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Here's a great chance to both do something great for the environment and get something fun to show for it: adopt yourself an olive tree!Nudo, an olive grove in Italy, is offering people the chance to support small scale artisanal farming (instead of the large mechanized operations that damage the earth) by adopting a specific olive tree. And when you adopt an olive tree in the grove for one year not only do you get the satisfaction from the environmental effort, but you also get all the produce from your tree. You'll get a Spring Package with the olive oil from your tree, and then an Autumn Package of more olive oil and some handmade olive oil soap. $130/year.
Two of the biggest trends in housing developments right now are buildings with eco-friendly features and residences for the over 55 crowd. Put them both together and you've got Highland Meadows a new luxury development in Weston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe reports that the development will have the high-end features such as Sub-Zero refrigerators and Wolf stoves and options for basement saunas and wine rooms. The development also has a network of pipes and tanks that store rainwater to irrigate the property's landscaping. During a dry season it can be supplemented from on-site wells. Waste water from sinks, bathtubs and toilets are routed into an on-site treatment site and then into a leaching field. The 69 condo units will be priced between $1.6 million and $2 million with seven units earmarked for affordable housing.
Those who have visited St. Andrew's golf course in Scotland may see something familiar in this bench - it was inspired by the Swilken Bridge on the 18th green of that course. Made from reclaimed flooring, the gently curved seating surface sweeps across a 70" long expanse, coming to rest on concrete bases at either end. The bench measures 16.5" wide x 18.5" high and can be used indoors or out. Available in solid walnut or maple, it is from Acronym Designs and sells for $3500.
Leonardo Dicaprio's green leanings are well known. Now it is being rumored that he will be working with the Four Seasons Hotel group to create a green hotel on land he owns in Belize. He is reported to want to start building at the beginning of 2008. The green features haven't been announced. Belize has been in the news recently for a huge new development. DiCaprio wouldn't be the first celeb to open a resort in Belize, director Francis Ford Coppola owns a resort there.
I've already reported on two new LEED certified neighborhood developments, here comes news of a third. Fan Pier in Boston will be a $3 billion development that spreads across nine city blocks and will be home to residential, commercial, hotel and retail space. The Fallon Company recently broke ground on Fan Pier's first office building. It is the second building to be constructed at Fan Pier, following the striking design of the new Institute of Contemporary Art. One Fan Pier Boulevard, will be a new 18-story office building.
Fan Pier's next building will be a 20-story, 175-guestroom luxury hotel with 100 residential units, many with terraces overlooking the harbor. There will be nine new buildings in total as well as public parks and an improved harbor walk. There will also be a 96-slip deep water yacht marina that will be able to host megayachts. The project is expected to completed during the next four years.
What's green about this one? News on that has been slow in coming. There are lots of public parks planned and it will have excellent access to public transportation but while the developers are promising a sustainable neighborhood they have not offered up a lot of specifics to the public yet.
Designed as functional sculpture, Jason Heap has created a stunning table that is hard to take your eyes from. The ribbon-like base is formed from a birch plywood core layered with American Black Walnut veneer. Along the edges of the wood, acrylic paint in your choice of color is added making it custom for your color scheme. The black looks sharp, but a brighter contrast would make the gentle overlapping curves even more hypnotizing. The wood used for this custom-made table comes from sustainable sources and is available in a light or dark veneer. £1,900.00.
There's no denying the green trend but it's fascinating to see how it plays out in the luxury real estate market. This new build is a ,800 square foot, five bedroom, mountain home in Bear Dance just outside of Larkspur,Colorado. The house was designed to have a utility bill costing no more than $350 a month. It may not sound like a big reduction but heating and electricity for a home this size in the winter can run into the thousands. Thehome's energy-efficient features include wrap-around wall insulation, solar thermal panels on the roof that pre-heat all the domestic water and four additional solar electric panels that produce enough electricity to run the homes six refrigerators.
The home was also built green, using recycled, reclaimed and organic materials whenever possible, including the Cultured Logs(TM), log-finish exterior, made from composite material and non-toxic blown-in insulation. The hardwood floors are reclaimed antique hickory, taken from a barn built in Virginia in the late 1800's. All the paints and stains are VOC free and even the vegetation cleared at the homesite was mulched and returned to the land. The home has a media room, wine cellar, game room and exercise area as well as a wet bar and family room. The home is listed at $4.5 million.
And now for something completely different. Kim White's Brown and Cream Large Travel Bag is made from recycled automobile upholstery. This particular fabric came from a 1974 Plymouth Fury and features a subtlety colored pattern that looks a bit like vintage wallpaper. Trimmed in brown leather and accented with gold, it has a large zipper top and two interior pockets. As you might expect from recycled car seats, some of her bags are a bit garish. But I think this one looks soft and feminine. $380.
