May 2009

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Six Tips for Creating A Green Bathroom

May 30, 2009 in Uncategorized by Jennifer | No comments

1. Start with the loo: Or as we Americans like to say, the toilet. If you live in an older home, or have not remodeled your bathroom in a good long while, your toilet is most likely the major water waster in your house. Since most of going green in the bathroom has to do with conserving water, this is the perfect place to start. Also, new water efficient toilets aren’t that costly anymore; not when compared to the money and water you’ll save in the long run ($90 per year in reduced water utility bills, and $2,000 over the lifetime of the toilet – according to the EPA). You may even be able to get a tax credit or rebate for your new toilet. Find a WaterSense labeled toilet.

2. Go organic: Use organic bath towels, bath robes, floor mats and more to keep pesticides off your body and out of your home. Organic textiles of all sorts are far better for your health and the planet. Read the rest of this entry »

Eleek 100% recycled cast aluminum products

May 30, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | No comments

Eleek is a sustainable company right here in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. They design and manufacture custom decorative lighting, sinks, hardware, architectural details, POP display components and lots of other things. They use 100% recycled cast aluminum for a number of green home applications – which is cool to see, because really when you think recycled aluminum, you may be thinking about only soup and soda cans, but there’s actually a lot you can do with recycled aluminum.

Pendant & Chandelier examples shown above

Eleek 100% recycled cast aluminum (pdf) is at least 70% post-consumer recycled content and completely recyclable with an awesome unique, organic look. Eleek uses a signature finishing process that reveals a natural River Rock surface that’s smooth, lightly speckled and pewter grey in color. The finished product made from their recycled aluminum can be coated with a clear powercoat finish for durability and formed into almost any shape which makes the applications nearly endless.

Eleek uses their recycled aluminum material for things like light fixtures, tiles, hardware, and some amazing counter tops. They also offer custom design and manufacturing services, including in-house patternmaking.

Eleek is also a green company to the core. They have oodles of green perks, but to name a few…

  • Their shop and office operate on 100% habitat-safe green electricity from Pacific Power.
  • They print on recycled paper using soy-based inks whenever possible and offer their catelogs online in pdf format.
  • They use and reuse their silicone molds then recycle them when done.
  • Eleek patterns are made from a combination of discarded lumber, salvaged wood and new wood, depending on availability (at least 70% discarded and/or salvaged).
  • They have company goals of reducing garbage output, reusing materials when possible, and recycling what they can.
  • They use minimal packaging and take back shipping containers.
  • And WAY more.

FYI – you can shop with Eleek even if you’re not an Oregon local and there are Eleek retailers all over the USA.

Michelle Kaufmann Designs Closes Up Shop

May 29, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | No comments

In the saddest green news to emerge this week, green prefab favorite Michelle Kaufmann announced that her company, Michelle Kaufmann Designs is closing its doors. This was a huge blow to the green building community and fans of green prefab. It was a huge blow to me for sure. As a long time fan of Kaufmann, I for one was totally stunned, and two, hoped the news I heard was incorrect.

mkLotus shown above

But sadly, the news was real. Kaufmann posted the news at her personal blog yesterday, in the post, The end of one dream and beginning of another.

Kaufmann notes in her post, “Despite our best efforts, the financial meltdown and plunging home values have caught up with us. The recent closing of a factory partner as well as the gridlocked lending faced by homeowners, has proved more than our small company can bear.”

Very sad. But on the positive side, Kaufmann herself sounds hopeful and still is, of course, in line with the overall concept of green building, saying, “The mission cannot go away. We have built something important here that is not to be lost. The underlying concept works. Healthy, efficient and well-designed homes need to be accessible for all. We simply cannot give up on it... We are talking to a few larger players in the homebuilding world about potentially having them continue with our preconfigured designs like the Glidehouse®, mkLotus®, and mkSolaire®. We are discussing different methods for making this happen.”

So things change and the market affects us all, but I’m betting that Kaufmann’s designs are sure to come out ahead of the game eventually in some shape and form.

Read some past posts about Kaufmann:

Ten eco-friendly green building tips

May 28, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | No comments

Building a green home is a huge step in a healthy direction. If you’re considering this option for your family consider these ten important green building tips. Each of these tips should be part of your green building plan.

