alienation, Ukrainian authorities are finding it difficult to keep self-styled “stalkers” from conducting expeditions into the area aimed at fun and profit. Word to those contemplating such an adventure: what you can’t see, CAN hurt you!
Radiation In Your Nation?
(image via: Market Watch)
Though the Chernobyl Disaster is the only INES-rated Level 7 incident on record, there’s no guarantee that another, even worse nuclear disaster will occur someday. Natural disasters, human errors and aging components are, unfortunately, facts of life (and death) for the nuclear industry. With nearly 500 nuclear power plants around the world in operation and under construction, the question isn’t IF another atomic accident will happen, but WHEN.
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Cheap Green Travel: 14 Eco + Budget-Friendly Hostels
[ By Steph in Geography & Travel. ]
Somewhere between luxurious (and pricey) eco-resorts and the most basic of dirt-cheap beds-for-rent are eco-hostels: inexpensive lodgings that are also environmentally friendly and often offer a relaxing place to commune with nature, even in big cities like Berlin and Barcelona. These 14 green hostels around the world range from modern European bunk rooms to incredibly rustic nomad tents in Mongolia.
Jetpak Eco Lodge, Berlin
(image via: jetpak.de)
Berlin is one of Europe’s most modern cities, but just minutes from all of the steel architecture and bustling nightlife is a hostel hidden in the woods, powered with 100% renewable energy. With its large outdoor recreation area and access to trails, Jetpak Eco Lodge is the perfect place for people who love a balance between the frenetic action of the city and the quiet calm of the country. It features a modern CO2-neutral heating system, solar hot water, composting and bike rentals.
Deepdale Backpacker’s Hostel, England
(images via: deepdalefarm.co.uk)
The Deepdale Backpacker’s Hostel offers beautiful, eco-friendly lodgings on the Norfolk Coast – the perfect home base when exploring the region’s beaches and historic sites. Located on a farm, the award-winning hostel plants thousands of trees every year, provides havens for wildlife on the property and gets most of its power from the sun. The 17th century buildings have been restored back to traditional Norfolk style, but insulated to meet modern energy-efficiency standards. Groups of up to six can rent their own private multi-bed rooms.
Hedonisia Hawaii Eco Hostel, United States
(image via: hedonisiahawaii.com)
Who can say no to a sustainable rainforest retreat in Hawaii? Choose from rustic huts, tents or campers, with ocean views or in the woods, at the Hedonisia Hawaii Eco Hostel. 10 lodgings are spread out on 3.71 acres, and part of your room fee pays for all the produce you can pick from the gardens. There’s even a ‘pee garden’, which is exactly what it sounds like (an outdoor restroom). The land has been restored from past use as a junkyard and the owners go out of their way to reuse things as creatively as possible, like cutting up old tents and sewing them into new living structures.
Gyreum Eco-Lodge, Ireland
(images via: gyreum.com)
In the wilds of Northwest Ireland, there’s a 100-foot green wooden structure rising out of a valley that the owners describe as ‘plum pudding-shaped’. Serving as a venue for music, workshops, weddings and art residencies, The Gyreum also offers eco-friendly accommodations in the form of dorms and capsule-like tents and boasts geothermal heat, wind turbines, greywater filtering and an organic garden.
Cabinas Tina’s Casitas, Costa Rica
(images via: tinascasitas.de)
For many travelers, Costa Rica is already an incredibly affordable destination – but the hostel lodgings at Tina’s Casitas make it even easier on the pocket. A five minute walk from the center of Santa Elena in the Monteverde area, Tina’s offers four houses with 9 rustic lodgings in all including dorms and private rooms with your choice of shared or private bath. The wildlife-loving owners are in the midst of a reforestation project on the grounds of the hostel, hoping to give back as much habitat as possible after many acres were lost to deforestation.
Krumlov House, Czech Republic
(images via: krumlovhostel.com)
In a 17th-century building on the Vltava River, visitors to the medieval town of Cesky Krumlov find a charming artist’s haven with as much character as the town itself. Krumlov House has private lodgings for 25 (no dorms), is powered with solar energy and has a renovated interior partially built with reclaimed wood. Energy-saving appliances, air-dried laundry, compost bins and secondhand furnishings are just a few green features.
