Green Building Codes in New England
The New England states are all over the map as far as mandatory green building codes. Some have little interest, whereas others are progressive. I spent my first 33 winters in Connecticut and New Hampshire. I distinctly remember the last two weeks of January with lows of minus 20-40 degrees and a high rarely above 0 degrees. Bitter northwest winds after snowstorms made it unbearable to go outside. If any region should have energy efficient features built into their codes, … Read More
Cordwood Homes: Natural Beauty and Energy Efficiency
Cordwood masonry, or stackwall construction, is an excellent do-it-yourself way to build a house. It’s inexpensive, labor intensive and does not require any special skills. Local materials, which are sometimes scraps, can be used, making it an environmentally friendly building method. In Siberia and Greece, cordwood buildings date back 1000 years, although there is no clear beginning of their history. They have also been found in Scandinavia. In the 1800s, cordwood homes … Read More
Green Building At The Office: Changing Culture At Work
It's become apparent that the future won't be defined by technology, so much as it will be defined by the culture that drives that technology. And since we spend an enormous portion of our time at work, it makes sense that what we do while we're there has equally enormous impact. For those of us who work in offices, this means a changing office culture when it comes to sustainability. But, how does this play out? Writer Tal Baron is here to talk about how sustainability … Read More
Green Building In China
In 2010, China surpassed the US as the biggest emitter of greenhouse gasses. It also surpassed India as the largest cement consumer in the world. China consumes more electricity, most of which is coal generated, than the US, and 16% of China’s water goes to construction. At this pace, energy consumption is expected to reach 35% of the national total by 2020. The economy is growing quickly, and millions of people are relocating to urban areas every year. This means housing … Read More
Recent Articles
Green Building Slowly Comes to Russia
Until recently, Russia has been behind the rest of the world as far as green building. A lack of interest coupled with no government or real estate industry involvement stalled the movement. With the current economic atmosphere though, industry professionals needed to expand … [Read More...]
Nan’s Top 5 Favorite BuildDirect Green Blog Posts of 2011
I love research. I’m an analytical info junkie. I love to surf, read and connect the dots. Researching for this blog for most of 2011 has been enlightening and humbling. I’ve discovered joy and conflict, moved into topics that I knew little about and expanded on topics I … [Read More...]
BuildDirect Green Blog Retrospective 2011
Well, here we are almost at the end of 2011 after a year of posts about green building, sustainabilty, energy efficiency, and a great many other related areas here on the BuildDirect green blog. After a year at looking how the construction industry, independent builders, energy … [Read More...]
Green Building in New Zealand and Australia
My older daughter went to New Zealand and Australia for three weeks the day after she turned 12. I’ve always resonated with NZ. It’s been a dream destination of mine since I was young, and I could hardly believe she got there before me! When she returned, her stories told … [Read More...]
Green Building in Scandinavia
Scandinavia has a reputation for being socially and politically progressive. There is national health care, solid economic growth, little poverty and high incomes, and aggressive taxation. The Nordic countries invest in science and technology, so they are ahead of others in … [Read More...]
Green Prefab Housing Ideas
My favorite thing to do is design houses. I’ve been a wannabe architect since I was 6. My partner and I will be combining households within the next year, and we are going to build a house, so I’ve been planning! Since we will be running a vegetable farm, I wondered how much … [Read More...]
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