Hawaii Farmers Market on Oahu

One of the most refreshing and visually interesting activities in Honolulu is a morning visit to the local farmers market.  Offered several days per week in various locations around town, the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation sponsored Farmers Market is a feast for all the senses.   On Saturday Mornings in Honolulu just around the back side of Diamond Head at Kapiolani Community College the market is a fantastic way to start the weekend. Work up an appetite with a run along Diamond Head Road and take in the early morning surf action at Light House, a popular local surf spot at the base of Diamond Head. Then head on around to the Farmers Market.  The Culinary Institute of the Pacific has some great chefs on hand cooking up a broad assortment of good eats for Breakfast or Lunch.  From 'Plate Lunch Specials' to gourmet delicacies, there is something for every taste.  .After you've sated your hunger pangs, shop for organic veggies and beautiful flowers to help you prepare for your 'cocktails and pupu' partry or to dress up your dinner table.  This farmers market is also co-sponsored by both the Department of Agriculture and the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, so you are certain of discovering unique and unusual preparations of fresh, green and sustainable foods.  

Beautiful Sun ripened fruits await you ....delicious gourmet foods.

Plate Lunch heaven, your gourmet choices are all extraordinary

Cooked to your liking, or prepped for you to take home and cook later, 

it is literally a 'one stop' shop.

Fresh cut flowers or blooming orchids......exotic, colorful and this is every week!

Check out the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, a group founded in 1950 that includes over 22oo island farmers and supports sustainable farming and local produce growers throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Their website features each weeks schedule and vendor information as well as information on the other Famers Markets on Oahu and on the neighbor islands throughout the week.  This is one weekly event not to be missed!

Japan and Russia Issue Tsunami Warnings Live Coverage

Live Streaming from Japan

Hawaii Five-0 NOT The Time to Go to Luxury Row - Hawaii Tsunami has Caused Evacuation of Kalakaua Ave in Honolulu

        

Kalakaua Ave and Don the Beachcomber 1957

Heres a Link to our Earlier Post on Luxury Row..

Kalakaua Ave Now.

Courtesy Sail World

Hawaii Tsunami Information and Live Stream Coverage

NOAA Inundation Zone Map.

View of a Tsunami - Hawaii - Oahu - Evacuation Map and Live Streaming Coverage

We are in the  Evacuation Zone or Inundation Zone on Oahu for the oncoming Tsunami after the 8.8 Magnitude Earthquake off Chile.Our Home on Oahu on Black Point in Honolulu will have a view of the  magnitude of the Tsunami. This view faces southeast, the direction of the oncoming Tsunami. Fortunately the house is on high enough ground.

 Can you imagine being in this pool during the impact of the Tsunami? This picture is on a normal day with normal wave action and tides.

This You Tube Video represents a "modeling" of a potentially devastating Tsunami in Honolulu.

Click Here for Live Streaming Coverage of the Hawaii Tsunami Warning
Here is a Link to The Pacific Disaster Center

Hawaii Tsunami Warning Live coverage

This YouTube link is theoretical "What if" the Ultimate Tsunami Hit Hawaii



Watch Live Coverage of the Hawaii Tsunami now

Modernist Dollhouse with Education for Kids on Eco-friendly Living

Im not sure if I want to put this on my wish list or my daughter's wish list either way, the Emerson modernist dollhouse by Brinca Dada just unveiled at the New York City Toy Fair is a dream.  The whole family will want to get involved in decorating and pretend living in this house.

Not only is it modern, open and clean...its "green!" Its features include six rooms with a large open floor plan, floor to ceiling windows, mitered-glass corners, two fireplaces, sliding glass doors AND solar panels, recessed LED lights, and non-toxic lead-free wood stain and paints.

Brinca Dada's Emerson dollhouse is designed by architect Tim Boyle and is inspired by Neutra's Kaufmann Desert House.  

 What's more?  Its actually affordable ($299) and built for playing as compared with others of it's type such as Sirch's Villa Sibi ($850)

While on the topic, another great dollhouse that has many amenities to help educate your children about the importance of "living green" via play themes is the Plan Toys Green Dollhouse.  It features a solar cell panel with electrical inverter for generating electricity, a rain barrel for collecting rain and recycle bins.  A vegetable garden can also be purchased separately.

