Although luxury boating is pretty closely associated with size, not all sweet yachts are necessarily the biggest. The newest design from Sabdes is a good example of that principle at work. The Sabdes 50M Superyacht may be slightly smaller than it's predecessors but it more than makes up for what it lacks in square footage by having both cutting edge styling and several eco-friendly features. The 50M has increased fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, a specially styled hull that reduces both wave 'slamming' and the wake impact that can disrupt marine life and cause shoreline erosion, and more energy efficient LED lighting. Plus it runs on a hybrid diesel-electric propulsion system that gives it higher cruising speeds than many other similarly sized yachts.
On top of all that it kind of looks like a spaceship. That's always fun.
THe private community of twenty-four homes is spread out over 74 acres with a private lake. The model home is approximately 7,000 square feet of gracious living space with five bedrooms, four baths, a home theater, wine cellar and exercise room.
Windermere is being developed by NRDC Residential, a new division of the National Realty and Development Corporation of Purchase, N.Y., and will be going for LEED certification. The homes will be built to basic LEED standards. Buyers can also opt for a $100,000 geothermal system that uses an electric pump to transfer heat from the soil to the house in the winter, reversing that process in the summer. Other green features include formaldehyde-free kitchen cabinetry, sustainable building materials, low-VOC paint and carpets and smart lighting.
The homes are available in four basic styles meant to mimic the look of an English village and sell for $3.2 million to $4.8 million depending on size. Many question how green houses of this size can actually be. By nature, smaller is generally greener but if people are going to build mega mansions creating ones that are both attractive and more eco-friendly is at least a step in the right direction. Check out the gallery below for a look at the model home.
Froote Jewelry, by designer Elizabeth Moore, is created with the intention of inspiring people to realize both their own inner beauty and how precious our lives are on this planet. The launch of Froote Jewelry will include 3 lines called Calypso, Island, and Tudor, each with individual color and gemstone themes representing inspirations like the South Pacific Islands, femininity, and glamorous tradition. And they're not only gorgeous, but they're all made to be eco-friendly by reusing precious gems, metal scraps, and recycled packaging in production.
Think "eco-friendly home design" and a lot of different options come to mind, but I'm willing to bet fruit pits as flooring isn't one of them.
Alla le Roux feels differently however, and after being inspired by personal experience has started a business (Stone Fruit Floors) that designs and sells handmade flooring created out of peach pits. The pits are sanded down (to get rid of sharp edges and make them more comfortable to walk on) and set into the floor by hand along with glue, sand, and a resin mixture. The end result looks like a strange mix between hardwood, tile, and linoleum.
Interesting... I'm not really sure what else to say about this!
Today is the fourth entry in our month-long series that looks at end-of-the-year gift giving. The Nature Conservancy has some very interesting options for your holiday giving. The charity, which helps protect ecologically important lands and waters for both nature and people, has gift options in a variety of price tiers. For $50,000 you can sponsor a scientific expedition that will bear your recipient's name. For $32,000 you can protect a mile of land in Costa Rica. You can also donate to help to protect coral reefs and sponsor land by the acre in the U.S. The Nature Conservancy has protected more than 117 million acres of land and 5,000 miles of rivers worldwide and they are involved in over 100 marine conservation projects globally. The easiest way to give is to donate a gift membership. The membership will include a Nature Gift Card announcing your present and all membership materials including a Conservancy membership card. This includes the Nature Conservancy magazine and invitations to participate in local events at Nature Conservancy preserves, which can be a fun and educational experience.
Here's a great chance to both do something great for the environment and get something fun to show for it: adopt yourself an olive tree!Nudo, an olive grove in Italy, is offering people the chance to support small scale artisanal farming (instead of the large mechanized operations that damage the earth) by adopting a specific olive tree. And when you adopt an olive tree in the grove for one year not only do you get the satisfaction from the environmental effort, but you also get all the produce from your tree. You'll get a Spring Package with the olive oil from your tree, and then an Autumn Package of more olive oil and some handmade olive oil soap. $130/year.
Do you want to relax and enjoy a lazy summer day, but you can't sit still for worrying about the environment? In the Sling by Ting, you can satisfy your need for relaxation and feel confident that at least at that very moment, you are part of the solution, not the problem. Made from end-of-the-line seat belt webbing that would otherwise end up in a landfill, the sling is as eye-catching as it is environmentally friendly. Designed by Inghua Ting, this durable and weather-resistant hammock is available in six colors, including my favorite - orange. $578.
Michael Iannone's eco-friendly furniture makes use of reclaimed materials and simple modern design. The doors on this stunning armoire are made from Kirie, an engineered product constructed from reclaimed stalks of the Sorghum plant. The stalks are joined together using formaldehyde-free adhesive, creating a strong yet lightweight environmentally friendly substitute for wood.
The striking floral pattern is achieved with an overlay of gloss white laminate that is GREENGUARD certified. The cabinet itself is constructed from birch plywood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, ensuring that it comes from well-managed, sustainable forests.
Inside this gorgeous armoire are three adjustable shelves and two dovetailed drawers. The piece measures 70" high by 40" wide by 22" deep. In the hands of Iannone, green is beautiful. $3995.
Today's condo development is priced lower than many of the developments I have covered in the past but I it is worthy of note for its eco-friendly spin. Eco18, a 93-unit condominium complex is the first building to meet Tier Three status under Chicago's Green Permit Program. The project went beoynd the requirements for the LEED certification, making sure that all aspects of the development including water use during construction, waste carting,building supply shipping methods were eco-friendly.
The building's sustainable design features include an on-site renewable energy system powered by solar panels on the 12th-story roof that will heat water. The home also has geo-thermal ground loops for heating and cooling. There will be a 12,000-sq.-ft. green roof garden on the fourth-floor roof. In the units, the eco-sensitive push continues with dual flush toilets, low-flow showers, low water consumption front-load clothes washers and aerator faucets for reduced water consumption. As befits an eco-friendly building the spaces aren't huge, starting at under 1,000 square feet and topping out at just over 1,500 square feet. Prices in the building start in the mid $200Ks and go up to about in the mid $600Ks for a two-bedroom penthouse.
With global warming becoming such an unavoidably huge issue, pretty much everybody has a soft spot for all things "eco." But that being said, not everybody takes it quite as far as Ted Turner's daughter, Laura Turner Seydel, and her husband did when they decided to built the biggest environmentally friendly home in the United States, the EcoManor.
It wasn't cheaper to build, although with features like recycled water from the showers irrigating the drought-resistant lawn, and rainwater-filled toilets, it will be cheaper to maintain -- 80 to 90 percent cheaper than other homes of similar size in the area. And with beautiful white linen wallpaper (made of recycled newspaper, of course) and natural lighting via solar tubes, the Seydels didn't have to sacrifice any style while they were doing their part to help the environment.
There's noting like a really slick design to inspire some eco-friendly behaviors. In this case, it is the design of the Ecopod Home Recycling Center that is getting us in the mood to be a touch more diligent when it comes to recycling. The pod was designed by BMW Designworks and automatically compacts plastic and aluminum containers.A bin at the bottom collects the newly compact pieces and holds them until they can be redeemed or collected for processing. There are removable bins inside the lid to store glass, paper and other noncompactible items before collection, as well. Price: $328.
