One of my favourite stories is J.R.R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and its prequel the Hobbit. Tolkien, who had it in for progress and the industrialization of England, wanted his main character to be one who demonstrated a life of simple pleasures, and being at one with his surroundings. And to show this, he described the homes of the Hobbits as being integrated with and not intrusive on the natural world. When directed to this article about a self-built, earth sheltered home, I was … [Read more...]
Sin City: Green Building Role Model
September 17, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Las Vegas has quite a reputation for greed, self-indulgence, and to use an older word - sin. Hence, its affectionate nickname Sin City. They say what happens there, stays there. Although in the age of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube I'm not so sure. On paper, you'd think that Las Vegas was the least green city in the world. With all of the lights that burn 24/7, to the energy expended to keep the casinos, the barrooms, the clubs running around the clock, and the fact that the city is built … [Read more...]
Green Building Standards Aligned to Your Personality and Goals
July 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment
In reading this article about green building, it's hard to disagree with the idea that green building is here to stay. And as it's been established, this is not just because green building makes sense in terms of a more efficient use of resources. It also makes financial sense, too. That aside, the eternal question is 'what is green'? Two of the means in measuring it which are becoming known as universal standards are LEED and NAHB, both applying to the whole of a project, not just individual … [Read more...]
Are you ready to rock?: ‘Green’ guitars
June 11, 2009 By Leave a Comment
One thing that everyone who knows me is aware of is how important music is to me. I'm kind of a geek about music, really. Apart from writing about music in my spare time on my personal blog, collecting CDs, and (every so often) attending shows, I also hack around on the guitar. And as such this article caught my interest. Take a look at this article about the greening of the luthier business, that is the makers of guitars, now sensitive to the impact the industry has on species of rosewood, … [Read more...]
Video about green building
May 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Here's a video which hits some essential points about green building, including the idea that the idea is still a pretty fuzzy one. For instance, certain materials like bamboo floors are sustainable. Yet, they need to be shipped in from China to other parts of the world which uses quite a bit of fossil fuel. Therefore, is it green? The answer this video gives is that it depends on your perspective, and your priorities. It's an interesting discussion. In any case, here's the video, which raises … [Read more...]
King Kong-Sized Green Building
April 15, 2009 By 3 Comments
One of film's most iconic moments is the finale of the 1933 film King Kong, when a giant gorilla named Kong, the ultimate symbol of the strength of the natural world, is seen climbing atop the Empire State Building, the ultimate symbol of industry and modernity. It was the contrast between two warring forces that packed such a punch. And there is a strange kind of sadness when Kong meets his doom, falling from the tower to his death. But, times have changed since then. Here's an article … [Read more...]
Green building a priority: Michelle Obama
March 18, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Here's an article about the very socially active Michelle Obama, and her involvement not only in the promotion of green building, but in restoration of underdeveloped neighborhood in the US. The program the article spotlights is Youthbuild, which empowers young people in low income areas to learn the skills necessary to become the major influences in renewing those areas. One thing that struck me with this, besides the night and day contrast between the two Presidential administrations with … [Read more...]
Canadian Election Drops Environmentalism
October 15, 2008 By 1 Comment
My green building blog isn’t about partisan politics or environmentalism per se, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t make a bit of an observation in these veins regarding the results of Canada’s federal election yesterday. Since green building is driven by global environmental concerns (I’d welcome a dissenting voice that could convince me it was simply driven by energy efficiency.), it does get connected to political events and environmental movements, if only tenuously. So, what … [Read more...]
Dictionaries Differ on Greenwashing
August 22, 2008 By Leave a Comment
There are subtle but significant differences in some dictionary definitions of “greenwash.” Although it’s a relatively new word – appearing for the first time within the last six years in major English dictionaries – you’d have to be a language ostrich not to know it has something to do with specious claims about protecting the environment. But what precisely is going on in the minds of people who recognize a greenwash? I selected a small sample of dictionaries with distinctive national … [Read more...]
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