Post Author for Globally Gorgeous:

Tamara Wallop

Gorgeous and Green Airport Design

There are a few notable airports around the world who have incoorperated responsible sustainable or green measures in the building or remodeling of their airports.  Beijing installed skylights to reduce need for electricity and faces the southeast to let in the heat of the early morning sun.  Boston has 20 wind turbines that crank out 100,000 kilowatt hours per year meeting 2 percent of electricity needs.  It is the first LEED Certified airport terminal featuring a heat reflecting roof, waterless urinals and storm water filtration.  Toronto is home to 29 Raptors that scare away intruding flocks of birds the natural way.  They have hybrid handling vehicles and an on site composting program.  Vancouver uses 2 Border Collies with Managing officers to scour the 3200 acre grounds for unwanted critters and uses a solar powered heating system.

Visual elements are not spared in the process of incorporating consideration of the environment in most of these designs.  Madrid's airport, below, is a fine example of this.  As greenarki notes, Architects, Richard Rogers Partnership with Estudio Lamela took pains to make Madrid's new airports passenger and baggage terminals as environmentally friendly as possible, orienting them in a north-south direction and using passive design features to reduce the need for energy intensive heating and cooling as much as possible.  Note the dramatic use of eco friendly bamboo in the ceiling design.

We are proud to report that our hometown airport in Santa Barbara, CA is working on a remodel that will incorporate the general goals of LEED and will become one of the greenest airport designs in the US.

 SBA Eco Friendly concepts will include:

*Water efficient landscaping

*Innovative waste water technologies

*Water conserving fixtures that maximize water efficiency within the buildings

*Alternative transportation such as an additional bus line, secure bicycle racks, and preferred parking   for carpools, vanpools and a percentage of fuel efficient vehicles

*Energy efficient buildings

*A high ratio of open space to the development footprint to promote Biodiversity

*Photovoltaic systems and other strategies to increase levels of on-site renewable energy

*Building products that incorporate recycled content materials

*Wood based materials that are certified as coming from sustainably-managed forests

*Introduction of daylight and views through a combination of skylights and high windows

*Ventilation systems that enhance air quality performance

Possibly the most environmentally conscious airport in the world will be featured at Zurich.  Enroute profiles the plan to use geothermal energy, solar cells, utilizing rainwater for toilet flushing and an on-site compressed natural gas station..  Even more, awaiting passengers will be able to observe the airports adjoining "safe habitat for over 50 species of flora and fauna".  Imagine bike paths, bunnies and beaver colonies.  One kilometer swath of land nestled in between the two main runways.

Architects are Riken Yamamoto and Field Shop and work is slated to begin in 2012 and be completed by 2016.

Post Author for Globally Gorgeous:

Tamara Wallop

Greener Gadget Awards 2010

The Green Gadget awards are taking place February 25 at the Greener Gadget Conference.  Tackling all issues surrounding energy efficiency and sustainable design, innovative packaging and product manufacturing to end of life manufacturing solutions.  It highlights ways electricity makes a major impact by utalizing renewable energy. 

      Photo Courtesy Popsci

One of the finalists is the Orange Power Solar Powered Tent.  It will charge your cell phone and computer so you can stay connected even in the wildest of locations and glows orange so you can find your way home in the dark.  Brilliant!

Voting is unfortunately closed but take a look at all the finalists and start imagining thier use in making your ecological footprint lighter or if you are the entrepreneurial type, you may want to set a deadline for your invention and enter next years contest.

Post Author for Globally Gorgeous:
Tamara Wallop

Super Green Super Yacht - Sustainable Luxury Yachting...Hmmm

This eco-vessel will harness the power of the sun and the wind thanks to a collaboration with the state-of-the-art technology firm, Solar Sailor Ltd. of Australia. Solar Sailor's proven technology, (which is currently used in commercial vessels) provides this stunning yacht the ability to be emission-free, running up to 8 knots on solar energy alone. This has numerous advantages, not least providing significantly reduced running costs.

Alastair Callender is an award-winning design graduate, who has taken the Superyacht world by storm with his aesthetically beautiful "Super-Green Superyacht" design, called Soliloquy. This man's passion for yacht design and for a sustainable planet has resulted in a new futuristic and innovative design for a superyacht.

      

Soliloquy's Designer of the progressive UK firm Callender Designs,  has announced that he has been invited to display his model and designs of Soliloquy, throughout the Abu Dhabi Yacht Show this week.

See Also: Solar Sailor , Abu Dhabi Yacht Show 2010, 

HOW BIG IS YOUR FOOTPRINT?

