Archive for the ‘Eco-Friendly Landscaping’ Category
June 24th, 2008
Green Condos Coming to a City Near You
Do you long to live in an attractive green home with the latest and greatest in green building technologies, but know you can’t afford to build one? Then you and I have something in common.
But do you know about all the amazing green condo developments cropping up across the country? There are gorgeous, cutting-edge eco-friendly condos available or being built now in cities all around the U.S. We can’t possibly cover them all in this post, but we’ve selected a good sample. I will cover green condos in the West next week. Read on to find what might become your dream green home!
In Chicago, eco18 is an interesting development currently underway. Located in Chicago’s South Loop area, it provides access to plenty of public transportation options and also green spaces. eco18 is striving to attain a Gold Certification under the LEED program of the US Green Building Council. This is a lofty goal and we hope they make it! Their plans include a massive green roof, solar water heating, geothermal heating and cooling, rainwater reuse, energy-efficient lighting and much more. You can get a 1 bedroom/1 bath unit for around $285,000 or a 2 bedroom/2 bath unit for about $430,000. Learn more about eco18 here.
In New York there are many outstanding green condo developments. One I particularly like is the Kalahari in Harlem. The Kalahari’s distinctive facade design is modeled on motifs from the San Bushman of Southern Africa. The building was designed and built to the US Green Building Council’s LEED Silver Standards with the goal of limiting the building’s impact on the environment while still providing luxurious and modern living options. The building features 25% renewable energy sources (solar and wind), stainless Energy Star appliances, air filters for good indoor air quality, bamboo flooring, native landscaping and (we love this!) an on-site Zip Car service for residents. Learn more about Kalahari here.
Other green condos in the New York area worth checking out are Greenbelt in Brooklyn, The Lucida, and the Williamsburg Edge.
In New England, there are several great options. The Villages at Brookside are lovely Cape Code-style townhomes. (Shown at right.) Homeowner benefits associated with these LEED-certified homes include lower utility bills through energy and water conservation, reduced carbon footprints due to lower greenhouse gas emissions and improved air quality for occupants. The Macallen Building Condominiums in Boston are another exciting green option. In Vermont you’ll find the snowy, sustainable get-away of Spruce Creek at Stowe. Spruce Creak says of its environmental commitment: “Stewardship of the land is a Vermont tradition that has guided Spruce Peak at Stowe since its very beginning…From recycling to the protection of bear habitats, plumbing to wetlands protection, nothing has been overlooked.”
The Southern United States has some wonderful green condos cropping up– in Atlanta, Nashville, Chapel Hill, and several other cities. In Chapel Hill, East 54 will be a new urban eco-village. The project is currently being developed and it is a participant in the US Green Building Council’s Neighborhood Development pilot program. Incorporating sustainable site development measures, water and energy conservation, materials re-use, and indoor environmental features, East 54 plans to achieve or exceed a Silver LEED Certification. Learn more about East 54 here. And to learn about the Terrazzo project in Nashville, click here. To learn about the Brookwood in Atlanta, click here.
Please tune in next week when we cover green condos in the West!
To find green real estate for sale across the US., please click here.
To find real estate agents specializing in buying and selling green homes, click here.
June 23rd, 2008
Reclaim Your Plate! The Sustainable Food Diet
Written by Caroline Savery, courtesy of Sustainablog
The jury is in: the most sustainable way to feed yourself is to grow your own food. There are many factors to consider when evaluating food sustainability. The primary concern is: what is the ratio between how much land is used, and how many calories are produced?
In asking this question, we can immediately eliminate meat from our sustainable diets. Pigs and cows are extraordinarily “inefficient converters of grain energy to calories,” as put by the executive director of Steel City Biofuels, speaking generally about fuel efficiency. In her presentation about Organic Farming during Pittsburgh’s Farm to Table Conference 2008, Dr. Patricia DeMarco, executive director of the Rachel Carson Homestead, noted that raising meat in the U.S. comprises 79% of all agricultural resource usage. While the health benefits of going vegan will be endlessly debated, at least doing so will be much more healthful for our environment.
