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NATURAL BUILDING MATERIALS
In 2021, Berkeley Lab made a roof coating that switches at 67°C. Today, it beats existing coatings in 12 of 15 US climate zones, cutting household electricity use 10%Installing TARC could help the average U.S. household reduce electricity consumption by up to 10 percent annually. Another advantage of TAR...- In 1991, Curitiba began exchanging recyclables for bus tokens and food. 35 years later, the city recycles 70% of its waste while creating jobs and supporting familiesIn Curitiba, Brazil, residents can exchange recyclable waste for fresh food. Other cities have found different uses for what people throw a...
- ‘My 3 startups failed in India, US one didn’t’: Here’s why NRI founder says all three shut downNRI entrepreneur Aniruddha Anjana says three businesses he launched in India after returning from 10 years in the US failed amid unpaid cus...
- No concrete, only boulders: Just 2 hours from Bengaluru, this 2,400 sq ft forest farmstay is built with natural stone, mud blocks, wood and clayNestled in Shoolagiri, this extraordinary farmstay near Bengaluru seamlessly incorporates natural boulders into its design, promoting an ec...
- Science says sand isn’t always made from rocks: Some beaches are built from the remains of living thingsThe next time you stroll along a white tropical beach, remember that the sand beneath your feet may have a far more complex origin than ero...
- Milind Soman grows pumpkins, cucumbers and other vegetables in his greenhouse. He shares how to build a small greenhouse at homeDuring the 2020 lockdown, actor Milind Soman and his wife Ankita Konwar started growing their own vegetables at home. They also built a sma...
- In 2014, East Bay Regional Park District began restoring Dotson Family Marsh, creating channels that reconnected it to the San Francisco Bay. 6 years later, tidal wetlands had returnedHistory of Dotson Family Marsh helps explain why its recovery matters. The broader 150-acre property was acquired by the East Bay Regional ...
- What looks like a normal Canadian home is actually made from 612,000 plastic bottlesTwo Canadian brothers have turned an astonishing 612,000 discarded plastic bottles into a concept home in Meteghan, Nova Scotia. Their comp...
- Two Canadian builders turned 612,000 plastic bottles into 2,000-sq-ft home in Nova Scotia; its panels were so strong they withstood sustained winds of 326 mph, twice the strength of Category 5 hurricaneCanadian builders transformed more than 600,000 plastic bottles into a house. The recycled PET was processed into foam and used to make str...
- Houston lawyer buys $15.5 million, 15,000-sq-ft mansion just to demolish it; plans to donate $4 million worth of luxury materials & turn the land into a garden; here’s whyIn River Oaks, Houston lawyer Tony Buzbee has purchased a mansion to expand his existing property. He has partnered with Habitat for Humani...
- 50,000 people lived here. Then a 1986 nuclear disaster turned the town into a ghost place overnight. The reason still haunts the worldPripyat was a modern Soviet city of nearly 50,000 people before the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 forced its residents to leave. About...
- In 2019, Buffalo scientists coated aluminum film with a cooling polymer; a small prototype cooled an enclosed box by 11°F by day and 20°F at nightScientists have engineered a cost-effective film utilizing aluminum foil combined with a polymer layer. This innovative film actively cools...
- In 2025, researchers built a box from porous PMMA sheets that reflected 96% of sunlight; 80°F outdoor air measured 65.3°F inside without electricityInnovative materials scientists are exploring passive cooling techniques to lessen the demand for air conditioning. They have engineered a ...
- In 2023, Princeton researchers tested a naturally ventilated cooling box; it stayed below outdoor air while using radiative cooling and buoyancy-driven airflowResearchers have unveiled a groundbreaking cooling technique designed for buildings that eliminates the need for traditional air conditioni...
- In a 2025 study, Penn State researchers tested porous PMMA sheets that reflected 96.4% of sunlight; a test box stayed 14.7°F cooler than the outdoor airInnovative researchers have crafted a groundbreaking porous plastic sheet that cools without any electrical input. By reflecting sunlight a...
- From food waste to water: A new research shows how new biomass hydrogels could help turning discarded food and agricultural waste into a source of atmospheric water for irrigation and sustainable farmingResearchers developed new hydrogels from natural materials to capture atmospheric moisture. These innovative materials can absorb water vap...
- In 2024, researchers tested crushed waste concrete as a base for Chesapeake oyster reefs; oyster spat grew and survived with no detectable hydrocarbon leachingIn the Chesapeake Bay, recycled concrete rubble is proving to be a nursery for young oysters. Scientists have discovered that this crushed ...
- In a 2015 Deakin University study, crushed waste glass replaced 30% of concrete sand; after 28 days, the recycled mix was 6% stronger than conventional concreteAustralian researchers found that crushed glass strengthens concrete mixtures effectively. Replacing sand with up to thirty percent recycle...
- In an Australian study, waste glass replaced up to 60% of river sand in concrete; the recycled mix gained strength and resisted chloride penetrationEngineers in Australia have found that substituting sand with waste glass in concrete mixes can be beneficial. By using up to sixty percent...
- In 2019, University of Maryland researchers stripped lignin from wood; the resulting cooling material stayed 12°F cooler than natural wood in an Arizona testScientists developed engineered wood to reflect sunlight and release heat. This material stayed cooler than natural wood when exposed to su...
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