Ten years ago, you rarely heard anything about carbon offsetting or reducing ones carbon footprint.  At the risk of sounding ‘preachy’, I am sorting through our own actions on how to improve how we live and was shocked at how badly we are really doing.  Simply put, we are now painfully aware, thanks to some great filmmakers and our own eyes being opened, that we are doing our very best every day to ruin our planet.  Not intentionally, of course, but as a result of choices.  We often chose food in prepackaged containers for convenience at the grocery store, its easier, its pre-washed, I do this all the time. We opt to drive places rather than take other means of transportation, all for convenience.  It is frankly embarrassing when you think that even though we recycle and are eco-conscious people, we are a wasteful group.

Our responsibility has increased to be better shepherds of our environment, because we know now what we are doing.  Take this simple quiz sponsored by the Nature Conservancy, and see where you stack up.  It is shocking, but a real eye opener!

Green Globetrotting on the Rise

Globetrotters are paying more attention to where they spend tourism funds these days. People are choosing sustainable hotels, restaurants and transportation. According to Sustainable Travel International, 58.5 million Americans say they will pay more to use a travel company that strives to preserve and protect the environment.  LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainabilty) estimates that ecotourism, inluding eco travel networks and green tourism are estimated to be a $77 billion market.  

Photo:IMOCOM via Perifil
IMOCOM presented its latest project in Argentina, a Hilton branded hotel in Bariloche (Patagonia) that was introduced as "eco friendly". According to the company's CEO, Hugo Canessa, the broad term refers to the hotel layout, which will blend with the mountain it's located in to reduce visual impact, and the fact that during the building process and later in its operational phase, the hotel will have efficient use of energy and water and "proper management of soil and drainage" and feature a green roof that will integrate with the mountains colors throught he seasons.

According to the Observer, architects in London are developing the worlds first "zero-carbon" five star resort.  Each of it's 35 villas will be totally self sufficient and use only the energy from sun and wind, producing little waste for carbon emmissions.  Its location, however, will be thousands of fuel- guzzeling miles away in Nungwi, Zanzibar.

So.. how green are the airlines?  According to Seat Guru, Virgin atlantic, Southwest, Jet Blue and Continental are amoung the most committed.  The most fuel efficient planes include the Airbus A319, Boeing 787 Dreamliner or the Bombarder CSeries.  The MD-80's and MD-82's last a very long time thus lending to less landfill but still lacking in efficiency.  Bio fuels have been tested but look to be a decade away from being a widely used alternative.

Meanwhile travelers are encouraged to take steps such like flying direct whenever possible, buying carbon credits when you fly, and doing research to pick the greenest airline you can find.  Flying still has the most impact on your carbon footprint so choosing wisely can make great impact. One should be skeptic when making ecological travel choices and find out if "green" is truely "green" and being "green" doesn't just mean resorts only wash towels and sheets every other day.

Post Author for Globally Gorgeous:
Tamara Wallop

Modernizing A Piece of California History: Before and After in this Hollywood Regency Style Estate

A lot of people have asked us what the East Mountain Drive Hollywood Regency Estate looked liked before we got our hands on it. We collated a few photos here to show you the dramatic way that we blended this authentic mid century style with current technology and more environmentally sustainable ideas 21st Century design.

The pictures above represent the Living Room shot from the exact same location. If you look closely at the center of each photo you will see that we moved the fireplace and expanded the window wall to take advantage of the Spectacular view. We selected the fireplace mantel in London at Chesneys. The Chandelier is Murano Glass from Donghia. The coffee table is Vintage Charles Hollis Jones. The Sconces are peridod "Dorothy Draper in style and from the Palm Springs modernism show. The sconces were literally the first thing we purchased for the house. The Mirror is  a Vintage Donghia Furniture piece. We purchased the mirror at a gallery in Los Angeles, but is was designed in the time that I worked in Angelo Donghia's Design Office in New York before he died in 1985. We used Farrow and Ball paints throughout the residence. I am very happy that F & B is now using producing Low VOC paints and papers.

The Dining Room after we opened the window wall with Hopes Doors. We designed a wonderful waterfall and fire place that spans the water pool The draper fabric is Bergamo. Again, a grey colored hand blown Murano Glass Chandelier from Donghia and Farrow & Ball wall paper. The Dining Table is mid century Harvey Probber, vintage Dining Chairs upholstered in Bergamo Silk Velvet and a vintage Regency style Bar Cabinet.