While the green industry and most of the world were looking to Copenhagen for inspiration, New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg was in a helicopter, overlooking Denmark’s offshore windfarm, Horns Rev 2, the largest of its kind in the world to date. Bloomberg has his own offshore windfarm energy project already in motion, and with the Long Island wind project estimated to be operating at 700 megawatts, Horns Rev 2 (operating at 209 megawatts) will be easily replaced as the largest offshore windfarm.

There are two pitfalls to the Long Island project, however: It will easily cost $3 billion to create, and naysayers complain of the eyesore. Mayor Bloomberg, very much the pragmatist, offers the observation that Americans are already used to seeing power lines, gas stations, and energy plants, which could be argued as eyesores. Large wind turbines in the middle of the bay/ocean will most likely be acclimated before complaints could be seen as legitimate. So, the question remains, will the Long Island Project see completion, ushering a new age of green energy into one of the most energy-exhaustive cities on the eastern seaboard?

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Beautiful Earth Group, a New York-based sustainable energy company, has finally made solar powered electric vehicle stations bi-costal. Red Hook, Brooklyn, is home to the first of these powering stations, just a stone’s throw from Beautiful Earth’s offices in downtown Manhattan. The stations is completely modular and off-grid, and is comprised of shipping containers that have been recycled specifically for this purpose.

The station, located in an industrial lot, is powered solely by 235-watt photovoltaic panels. With the amount of commercial electric and plug-in hybrids that will be hitting the market next year, this station is one of only several that will be demanded in New York City. And the station, while it’s primary use is for vehicles, can power a small home and has a battery bank that can store electricity for 24/7 on-demand usage.

In Dezhou, located deep in the Shangdong Province in Northwest China, lies a 75,000 square meter structure in the shape of a fan. The building, which houses a hotel, science research facilities, meeting and training facilities, and exhibition centers, is solely powered by solar energy. The structure, which uses advanced wall and roof practices to achieve a 30% energy savings than the national standard. The building boasts the title of the ‘largest solar-powered building in the world’ and will be the main venue for the Fourth World Solar City Congress.

Vals, Switzerland, is known for their thermal baths and pristine landscape views of the Swiss Alps. Vals is not known, however, for clever underground architecture. But it is in Vals where a breathtaking home was built underground to eliminate destructive processes at land level. Designed by architectural firm SeArch and Christian Muller, the home is accessible by a a steep set of stone steps built into the incline that the home is built in. A central, circular patio is lined with large window openings, which allow for a heavy supply of natural light and impressive views of the Alpine Vista, which sits across the narrow valley. The house has all the comforts of a traditional home, but with added underground travel paths that are reminiscent of military pathways. And since the home lies underground and not on the surface, the architects have drastically reduced the need for air conditioning and heat.

This year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas was home to several electric vehicles, yet the eVaro seems to have garnered the most attention, boasting zero carbon emissions for 90 per cent of the time spent on the road and an impressive mpg of 275.

The three-wheeled plug-in hybrid (which boasts better turning performance than traditional vehicles) can go from 0 – 60 in five seconds and can cruise for 90 miles on battery power alone (it takes the eVaro three hours to fully charge). No word on whether the vehicle will ever see commercial production, but the Auto X Prize (US$10 million) is certainly a boost.

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Pratt Manhattan Gallery, in a show guest curated by Francesca Granata (Parsons School for Design Lecturer) and Sarah Scaturro (adjunct instructor for Fashion Institute of Technology), takes a look at American eco-fashion visionaries — such as Alabama Chanin [above], Uluru, Loomstate, and others.

The goal of the showing, which begins on November 20, is to further push the use of fair labor and sustainable practices within the fashion industry. The main point of view revolves around ‘Reduce, Revalue, Rethink,’ all which culminate in a minimalist and sentimental garment that consumers are more apt to buy and wear long term.

Philadelphia’s 58-floor Comcast building has been awarded the Gold Certification for LEED-CS (core and shell). The obelisk-formed building, which sits right above the Suburban railway station, boasts high performance glass and sunscreens, which helps keep out 60 per cent of the sun’s heat and contains 70 per cent of the site’s available light. The building also boasts high-efficiency water utilities, allowing for 40 per cent less of water consumption than a traditional office building. The building, Gold certified LEED by the architect Robert A.M. Stern, is one of the first, but certainly not the last, skyscraper to get certified.

Paris-based design firm Off Architecture, in collaboration with Duncan Lewis Scape Architecture and Jeans Gincinto, is granting a gift for current and future students of the Lycee Jean Moulin in Revin, France. The Lycee, which will be completed sometime in 2012, is being constructed to sustainable standards, including being built with the flow of the hillside where it resides. The school’s blueprint is a single-floor construction with terraced floors moving up the hill. The roofs of each building is made to resembling the rolling landscape and is flooded with vegetation so that by air, the school nearly disappears. In what promises to be the first of many sustainable lycees in France, the bar is set extremely high.

Deep in the heart of the Dominican Republic lies an unusual bookstore, aptly named Selexyz Dominicanen. It is housed in Maastricht, in the bowels of an ancient church which was constructed in 1294. Since it’s interruption as a church (Napoleon invaded Maastricht in 1794 and forced the loyal parishioners out of the country), this beautiful church has seen use as a parish, warehouse, and most notably (and creatively), a large parking lot for bicycles.

The renovations, which took months to complete, were led by architecture firm Merkx + Girod, and include massive black steel bookshelves that are so high, to reach the top books, one must use a lift or the cleverly manufactured staircase that was built right in. And this church boasts the same comforts as any bookstore — a small cafe (now nestled in the church choir) and tables so one could pursue books — so it’s a wonder why if one lives in Maastricht, you’d shop anywhere else.

