Design & Architecture

Photos: Mati Karmin

If you're into the steampunk aesthetic, these inventive furniture pieces made out of naval mines may be just the ticket for you. Created by esteemed Estonian sculptor Mati Karmin, the sea mines are found off the coast of Estonia and transformed into eye-catching swings, charcoal grills, aquariums and armchairs.

TH Exclusives

Photo: Frédéric Soltan / Corbis (via Time)

Rising like an monument to immoderation, the world's biggest monster home has finally been completed in Mumbai, India. Built by the world's fourth richest man, Mukesh Ambani to the tune of $1 billion, the gargantuan 27-storey high-rise will be inhabited only by Ambani and his family -- in addition to a corporate facility. Nicknamed "Antilia" after a mythical island, TreeHugger Lloyd also called it one of the dumbest so-called 'green' buildings ever. No wonder too -- despite this behemoth boasting vertical gardens, according to Time the rest of the building is positively excessive:

Travel & Nature

Zion National Park. Photo: Rene Schwietzke / Creative Commons.

With many roads closed today for a marathon cutting through the city, parts of Istanbul were wonderfully -- if eerily -- quiet and peaceful. Though I've become accustomed to the constant drone of urban noise, its occasional absence reminds me just how much sound is a key, if little-considered, aspect of how we experience places, whether natural or developed. For just that reason, a landmark program is under way in Utah to preserve how a popular national park sounds.

Travel & Nature

A screenshot from the Pot Plant Owl's webcam, via Africam.com.

In August 2009, Allan and Tracy Eccles woke up to find a spotted eagle owl sitting in a potted plant on their balcony in suburban Johannesburg, South Africa. Thus began the saga of Pot Plant Owl, who still nests there, with her mate, and is currently raising her second brood of chicks. The owls' story has turned into a veritable franchise, including a blog, a live streaming webcam, and a book (which runs at about $50). Once you get past the silliness of the whole thing, the story is quite inspiring, and it's impossible not to root for the winged family.

Travel & Nature

Image: icelight, (cc)

Ears are amazing. They help you keep balance, turn a newborn's face towards its mother's voice, and alert us to escape danger. Increasingly, these wondrous organs are the target of new frontiers in environmental protection. Human irritation from jet engines, lawn mowers, and wind turbines, much less SunChips' loud, crinkly bioplastic bags, stands as a reminder of the importance of the aural environment. Research seeking to understand the impacts of noise pollution in the marine environment document threats to whales and fish. But researchers studying squid hearing hope to learn even more. Can studying squid hearing help us understand how all ears work?

Fashion & Beauty

Photo: Fiesty Elle

As a fan of vintage costume jewelry, my earlobes and neck have endured the weight of heavy accessories. As an alternative, Fiesty Elle jewelry offers light-as-a-feather jewelry made with merino wool and bamboo ply. The newest addition to their collection of eco-friendly accessories is the Fiesty Elle feather necklace, pictured above.

Business & Politics

photo via RAN

Environmental groups and community members have been warning about Arch Coal's proposed Spruce No. 1 Mine in Logan County, West Virginia, saying that the mine, among the nation's largest proposed mountaintop removal site, would devastate the area around it. Apparently, the EPA is listening, and yesterday it made an announcement that a federal regulator recommended weeks ago to revoke the mine's permit.

Cars & Transportation

All images credit Lloyd Alter unless noted

Both of the leading candidates for Mayor of Toronto want to cut back on spending and rip up bike lanes on main streets. The leader, Rob Ford, says "I can't support bike lanes. Roads are built for buses, cars, and trucks. My heart bleeds when someone gets killed, but it's their own fault at the end of the day." So who knows how long Toronto's first bike boxes will last before someone complains that ten feet of road has been taken away from cars. But some carry on; that's cycling activist Yvonne Bambrick handing out postcards to drivers, explaining how the bike boxes work.