Reykjavik City Hostel, Iceland
(images via: hostels.com)
Right beside the geothermal swimming pools in Iceland’s capital city is the Reykjavik City Hostel, dorm-style lodgings just 10 minutes outside the downtown area. Fun and youthful with games, movie nights and special events, this hostel offers local and organic food and fair trade coffee and is also environmentally sensitive with energy monitoring and recycling programs.
Mellow Eco-Hostel Barcelona, Spain
(images via: hostelworld.com)
With stellar reviews across the board and beds starting at just 16 bucks a night, the Mellow Eco-Hostel is definitely an option to consider when staying in Barcelona, Spain. Fifteen minutes outside the city center, the Mellow Eco-Hostel lives up to its name, providing bright but relaxing rooms, colorful common areas, solar-heated water, natural ventilation and recycling facilities. The 24-hour front desk makes it easy to check in and out at odd hours for maximum convenience.
Kulturgarden Guest House, Sweden
(images via: kulturgarden.com)
Stay in a former children’s camp overlooking Lake Björkasjö in Southern Sweden, with private bedrooms, a traditional earth house shower, a large self-catering kitchen and a breakfast buffet brimming with local and organic foods. The Kulturgården Björkekullen hostel in Bråtadal Svartrå avoids disposable products whenever possible, recycles waste, uses a variety of renewable energy sources and fosters closeness with the environment through activities like swimming.
Centre Ecologic Llemena Hostel, Spain
(images via: cel.org.es)
“If it is only a bed you are looking for, don’t come,” say the owners of the CEL Hostel in the Girona area of Spain. Because what makes this hostel different from so many others is that it’s like a resort experience – at a serious discount. Whether you bunk or camp in the woods, you can enjoy “a calm place close to nature”, with organic products and a natural swimming pool, not to mention learning about sustainable permaculture projects.
Enigmata Treehouse Eco-Lodge, Philippines
(images via: camiguinecolodge.com)
Artists, travelers, environmentalists and nature lovers flock to the Enigmata Treehouse Eco-Lodge in Camiguin Island, Philippines. A hostel, cafe, gallery and sculpture garden, Enigmata’s main treehouse structure is built around a 100-year-old Mother Acacia tree and is full of relaxing spaces open to the fresh air. Dorms start at under U.S. $10, quite a steal for a tropical getaway 600 miles from the nearest highway.
Grampians YHA Eco-Hostel, Australia
(images via: yha.com)
Get a bed in a dorm or your own private room at this youth hostel in the heart of Australia’s Grampians National park. Standout green features include solar energy, solar hot water, rainwater collection, recycled greywater and waste recycling. Ogle kangaroos on the hostel lawn or venture further afield for some rock climbing, picnicking, bushwalking, bike riding or fishing.
Bigfoot Hostel, Nicaragua
(images via: bigfootnicaragua.com)
You’re in the middle of a lush tropical paradise, going on amazing adventures (volcano boarding!) and enjoying all that Nicaragua has to offer – and the $6 a night hostel you’re staying at will even do your laundry for you. Bigfoot Hostel has a pool, a bar, free internet, a guest kitchen and a hammock area in a renovated colonial home. The Pure Earth Cafe offers all-vegetarian organic and local foods, and the hostel donates $1 from every guest to the Pure Earth project, which works on conservation, reforestation and other local sustainability projects.
Anak Ranch, Mongolia
(images via: anakranch.com)
Rustic? Check. Culturally rich? Double check. Unique? Absolutely no doubt about it. Anak Ranch is a working family ranch in the steppe-taiga country of north-central Mongolia, hosting ‘adventurous guests’ who want to ride horses on the Mongolian range and experience what it’s really like to live on the edge of Siberia. The owners will escort you in a horse cart to your lodgings in a multi-bedded ‘ger’, or traditional nomad’s tent. For about $40 a night, you can take part in Buddhist rituals, practice archery, relax in the sauna, hike up the mountains, make Mongolian cheese and take part in dozens of other activities that you might never be able to do anywhere else.
