This summer British explorer and environmentalist David de Rothschild will set sail with a crew of scientists from San Francisco to Sydney, covering approximately 12,000 nautical miles. His boat, Plastiki, is a high tech 60 foot research catamaran made from reused plastic bottles and recycled plastics.

Plastiki hosts solar panels and turbines to power it’s electrical needs. There is a hand operated water desalination system to supply fresh water and it uses a nitrogen-extracting waste system that composts waste and kitchen scraps into fertilizer for deposit at ports.

The goal of this expedition is to raise awareness of our ocean’s unsolicited challenge of accommodating our plastic waste, which by some estimates creates an island of debris as large as 600,000 square miles!

The boat is being built at Pier 31 in San Francisco and is scheduled to set sail this August.

Tata Motors, the folks that brought the $2500 Tata Nano to India, are applying their compact designs and petite price-tags to architecture. Tata Housing Development Company is developing affordable apartments between 213 and 465 square feet starting at $7800. The apartment community will include amenities such as a hospital, school, rainwater harvesting, vermiculture, landscaped gardens, playgrounds, a jogging track, and a market place. Located in a suburb of Boisar, this complex embodies community, affordability, and green development.Wow!

The Kul-Kul Bridge over the Ayung River, an iconic symbol of the school

Green School aims to connect learning and creativity in an inquiry based approach to education. The campus is built of sustainable materials (Indonesian bamboo, traditional mud walls, local alang-alang grass) and is cooled/powered by sustainable energy solutions (micro-hydro power, solar power, bio-diesel, and natural air-conditioning).

Find out more about Green School from their website

or read the Green School Classroom Blogs

Mepantigan Center

Children at the Ayung River

photos from Green School’s photo gallery

USS NewYork

Unfortunately in this case we not only recycled the steel but also our attitude towards fear. It would have been nicer to recycle that steel into something useful and compassionate. Like emergency housing for Katrina, perhaps?

via Cool Hunting

Designbox has it’s 7th annual Brand Fandango celebration this season. The show opened First Friday, but DB has extended show hours, open on Saturdays through the 20th from 11a-4p and weekdays thru 19th from 12p-6p. Lots of unique gifts, including one-of-a-kind A.H. Peele tee-shirts made from multiple screens from his designs and commercial work. You may find a PBR logo nestled amongst some trippy flowers, or Willie Nelson’s head sticking out of some of Adams swirly vines! Also find unique and affordable art, beautiful contemporary jewelry, hip apparel, funky bags, hilarious holiday cards and more!

The 16th annual Boylan Artwalk is this Sunday, December 7 from 1p-5p. Over 100 local artists and crafts people display perfect gifts on porches and in homes throughout the neighborhood. Enjoy the walk and then walk away finished with your shopping! Whether you are looking for metal, glass, clay, wood or fiber, it’s all here.

The Rock & Shop Market, a hip urban market featuring emerging designers and live music, is Sunday, December 13 from 1p-5p at Tir Na Nog. Over 30 vendors will be selling jewelry, silkscreen stuff, ornaments, soaps and candles, bags and more – all to the sounds of Whistlestop and The Tender Fruit.

Looking for local music? Check out Holly Raleigh Christmas, a compilation CD of local musicians! The proceeds go to local charities, and the project is sponsored by local businesses, including the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association.

Give more to your favorite local music artist by buying music direct instead of through a big music store. Superfan Records is a record label where the musicians actually get the money! Really? Yes!  Buy the new Kickin Grass CD (art designed by local designers – GAMIL!), Regina Hexaphone or Monologue Bombs!

Here’s a list of other great local places to shop:
Rebus Works: a gallery of NC arts and crafts, as well as framing.
Stitch: Holly Aiken’s wonderful world of bags, now on Hargett St.
Great Outdoor Provision: All the outdoor gear of a big box in a great locally owned store.
Father & Son: Vintage, Kitsch, Mid Century and other buzzwords for your offbeat gift needs.
Stuff Consignment: Taking thrift store to a whole nutha level.
FM Goods: your local source for street wear, sneakers and art with some attitude.
Nofo: locally owned store of eclectic and funky gifts with a cafe for a nice little break.

Also, check out NewRaleigh.com throughout the season. They’re always up to date on events and opportunities. Have Fun!

What’s the definition of an inspiring and fun graphic design project? Designing the CD for a band you know and love!  We’ve had the joy of working with The Kickin’ Grass Band for all 3 of their albums, Backroads, On the Short Rows, and their latest self-titled release.

This project was especially unique because KG moved into some new musical territory, blending Americana-style melodies with Bluegrass instrumentation. We wanted the design to reflect that “rootsy” nostalgic feeling, but mix it with the contemporary personality of the band. The digipak construction we used from Disc Makers gave us the right textural feeling, is cost-effective and is more ecologically sensitive than a standard jewel case.

click image for larger view

Designing the package was also super fun because we got to work with our friends,  Superfan Records. Their description of our work:

“Gamil Design was called in to turn the band’s unconventional vision into cover art that is whimsical-yet-edgy. It’s the perfect calling card for a release that’s anything but ordinary from start to finish.”

NC State’s Centennial Campus will house NSF’s Engineering Research Center for Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management Systems (FREEDM) Systems Center. The center is supported by an initial 5 year $18.5 million grant from NSF with an additional $10 million in institutional support and industry membership fees. This is a global partnership with over 65 utility companies, electrical equipment manufacturers, alternative energy start-ups and other established and emerging firms.

The center will work to develop technology for an energy ‘smart grid’ that stores and distributes energy produced from alternative energy sources such as wind farms, solar panels, fuel cells, and other energy sources.
Found on treehugger.com
Image from FREEDM Center website.