The conservators of Fallingwater, the Frank Lloyd Wright masterpiece home, recently announced that a design jury has chosen Patkau Architects of Vancouver, British Columbia, as the winner of its first-ever design competition for on-site cottages that will support residential educational programming at the legendary home.

Patkau Architects’ winning design for six small, efficient, sustainable cottages will serve as the basis of a final design, to be implemented following regulatory approval and fundraising.  The Patkau design was inspired by Fallingwater itself,  “We took a similar strategy to the meadow above, and tried to intensify the ground form,” explained principal John Patkau.  Preliminary cost estimates come in at $150,000 per unit, the design centered around the the concept of a corrugated- steel culvert with openings carved into the approximately 650-square-foot structures.

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, which preserves and maintains Fallingwater, will build the cottages on the grounds of the 5,000-acre Bear Run Nature Reserve some distance from the house itself.  The design competition is the first that Fallingwater has sponsored for construction of new buildings on-site.

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With our current focus on all the things “ocean” related,  this shark’s jaw pendant made from the casting of a tiny white shark’s jawbone caught my eye.

The necklace is designed and created by Brooklyn’s own, Species by the Thousands, who makes great jewelry pieces utilizing reclaimed sterling silver and casts of natural, and man-made objects.

made to order for $110 from  species by the thousands

A luxury car with fuel-efficient street cred – the 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid – is now officially the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan in America with an EPA-certified 41 mpg rating in city driving and 36 mpg on the highway.

The 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid’s final fuel economy certification was completed this week, and the vehicle will carry an EPA label of 41 mpg for city driving and 36 mpg on the highway when it goes on sale this fall.  It tops its nearest competitor – the 2010 Lexus HS 250h – by robust 6 eafety features.

Related:  previously on altCon – Cars Category

BioLite Stove was just awarded the Grand Prize at this year’s Sustainable Brands Open in Monterey, CA.

Did you know that 3 billion people in the world cook on wood stoves, and most times, it’s indoors?  That’s a heck of a lot of wood consumption, wood burning, and accompanying toxic smoke & air pollution.

By using a side vent system and converting a fraction of the fire’s thermal energy into electricity – BioLite’s eco friendly stoves:

• use less than half the wood of an open fire and reduce smoke emissions by 95%
• reduce family fuel expenditures by 50%
• provide off-grid users with power to charge cell phones, LED lights and other small devices.

Scheduled to be released in early 2011 are models for both recreational campers as well as the developing world.
more @ biolitestove.com

Please Note:  Abe’s Market graciously provided us with a complimentary kit for this Tried and True Green Product Review.

Not long ago, I was perusing Abe’s Market, the online shop for all things natural, when I stumbled on a travel find that I hadn’t yet encountered. I’ve been a travel writer for a while now, freelance and full-time, so it’s a rarity to run across something I haven’t seen once or twice, so this, instantly, caught my interest.  It’s an all-natural kit created for travelers that takes into account all of the issues one might suffer, on say, a plane or long car ride; (photo, below).

Let me preface my review with this: I’m not an elegant flyer. Long gone are the days of boarding a jet plane in a skirt suit, let alone a pant suit. I’m a jeans and zippy sweatshirt sort of traveler. The one that can’t sleep on a plane and therefore, almost always emerges red-eyed, energy zapped, leg-cramped and sore-throated. In other words, not happy. And while (more…)