  1. Small is best: The best green homes have just enough space and no more. If you can’t build small, at the very least build smaller by optimizing the space you have and by building up when possible, not spread out.
  2. Figure in renewable energy: Make sure your home is designed to utilize passive solar, daylighting, and other renewable energy techniques.
  3. Plan for recycling and nature: Plan your home so that recycling and composting spaces are already incorporated. Make sure to include outdoor living spaces. Have large windows that bring nature inside.
  4. Design strong: Durability is one of the greenest impacts. A home with a long life is a green home naturally. Talk to different architects and contractors and make sure they have a durability plan.
  5. Choose materials that are easily recycled and / or reused: It’s fine to assume you’ll live in your home forever, but if remodeling or deconstruction are ever an issue, it’s best to have recycled and recyclable materials in place in the first place.
  6. Build your home where it will benefit from the site: I.e. if you’ve got shade trees already in place, why build far away on the plot? Hedges are great for blocking cold, so build near, not away from them. Take a look at the existing vegetation, then make your home plans around it.
  7. Choose eco-friendly and local materials that actually work in your area: Not all earth-friendly materials work the same or as well for different sites. Do you homework before choosing your building material.
  8. Have a recycling plan in place for the building process: There’s no reason to waste any building materials you use.
  9. Pay attention to the roof: You roofing choices do have a large impact on the energy efficiency of your home. Take a look at Three Eco Roof Additions and green roof options.
  10. Look for responsible wood: Lots of people build with wood, which might seem bad due to all those tree, but you can go with wood, so long as you look for sustainable wood companies.

Learn more about green home building.

Creollus Sustainable Home Lighting

May 27, 2009 in Decor, Furniture & Appliances by Jennifer | No comments

Creollus (pronounced kré/ol/lus) was established in 2001 and currently offers a wide selection of sustainable and unique lamps.

Recently, Creollus sent me some info about the design and production process that’s really cool so I thought I’d share. The raw materials used for the creation Creollus lamps include banana fibers (raw materials discarded at harvesting), recycled kraft paper (from cement bags) and natural pigments extracted from the ground/soil making these lamps a beautiful and green choice for your home. See the banana fibers below:

The fibers don’t look like they’ll become a lamp huh? And yet…

Creollus carries three unique product lines: Housewares, Fashion Accessories, and Fine Art. Visit Creollus to see all their goods which include many various lamp designs. Or learn where to purchase Creollus products for your home.

Create an earth-friendly rain garden

May 26, 2009 in Organic Gardening by Jennifer | 3 comments

First of all a rain garden is not that much different from a traditional garden, it’s just a far more efficient garden. Rain gardens use rain and stormwater runoff to their advantage and contain smart plant selections.

Other key rain garden tips:

  • Rain gardens fare better when small rather than large.
  • Garden sites are usually located close to runoff sources.
  • Rain gardens are designed to withstand moisture extremes and can hold up even when exposed to nitrogen (found in runoff water). See a cool pdf poster that explains rain garden design.
  • There are two basic rain gardens – under-drained and self-contained.
  • Rain gardens are slightly depressed into the earth so that rain water may be better soaked up when it rains or storms.
  • Water-friendly plants, or at least plants that can stand a bit more water tend to be used.
  • Water in a rain garden is stored via design. I.e. your rain garden will save water from a storm and use it over a few days.
  • It helps to have slope to your land/yard for a proper rain garden, but it’s not a necessity. You can also make changes to your land plot.

To learn more about rain gardens see the following links:

Read an excellent FREE rain garden how-to guide and booklet. The previous guide is very good, but your local community extension office may have a booklet on rain gardens especially for your area, so I’d check.

Buying a new green refrigerator

May 25, 2009 in Furniture & Appliances by Jennifer | 3 comments

In recent news it’s been noted that some people are going sans refrigerators. This is a bold green move, however, it’s not for everyone. If your old fridge needs to be replaced and going commando fridge style is not for you, here are some tips for purchasing the best green refrigerator…

As always with appliances, an Energy Star-qualified appliance will save you energy, money, and keep your home a little greener. Energy Star refrigerators are required to use at least 20 percent less energy than current federal standards. Also, just because your fridge is from this decade, it still may be using more energy than necessary. New Energy Star fridges are 40% more efficient than models built before 2001. Find out if you should replace your old fridge.

Buy the least amount of fridge you need. Refrigerators use more energy (typically) than any other home appliance, so you don’t want to go bigger than you actually need. Before shopping, really look at te items you tend to keep in your fridge and assess how much fridge you need to buy.

Forget extras. Ice makers, water dispensers, and other fancy stuff use extra electricity and cost you money in repairs over time. Another extra to avoid are small undercounter fridges. Consumer Reports notes that fancy undercounter refrigerator drawers are overly pricey, not space efficient, and worse not very energy inefficient.