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White Out: Global Warming Is Melting Japan’s Snow Monsters
[ By Steve in Geography & Travel, Nature & Ecosystems, Science & Research. ]
“Snow Monsters” – silent, twisted, mountain forests of stately conifers draped in frosty rime ice each Japanese winter – are under threat from global warming. This eerily silent, exquisitely beautiful, bizarre landscape results from a unique set of climactic conditions whose balance appears to be shifting, causing the majestic “monsters” to retreat farther up into the mountains as time goes by.
Rime With Reason
(image via: Pink Tentacle)
Rime is a type of ice that typically forms when tiny water droplets suspended in fog come into contact with objects on the ground whose temperatures are below the freezing point. These ice deposits can build up thick, layered coverings on mountain forests – the high elevation of the trees brings them into frequent contact with low clouds that hug the mountain slopes.
(images via: Jeab Isma and Trendhunter)
Meteorologists describe “hard rime” as occurring on the windward (wind-facing) side of tree branches or other solid objects, with ideal conditions being high wind velocities and air temperatures varying between −2 °C (28 °F) and −8 °C (18 °F).
(image via: LIFE)
“Soft rime”, on the other hand, forms when water droplets in mist or light freezing fog adhere to the outer surfaces of objects when the winds are mainly calm. The Snow Monsters of northern Japan display both types of rime, and lots of it!
Fog Thorns
(images via: Fungur and Pink Tentacle)
Northern Japan presents a perfect storm, as it were, of meteorological and geological conditions that act together to facilitate the formation of winter rime. Prevailing westerly winds drive moisture-laden air from the Sea of Okhotsk inland, where it’s forced upwards against heavily forested mountainsides. Moisture condenses out of the air as snow and as rime.
(images via: Xcitezone and Japan-Guide)
Rime accumulations on conifer trees can grow to astonishing thicknesses but usually the trees can support the weight. This is partly due to rime formation being a gradual process. In addition, the affected trees have been blanketed with rime since they first sprouted – their summer shapes owe much to “sculpting” by annual rime formations. One might say these trees are Mother Nature’s bonsai.
(image via: Xcitezone)
Though rime-encrusted Snow Monsters occur at a number of locations in northern Japan, some of the largest and best-known gatherings can be found in the Hakkōda Mountains of Aomori prefecture, along the slopes of Mount Moriyoshi in Akita prefecture, and at the Zao ski resort in Yamagata prefecture.
(images via: HyphyTek, Inside The Travel Lab, Chris Barthol and Pink Tentacle)
Skiing and hiking amidst the Snow Monsters is a surreal experience to say the least, especially when they’re illuminated at night with multicolored spotlights! Here’s a short video showing just the thing, though the Snow Monsters weren’t at their most monstrous level of snowiness that year:
(images via: Yokoso! Japan and Inside The Travel Lab)
Zao ski resort was the focus of an investigation by a team from Yamagata University, the results of which have disturbed and even alarmed scientists monitoring the ever-increasing signs of global warming.
Melting Monsters Of Mount Jizo
(images via: Mudwerks and ZME Science)
Investigators led by Yamagata University geochemistry professor Fumitaka Yanagisawa recently made observations and took measurements of the many ice-covered trees found around the Jizo-Sancho ropeway station 1,661 meters (5,450 ft) above sea level.
(images via: ZME Science, Pink Tentacle and Inside The Travel Lab)
The measurements were compared with those taken at the local meteorological observatory. The station was established in 1914 shortly after the mountain’s extensive ranks of Snow Monsters were first noted by outside observers visiting the Zao hot spring resort near 1,736 meter (5,695 ft) high Mount Jizo.
(images via: Inside The Travel Lab, Jegadish R and Snow Japan)
Snow Monsters on Mount Jizo occur today at altitudes higher than 1,550 meters, or 5,085 feet. An examination of the weather station’s records, however, revealed that nearly a century ago the frozen manifestations extended down to 1,400 meters or 4,595 feet above sea level. As the years progressed, the “starting line” for Snow Monster sightings has inexorably shifted higher up the mountain’s slopes.
(images via: Kost_Jap)
Temperature measurements on the mountain tell a similar story, as average January temperatures in the area have risen by 2.38 degrees Celsius over the past 80-odd years. To put things in perspective, the average January temperature from 1926 through 1930 was minus 2.16 degrees Celsius. Over the past four years (2008 through 2011), the average January temperature at the Mount Jizo weather station had risen to 0.22 degrees Celsius.