Check out the gorgeous countertop above. Those bright bits of red glass are actually red lenses from decommissioned traffic lights. Vetrazzo is a company that specializes in countertops made from recycled glass. Each countertop panel is made from 550 pounds of crushed recycled glass from traffic lights, windshields, and beverage bottles (there is even one beautiful cobalt blue countertop made with Skyy vodka bottles). In just this year Vetrazzo transformed over 250 tons of recycled glass into countertops. The company also works green, using a closed-loop water filtration system and working to be 100-percent solar powered by year's end.
The other day I mentioned a LEED neighborhood development project in Florida, now comes news of another LEED neighborhood development project, the $1 billion project in Colorado, Ever Vail. The project at the base of Vail Mountain seeks to become the largest LEED-certified project for resort use in the U.S. The resort will include residences, a hotel, office space, retail shops, restaurants and a public park.
Eco-sensitive measures at Ever Vail will include using woods certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and local area beetle-kill Lodgepole pine trees in building construction, using a geothermal system for snowmelt, using micro-turbines in Gore Creek to power the outdoor streetscape lighting and using reclaimed water from snowmelt for use as water in toilets rather than using drinking water. A "closed-loop" gray water system would also be in place for washing all mountain operations vehicles, such as snowcats and snowmobiles at the site of the new mountain operations maintenance yard. The project will also include affordable housing in the form of studio, one- and two-bedroom units that will range in size from approximately 900 to 1,600 square feet.
Another Napa Valley winery has gone green. Kudos to Havens Wine Cellars which has announced that they have completed their rooftop solar installation and are able to run completely on solar power. The system will save the winery as much as $14,000 a year in energy costs and will reduce the winery's carbon footprint by more than 87,000 pounds of carbon dioxide annually and amount that is equivalent to the carbon captured annually by 12 acres of forest. You can celebrate Havens' commitment to green by ordering their recently released 2006 Albariño, a light and fruity wine with floral scents and intense minerality. it sells for $24.
For many billionaires living lavish is increasingly also meaning living green. The Independent profiles Luciano Benetton and his "green" yacht. Tribu, as shown here photographed by MonacoEye.com, is a 50-meter (164 feet) yacht which is the first private yacht to be awarded a "Green Star" certificate of environmental efficiency. In order to earn the certificate a yacht has to have special equipment for the elimination of waste water and rubbish, the separation of different types of trash and the elimination of emissions that damage the ozone layer. The ship is designed for exploration, to be able to sail everywhere but also be comfortable because Benetton is planning an around the world voyage. The ship also has its luxurious side. The ship, designed by architect Piero Lissoni, is outfitted with Jacuzzis, marble floors, a grand piano and a gourmet kitchen.
South Florida hasn't exactly been the hub of the green movement but an ambitious new project in the city of Plantation might help to change that. A 33-acre development called 321 North seeks to create a new green town center for the city of Plantation. The $350 billion project includes 600 residential units, office space and a revamped shopping mall all within walking distance. A local news station, NBC6, checked out the development which will be created with eco-friendly materials including zinc siding and green screens where plants can grow to create natural shade. On the interior the bamboo and palm wood and products made of recycled materials continue the green theme. The development also is part of a nationwide pilot program to expand LEED beyond individual buildings to creating entire eco-friendly neighborhoods. Construction is expected to begin next year.
Described as both organic and mechanical, this Calliope Luxury Chandelier is beautiful for sure. It's made up of rectangular pieces of artistic rippled glass clipped by 100% recycled aluminum clasps to form a multicolored glittering sphere. Definitely a modern design, even futuristic, although has an certain natural appeal also. Some say it looks like a flower bud about to open, although that wasn't my first thought. Available from Eleek it can be customized in a variety of colors and/or patinas for a truly unique lighting experience. $15,800
Physician-turned-shoe-designer Taryn Rose has a new title, jewelry designer. And what's particularly interesting is that she is creating her line using the cultured diamonds from Gemesis. WWD has an article on Rose's new eco-friendly gestures including her eco-conscious collection of shoes and bags called Taryn Rose Verde. The Taryn Rose limited edition jewelry pieces are priced between $5,000 to $25,000. Most of the designs will be limited to 100 pieces and she has done some individual pieces for customers. Many of the pieces are centered on dome or rose themes, like the one seen here. Rose plans to sell the jewelry at Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue and her signature shops. It's a good move for Gemesis, the fact that a high-end designer has used lab-grown diamonds will help increase their profile with luxury customers who might have otherwise shied away from purchasing non-mined diamonds.
Here's a great chance to both do something great for the environment and get something fun to show for it: adopt yourself an olive tree! Nudo, an olive grove in Italy, is offering people the chance to support small scale artisanal farming (instead of the large mechanized operations that damage the earth) by adopting a specific olive tree. And when you adopt an olive tree in the grove for one year not only do you get the satisfaction from the environmental effort, but you also get all the produce from your tree. You'll get a Spring Package with the olive oil from your tree, and then an Autumn Package of more olive oil and some handmade olive oil soap. $130/year.
