June 11th, 2009
Green Remodel Thoughts Straight From The Toilet Tank
Stumble it!
I recently had the good fortune of participating in a New York Times piece (published in the Home section today) on green home consultants. After a few hours of in-home work and many more of analysis, reporting, product research and follow-up with my clients, it was somewhat ironic that the lead image for the story was a picture of me peering into the tank of a toilet!
One could argue a toilet is a fitting representation of our times, after all. The economy remains in the tank, we continue to do relatively little as a society to combat climate change, and the residential green sector continues to dragged down by the horrible housing market (unless you happen to be in one of the few sectors directly benefiting from stimulus funding).
However, we still see a very bright future for the overall green remodeling/retrofit market. The lowest hanging fruit on the path to a lower-carbon economy lie in our homes, from weatherization to low-flow water fixtures to efficient appliances and lighting. The environmental savings can be significant, and many projects will start contributing to your bank account in less than a year. Although each of our individual actions might be a drop in the bucket (as noted by some of the skeptical folks interviewed in the Times article), our collective actions will amount to significant change and send a message to both companies and our elected officials that the old way won’t work anymore.
The first step is getting started, of course, and a good green consultant can help by explaining both the environmental and economic benefits of particular green projects. Even with that information, a long list of recommendations can be pretty hard to digest. As a result, we always recommend that projects be tiered in a way that puts the ones where you get the most bang for your buck first. Tackle green projects in these four groups, and we guarantee that you’ll soon be on a logical and profitable path to a lower impact:
- Make the easy fixes that have high environmental and economic benefits first. Many first steps can be done for $0 - $100, and can cut major chunks out of your energy, water and carbon footprints. Good examples include turning down the temperature on your water heater, replacing inefficient lighting, installing low-flow water fixtures, sealing leaks and drafts and installing a programmable thermostat.
- Swap out key house systems, starting with the biggest hogs and/or systems that have multiple impacts. Once you’ve cut your baseline down based on #1, turn to these bigger projects. Great places to start are the water heater and furnace, since they influence the energy use of everything downstream, and the clothes washer, since it consumes both water and energy and produces greenhouse gases and wastewater.
- Install sustainable systems where possible for remaining water/energy needs. By now, you’ve probably cut your energy, water and sewer bills by 30-50%. But there’s a huge added benefit to this tiering of projects: you’ve also reduced the cost of major sustainble system upgrades. These projects, like solar panels, solar hot water heaters, wind turbines, graywater systems and rainwater capture/reuse systems, will be as much as 50% less expensive if they follow the projects in Tiers 1 and 2!
- Offset the rest. In most existing homes, it’s nearly impossible to competely cut your outside energy use and associated carbon footprint. Buy offsets for this remaining piece. We believe it’s always best to cut your own carbon footprint first rather than paying someone else to do it via offsets, but they’re a great solution for those stubborn emissions that elude even the most eco-committed of us.
Of course, a consultant isn’t necessary for any of this. Many websites offer great resources to help you sort through the options. And many online tools like our Environmental Impact Calculator can help you estimate the savings of green home projects, both environmental and economic, so that you can create a prioritized list based on your home’s unique characteristics.
Oh, back to the toilets. Toilet leaks can be huge water guzzlers, and I see leaks in as many as 10% of the homes that I visit. In this case, though, they were in perfect working order!
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June 10th, 2009
Dwell Tour of Energy Star Homes in Brooklyn
As part of BKLYN Designs 2009, a fabulous green design event that happens every May in Brooklyn, NY, Dwell Magazine toured five homes in the area to showcase innovative, contemporary and thoughtful design. Of the 5 homes we were so impressed with two of them because of their energy efficiency and use of sustainable materials. Sadly, we weren’t there first hand to tour the houses ourselves, but we may just have to make a trip to Brooklyn next spring to be there so we too can tour gorgeous homes like these.
The Dwell Homes Tour in Brooklyn was a chance for local designers to showcase their remodels and new construction as well as to inspire design enthusiasts who were on hand for the BKLYN Designs show, which ran May 8-10th. Our two favorite homes were designed by the same firm, Coggan + Crawford Architecture Design and built by Giancola Contracting. Each residence is ENERGY STAR rated and is a remodel rather than new construction. The Clarke Residence is part of the Star Complex, a two-unit building, while the Barr Residence is part of the Cobble Hill Lofts, a condo development in Cobble Hill.