(image via: LIFE)
According to professor Yanagisawa, if temperatures in the region continue to rise at the current rate, “trees will only freeze at an altitude of 1,700 meters (5,575 ft) or higher after three to four decades, in theory.” Yanagisawa points out. The problem is, trees don’t grow at altitudes over 1,700 meters on Mount Jizo. No trees, no Snow Monsters. In effect, the immovable abominable snowmen will have become extinct.
Snow Time Like The Present
(images via: Tsuiteru Happy Life, Mapple.net and Miyagi Theme)
Sadly, what happens on Mount Jizo doesn’t stay on Mount Jizo. Global warming skeptics shouldn’t be fooled by the fact that during the winter of 2010-11, Yamagata experienced the heaviest snowfalls in the past five years and January’s average temperature registered minus 1.6 degrees Celsius. Snow Monsters followed the chilly air down the mountainside and could once again found at altitudes as low as 1,500 meters (4,920 ft).
(images via: Japan-Guide)
Not so fast: “Temperatures fluctuate, but they are rising gradually,” warns professor Yanagisawa, who reminds us that long-term climate trends need to be respected and “the average temperature has risen over the past five years.”
(image via: Japan Times)
Based on the overall trends noted since 1914, experts are predicting that assuming temperatures continue to rise at current levels, conditions by 2050 will no longer support the growth of Snow Monsters on Mount Jizo – and likely elsewhere as well. A chilling forecast indeed.
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Furry Forecasters: 7 Amazing Weather-Predicting Animals
[ By Steve in 7 Wonders Series, Animals & Habitats, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Animals have evolved to cope with changing weather conditions and in some cases, have learned to sense when these changes are imminent. These 7 amazing weather-predicting animals offer us more insight into weather’s whimsy than Phil Connors on a good day. Now for today’s fur-cast…
Groundhogs
(images via: Best Week Ever, Uncoverage and Daniel David Allen)
“Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties ’cause it’s cooooold out there today.” How do we know? Because every February 2nd, Punxsutawney Phil, the world’s most famous groundhog weatherman, crawls out into the chill Pennsylvania air. If it’s sunny out and Phil sees his shadow, we’re in for 6 more weeks of winter.
(image via: Vondrook!)
Some people have a problem with this, most notably the character played by Bill Murray in the 1993 movie Groundhog Day. Says Phil (the weatherman, not the groundhog): “There is no way that this winter is *ever* going to end as long as this groundhog keeps seeing his shadow. I don’t see any other way out. He’s got to be stopped. And I have to stop him.”
(images via: Milk In The Clock, USA Today and Finding Dulcinea)
“Winter, slumbering in the open air, wears on its smiling face a dream of spring.” Indeed, spring always follows winter regardless of the prognostications of any number of representative rodents, but the tradition has ancient origins in European (especially Germanic) folklore. It should be noted that the National Climatic Data Center has measured the overall prediction accuracy rate of the featured groundhogs to be only 39%. Don’t blame the groundhogs, though, we just might be reading their predictions backwards.
Ladybugs
(images via: Animal World, Worlds Of Disney, eHow and MNN)
Ladybugs (or Ladybird beetles) are commonly found throughout out Eurasia and North America where they are susceptible to seasonal weather. Being cold-blooded creatures, ladybugs tend to swarm when temperatures reach approximately 12-13°C (55°F). A number of old proverbs concern the ladybug’s usefulness as a weather forecaster, one being “When ladybugs swarm, expect a day that’s warm.”
(image via: Sabrina School)
The advent of heated housing has allowed ladybugs to show another side of their weather forecasting ability. As autumn edges towards winter, ladybugs search for a warm and sheltered place to hibernate – such as your home. As the days lengthen and warm spring weather arrives, the ladybugs become active and begin to fly about, looking for an exit to the outdoors.
Cows
(images via: Wonder How To, Prafulla.net and Amazon)
Farmers are extremely cognizant about the need to be weather-wise – in the old days, the weather was literally a matter of life and death. Combine this need with close observation of domestic animals over thousands of years and you end up with the unlikely premise of weather-forecasting cows.
