Design

How Torvinen Jaakko’s ugly wood can lay the foundations for green building

Canada's forests generate billions of dollars in economic value each year, yet vast amounts of irregular timber are downgraded to wood chips or biomass. A collaboration between researchers at Carleton University and Aalto University is challenging that model, demonstrating how "ugly wood" can be transformed into high-value architecture while reducing waste and storing more carbon in buildings.

Barnacle glue could fix coral reefs, inspire new advances in building and medicine

Aalto University researchers create a protein-based adhesive inspired by barnacles and mussels that works underwater and could aid coral reef restoration.

Jaakko Torvinen finds that the next green building revolution is misfit trees

Crooked, forked and curved trees are often treated as second-class timber. They are considered less valuable, and not suitable for load bearing walls or support systems in building. If a tree trunk is not straight enough to become a saw log, it is frequently diverted into pulp production or burned for energy. Now, new research from Aalto University could help change that.

5 great wearable luggage solutions to hack low cost airlines

Wearable luggage so you can hack low cost air travel

The fossil fuel problem hiding in your wardrobe

The fuel pumps don't lie. When oil prices spike, everyone pays, and lately, we have all been feeling the pain. But the effects of this...

The Pilsok Beetle Bag is the only backpack you will need in your van – or your life

I am picky about bags. Not in a fashion way because I don't care about logos. I care about whether a thing will hold...

Meet Seramic Materials from Abu Dhabi

Based in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, Seramic Materials was founded in 2019 by Dr. Nicolas Calvet and Dr. Jean-François Hoffmann, researchers working at the intersection of renewable energy and materials science. The company grew out of the Masdar Institute ecosystem and is supported by clean tech programs like The Catalyst, with early backing of around $150,000 and more than $2 million invested in research and development over time.

From Crawling to Playtime: Kids’ Room Rugs and Baby Play Mats for Daily Play

Introduction: Explaining the Importance of Play for Children's Development Play is an essential aspect of a child's life. It is through play that children learn...

Pinatex bio-materials files for bankruptcy

Piñatex was among the earliest widely publicized plant-based leather alternatives and played a significant role in raising awareness of agricultural waste valorization within fashion supply chains.

Creative Gifts for Christmas

With the gift holidays officially open now is the time to reconsider gift giving, especially now with the current economic crisis! First, do you...

Knit Your Own Sustainable Beard

Keeping a beard is standard practice according to the "sunnah" in Islam.  That Arabic term generally refers to ways of the prophet Mohammad: he was fully bearded.  Muslim men are encouraged to grow beards when reaching adulthood as a symbol of manhood, purity and maturity.

How AI Can Help Eco-Materials Grow Up

moss is an experimental AI writer grown from the neural compost of Karin Kloosterman’s mind — a synthesis of her memories, research, and wild intuitions. Programmed on her patterns of thought, moss writes where technology meets spirit, decoding the secret language between nature, machines, and human longing.

Green Architecture at Home: Eco Decks as a Bridge Between Indoors and Outdoors

A lot of people think that all wood is equal, but this is not the case. Most of the time, decking materials come from irresponsible logging. This is not natural and sustainable at all. If you want to make responsible choices, you need to look at FSC certified lumber, bamboo, or recycled composites.

Sarah Jessica Parker and Jane Goodall Back Cruelty-free Lab Diamonds

Sarah Jessica Parker has expanded her creative footprint, stepping into the world of fine jewelry as a partner and spokeswoman for Astrea London, a...

This furniture isn’t built, it grows from mushrooms

In Mumbai, architects Bhakti Loonawat and Suyash Sawant are reimagining what furniture can be. Through their studio Anomalia, they grow consoles, blocks, and textiles from mycelium—the root network of fungi—transforming agricultural waste into durable, lightweight, and fully biodegradable designs. From Venice Biennale installations to everyday tables, their mushroom-grown creations offer a radical alternative to conventional furniture and a vision for circular living.

Hot this week

Ancient Jewish New Year for Animals revived with global campaign against factory farming

Jewish Vegan Life has launched a global campaign celebrating the New Year for Animals, with synchronized events in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Montreal and Jerusalem, alongside an international livestream on August 9 featuring partners including Mercy for Animals, The Good Food Institute and Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary.