Choose a normal top-bottom fridge. Consumer Reports notes, “On average, top-and bottom-freezer models cost less and are more reliable than side-by-sides. They also tend to be slightly more energy-efficient, saving $5 to $20 per year in electricity usage.” CR also found that top freezers have the most usable space which means you can have more room but with less fridge overall.

If you think you’re ready to buy a new greener fridge, Consumer Reports has a good listing of refrigerators listed in order of energy efficiency – browse the list.

How to get your own green home

May 25, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | 1 comment

Over the last two weeks we looked at pros and cons of building green vs. buying green vs. remodeling green…

One choice is likely right for you. Following are some resources that can help you out no matter which decision you make:

RESOURCES FOR BUYING A NEW GREEN HOME:

RESOURCES FOR BUILDING A NEW GREEN HOME:

RESOURCES FOR A GREEN HOME REMODEL:

Of course this list is by no means comprehensive but it should get you going. Later I’ll post some of my favorite green home books for remodels and building.

Green Home Sale: Memorial Day Eco-Sales!

May 24, 2009 in Save Money by Jennifer | No comments

The problem with eco shops is that many don’t hold the same traditional sales that you’ll see at conventional shops. That said, a few do, and I hunted them down. I also found some cool green home gear on general sales – i.e. not so much Memorial Day based, but still stellar deals.

A.R.E Naturals has so much green goodness for the home and while they’re not throwing down a Memorial Day sale, they do have some killer sale items for your home (see above – and links below).

  1. Baltic Stoneware Dinnerware
  2. The Bamboo Butcher Block Small
  3. Farmhouse Laundry Concentrate

Read the rest of this entry »

Cons of Building or Buying a New Green Home

May 21, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | No comments

This month we’ve been sorting out which is better: remodeling green or buying or building a new green home. So far we’ve looked at…

Today the last part of our series – the cons of building or buying new. However, stay tuned because soon I’ll post some resources that will help you out, no matter your final decision.

CONS OF BUILDING OR BUYING A NEW GREEN HOME:

The obvious first con of going with a new green home is cost. Green homes can cost more at the start than conventional. In the long run a green home will save you money, but start-up costs can stop some people cold. According to CNN Money, if you went as green as possible, a green home might cost you 20-30% more than a traditional home, but don’t forget there are shades of green in-between as well. You’ll also get tax credits. Green Prefab can also be an affordable way to build or buy green.

Side note: I built a green home and the costs were not more than a traditional home – but keep in mind that we built small as well (also a green feature). Additionally a piece at Ecomii notes that green costing more is a myth. According to this piece; “The chief complaint most people have with green building is cost… This is not true — but it’s a common misconception promoted by ignorant architects and contractors who are afraid of building in a different way. Good architects and contractors know how to save their clients money. The client sets the budget, and a project should come in at or below that budget. With a clear direction of budget, there is no reason you can’t build a green building for the same price as, or less than, a traditional building.” Read more.

OTHER CONS:

Read the rest of this entry »

Green Education – Eco-Home Workshops

May 20, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | No comments

Say that you eventually want to build a green home. Say you’d like to do most of the work yourself perhaps to cut down on costs, to be more self-sufficient, or just to have fun. Sounds good right? However, getting started can seem hard – especially if your educational background is in no way related to architecture or construction.

Shown above – images from a Natural Building Workshop at White Oak Farm & Education Center

THE GOOD NEWS:

Anyone can learn to build various green structures by taking workshops. Green home building workshops are offered all over the world and while they likely won’t prepare you to jump into home building completely solo, you will learn many of the ins and outs of green building and be prepared to do a lot of the hands on work yourself.

Green home workshops are also beneficial because they allow you to experience different green structures without having to take any major risks yourself. For example, you may think a cob home is for you but a workshop may prove that you were wrong. It’s better to learn this in a workshop rather than while you’re building your own home.

Workshops will cost you money (varies widely) but you gain inexpensive experience – i.e. it’ll cost you less than a college degree for sure plus save you money because you’ll make fewer mistakes when it comes to choosing your own green home building materials. Workshops can offer offer meals, fun, a look at different cultures and a chance to meet like-minded green friends. In fact one workshop story I know of even had a super happy ending – think wedding! Wow, now that’s worth the cost right!?