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Many fashion-forward but environmentally conscious women have had to forgo the comfort and simplicity of the jellies because of the negative impact the manufacturing has on the planet. But now, with the introduction of the very rare and very comfortable clear jellies from Melissa, a shoe darling of the eco world, we can show off our style and ethics in a shoe that lets us marry comfort and style.

In Brandon Jan Blommaert’s latest exhibition, he takes inspiration from Godzilla and creates large sculptures of robots and monsters from trash that he has salvaged himself and then photoshops a fantasy background behind them. It was all created as a series of public artworks for a Canadian town in Alberta. The main message? We will most likely have to live with the trash we created.

Or in this case, New York and Toronto. It seems that Paris would like to keep up with urban airports, and thus rumors are flying that the City of Lights will build an airport in the middle of the Seine. The photo above is a design by a French architect, with the runway in the middle of the Seine.

Few things are as powerful as activist art. The remake of the 1982 wheatfield planted in downtown New York City by the artist Agnes Denes solidifies that idea. A French artist collective have reinterpreted the work she did in New York, only this time uprooting wheat from Lancashire and moved to a derelict site in Dalston.

The wheatfield is accompanied by a windmill that powers two public that will make bread, which will then be used as currency in town. This exhibit was created as a part of the Radical Nature show at the Barbican, and it is one of the most interesting exhibitions this year. The move to Dalston is an important one, as the UK has a curious mix of Brits, Turkish and Caribbean folk all living in the same community. It is meant as a lingering thought to how we produce food now, and how we relate to others as a species.

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But don’t worry, the new hybrids — made by European favorite Volvo — will retain the very British red color for which they are well known for. The new B5L operate with a hybrid drivetrain, which allows the bus to stay in electric mode up to twelve mph. After that, the B5Ls will operate in diesel, which will cut fuel consumption by 25 percent while reducing gas emissions and noise. And while only six of these highly efficient vehicles are currently in service in London, it’s all part of a trial run. If all goes well, more of the B5Ls will be hitting the streets within the next couple of years, making the delightful city more of a delight.

The United States Postal Service is known to harbor one of the largest vehicle fleets on the planet, with over 220,000 vans in use. Of the fleet, currently 43,000 vehicles use alternative-fuel. Now the USPS has announced plans to replace aging vans with 900 hybrids and 1,000 alternative fuel vehicles.

The plan, put in place and paid for by the U.S. General Services Administration, is part of a larger $210 million measure to green the government’s fleet of vehicles. The USPS is also putting into place measures that will cut petroleum use by 20 percent in the next five years, and will create room for thousands more vehicles that are alternative fuel.

The US Government has recently authorized a bill that allows eligible countries to trade debt for forest conservation pledges. Indonesia is one of the first to take advantage of the program, having the total of their US$30 million forgiven in exchange for conservation. This is the largest agreement for conservation ever reached. The agreement mandates that Indonesia put forward US$30 million over the next eight years into a trust fund for forest conservation and restoration work. The work could not come at a better time, as the Sumatran rainforest have been depleted by about ninety per cent, due to logging and clearing for agriculture.

Philippe Starck, the famous interior and furniture designer, is a mess of contradictions as of late. Famously stating that ‘Design is Dead’ and announcing his retirement from design, he went on to launch an eco line of mini wind turbines. Now Starck, who admittedly never left the design world, has made another faux-pax while incredulously stating in Florence at the launch of his new eco-conscious line that he ‘will never be idiotic enough to do fashion’. 

Indeed, the man who created the Louis ghost chair and has been the sole designer of many posh hotels, is doing fashion, whether it is a direct admission or not. Starck, who has partnered with Ballantyne — the luxury cashmere makers — has made the foray into non-fashion fashion with an impeccable line of tailored cloaks and jackets, all made, he claims, to stand the test of time. Each piece is made for modularity and minimalist needs, with hidden pockets and takeaway waistcoats. And while he continues to deny his involvement in the industry, fashion is more than willing to bring in the legendary designer into the fold.

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TYIN Tegnestue, a humanitarian design organization from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, are the planners of Soe Ker Tie, the aptly named Butterfly Homes that sit in the village of Noh Bo, on the Thai-Burmese border. The bamboo built homes, completely assembled on site with sustainability in mind, was the brainchild of architecture students who were made aware of the lack of space for Karen refugee children living in Noh Bo.

Each home provides room for six children, and was designed with a growing child’s needs in mind. Everything from the bamboo that was woven to make the homes to the roofs of the homes themselves are efficient — the roofs collect water and there are areas around the homes to collect and keep water. The houses themselves were raised on reclaimed tire foundations to avoid flood disasters. And while the organization keeps humble on their endeavor, there is hope that more Butterfly Homes will find themselves around the world.

Mass Studies, a Korean architecture design firm, constructed the Air Forest for Denver’s annual Dialog:City, a meeting of minds to create interactive products for urban areas. The Air Forest is made to work with, and not against, its environment, allowing for wind, weather, and the sun to shift it. The easy set-up (all that is required to do is set the anchors) and interactive light display inside the 35 hexagonal pillars allows for shade, visual texture, and a mimicry of the surrounding environment. And because it’s not a permanent adjustment, we may well see the Air Forest at concerts and festivals in the years to come.

Kent and London, darlings of the sustainable design world, have come up with an adorable concept. Their FSC-certified chest of drawers is perfect in a bedroom or a play room, and each letter, patterned after vintage printing blocks, has its own drawer. The design house, which currently has a shop in Whitstable Harbour, Kent, prides itself on custom-ordered work and their ability to do ethical business.