Inhabitat's Week in Green: Civic hybrid gets driven, AT-AT dog costume gets worn
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green.
Incredible feats of green architecture reached for the sky this week as Inhabitat reported that the world's first vertical forest skyscraper is rising in Milan and an outdoor cinema made entirely from refrigerators popped up in London. We also took a look inside a crazy mountain lodge that resembles a hill-like hobbit high-rise and we spotted a Finnish hotel that rents out glass-domed geodesic igloos for viewing the northern lights. We also launched a brand new video that takes an inside look at this year's winning Solar Decathlon homes, we kicked off a contest where you can win one of 25 $600 home energy audits, and we learned that China's coal-powered energy grid negates the green benefits of electric vehicles.
Speaking of green transportation, this week we caught a glimpse of several next-generation electric vehicle technologies as Nissan unveiled a ten minute electric vehicle charger and Chevrolet announced plans to produce a Spark mini EV. We also took Honda's new Civic hybrid for a spin, and we learned that Tesla's new Model S sedan will be powered by highly efficient Panasonic batteries. Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic announced plans to cut its carbon footprint in half by fueling airplanes with waste gas and Germany announced that 100 percent of its trains will run on renewable energy by 2050.
In other news, techy fashion got a jolt of affordability as we spotted an economical LED jacket for night cyclists and runners, and we took a look at the story behind Steve Jobs' iconic black turtlenecks. We also got into the Halloween spirit by bringing you an adorable Star Wars AT-AT costume for dogs, and we showcased a creepy set of "stained glass" windows made from x-rays. Finally, we shined the spotlight on India's solar-powered water ATMs, and we brought you a can't-miss set of tips for recycling e-waste.