WHERE TO FIND GREEN HOME BUILDING WORKSHOPS: Read the rest of this entry »

Getting your kids into organic gardening

May 19, 2009 in Children & Babies, Organic Gardening by Jennifer | No comments

Most kids will naturally take to gardening if you introduce them to the experience while they’re young. Even small toddlers can help in the garden. Organic gardening with your little ones won’t just yield a better harvest but will also teach your kids important lessons about ecology, green methods, organic cooking, composting, sustainable agriculture, creativity, and self-sufficiency. It’s also eco-friendly to garden with tots because you, the adult will be less likely to use chemicals in the garden if you know your kids will be around them.

Following are some tips that can help you help your kids make the most of their organic gardening experience:

Give them their own little plot. Help them out of course, but allowing them to have their own little space makes them feel independent and important.

Plan for easy and fast growing plants. Kids hate to wait. Make sure some of the plants you and your little choose will sprout and grow quickly. Carrots, marigolds, and many herbs are great choices.

Get them their own little gardening tools. Small tools made especially for kiddos make gardening tasks easier and more fun.

Plan for some fun themed gardens. You can grow a sunflower house, a pizza garden, or a cool moonlit garden. See more at: 10 Fun Organic Gardening Projects for Kids.

Go for annuals that come up again and again with less fuss.

If you don’t have garden space outside your kids can still have an organic gardening experience growing up. Look into a cute eco-friendly indoor garden, grow plants and smaller veggies in pots, or find a community garden to participate in.

Most of all have fun. Don’t pressure kids to participate. Some kids are slower to warm up to messy stuff like gardening. My son, for example hated getting his hands dirty as a toddler, but now is fine with it and loves to garden.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

If you need tips that can help you learn about organic gardening so you can pass it on to the kiddos, read the following:

Pros of Building or Buying a New Green Home

May 18, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | 2 comments

Last week we started looking at remodeling green vs. buying a new green home or building a new green home. So far we took a peek at:

This week we’re moving on to pros and cons of building or buying a new green home. Later we’ll round it all up and look at some resources for both.

Building or buying a new green home does have many pros…

Green home will almost always (if you build within size reasons) cost less to operate. Your energy, water, and other maintenance costs will all likely be lower in the long term. You can also save money with green building tax cuts.

Green homes last longer than a typical conventional (non-green) home.

Green housing can meet the needs of the community both in terms of affordable to run housing and in terms of keeping the community healthy.

Green structures are healthy for the people who live there and are healthier than conventional homes for the people who build them – i.e. cut down on indoor air pollution and involve fewer toxic materials during the building process.

If a home meets typical current green building standards, green building offers opportunities during the building process to save energy, cut greenhouse gas emissions, conserve natural resources, improve air and water quality, and reduces construction waste. Green building can also use up resources that might just be tossed – i.e. materials from a home deconstruction.

Green homes can be more relaxing. For example, a super energy efficient home is comfortable for the people living there and causes less stress because there’s not always a concern about how to cool or heat the home.

Green building or buying a new green home involves a learning curve for sure, but it’s not as hard as some think. Read the following for tips and ideas…

Living Building Financial Study Says Green Building Makes Economic Sense

May 18, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | No comments

It’s not too big a shock that the Living Building Financial Study, a study from the Cascadia Region Green Building Council would say, “Sure green building is financially sound and a great idea.” Green building skeptics might be thinking uh oh because of course the company behind said study is pro-green. However, this study is backed with actual facts and figures. The bad news is that much like we’ve heard before green building costs more at the get-go but in good news, these buildings reap savings later than conventionally built homes simply can’t.

From the the Matrix and Executive Summary are some key findings which kick off with…

“Living Buildings can be built cost effectively in today’s market driven economy given the rising costs of energy and water. The first cost premiums for many building types are significantly lower than what many would predict for an energy and water independent structure. The degree of cost effectiveness depends on the interplay of four factors: client, climate, scale and building use – as originally thought by the study team. The study found that two additional factors: 1) the availability of incentives and 2) the costs of energy and water, can tip the scales for economic competitiveness.”

A Living Building is a building that goes beyond LEED Platinum certification – it’s in a sustainable league of it’s own. However, it’s also realistic, which I like. The Living Building site notes, “The purpose of the Living Building Challenge is straightforward – to define the highest measure of sustainability attainable in the built environment based on the best current thinking – recognizing that ‘true sustainability’ is not yet possible.” Cool. You can take a look at the Living Building Challenge rating system (pdf) which is made up of six performance areas; Site, Energy, Materials, Water, Indoor Quality, and Beauty + Inspiration.

Jetson Green has the whole scoop on how Living Building are financially sound and for more information visit the International Living Building Institute.

