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Energy Efficiency Upgrades, Pt. 2: Savings In The Long Term

June 24, 2011 By 2 Comments
energy efficiency light blubs

Upgrading a home in order to cut your utility bills, while also making the most out of the power you do draw upon is a part of what it is to be a savvy homeowner. In part 2, and the last, in his series about his own household energy upgrades, writer and homeowner Ryan Boots weighs in on some strategies he considers to be long-range strategies for energy efficiency as it relates to a reduced energy bill. *** As I explained in my previous post about energy efficiency upgrades, I have owned … [Read more...]

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How To Choose Green Building Materials

January 5, 2011 By 3 Comments
choosing green building materials

As a term, 'Green' has been a hard one to truly define in broad strokes. It seems more appropriate to judge what is green based on a setof criteria, and to match products to that set of criteria on a spectrum,  rather than as one hard-coded definition.  The best way to approach the business of choosing green building materials therefore is to take a look at this list of criteria, decide what is most important to you, and see how many 'checkboxes' a certain option in green building materials meets. With … [Read more...]

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Reclaimed Homes Key To Green Building and Affordable Housing

October 13, 2010 By 6 Comments
Modular Home Reclaimed Materials

So, with homeowning being way, way out of reach for many people, and with resources rapidly becoming more scarce, a solution that addresses both problems, both very pressing ones at that in the 21st century, is required. So here it is; affordable, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing homes can be created by using sustainable building practices on a mass scale. We've talked a bit about this on this blog when we've looked at modular homes, and how they reduce carbon footprints, and how more … [Read more...]

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Green Building Festival IIDEX Conference Impressions

September 29, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Green trees reflecten on business building, enviromental care symbol.

The Green Building Festival was held in Toronto a few days ago, partnered with the IIDEX conference with its usual emphasis on architectural design and sustainable building.   Even though none of our guys were there this year, I thought it would be useful to all of you out there  to gather a few impressions from the  green building innovation and interior design blogosphere. What really comes across are the little innovations in supplemental products that we sometimes take for granted.  For … [Read more...]

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Green Bathroom: Goodbye Mold, Mildew and Costly Water Bills

September 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment
White Bathroom and silver fixture

Today's guest post is from Margaret Everton of Calfinder's Remodeling blog, on the subject of how to keep your bathroom clean, healthy, and above all green ... *** With remodel costs averaging about $10,000, you want your bathroom to sustain in every way possible. But you may be wondering, as many homeowners do, how in the world you can “green” a bathroom without gutting it from the fixtures up. The solutions are surprisingly simple. Fresh, Green & Mildew-Free Your bathroom … [Read more...]

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Three Stunning Eco Friendly House Designs

July 28, 2010 By 3 Comments
Beccles House

Today's green building piece is from Becky Striepe, a green blogger with a love for elegant, eco-friendly design.   Becky talks here about three eco-friendly homes that have impressed her.  Take a look. *** Whether you're talking about homes made from natural building materials or ones that focus on efficiency and alternative energy, eco-friendly homes save on money and resources. Eco friendly houses aren't just better for the environment - they can be gorgeous examples of unique design. Here … [Read more...]

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What is Geothermal Heating?

May 17, 2010 By 1 Comment
Volcano

According to some sources, our present decade is the last ten years we've got to stay ahead of the energy curve.  As such, when it comes to heating and cooling our homes, places of business, and every other building in between, alternative energy and the technology to support it is becoming a necessity to close the gap. With this in mind,  I'd like to take a look at geothermal heating, a growing technology that is not commonplace in the average residential community, but may well be by 2020 Yet, … [Read more...]

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Green Building, Sustainability, and Modern Design: The Last Straw

April 6, 2010 By 2 Comments
straw-building

The search for greater sustainability to preserve the future is being looked for in the opposite direction, it seems - in the past. Straw has been a key building material for thousands of years, used as a binding agent for mud and clay buildings, like the bricks made with straw in Egypt (and then not, because of Pharaoh's hardness of heart), purportedly by Hebrew slaves. Everyone watched The Ten Commandments over the Passover/Easter holiday, right? But another element of straw as a building … [Read more...]

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Green Walls: Commerce and Nature

March 1, 2010 By 4 Comments
green-wall

One thing about being a member of the business community here in Vancouver; we love getting together for chat and a few drinks, regardless of our respective industries.  This is a great city to do business in, while making friends at the same time. Recently, I attended an event put on by INGDirect at their Howe & Pender branch here in Vancouver.  It was a launch of their newly renovated space, which effectively turns the model of a traditional bricks and mortar bank branch into something … [Read more...]

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Video Tour of the ‘Green Life Smart Life” LEED Certified Home

December 22, 2009 By Leave a Comment
leed-certification

Thanks to some of our followers on Twitter, I was directed to this video which  showcases a Gold LEED Certified residence.  This example shows how green building and cutting edge technology seem to dovetail.  Take a look. You can get another first hand impression by reading this article on the Residential Systems Blog. The points made about green in the video, and also some of the numbers that comes out of utilizing the technology are truly impressive.  But, in some ways it's kind of … [Read more...]

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