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Gone Building: China's Disappearing Historical Buildings

China’s historical sites are fast disappearing in the face of rapid economic development. There is no room for nostalgia in economic development. At least that’s what’s been happening to China and thousands of its historical…

neoli25 March 2015

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Google’s Brave New Headquarters Hopes to Inspire Urban Communities from Now On

Google’s plans for its North Bayshore headquarters in Mountain View, California were revealed at YouTube last week. The renderings look totally sci-fi, dynamic, and avant-garde. Bjarke Ingels (of BIG) and Thomas Heatherwick (of Heatherwick Studios) are collaborating on the project. …

neoli14 March 2015

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Don't Just Click to Share Under the Dome; Watch It!

Whether that Under the Dome documentary goes offline or stays online, it’s still smoggy in Beijing and most other cities in China. Last Saturday, after a brief yet hugely popular online presence, the environmental documentary Under the Dome, was taken…

neoli10 March 2015

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A Cup of Fair Trade Coffee, Please

We’ve always thought the only complexities of coffee was in its preparation. The finest coffee beans had to be chosen, freshly ground, only the purest water, the right temperature and pressure, etc. There were certain requirements to be carefully met…

neoli6 March 2015

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Green Building and Sustainability Stories: February Roundup

Flow-Hive, the Bee-Friendly Way to Collect Honey Father-and-son team Stuart and Cedar Anderson have devised an ingenious way to collecting honey from beehives, with minimal disruption to the bees. Their invention, the Flow Hive, puts a twist, literally to the bee’s honeycomb structure.…

neoli28 February 2015

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Happy and Green: Green Building and Employee Productivity

The equation is simple: green buildings make for happy, healthy, and consequently, productive workers. At least that’s the hope. When LEED v4 came out, it brought a more reinforced MR (Material + Resources) credit to the scene. Its potent message…

neoli25 February 2015

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Why Sugar Is Bad, Even on Valentine’s Day

This Valentine’s Day, if you truly love your sweetheart, do them a favor and don’t give them milk chocolates. Or a cake. Or cookies. Or any other sweet goodies. As per tradition, Valentine's Day is the perfect excuse for sugar…

neoli13 February 2015

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Biomass Energy Requirements to Become Part of Green Building Standard

Very soon, biomass energy will be included in green building standards. ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers), USGBC (US Green Building Council), and IES (Illuminating Engineering Society) are jointly developing new biomass requirements for inclusion in green…

neoli10 February 2015

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Renewable Energy Takes Over as China’s Coal Industry Slumps Down

The green community is rejoicing this week at the news of China’s slumping coal industry. As many as 6,000 coal mines are set to be shut down in China. Coal output in the country reportedly fell 2.5% in 2014, its…

neoli3 February 2015

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January Story Roundup | From Small Green Living to Bill Gates's OmniProcessor to Hyperloop

For Bill Gates, Waste is Truly a Terrible Thing to Waste The Internet was abuzz earlier this month with news of Bill Gates drinking water freshly filtered from a sewage plant. The image of the multi-billionaire holding a glass of clean water…

neoli31 January 2015