Clarke Residence
The Clarkes and Andrew Giancola, the contractor for the project, reside in the two-unit Star Complex. It received its name after it became the first Energy Star rated building in Brooklyn. The beautiful remodel sits next to a church and even has views of the Statue of Liberty from its rooftop deck. When the new owners took possession of the building they wanted to retain as much of the original infrastructure as possible, but also update it and add on to create two residences. The original home structure was retained, refaced with stucco and given a number of new windows. Meanwhile, the addition was constructed from more modern materials like steel, concrete and metal siding.
With an Energy Star rating, this means the building uses 30% less energy than required by code. Along with the significant energy savings, the southern facade in the rear boasts many windows that let the sun in during winter months to heat the concrete floors, which provide thermal mass to help heat the interior. In the summer, the metal balconies for the fire escape provide shade to keep out the summer sun. All of the windows are Low E and Argon filled. The roof has been slanted towards the south for photovoltaic panels. Lighting is provided by energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs and the air conditioner is non ozone depleting. Flooring for the rest of the house is either renewable bamboo or carpeting from Interface, which has a Cradle to Cradle™ certification.
Barr Residence
One of the duplex lofts in the Cobble Hill Lofts, the Barr Residence is also Energy Star rated and a remodeled building. Originally it was two story, long, dark industrial building, which was transformed into a beautiful residential complex. In order to let more light and air into the individual units, Coggan + Crawford designed an open courtyard into the middle to give each unit more windows and natural daylight. Each unit has a very open loft-like floor plan with remnants of its electrical warehouse past present everywhere.
During the remodel the original masonry shell, wood floor and roof joists were kept, minimizing demolition material that was sent to the landfill. Original concrete floors were also retained and refinished. And all appliances are Energy Star rated, and water saving devices like low flow toilets and faucets, and recirculation lines were used.
Both houses were constructed from existing structures with the expert knowledge from Coggan + Crawford are shining examples of sustainable urban construction. As homes and buildings in our urban centers start to fail, we can only hope that their reconstruction is done as well and as sustainably as these two structures have been.
[Update: The Barr Residence was incorrectly reported as being part of The Sillouette Condos. It is acutally part of the Cobble Hill Lofts.]
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June 4th, 2009
Get Ready for Sustainable Summer Fun!
Happy June everyone! We’re eager for summer to arrive– aren’t you? There are many things we can all do to ensure that we have a fun, eco-friendly summer. Read on and get that barbeque apron at the ready!
What You Need to Know Before You Mow
As the grass grows longer, we get the mower ready to go to work. You will probably be shocked to learn that gas mowers are MAJOR environmental offenders. According to the California Air Resources Board, lawn mower engines contribute 93 times more smog-forming emissions than do cars on a gallon-for-gallon basis. The pollution from a year’s use of an average gas-powered lawnmower is equivalent to the pollution from driving a car 86,000 miles. YES, it’s that bad. And some chainsaws and trimmers are even worse.
So please consider ditching your gas mower and getting either a battery powered or push mower. This Brill Luxus 38 push mower gets great ratings for usability and effectiveness. And there are some great cordless electrical mowers here, too.
Don’t Be an Enviro-Hog at the BBQ
When we have a summer BBQ, most of us generate a pretty impressive amount of waste. You can cut down on the trash going to the land fill in several easy ways. First, make sure to put out two trash cans: one for the food junk and one for recyclable glass & cans. As you know, if you don’t have a separate can, people will dump all of their cans and bottles right in with the other trash. If you don’t have a second can, then put out a cardboard box and write RECYCLE on it. Then you can toss the whole box in the recycling bin after the party!
Next, don’t use traditional paper plates and plastic utensils. Get yourself some compostable and biodegradable alternatives. These are just as functional as the plastic/paper kind but will decompose over time. Or if you don’t want to go that far, look for paper plates and napkins made out of recycled materials.
And what about the left-over veggies, salad and buns? You know where those go–right into your handy composter, to make healthy mulch for the garden.
Be Water-Wise this Summer
Don’t forget that water is one of our most valuable natural resources. In the Western US this summer we’ll be facing a fierce drought, given what little rainfall we’ve had so far this year. Please be sure to conserve water by 1) watering only in the early morning when the sun and evaporation are lower and 2) adjusting your sprinklers so that they only water your yard and not your driveway or street.
With all of the outdoor recreation and beach trips, showering can increase over the summer. Save as much as 40% of your water and energy per shower with this new Delta Fluidics showerhead that offers low-flow efficiency and high-flow comfort.
Cool It with a Ceiling Fan
Energy Star ceiling fans are much more efficient than air conditioners and can cool your house by a few degrees or more. Run a ceiling fan instead of AC whenever you can, and even if you do run AC, run it at a higher temp and use the ceiling fan to recirculate the cool air. See our selection of Energy Star ceiling fans here.