The next question naturally becomes: how can we grow food in a way that nourishes the soil, produces a vast yield in a little space, and is maintained by nature?
Surprisingly, all of the above is easy to do, if you’re using the right methods. John Jeavon’s book “How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible” describes the biointensive method: growing food tightly together in ways that foster symbiotic relationships between plants, like those that would organically occur in nature. For instance, marigolds ward off common insect pests for their companion plants, tomatoes. But biointensive gardening is more than just knowing companion plant lists and spacing maps. It is understanding that each time you take a piece of food that you grew out of the ground, you are removing nutrients and minerals from the earth. It is essential that you find a way to return those resources. Maintaining soil health is the cornerstone of sustainable agriculture.
So you’re a greenie, just like me. You believe in doing everything you can to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Now that you’ve got the facts about sustainable eating, you recognize the importance of starting your own garden. However, you were raised watching TV and eating potato chips on a couch. If you’re like me, you know nothing whatsoever about gardening.
In this case, where do you start?
Follow the instructions on the back of the seed packet, and put some seeds in the ground. That’s what I did! Even better, follow the biointensive guidebook to learn which plants thrive beside each other and which tend to compete for the same nutrients, and arrange your bounty properly. Keep the seeds continually damp until they germinate. Then provide lots of sun.
I always believed there was something deceptively simple about that formula… but in my own practice, I found that ancient wisdom to be profoundly perfect.
I am “camping” in an urban forest, where natural forces have reclaimed previously “residential” property. Thus, my area’s soil is probably extremely unhealthy and heavily contaminated. Knowing this, I planted beet, carrot, swiss chard, nasturtium, cucumber, bean, and radish seeds (all fairly shade-tolerant species), with some leaf compost, expecting nothing to grow. And then, everything did. In concert with fermentation, a person can grow many meals worth of vegetables and fruits–for all seasons–in one smart garden.
Here are some helpful tips I picked up while being tutored in basic biointensive gardening.
+ To deal with pest infestations (commonly: aphids), spray the plant with garlic or onion oil, or with a mild soap/water blend. This is a very effective, environmentally harmless remedy.
+ Plant tomatoes (and others with tender stalks) up to the growth of their youngest two leaves (see photo).
+ When winter is on its way, help to prevent erosion in your yard by planting cover crops, such as oats, cereal rye, or legumes, etc. These plants have short but hardy roots, which maintain nutrients and nitrogen while suppressing weed growth. Tear them up and use them as compost in the spring!
You can also learn more about Organic Gardening 101 here.
June 18th, 2008
Seven Ways to Save Energy by Saving Water
Written by Carol Gulyas, courtesty of CleanTechnica.com
Though many states and localities are waking up to their water shortages and taking steps to plan for “peak water”, people generally continue to waste water and to ignore the energy-water link. In 2004 the Natural Resources Defense Council did a study in conjunction with the Pacific Institute called “Energy Down the Drain” on how saving water saves energy. We need to do more to spread the word. Here are seven ways to save energy by saving water:
1. Use local water. Transporting water uses energy, so rainwater harvesting is a serious water-and-energy saver. According to the NRDC/Pacific Institute study “California’s State Water Project (SWP), which transports water from Northern California to Southern California is the state’s largest single energy user, consuming 2 to 3 percent of all electricity. It takes tremendous amounts of energy to pump the water 2,000 feet over the Tehachapi Mountains — the highest water lift of any water system in the world
2. Use less heated water in homes and businesses. Heating water uses a great deal of energy. Small things magnified a million times over — like washing clothes with cold water or taking shorter showers — saves large amounts of energy.
3. Use energy-saving appliances. Energy Star appliances will decrease water and energy use.
4. Learn from Australia. Why reinvent the wheel? Since 2006, when the BBC reported Australia’s biggest drought in 1,000 years, the situation has not improved. In an island nation, this has a tendency to focus the mind, and water-and energy-saving inventions have been pouring forth from that country, while the government introduces policies that save energy and water almost daily.
