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Can you believe that more than one out of six people do not have access to safe drinking water?  In times like this its important to stress the aspect that not everyone has that basic yet much needed life necessity.

French designers have created a buiding that resembles a series of bubbles blown by the most eccentric kid in your class stacked on top of each other - that a good thing. It is truly a work of imagination, genius art and stunning engineering.   They call it Freshwater Skyscraper, and boasts space-bound design principles which can meet the needs of crowded communities around the world. They figured that by working slightly outside ordinary building principles and focusing on the countryside for their imagined creation, designers  will be able to target the increasing problem of the 21st Century clean water.

Freshwater Skyscraper will target the issues of increasing water scarcity through transpiration. Unlike a mechanical process, transpiration occurs when plants “sweat” clean water through their leaves. They plant these amazing bubble shaped tanks that transfers and delivers water in a clean form. There is a huge anticipation of collecting as much as 8,000 - 10,000 gallons per tower along with irrigating a one-hectare field of tomatoes per day. In seeking a site for their Freshwater Skyscraper, designers looked at Almeria Province in Spain, on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea – the location where most of the fruits and vegetables destined for European markets are grown.

The Waldorf Earthship Project's goal is to give people the ability to create sustenance for themselves, and in doing so, create employment, jobs and empower their communities.  Imgine having a plot of land and you build a housing structure with only local sustainable products from old tires,plastic bottles to whatever is clever to make it work.   In their latest project Sierra Leone Schools were newly built and created an atsmophere that promoted growth and empowerment.  They are extremely active in creating permanent, sustainable structures along with community built sewage treatment facilities that clean their own water.

With the help of the Waldorf Earthship Project,growing amount of communities have built these structures and are already putting them to use.  The beauty of this concept is that it can be done anywhere.  The objective is to build sustainable structures all over the world and educate local populations with the simplicity and need of the project. Seeing local use of products and replications of these buildings and filtration systems is a visual benchmark of World progress. For its very important for people worldwide to become less dependent on products that are harmful to our environment. Click here to learn more on how you can get invloved in creating your own cool sustainable structures.

Crossposted from my travel blog.

In the garden of dead flowers, the elderly farmer told me of the flood that ruined his livelihood-- yet somehow, he was smiling.

All around us, brown orchids rotted in the debris left from late last year, when the worst floods in half a century ravaged Thailand. Nearly 400 people died, millions were displaced, and two thirds of the country was inundated by October. This canal community near Bangkok, where small boats connect wooden stilt houses, was especially devastated: old sandbags are everywhere, and on many buildings one can see the telltale watermark, a blurred brown reminder of how dire the deluge had been.

This orchid farmer, and scores of Thais who fled the rising waters, know that climate change is real. They’re already feeling the effects.

I get so excited when I come across cool gadgets that make me smile like a little kid. This time I was on the hunt for some eco -friendly products that would make my trips progressive while keeping my carbon inprint on the world to the minimum.   If you're a beach bum or travel junkie like me these speakers are perfect for those chillout days.  While being completely made from recycled cardboard, along with being a perfect 3.25-inch size cube,It will allow you to quake your music by siphoning power from your choice of MP3 player or audio device.  If that doesnt grab your attention perhaps the fact that they are incredibly lightweight, portable and you can color them yourself for less than $15 bucks makes it a no brainer and must cop.  click here for more info