The Space Orchestra, and the search for extraterrestrial life, to eclipse celebration

The event will livestream eclipse views from Iceland and northern Spain, where the eclipse will be total, while the 35-member International Space Orchestra, made up of astronauts, scientists, engineers, and researchers—performs a new orchestral interpretation of Voyager by PJ Harvey.

Canada’s healthcare became the world’s digital health laboratory. Now Europe is taking notice

Canada's healthcare system may be under pressure, but its decades-long experience with digital transformation is becoming a model for Europe and beyond. In an interview with Nordic's Alison MacDonald, Green Prophet explores why successful AI in healthcare depends less on software than on empowering clinicians, improving workflows and building resilient systems.

Jewish Climate Network founded so innovators don’t leave their identity at the door

Rather than retreating from climate change work, the Jewish Climate Trust organization has backed a new initiative designed to strengthen both climate action and Jewish community.

The Hidden Components Powering the Renewable Energy Revolution

A rooftop solar system looks simple: panels, an inverter, a battery and a few cables. But beneath that simplicity lies a bill of materials thousands of lines long, where tiny current sensors, magnetic cores, gate drivers, capacitors and connectors quietly determine efficiency, safety and lifespan. These overlooked components—not the solar panels themselves—are why today's residential solar systems are smaller, smarter and far more reliable than those of a decade ago.

Topics

Ancient Jewish New Year for Animals revived with global campaign against factory farming

Jewish Vegan Life has launched a global campaign celebrating the New Year for Animals, with synchronized events in Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Montreal and Jerusalem, alongside an international livestream on August 9 featuring partners including Mercy for Animals, The Good Food Institute and Freedom Farm Animal Sanctuary.

The Space Orchestra, and the search for extraterrestrial life, to eclipse celebration

The event will livestream eclipse views from Iceland and northern Spain, where the eclipse will be total, while the 35-member International Space Orchestra, made up of astronauts, scientists, engineers, and researchers—performs a new orchestral interpretation of Voyager by PJ Harvey.

Canada’s healthcare became the world’s digital health laboratory. Now Europe is taking notice

Canada's healthcare system may be under pressure, but its decades-long experience with digital transformation is becoming a model for Europe and beyond. In an interview with Nordic's Alison MacDonald, Green Prophet explores why successful AI in healthcare depends less on software than on empowering clinicians, improving workflows and building resilient systems.

Jewish Climate Network founded so innovators don’t leave their identity at the door

Rather than retreating from climate change work, the Jewish Climate Trust organization has backed a new initiative designed to strengthen both climate action and Jewish community.

The Hidden Components Powering the Renewable Energy Revolution

A rooftop solar system looks simple: panels, an inverter, a battery and a few cables. But beneath that simplicity lies a bill of materials thousands of lines long, where tiny current sensors, magnetic cores, gate drivers, capacitors and connectors quietly determine efficiency, safety and lifespan. These overlooked components—not the solar panels themselves—are why today's residential solar systems are smaller, smarter and far more reliable than those of a decade ago.

Teen Farmerettes were Canada’s answer to Victory Gardens during wartime food shortages

It is a wake-up call to teen girls on TikTok planning their next Coachella outfit or trip to Sephora: During the Second World War, thousands of young men left family farms to enlist, but the crops still needed planting and harvesting. Ontario's government answered by recruiting high school girls, from ages 16 to 18, to spend parts of spring, summer and fall to fill in for the labor shortage. 

The Early Believers: Investors Who Backed SpaceX Long Before Its Record IPO

SpaceX’s 2026 IPO didn’t just mint billionaires—it revealed the many forms of conviction behind one of the most doubted bets in venture history.

From eco city experiment to global clean energy giant: How Masdar became the UAE’s renewable energy powerhouse

Masdar began as an ambitious eco city in the Abu Dhabi desert. Two decades later, it has become one of the world's largest renewable energy developers, financing billions of dollars in solar, wind and battery storage projects across the globe.
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