5. Rethink your bathroom. Toto, an innovative company from Japan (another island nation concerned about water use) offers an EcoPower hands-free faucet that recharges itself each time it is used.
6. Rip out that lawn and replace it with a rain garden. Watering grass, fertilizing it with petroleum-based fertilizers, and mowing it with a gas or electric mower…..need I say more? Learn how to install a rain garden here.
7. Eat more vegetables and grains; cut down on the beef. Animal farming takes more energy and water. “Beef production requires large volumes of water–as much as 100 times that required to produce equivalent amounts of protein energy from grains.” (Environmental Health Perspectives, 2002 And the cows are fed from corn that is farmed using energy-hogging fertilizers, insecticides, and fossil fuels.
If we can start thinking holistically about the systems we use in our daily lives — and get our governments to create policies that promote wise use of energy and water, we’ll be more ready for the limits to resources that are only going to increase.
June 16th, 2008
Win $500 For Your Great Green Home!
We’re amazed at how many of you have taken action to make your homes green, based on what you’ve entered in our Environmental Impact Calculator. So amazed, in fact, that we’re going to reward the greenest home of them all with a $500 credit for green products and services from Low Impact Living. We’re going to identify the single family home (and its proud owners) that has the lowest Low Impact Living Index (calculated using our Environmental Impact Calculator), and we’re going to share with you what that family has done to get there. Don’t worry if you haven’t installed solar panels or a graywater system - as the calculator shows, many of the best projects aren’t that expensive. Also, we’ll be giving a second prize of $250 to a randomly-selected entrant, even if you’re at the very beginning of your green path! So, even if you’ve just started out, throw your hat in the ring and see where you stand!
What you have to do
- If you’ve already created a LILI account, then you need to return and, at a minimum, log in again. We’ve added some new features recently, and they won’t work unless you refresh your account. If you haven’t used the LILI calculator before, then visit www.lowimpactliving.com/scores and get started.
- Once you have entered all of your base inputs, move on to the “select projects” page of the calculator. Make sure you only check projects that you’ve finished (or will finish by July 15th) before you log out.
- Make sure that you log out or save your profile before leaving - if you just move on to another web site without logging out, your inputs could be lost.
- The calculator isn’t all-encompassing yet, so there may be projects that you’ve done that don’t show up. If this is true, send us an email at contest@lowimpactliving.com describing what you’ve done. LIL staffers will review your efforts and award up to a 5% additional deduction for compelling projects.
How we’ll select a winner
The contest closes on July 15th, but we won’t announce winners until the week of July 28th. This will give us time to check with the finalists to make sure that they’ve completed all of their checked projects.
If you are a finalist (in our top 10 lowest LILI scores), we may ask you to verify that your projects are actually completed, via photos or receipts / invoices for work performed. We’ll also ask for your address (not to be published!) so that we can verify entered information about your home.
If you are a winner, then you have to be willing to let us share your projects and process with everyone via our blog, and to provide us with the photos and project descriptions necessary to do that. You’ll become a green star overnight!
What You Could Win
The greenest homeowner will receive credits for $500 of products or services found on LIL’s website. If it is a product or products that can be purchased via links from our site, we’ll simply purchase your “wish list” for you and send it your way. If instead it is services (say, a few visits from a green cleaning service or a small down-payment on solar panels), then we’ll pay the vendor directly once you’ve agreed on a price and have a quote from them. The same goes for our randomly-selected $250 second prize. It’s as simple as that!
At the end, we’ll also publish the collective impacts of our calculator crew - even if you don’t win, you can feel proud once you see the tons of CO2 and tanker trucks full of water that we’ve collectively saved!
So, good luck, and get greening!
June 15th, 2008
Tips for a Greener and Healthier Summer
By Katy Farber, courtesy of EcoChildsPlay.com
Today I swam for the first time this summer. Ah, a crisp cool Vermont river swept away the dirt and grime and I finally felt alive again after feeling wilted most of the day. We don’t get heat like this often in good ole’ Vermont, and I’m not used to it.
