Editors’ Picks: Green Inspiration Around the World

After such a long and whirlwind year, we’re looking for inspiring stories perhaps now more than ever. Thankfully, we’ve been reading a bevy of stories lately that give us hope for the future as well as ideas for ways we can incorporate sustainable living into our work and personal lives.

Looking for a clever design before setting out to build a new building? We’re blown away by these tree-inspired building projects, from Los Angeles to Singapore. These building giants do everything from incorporate massive amounts of greenery to tower overhead in tree shapes.

And did you know the conditions of where you work can affect how you sleep? Well, they can. A study from Science Direct indicates that workers in certified green buildings score more than 26% higher on cognitive function tests and sleep better overall that their coworkers in other buildings.

If you’ve ever wanted to spend the night in a rammed earth structure, the Earthship’s got you covered. Seriously. You have to admit it would be pretty cool to stay in a place made of rammed earth, recycled tires, and glass with passive solar heating and a self-sustaining environment. More and more “Earthship” structures are popping up and available to rent all over the globe so you can have sweet, sustainable dreams.

But who are the real leaders in green building these days? The USGBC recently revealed the top 10 countries for LEED outside the U.S., and some of the results may surprise you—with more than 900 projects in China, for instance. China moved from second to first on the list as the largest user of LEED this year, with 34.62 million gross square meters (GSM) of certified LEED space. Canada, India, Brazil, and the Republic of Korea rounded out the top five countries on the list, respectively.

But these aren’t all the stories we’re loving these days. Find more ideas and stay up-to-date with all of the latest news in green building and design across the world with the Brief, gb&d’s weekly newsletter. You can sign up here.