Archive for the ‘Green Building’ Category

When the price of gas started going up a few months ago everyone pointed their fingers at the size of our gas guzzling cars. How wasteful they are, the carbon footprints they have, how they contributed to the troubles that the auto industry is experiencing now. While all this is definitely true, does anyone stop and think about the size of the houses we live in and the impact they have on our planet? After all really, how many rooms can we occupy at once?

Since 1940 the average square footage of a house in the US has gone up by 800 square feet, from 1200 sq ft. to 2000 sq ft. That’s and increase of almost 67%. I doubt very seriously that the average number of people in a  household has gone up 67%. In fact the number of people per household has dropped dramatically since 1940. So we have to ask ourselves, is all this space necessary.

Beyond the averages are the no longer rare mega mansions, found almost in every corner of the country. Why anyone would need a 56,000 sq ft home like Candy Spelling, or the 60,000 sq ft mansion sold by Donald Trump for a cool 100mil, or the 66,000 sq ft home owned by Bill Gates is beyond any reasoning that I can find acceptable. But that’s just me.

We seem to like space, to be surrounded by empty rooms that we can walk into anytime we like, but that spend most of the time empty. Maybe it’s a possession thing, or a territorial thing who knows. But the bottom line is that the bigger the space, the bigger the footprint, and the amount of energy that is consumed.

Some Statistics:

• Average Household of 2000 sq ft uses 8900 kw hours of electricity a year.
• Half the energy consumed in a home is for heating and cooling it.
• The typical home is a major source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for over twice as much carbon dioxide (CO2) annually as the average automobile. (ref: HERE)

Maybe we need to reevaluate how we use space, if there is a need for so much of it, and if the space is already there how to share it with others. Back in 1940 the average house was 1200 sq ft and 3-4 people lived in it, in 2003 the average house was 2000 sq ft and 2-3 people lived in it. Not only has our appetite for house space gone up, but also our need for personal space. Not sure what this says about our society, but we have to ask ourselves, are these, luxuries that we can afford to live with or do we need to rethink our needs.

The EPA has a Household Emissions Calculator that you an use to figure out the footprint of your house.

Here are some tips from the EPA that can help you reduce your footprint at home.

bibi

Comments (3)

The 2009 Green Log  Awards were created to put the spotlight on innovative green building solutions. The voting has started and will take place from April 16 to May 11.

Please take a minute to go and vote for your favorite green building solution.
Go through the following 14 categories and vote for one of the nominees under each category.

Insulation Solutions & Systems
Includes innovations in the product used as insulation as well as the effectiveness of the insulation.

Structural Insulated Panels & Building Systems
Creative and unique alternatives to conventional stick-frame design or to be used in conjunction.

Green Consulting and Design
Companies and individuals who can provide expert knowledge to those trying to build green.

Stains & Finishes
Stains, coatings and paints that are designed to protect your structure while also protecting the environment.

Flooring
Green flooring options made from non-traditional and recycled sources such as glass, bamboo, and cork.

Building Materials
Innovative products which can be used in many areas of your green building project.

HVAC (heating, vents, ac)
Learn how these systems utilize new technologies to provide your home with heat and or cooling while reducing energy consumption.

Home Furnishings
Furnish your home with green furniture made from reclaimed wood or eco-friendly curtains and upholstery.

Countertops & Surfaces
Creative enviro-friendly surfaces made from recyclables and renewable material.

Renewable Energy Solutions
Generating and conserving power from the elements; sun, water, air.

Water Conservation & Systems
Systems and products designed to help us monitor and control our water usage.

Lighting Solutions
Innovative ways to bring light into your home while saving energy or utilizing recycled materials.

Product Review Websites
Websites that display or review potential green building products and solutions.

Green Building Informational Websites
Sites and Blogs dedicated to providing specific green building information.

bibi

Post a Comment

Teaching our children to be good stewards of their planet should start at home, but since our children spend a good portion of their day inside a school building it is smart to continue the lesson there.

The move towards greening our schools is gaining ground despite budget cuts and other priorities. Starting with the foundation that the buildings that are occupied by the nations children and their educators “should protect occupant health, provide a productive learning environment, connect students to the natural world, increase average daily attendance, reduce operating costs, improve teacher satisfaction and retention, and reduce overall impact to the environment.” (Green Global USA)

An example of how some school districts are taking this to heart comes from an article I read in the Natural Awakenings magazine that talked about Green Schools in Flagger Co. Florida. Flagger Co. charter schools are doing a good job of implementing these principles. They started a three year project to “Go Green” by sticking to five basic principles.

• A Toxic free setting: by providing an environment for students and teachers that uses no toxic pesticides, no lead-based products, uses building materials that maintain healthy indoor air quality and no building characteristics that would produce mold.
• Using resources sustainably: Energy efficiency, water conservation, and green building design for new construction or remodeling. Green School supplies made of recycled materials.
• Create Green Healthy Outdoor Spaces: Such as non-toxic materials used to build or remodel school yards and gardens.
• Farm to school Organic produce: An initiative to help local farmers and provide students with a mineral rich whole foods menu, void of junk-food, fast food and sodas.
• Engaging the students in the whole “Go Green” process: Uses the project as a learning model for teaching students the dynamics of social and economic change.

