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Sneaky Sustainability: Floors That Generate Power When Walked On!

April 14, 2010 By 5 Comments
sustainable dance floor

It seems to me that the ultimate goal of sustainability is that it become the norm, and not the subject of news.  The end result is that we don't notice that our energy is generated without depleting resources. When sustainable living is a seamless, and unnoticeable thing, and perhaps even when we stop talking about it (or blogging about it!), it will have succeeded. And to illustrate, here's a story about a means of generating energy that relies upon this idea, that everyday activity that … [Read more...]

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A Green Olympic Games: In Process

February 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment
olympic-games-skijumper

Our Vancouver 2010 Olympics are being touted, largely by the organizers perhaps, as the greenest Olympics in history. The Olympics are  a series of events featuring the paragon of athleticism, goal-oriented in nature ('gold-oriented" even), demonstrating excellence in its final and most fully formed manner.  After all, it takes years and years of training to get to Olympic levels of competence in any sport.  And we as spectators get to see that final result. And the same is true, I believe, … [Read more...]

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Integrating Personal Public Transit and Green Building Best Practice

February 11, 2010 By 6 Comments
ultra-rapid-transit

In thinking more and more about how accessible public transit and urban planning using green building principles can dovetail, I came across this video.  Take a look! The system is to be implemented as a means of accessing Terminal Five at London's Heathrow airpport by the Spring of 2010.  A test track is currently in place in Cardiff, Wales.  Proposals for systems in San Jose, St.Louis, Ithaca NY, and other projects are at various points of development as well. Being something of a … [Read more...]

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Green Building and Retro-Fitting: Economic Engine to the Future

February 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Morning Road

In reading Rick Fedrizzi of the Huffington Post today, I am reminded once again of how much sustainable building practices fall in line with good old fashioned common sense.  In this case for today's post, good old fashioned economic sense for industries, and for policy makers on all levels of government when looking to provide public support to local and national commerce. At this point in history, everyone who is in the know, and even most who are not, are worried about the state of the economy.  … [Read more...]

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Green Building: Eco-Districts Need Eco-People

January 26, 2010 By 1 Comment
girl-in-meadow

There is a ton of news out there, seeming to be coming in by the minute, about specific buildings gaining LEED status.  Some of these buildings are quite high profile, which means that as a culture, we've got shining examples of what is possible when thinking about commercial scale buildings that are considered to be energy efficient. These examples are therefore indications of what green technology can potentially deliver across the board in terms of cost savings as well as a cleaner, and more … [Read more...]

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Green Building Lets the Sun Shine In

December 15, 2009 By Leave a Comment

A little while back, we looked at green building potential in Asia as a means of deciding our fate when it comes to global climate change. We've also talked about  how often green building and excess can often be seen in the same space, and which pole is the most important to the developers.   This story falls somewhere in between, possibly. Take a read of this article about the largest solar-powered building in the world, located in Dezhou, Shangdong Province in northwest China.   At 75 … [Read more...]

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Green Building Goes to the Airport

December 8, 2009 By Leave a Comment
logan-airport

It seems to me that airports are thought of mostly as in-between places.  Those who don't work there go to the airport merely as a means to an end, to get from one city to another, or to meet someone who is.  Time spent there is mostly about waiting, which perhaps makes us forget something important. Airports are on all of the time. They have massive, around the clock requirements for light, ventilation, heat, and the power demanded to keep all of the technology moving, from air traffic control … [Read more...]

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Does Green Building Increase Productivity?

September 28, 2009 By 3 Comments

In recent times,  cultural attitudes surrounding work life have changed.  This is mostly due to the fact that most companies recognize that the line between a personal life and a work life is imaginary. We take our personal lives to work, and we take work home with us, even if it's just work in our heads if not our briefcases or laptops.  Employees who have a healthy work-life balance as encouraged by their employers means that they do a better job, and tend to stay in their jobs for a longer … [Read more...]

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Green Technology Solutions

August 7, 2008 By Leave a Comment

So where were we? Oh yes, in the past, in Ancient Mesopotamia, cradle of civilization (a curious conceit), building with recycled bricks made of regional mud. There also, they invented the parabolic solar reflector, a polished bronze serving bowl turned sideways likely, possibly to light their lamps, or heat some bath water, or both. The point is their technology is of a scale that is “balanced” with their community life. It stands in such sharp contrast to the mentality of our modern age – … [Read more...]

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