Archive for the ‘Eco-Friendly Landscaping’ Category
August 4th, 2008
Winner of LIL Green Home Contest Announced!
Stumble it!
We’re pleased to announce John Neville and Jawn McKinley as the winners of our first Low Impact Living Green Home Contest! Of the over 1,000 users who registered using our Environmental Impact Calculator during the contest period, their Low Impact Living Index of 11 was the lowest of the low. Given John’s background, it’s no surpise – he has been working in sustainability for over 20 years and is on the Board of Directors of Sustainable Arizona – as you’ll see, he practices what he preaches!
John and his wife Jawn had begun to employ many green techniques in their former home in Minnesota, but when they decided to build a new home in Arizona he started with a clean green slate. The results were pretty impressive: their Low Impact Living Index is a mere 11, which indicates it has an environmental impact nearly 90% lower than the typical home in his region. Compared to the average home in the desert southwest, the house uses 85% less energy and 90% less fresh water, and it produces 90% less stormwater runoff, 80% less trash and over 99% less wastewater! Oh, and John and Jawn’s carbon footprint is a net zero due to the high energy efficiency of their home (including a solar hot water heater and passive solar heating and cooling), the purchase of green power from their utility, and their use of carbon offsets for their cars and air travel. We’ll now walk you through the main areas that allowed John and Jawn to achieve this amazing performance.
Energy Efficiency & Carbon Footprint
John and Jawn’s LILI score of 11 is nearly 90 points lower than the typical score in their region, and 45 of the 90 point reduction come from their efforts in energy efficiency (and associated carbon footprint). They’ve done all of the easy things – compact fluorescent lighting throughout, low-flow water fixtures, pipe insulation, efficient appliances, etc. But they’ve also employed some more substantial and advanced green building features, including:
- Use of a solar hot water heater and in-floor radiant heating to heat the house in the winter. The house is also oriented to the south, has a heavy concrete slab to retain heat and ample windows on the south wall to improve passive solar heating.
Despite summer daytime temperatures in the high 90s or more, the house has no air conditioning. The roof is insulated to R-45 and has a cool roof installed, and the walls are formed by insulated concrete forms (ICFs) that are insulate to R-25 and are made of 85% recycled material. In addition, John can circulate cool water through the radiant system to further cool the slab on hot days. There are also awnings over all south-facing windows that shade the intense summer sun (shown at right on a sunny summer day).
One side benefit of these features: John says visitors are often amazed that he’s always walking around in bare feet, whether it’s on an eight-degree winter night or a 100-degree summer day!
Because their home is so efficient right now, solar electric doesn’t make all that much sense yet: the payback period would be more than 20 years based on current power prices and rebates. Instead, he buys green power that comes from solar and wind energy from his local utility.
Water and Wastewater Efficiency
Another 32 points were lopped off of their LILI score by being incredibly water-efficient. This is critical in the Southwest, as water is always scarce and getting scarcer due to global warming. Once again, John combined the accessible with the truly innovative to build a water efficient house. Through a combination of low-flow fixtures and water-efficient appliances, John and Jawn use only 30 gallons a day per person indoors, much lower than the national average of 70 gallons per capita per day.
In Arizona, though, it’s what outside that really counts, for over half of residential water use is for irrigation. John and Jawn rarely use any irrigation water, for not only do they have all drought-tolerant native plants around their home, they also have 3,500 gallons of storage in two cisterns (almost three months worth of irrigation) to collect rainwater from their rooftop. And, they have an innovative wastewater system that collects solids in a tank, aerates and lightly chlorinates the liquids, and then distributes the cleaned effluent to water a bed of native plants and trees – they have nearly zero true wastewater discharge.
Other Savings
The balance of John’s LILI savings come from nearly eliminating stormwater runoff (four points) using cisterns and an innovative network of terraced gardens, swales and water holes to slow, filter and capture runoff from all but the biggest storms (all shown in the image above). They also compost and recycle everything they can, reducing trash to only 20% of the typical household in his region (eight points).
Lessons Learned
While John built their home from scratch, he learned lessons that are applicable to both new construction and renovation projects. Some of his key thoughts:
- Always start with the small projects first. By focusing on such things as using compact fluorescent lighting everywhere, making sure his home was very tight and well-insulated, and using low-flow water fixtures, he was able to get away with much smaller heating, cooling and renewable energy systems. This in turn helped him keep his overall budget quite reasonable - about $185 / square foot.
- Use the local climate to your advantage. John designed his home so that it takes advantage of Arizona’s ample sun in the winter and the cool of the earth in the summer, but you can often do the same with an existing home. John recommended that a neighbor run only the ventilation portion of her central AC system at night to bring the cool desert air into her home, and that simple change reduced her AC needs by several hours each day.
- Green doesn’t have to be more expensive, but it might require more time and effort. When John built his home five years ago, he said that many of the vendors he worked with weren’t familiar with green techniques and products, and he had to play a very strong oversight role to make sure things got done the right way. There are many more green product and contractor options now, especially near larger urban areas, but you’ll still have to spend some significant time ensuring that your contractors are using the right green products and techniques.
Next Steps
One final key lesson that John has taken away from his green efforts: regardless of how much you’ve done, you can always improve. He says he’s always tweaking things and making minor improvements. As for big projects, John hopes to get rid of his backup natural-gas-powered boiler (used only in the coldest and grayest of winter periods) and replace it with a solar-PV-driven tankless hot water system at some point, eliminating his last use of fossil fuels at home.
John and Jawn, thanks so much for sharing your project and insights with us, and congratulations on having such a low-impact green home!
To learn more about how to do many green projects in your home, visit LIL’s green projects page.
Click on these links for how-to information on the following related topics: radiant heating, rain gardens, home energy efficiency, solar hot water heaters, and graywater recycling.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 18th) 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 18th (extended from 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!
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