Kids at Loose Ends? Here is a Great Game!
Get the Bioviva board game and teach your kids about our global environment. This award-winning game will help instill in your kids, and yourself, an interest in learning more about nature and our planet. Multiple choice question cards cover topics such as solar systems, plant/animal behavior, evolution, and environmental protection. Kids earn eco-points by correctly answering questions, with the winner being the first player to collect the required eco-points for the locations listed on his or her destination card. Find the Bioviva game here.
Don’t Put Toxins on Your Family’s Skin - Sunscreen and Insect Repellant
Standard insect repellants contain chemicals that not only repel bugs but also are toxic to humans. And sunscreens also often contain harmful chemicals. Protect your family with toxin-free insect repellant and healthy sunscreens.
We hope you all have a wonderful summer! Keep your mind on relaxing– and protecting the Earth at the same time.
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June 3rd, 2009
Green Jobs: Where Are They?
There has certainly been a lot of media coverage on the growing array of “green jobs.” That is a pretty broad term– encompassing renewable energy, green building, bio-fuels, energy-efficiency technologies and much more. All of these sectors have been affected by the larger global economic challenges we are facing, but there’s little doubt that in the long run these industries will offer many new employment opportunities.
So, where can you find these green jobs?
Fortunately there is a ton of resources available online. It seems like a new green jobs board crops up almost every day! Here is our review of the leading sources:
- Green Dream Jobs is one of the best job boards out there. They have a good cross-section of low to high level jobs spanning many industries. They’ve been at it since 1996 so they know what they’re doing!
- EcoEmploy is another good resources. They tend to have more technical job listings, as well as some non-profit positions.
- Treehugger has a strong job board. You’ll find traditional as well as some “zany” listings– like “deli staff and cyclist” or “adventure planner.” Fun!
- GreenBiz.com also has a job list with solid geographic reach.
- VentureLoop is a site I find most people don’t know about–which is too bad. This is a site that features jobs from companies that are backed by major venture capital outlets. There are technical, sales, marketing and management positions in the mix. Not all of the jobs are green jobs, but there are many exciting, high-growth green companies included on the job board. You just need to do a bit of reading about the companies.
- SustainLane recently launched a green job board and we’ve seen some good listings there. They are still growing and adding more cities.
- SolarJobs can be good if you’re specifically interested in that industry.
- Idealist.org is great if you want to find environmental non-profit jobs.
If you know of other good resources, please share them in the comments section.
Also, if you happen to be in the Los Angeles area, there is a great event coming up called Green Jobs, Healthy Communities: Building a Green-Collar Economy. They event is being hosted by the California Endowment on June 9 at 6PM. Learn more about the event here.
Happy Hunting!!
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May 28th, 2009
Green Pest Control: Not an Oxymoron
This is a guest post contributed by Colin Hickey, BCE, of Green Planet Pest Control, serving all of Massachusetts
In an industry notorious for environmental health neglect, some companies have recognized that providing a green service for pest control can be achieved without sacrificing effectiveness. Reducing impact in pest control relies on changing several practices. GPS and smart mapping software allow a company to consolidate its daily driving to minimizegas and emissions. Incorporating non-chemical control measures into a treatment protocol reduces the amount of chemical pesticide applied. Using least-impact, low-toxicity products and confining treatment to pest harborages will considerably reduce the hazard of using chemical pesticides. While effective pest control can be achieved solely by non-chemical means in some instances, there will always be a need for professional pest control services. You can find an eco-friendly pest control service near you here.
Green control services rely on a course of action that integrates different available techniques to target the source of the infestation and achieve lasting and sustainable control. Identifying the specific pest, knowing its behavior and directing control efforts where they will be most effective is the basis for an educated pest control program. While chemical pesticides can sometimes be applied to temporarily mitigate a pest invasion, in most instances the source of the infestation can be linked to a particular condition or several existing conditions that are promoting pest activity. Sometimes educating a customer about different pest species can be the most important step in controlling (or not controlling them) them. All organisms need the availability of food, water and harborage to thrive. Non-chemical control measures deny these requirements and force pests from harborages. For instance, water is a strong attraction for many pests; therefore, fixing a water leak would send all pests depending on that leak elsewhere.
Many low-impact pesticides have been marketed for pest control. Usually any product designed to kill bugs will do so when treating point-blank but I would suggest to anyone interested in controlling their own pests to consider educating themselves before they apply any product for control. You can find out about natural pest-control alternatives here, such as soaps and oils and other natural products most of us have in our homes. It is important to note that there is no effective product that has zero impact and many products that are sold over-the-counter can have harmful effects if not correctly used.
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