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Green Building End-of-Spring Round Up!

June 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Eco construction

In addition to some of the issues and pointers we've covered here on this humble green blog of ours, there have been lots and lots of excellent posts out there  that talk about what's coming next in the world of green building innovations, trends, news, technology. So, I thought I'd search the Internet high-and-low for some examples. One of the things that interests me in this area is that ideas about how to create a more efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally responsible world is a constantly … [Read more...]

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Green Building: the Passivhaus Standard

March 23, 2011 By 6 Comments
Passivhaus-sectional-diagram

the Passivhaus (aka "passive house") standard is the construction technique of the future, reducing utility bills by 90%! As energy prices rise, buildings will have to be more efficient. There is no excuse to not build a green home, and the Passivhaus standard is the best choice. Construction features of passivhaus building Compact size – 50 square meters (approx 538 sq ft) per person Super insulation of floors, walls and ceilings Air-tight envelope with no thermal bridging High-performance … [Read more...]

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What Are Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs)?

March 9, 2011 By 1 Comment
Structural Insulated Panel SIP Construction

I designed and built a house in 1985 in northern New England. The carpenter I hired had been trained at the Shelter Institute in Maine, well known for post and beam construction. I chose this carpenter, because he had built a home similar to what I had designed - passive solar and super-insulated. When I went to see it, I practically hired him on the spot. SIPs: what they are and what they do best When I was writing about the construction of this house a couple years ago, I looked up the Shelter … [Read more...]

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4 Ways To Include Passive Solar Heating To Warm Your Home

February 11, 2011 By 3 Comments
Passive Solar Windows

There is nothing new about heating a living space with the sun. Ancient cliff dwellings in the American Southwest were dug into a south-facing cliff to capture the heat of the low, southern winter sun. At night, the rock walls radiated the stored heat to keep the occupants warm. Do you know how a sidewalk is hot in summer? That is the sun’s heat radiating to your feet. In summer, the sun moves north and climbs high in the sky, almost directly overhead. By digging a home into the cliff wall, … [Read more...]

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Green Industry, Blue Collar: What Green Jobs Are Available?

January 12, 2011 By 2 Comments
Green Careers

A couple of things have typified our 21st century so far.  First; the rising awareness and discussion around the issue of sustainability. And second; a shifting economy which has negatively impacted many people's lives, as well as traditional industries for years to come. So, where do these things meet? Well, guest poster and careers expert Brian Jenkins weighs in on the burgeoning green industry sector. Do a demand for professionals and service people in green jobs have the potential to get … [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 Roofing in Singapore

September 3, 2010 By 1 Comment
Singapore Green Roof

Today's guest post is from online writer Mary Fineday, who recently took a trip to Singapore, a country that recently hosted the 2010 International Skyrise Greenery Conference.  While there, Mary was struck by some amazing architecture that may mark a standard feature to the cities of the future.  Mary tells us all about it here in this exclusive post ... *** I recently spent a gorgeous week in Singapore, staying at a beach-side resort and taking the city's amazing public transit north to explore … [Read more...]

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Energy Use of Modern Buildings & How We Make Them More Green

August 30, 2010 By 1 Comment
greenerBuildingsSmall

The energy output of buildings is a significant factor in all kinds of areas when it comes to environmental impact, including C02 emissions, and fossil fuel use, and reliance.  Over the course of the 20th century, C02 emissions have leapt by astronomical levels, and the energy use derived from fossil fuel use in both commercial and residential buildings is a primary reason. Take a look at this infographic that plots some of the numbers involved.  And look at some of the issues that governments, … [Read more...]

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7 Sustainability Features For The Homes of the Future

July 21, 2010 By 8 Comments
Future Home

For all of the technological faults we can lay at the feet of the latter half of the 20th Century, at least we have this; we've believed that we could ultimately improve the way we live for generations to come with the help of technology and innovation. And in the 21st Century, nothing is more relevant to that vision than sustainability and green building. One of the things specified in annual competitions like the USGBC Natural Talent Design Competition is that the homes of the future should … [Read more...]

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Green Low-Income Housing: 5 Developments Making Eco-Friendly Living Affordable

June 3, 2010 By 2 Comments
silver gardens

Today's article is a guest post  from Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, one of the authors of respected sustainability resource Sustainablog.org. In his post, Jeff talks about how sustainable living and affordable housing are connected.  To me, this has enormous implications, not only for lowering the impact we have on our environment, but in raising the standards and expectations for quality of life for lower-income residents in cities here in North America, and worldwide. Jeff mentions 5 development … [Read more...]

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