Costa Rica has invested heavily in alternative energy, and it's paying off in spades: The nation 1.5 million electric vehicles a year. Israel is building the world's tallest solar tower, which will power 130,000 households once it's complete. A company in India has developed a groundbreaking new technology to transform carbon pollution into harmless baking powder. And China just announced plans to invest $361 billion in renewable energy projects by the year 2020.

NASA just unveiled its vision for a habitat on Mars, and it's wrapped in an icy shell that provides protection and views of the surrounding world. In other design and technology news, Amazon has filed a patent for flying warehouses in the sky that could deliver products using drones. Architects in Iran developed a bowl-shaped roof that harvests rainwater while providing natural cooling. And Inhabitat visited an off-grid village in the Middle East that is taking advantage of game-changing green building strategies.