(images via: David Wall Photo, Corbis and Martin LaBar)
Cattle in pasture or on the range are social creatures but the extant of their gregariousness seems to be related to atmospheric conditions. Most obviously, a herd of cows sensing an oncoming storm tend to cluster together for warmth and security.
(image via: WN.com)
Cows exhibit other weather-related habits such as restlessness; a state of anxiety perhaps brought on by sudden changes in air pressure and/or a buildup of static electricity in the air. Cows have also been known to lie on the grass when rain is imminent: possibly they’re shading a dry spot that would be more comfortable during a rainy spell. Then again, these things may just reflect the prevailing bovine moood.
Frogs
(images via: Naturfoto-CZ, Dr. Oliver-David Louis Finch, Memegenerator and Rotholl)
Years ago in Germany, kids would catch a certain type of temperate zone tree frog called a Laubfrosch which had a habit of climbing up branches when the weather became warmer. Placing the frog in a glass jar with a tiny wooden ladder inside, the children would watch the frog climb or descend in conjunction with the changing weather. A ribbeting barometer, to be sure!
(image via: Mach Publishing)
Old & busted: Punxsutawney Phil. New hotness: Snohomish Slew! Yes indeed, Snohomish, WA’s resident “GroundFrog” has got the jump on the meteorological marmot in more ways than one, making his annual animal weather prediction every year for the past 6 years on the last Friday of January.
Ants
(images via: WN.com, Di Greenhaw and Able 2 Know)
Anyone who’s seen the 1998 movie A Bug’s Life knows that what for us is a gentle rain shower is, for ants, a catastrophe of biblical proportions. The fact that ants construct their nests underground with the entrance/exit opening at ground level would seem to be a recipe for disaster, yet ants are among the most abundant creatures on the planet.
(image via: Telegraph UK)
Ants have worked out a number of defenses against rainwater ingress but they all depend on one thing: foreknowledge of when rain is going to fall. Y’see, it takes time to build the anthill extra high and, in some cases, put a trapdoor or blocking pebble in place. Sort of like walking down the street when the sky opens up: by the time you buy yourself an umbrella, you’re soaked to the skin.
Sheep
(images via: Images82ask, Hill Shepherd and Mandi859)
Sheep are one of the earliest domesticated animals and shepherding one of the world’s oldest professions – and a family-friendly one at that. Over thousands of years of watching over their sheep, shepherds have noticed a thing or two about how the woolly wonders react to environmental stimuli like oncoming storms. This was (and is) important – one never wants to be accused of crying wolf, especially one wearing cheap clothing.
(image via: Corbis)
Like cows, sheep can sense minute differences in their environment and sudden changes in temperature, humidity and air pressure seem to invoke anxiety. Clustering together before a storm strikes helps keep sheep warm and prevents stragglers from drifting away. Hey, they don’t call it the Herd Instinct for nothing!
Woolly Bear Caterpillars
(images via: Tony the Misfit, Getty Images, That Guy With The Glasses and Jonclark2000)
Woolly Bear caterpillars are the larval stage of the Isabella Tiger Moth, found in the northeastern United States and parts of eastern Canada. These shaggy caterpillars are black on either end with a reddish-brown band in the middle. According to folklore, a wider brown band indicates a warm winter is on the way, while Woolly Bears that are predominantly black are harbingers of a colder, harsher winter.
(images via: The Chronicle Telegram, FOX8 Cleveland and Pixelate Photography and Design)
Not to be outdone by groundhogs and green frogs, the annual Woollybear Festival in downtown Vermilion, Ohio, has been held every autumn since 1973. By all accounts, the Woollybear Festival is a huge success and has grown is size and scope since local TV personality and WJW-TV weatherman Dick Goddard first floated the concept. Over 20 marching bands, 2,000 marchers, hundreds of animals and over 100,000 spectators participated in the 2006 parade, which has outgrown its original location in Birmingham and is now the largest one-day festival in the state.
(image via: A Simple Life)
Are much-maligned TV weathermen about to be replaced by, say, weather-sheep or weather-frogs? Not likely, though groundhogs would probably work for peanuts. That doesn’t mean we should shrug off behavioral manifestations that creatures have evolved over thousands, even millions of years. Besides, if you want a prediction about the weather on any day BUT February 2nd, you’re asking the wrong Phil. Now it’s time to go, gotta beat the weather. Chance of departure today: 100 percent!