All that fresh water, the frogs calling and the warm night air got me thinking about how to have a less of an impact on the planet with my family this summer, and how to keep the kids safe and healthy, while enjoying this fleeting and beautiful season.
1. Use chemical free sunscreen for the whole family. There are many toxic chemicals in conventional sunscreens. Look for sunscreens that have Titanium Oxide (which stays on the surface of skin) and not much else. There are some safe brands and more information here.
2. Garden, and compost your food waste. Or, if you don’t have a green thumb or access to garden space, you can support local growers by visiting farm stands, farmer’s markets, or participating in CSAs.
3. Eat simple, local, summer foods. By doing this you will avoid your family’s exposure to many chemicals in processed foods. You can get some great recipes at this localvore site (it is local to Vermont– search for localvores in your area to find recipes and information).
4. When traveling use these tips to increase your fuel efficiency, and pack your own food so you don’t have to eat fast food on the road. You’ll spare the earth the packaging, and your children the unhealthy food and corporate marketing becoming engrained in their little minds. (I’ll never forget when my daughter at 2 yelled out, Mommy! An M! When we drove past a McDonald’s).
5. Unplug. Play outside, visit parks, go swimming. By doing this you will instill a respect and love of all things wild in your children. They will get great exercise and sleep better at night.
6. Grow your child’s natural intelligence. Identify trees, bugs, wildflowers and salamanders together. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Pick up a guidebook or visit a website to learn a few names to teach your child.
7. Live with natural light as much as possible. Who need electric lights most days in the summer? Turn them off and save electricity.
8. Speaking of sunlight, turn off your dryer and let the sun dry your clothes outside.
9. Have a safe, chemical free lawn. Chemicals like those used in Chemlawn and other lawn treatments are toxic to humans and pets. Instead, if you must have greener grass, find an organic safe brand to use.
Enjoy this season of juicy fruit, bare feet, and fireflies.
June 6th, 2008
Red Hot and Green: Finds at Dwell on Design
I just got back from the Dwell on Design exhibit hall at the Los Angeles Convention Center and I am pumped! (Did I just say that? Wow.) Seriously, I had an outstanding time. It’s official: design and sustainability are all one big delicious stew now, and you can get your own spoon and taste it at the Dwell event. It’s going on all weekend– learn more here.
Here are some of the favorite things I spied with my green eye:
FOODMAP– This great company makes rollable planters for your edible organic gardening needs. They are made of recycled plastic and recycled steel. They have rollers so you can move them inside, outside, and around your garden. They come in adult height and kid height (what better way to get your kids into organic gardening than giving them their own mobile garden!??). I’m so loving these.
LifePort from Envision Solar — These folks are based in San Diego and they are making solar-powered modular structures. They have a product called the LifePort, which is a fully integrated photovoltaic solar carport for residential and light commercial use. They also make modular solar-powered rooms, called LifePods. These would be excellent if you wanted to put an office or a guest room in your backyard and have it off the grid. I can’t do justice to the photos here– go to their site and check them out. Worth your time!
Modwalls– This is a wonderful company that makes amazingly beautiful tiles and other flooring/wall materials. They have cork tiles (yes that’s cork in that photo to the right!), a new bamboo flooring material (it’s really green and rough looking–so cool), and they are coming out with a whole new line of recycled glass tiles. They feel great to the touch and the colors are thrilling. They even told me they are soon releasing tile grout made principally from recycled glass. Even their grout will soon be eco-smart!
Storvino– These are slick, modular wine storage cases made of 100% recycled plastic. You can stack them vertically for a small unit, or you can make them into a whole Wall of Wine. Why buy (or want to buy) those expensive wood wine storage wall units when you can get them out of recycled plastic? They come in various colors, too, if you don’t like this red version.
Go to the show if you can, folks– it’s a treat!
