Creatureama: Recycled Styrofoam Robots Invade Germany's Streets Darmstadt, Germany was invaded by giant robots this summer - but happily they turned out to be friendly. Designed by Terraform One, the Archibots are made from recycled styrofoam that was once used to package the high-tech products we love. The group's Creaturama project calls us to re-examine the objects we throw away by populating an urban environment with an upcycled population of automated figures made from salvaged components. Mitchell Joachim and his team at Terraform 1 are provocateurs of the built environment that excel at dreaming up new ways of building and getting around. Their recycled Creatureama installation explores the materiality of our world and ways that waste can be repurposed as raw material for our future needs. The environmental impact of waste and its transformation into something better is a predominant theme in Terraform 1’s work. + Terreform 1 Lead Photo Peter Kratzert
Butterfly Butterfly flying around a flower Etymology The name is derived from Middle English buterflie, butturflye, boterflye, from Old English butorflēoge, buttorflēoge, buterflēoge, perhaps a compound of butor (beater), mutation of bēatan (to beat), and flēoge (fly).[2] Life cycle Mating Common Buckeye Butterflies The face of a Dryas iulia, more commonly known as a Julia butterfly. Butterflies in their adult stage can live from a week to nearly a year depending on the species. Butterflies may have one or more broods per year. Eggs Butterfly eggs are protected by a hard-ridged outer layer of shell, called the chorion. Butterfly eggs are fixed to a leaf with a special glue which hardens rapidly. Eggs are almost invariably laid on plants. The egg stage lasts a few weeks in most butterflies but eggs laid close to winter, especially in temperate regions, go through a diapause (resting) stage, and the hatching may take place only in spring. Caterpillars Wing development Last instar wing disk, Junonia coenia
Artist Tom Shelton Turns Scavenged Metal Scraps into Adorable Sculptures Tom Shelton is a self-taught artist who works mainly with found objects. Shelton has spent years cultivating his art through sculpture, with special attention given to fashioning these cute little creatures from everything ranging from teapots to forks to candlestick holders. His assemblage is done mostly with nuts and bolts, giving a lasting structure to his piece, and his inspiration comes from the natural distress of the materials he uses, as well as the cyclic patterns found in nature. + What the Folk Art The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Raccoon The raccoon ( Though previously thought to be solitary, there is now evidence that raccoons engage in gender-specific social behavior. Related females often share a common area, while unrelated males live together in groups of up to four animals to maintain their positions against foreign males during the mating season, and other potential invaders. Etymology The mask of a raccoon is often interrupted by a brown-black streak that extends from forehead to nose.[8] The word "raccoon" was adopted into English from the native Powhatan term, as used in the Virginia Colony. Similarly, Spanish colonists adopted the Spanish word mapache from the Nahuatl mapachitli of the Aztecs, meaning "[the] one who takes everything in its hands".[11] In many languages, the raccoon is named for its characteristic dousing behavior in conjunction with that language's term for bear, for example Waschbär in German, orsetto lavatore in Italian, mosómedve in Hungarian and araiguma (アライグマ) in Japanese. Taxonomy Track
Sarah Turner’s Recycled Bottle Family Lights Up Nottingham Sarah Turner‘s glowing recycled bottle folks took a “stroll” around Nottingham last week, proving that recycling is a family affair! The luminous parent, children and dog were all constructed from the artist’s favorite medium - recycled plastic bottles – and they delighted kids and adults alike. See photos of Turner’s charming installation ahead! Contact-Poisonous Plants of the World Introduction Touching certain plants can be dangerous. Many plants are highly poisonous when ingested, this is common knowledge. It is remarkable, however, that simply touching certain plant species can also be a serious health hazard. The infamous Stinging Nettles are rather harmless in this respect, but there are much more dangerous contact-poisonous plants in many parts of the world, especially in the tropics. This document wants to give a concise overview of all contact-poisonous plants that may be of interest for travellers. Information about this interesting subject is usually hard to find, as it is scattered across many different sources like scientific works about dermatology or botany, regional field guides, travel literature, and magazines. Latest update: 25 October 2012 (Gympie reviewed). Contents Active PrinciplesEffects and TreatmentGeographical DistributionGuide to Contact-Poisonous Plants of the WorldReferenceIndex Active Principles Mechanical (not subject of this document).
Non-Trashy Recycled and Trash Art Artists are usually ahead of the curve when it comes to being green. The artists featured here exclusively use recycled and/or trash to make pieces of contemporary art. These artists practice the art of “upcycling”, or literally turning everyday trash into creative treasures. While Andy Warhol may have made the idea popular with his famous Campbell’s soup can exhibit, today’s trash artists bring more of an eco street cred to their art. Some create compositions from recycled plastic bag or themed works for art galleries, while others create entire theme parks with trash, and even furniture from recycled materials. There seems to be no end to what kind of art you can create with the most cost-effective medium available; trash. Tim Nobel & Sue Webster Tim and Sue met while they were studying Fine Arts in University together. Vik Muniz The author arranges all of the pieces carefully, photographs the collages, and then destroys them so that they only exist as photographs. Bernard Pras David Mach
Nature Magnified DIY : Ecofriend : Ecofriend - Promoting eco friendly lifestyle to save the environment Eco friendly gardening tips Eco-friendly gardening is an easy way to grow a garden and be sensitive to the environment and wildlife around you as well. Here are eco-friendly gardening tips. Read more... Categories: DIY Tags: around, chemicals, Companion, creativity, dispose, Eco Friendly, essential, featured, gardening tips, lacewings, multiply, options, planting, plants, sensitive, Top Five easy and effective DIY greenhouse structures Want to build your own exclusive greenhouse but running out of idea? Read more... Categories: DIY Tags: $50, advantage, antique, creative, economical, effective, fasten, featured, greenhouse, Movable, Plastic Bottle, predict, project, replace, Storm Door, structures, Top, weather, Window Five simple ways to conserve the battery on your tablet computer While using multiple features on your computing devices or tablets, there is a quick drain of your device’s battery. Read more... Steps to make a compost bin from wood pallets Read more... Read more... Read more...