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Jewelry that Helps the World?
- Keeping the peace with diamonds and semi precious stones.
- Everyone benefits from fair trade jewelry.
- Recycled jewelry does it all from elegant to fun.
Beautiful gemstones have been sought after for thousands of years and their beauty and value have created benefits for many people but also has brought about some very real problems for those caught up in the violence that can surround something of great value.
Conflict diamonds have been in the spotlight for several years because of their contribution to increasing fighting and violence in regions that have already suffered enough.
You don’t have to give up owning diamonds. Learn what to look for so you can enjoy the beauty of these stones without the guilt.
The big focus in the jewelry industry has been on gold and diamonds but that is only part of the picture. What about other mined gems and minerals? Are they being sourced ethically and with concern for the environment?
Some companies are addressing this but it has become a focus of some companies that create fair trade jewelry. Here a concern for the environment and concerns for the women, men and children from around the world that work to fabricate all different kinds of jewelry come together in the creation of eco friendly jewelry. Problems of poor pay, unsafe working conditions or unfair treatment are not uncommon and are beginning to be addressed.
Look for companies that provide fair made, eco friendly and socially responsible fair trade jewelry.
From recycled gold to recycled paper, jewelry designers are creating beautiful and creative eco jewelry by reinventing what was old or unusable. Fine jewelers are giving new life to old gold and gemstones while creating elegant and stylish pieces to please even the most discriminating shopper.
Then there are those who turn trash into treasure and create fun, fresh and unique designs. Many different styles can be found online. Locally look to shops like Whole Foods or other small stores that carry handcrafted items.
To read more about this exciting new trend in jewelry check out recycled jewelry for more info and tips on where to shop.
Beth
Luxurious Eco Travel: 12 Elegant Green Destinations
[ By Steph in Animals & Habitats, Geography & Travel, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Staycations and ultra-rustic nature-centric accommodations may be the greenest way to spend your vacation time, but sometimes, special occasions call for a luxurious getaway. The good news is, elegant eco-resorts do exist, and while some have more green cred than others, they offer experiences that rival those of traditional pampering luxury resorts but in a more environmentally sensitive manner.
EcoCamp Patagonia, Chile
(images via: ecocamp.travel)
There are rustic eco resorts and there are luxury resorts with dubious green claims, but EcoCamp Patagonia in Chile is the best of both worlds – a luxurious getaway that is 100% carbon-free. You’ll sleep in a geodesic dome inspired by the huts built by the native Kawesqar people but enjoy modern comfort and convenience, right in the wilderness of the Torres del Paine National Park.
Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, Blue Mountains, Australia
(images via: wolganvalley.com)
The first hotel in the world to be certified carbon-neutral through carboNZero is nestled in the Blue Mountains of Australia and definitely emphasizes guilt-free luxury. Winner of numerous awards, the Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa is made from recycled materials and renewable resources, runs on solar power and is located on a private conservation and nature reserve. Each free-standing luxury suite has its own private terrace and swimming pool, and guests can indulge in massages and skin treatments in between outdoor adventures.
Six Senses Hideaway, Thailand
(images via: sixsenses.com)
The Six Senses Hua Hin on the Gulf of Siam set out to prove that luxury and minimal environmental impact are compatible with its SLOW LIFE philosophy (S-Sustainable, L-Local, O-Organic, W-Wholesome, L-Learning, I-Inspiring, F-Fun, E-Experience). The resort, which features 55 pool villas and a holistic spa, has committed to green operations including energy efficiency, waste minimization and water conservation.
Gayana Luxury Eco Resort, Borneo
(images via: gayana-eco-resort.com)
Experience a lush jungle on a coral reef island off the coast of Borneo at the Gayana Luxury Eco Resort, which not only offers accommodations on the water with stunning views of the ocean and Mt. Kinabalu, but also operates its own Marine Ecology Research Center which propagates endangered giant clams and engages in other conservation and restoration activities. Guests can dive, kayak, trek through the jungles or lay back for a relaxing day in the luxury spa.