Wouldn’t it be great if all schools would take this approach.

bibi

Comments (6)

Next time you think about remodeling any part of your home or maybe even building your new home, Think Green first. Whether you will be putting down a new foundation or changing the Blinds in your home there is always a Green alternative. Here’s a checklist that can help jog your imagination.

• In the Bathrooms, use high performing shower heads which use 1-1.5 gallons per minute/ 60% less than traditional shower heads.
• Thinking of repainting the house? Think No-VOC Paints. VOC stands for Volatile Organic Compounds which are toxic.
• Keep your attic cool by installing a radiant barrier to keep the heat out.
• If you are building new or gutting rooms, remember proper Insulation is key to energy savings.
• Taking into consideration your window coverings is often overlooked, but good Blinds or room darkening curtains can help keep the heat out and keep you cooling bills down.
• Remodeling the kitchen? How about a recycling center in the kitchen making it easy and a good habit for everyone to learn. These can usually be installed right in the cabinets. And if you want to get fancy there are even Kitchen Composters out there.
• Changing your flooring? Consider engineered wood, especially ones that use recycled materials.
• Redoing the landscape? Think water conservation in your new garden. Use indigenous plants whenever possible, and consider a drip system to compliment your sprinkler system for those areas that don’t need quite that much water. Check out Xeriscaping and also remember to capture and reuse rainwater.
• Consider a Tankless Water Heater. They heat water on demand rather keeping the whole tank of water hot constantly. A lot of savings there.
• Use Solar Energy where you can, even for heating the pool.

Please leave any other suggestions in the comments…Thanks…

energy efficient green building

bibi

Comments (4)

On Monday January 21st, the World Future Energy Summit was be held in Abu Dhabi, at which time the plan for Masdar City, the greenest city on earth was unveiled.

Masdar City will be the first carbon-neutral, waste-free, car-free city.

The city will consist of six-square kilometers (2.3 sq miles), that will eventually house about 50,000 residents and 1500 businesses. They will start construction in the first quarter of 2008, and will take approximately 10 years to complete, although it’s firsts residents will be able to move in by 2009.

No Pollution, No Waste… Now how will they accomplish this you ask? Here’s a list:

• ZERO CARBON: 100 per cent of energy supplied by renewable energy – Photovoltaics, concentrated solar power, wind, waste to energy and other technologies
• ZERO WASTE: 99 per cent diversion of waste from landfill (includes waste reduction measures, re-use of waste wherever possible, recycling, composting, waste to energy)
• SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT: Zero carbon emissions from transport within the city; implementation of measures to reduce the carbon cost of journeys to the city boundaries (through facilitating and encouraging the use of public transport, vehicle sharing, supporting low emissions vehicle initiatives)
• SUSTAINABLE MATERIALS: Specifying high recycled materials content within building products; tracking and encouraging the reduction of embodied energy within materials and throughout the construction process; specifying the use of sustainable materials such as Forest Stewardship Council certified timber, bamboo and other products
• SUSTAINABLE FOOD: Retail outlets to meet targets for supplying organic food and sustainable and or fair trade products
• SUSTAINABLE WATER: Per capita water consumption to be at least 50 per cent less than the national average; all waste water to be re-used
• HABITATS AND WILDLIFE: All valuable species to be conserved or relocated with positive mitigation targets
  
• CULTURE AND HERITAGE: Architecture to integrate local values.
• EQUITY AND FAIR TRADE: Fair wages and working conditions for all workers (including construction) as defined by international labour standards
• HEALTH AND HAPPINESS: Facilities and events for every demographic group
  

Source: The Masdar Initiative

C/Net News.com: Masdar City…

abu dhabi masdar city the greenist city on earth World Future Energy Summit

bibi

Comments (13)

I came across a post on Ecoble.com, titled the World’s Coolest Solar Collecting Building, so I had to take a peak. Unbelievable, the building is spectacular. Take a look at the other pictures on the Ecoble.com.

Leave it to the Japanese to come up with a Solar Powered Building that not only gathers it’s power from the sun but, acts as an enormous Billboard, is an awesome architectural design, and includes a Solar Lab.

Built by Sanyo in Japan this beauty is built on a steel frame and solid trusses, with an overall length of 315m (945feet) and heights reaching 37.1m (111feet) on the ends. Earthquake resistant to a level 7 on the Japanese Scale.

But the most important point of this building is the power it can yield, solar power that is. It uses 5,046 panels made of Single-Crystal Silicon Solar Cells, capable of producing a Max load of 630Kw, that’s an annual electrical output of 530,000 KWh. This is a Fossil Fuel savings equivalent to 7,145 kerosene cans (128,610 liters) per year and a CO₂ reduction 95 t-C/year.

That’s pretty cool in itself.

ecoble.com environment Solar Ark solar power

bibi

Comments (9)