Miraval, Tucson
(images via: miravalresorts.com)
Not interested in venturing beyond the U.S. borders? America has a few eco resorts of its own, including Miraval in Tucson, a luxury spa and wellness retreat on 400 acres populated with rammed earth buildings and plenty of cacti. The rammed earth (clay adobe brick) construction makes the structures energy-efficient; water is heated with solar energy; the guest rooms feature green materials like non-toxic paints and the landscaping is all native. Miraval specializes in wellness and stress relief, with yoga, meditation, nutrition instruction, fitness activities and much more.
Gaia Luxury Hotel & Nature Reserve, Costa Rica
(images via: gaiahr.com)
High on a hill in the pristine wilderness of Costa Rica is the Gaia Hotel, a modern resort on 12.1 acres of nature reserve populated with local wildlife like squirrel monkeys and three-toed sloths. The 5-star, 20-room boutique hotel in the Manuel Antonio area has been named Central America’s top green hotel for its efforts to minimize the effects of tourism on the surrounding ecosystem.
CESiaK, Mexico
(images via: cesiak.org)
Often named among the world’s best green getaways, the Centro Ecologico Sian Ka’an (CESiak) is located adjacent to ancient Mayan ruins in Tulum. All proceeds from the surprisingly affordable yet comfy and exotic resort fund education and conservation programs at the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Dar-Hi, Tunisia
(images via: dar-hi.net)
Made almost entirely from local materials and labor, the Dar-Hi eco hotel in Tunisia is architecturally stunning and environmentally sensitive. The Dar-Hi is located on the edge of the Sahara Desert and features 17 rooms in four ‘styles’ that have different ways of interacting with the environment and the hotel: elevated ‘pill houses’ with beautiful views, ‘troglodyte houses’ built into the ground, ‘the dunes’ at ground level with a design inspired by wind-sculpted sand and the ‘dar malika’, a traditional house within the village. Accessible only on foot, the Dar-Hi offers secluded luxury just three hours from Paris.
Sanctuary Chief’s Camp, Botswana
(images via: sanctuaryretreats.com)
Twelve luxury bush pavilions in the Mombo Concession, an area of the Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana known as the ‘predator capital of Africa’, offer a beautiful and comfortable place to stay while experiencing Africa up close and personal. Included in a stay at the Sanctuary Chief’s Camp are ‘Mokoro’ dugout canoe excursions in the Okavango Delta and game drives on 4
Yann Arthus-Bertrand: Photography With A Bird’s Eye View
[ By Marc in Art & Design, Geography & Travel, Nature & Ecosystems. ]
Yann Arthus-Bertrand is a French photographer and environmentalist who has a tendency toward stunning bird’s eye view photography. Revealing Earth from above, Yann Arthus-Bertrand reveals wonderful symmetry and color. The scenes captured by his camera are fresh because of their unusual angles.
(Images via psfk, atrauger, xarj, smashboxstudios)
Yann Arthus-Bertrand chooses his subjects well, and even his plainest landscape photos are shockingly interesting and colorful. Man-made terrain full of blooming flowers and crops cut into sections create a wonderful template for Yann’s camera.
(Images via animalpicturesarchive, outtheway, smashboxstudios, justpaste, doobybrain)
In addition to being a photographer and journalist, Yann Arthus-Bertrand is an environmentalist. He reveals his love of nature through the glimpses he catches in his work. The Tail fin of a majestic whale is the subject of one photograph, while animal masses and interesting terrain also seem to catch his eye.
(Images via wickp, justpaste, bideford, justpaste, utata, gallery-wallpaper)
Some of Yann Arthus-Bertrand most breathtaking shots are of man-made structures, intricate and beautiful in their symmetry. The cookie cutter buildings featured in many photos are a bit depressing when compared to the sprawling vistas displayed in some of his shots.
(Images via thegoldbrick, mojito, gallery-wallpaper, futura-sciences)
Gorgeous colors and awe inspiring natural views are Yann Arthus-Bertrand forte, as illustrated with these examples. The detail of Yann Arthus-Bertrand’s photography is clear to the last detail.
(Images via arts-wallpapers, bangforchanges, twistedsifter)
Odd and interesting material make Yann’s work endlessly varied and interesting. A skilled photographer with a true eye for natural beauty, Yann Arthus-Bertrand is truly an artist.
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