Six in ten Americans health affected by air pollution

May 17, 2009 in Air Quality by Jennifer | 1 comment

Air pollution is a major health risk for 6 out of 10 Americans according to 10th annual American Lung Association State of the Air report.

State of the Air is basically a report card for cities. The report assigns A-F grades to communities in the USA and looks at trends for 900 counties over the past decade. Ranking includes cities and counties most affected by pollution (ozone, or smog; annual particle pollution; and 24-hour particle pollution levels).

The problem of air pollution is double fold as most of the major pollution causing problems not only affect human health but also create more widespread global warming issues. While almost every major city in the USA has more pollution than it should, some are fairing better than others. According to the report, some very large cities have improved their air quality somewhat due to green efforts. Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Baltimore are among the cities making positive changes. have made improvements in their air quality over the past decade.

The fact that some cities are cleaning up their act can be misleading though, because while LA is cleaning up, they’re still ranked as #1 on the list for metropolitan areas most polluted by short-term particle pollution.

If you’re concerned visit The American Lung Association and view the report for all sorts of tips and facts such as…

  • How your city or county ranks.
  • How to protect your family from air pollution.
  • How to advocate for cleaner overall air quality – tips for addressing the EPA and others.
  • And lots more.

Cons of Remodeling Green

May 14, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | 1 comment

Yesterday we looked at the Pros of Remodeling Green. Today let’s look at some of the downsides or negatives of remodeling green vs. building a new green home.

Most economical green home remodels rely on the fact that you have a decent shell of a home standing already. Some very old homes, homes with mold, or homes with major design flaws can be tough to remodel green and it will cost you more than if your house was in better shape to start with.

While having a place to live as you remodel is useful, it can also be annoying to live among the shambles of a remodel. Plus, in some cases there are remodel tasks that cannot be completed with you living in the house so you’ll have to find temporary housing.

There can be hidden costs such as architectural design fees, structural engineering fees, demolition costs, permit fees, plus of course there is always the strong possibility of unforeseen or emergency conditions.

If you’re making structural changes they may bring down the resale value of your home if you make the wrong decision. For example, making a structural change that makes no sense to the original design – an old school sun porch on a modern dwelling.

If the cost of remodeling green will outweigh your resale value it’s smarter to build new.

What you want vs. what you can have may not match up. Some green home features won’t work well, or will cost too much with certain homes, whereas if you build, you get to plan those features in from the start (in most cases).

Can you think of other negatives of green remodeling?

Green Product Review: Orange Plus Surface Cleaner from Earth Friendly Products

May 14, 2009 in Green Cleaning, Product Review by Jennifer | 3 comments

I tend to make my own cleaners because it’s less expensive and better for the planet. However, I know not everyone is up for mixing their own cleaners. Sometimes you just want to buy a decent eco-cleaner at the store. That said, when I get a chance to review green cleaning products I usually take it. Today, I’ve got one such review for you.

Product: Ready-to-use Orange Plus Surface Cleaner from Earth Friendly Products.

Uses: The normal Orange Plus by this company is a concentrated all purpose cleaner for non-porous surfaces including sealed stone, hardwood floors, painted surfaces, linoleum, vinyl, porcelain, chrome, stainless steel, wood. You simply dilute the concentrate and use it to clean surfaces. I tried the Ready-to-use Orange Plus which is diluted for you and comes in a handy spray bottle.

Cost: Varies because it comes in various sizes. My spray bottle costs $3.69 for 17 oz, which is pretty well priced in my opinion for an eco-cleaner.

Ingredients: Purified water, pressed orange oil, and 100% natural anionic coconut kernel based surfactant.

Eco-perks: Read the rest of this entry »

Pros of Remodeling Green

May 13, 2009 in Green Building by Jennifer | 3 comments

There’s been a lot of talk over the last few years about remodeling green vs. buying a new green home or building a new green home. Some people think remodeling existing structures is more environmentally sound, while others note that the costs of doing so can be huge, thus making building from scratch a better or at least reasonable option. This week, we’re going to look at the pros and cons of both remodeling green and new green homes. Later I’ll round all the posts up in one easy access post.

Pros involved with remodeling an existing structure green…

  • Remodeling or restoring a home using green methods is a great way to use your housing dollars to the max. Some green changes cost very little but can save you big money in the long run.
  • Remodeling does not use up new land – unless you’re drastically expanding your home – and I know you don’t want that; right?
  • You eliminate the energy and materials used by new green construction. New construction, in almost all cases will use more resources than a remodel.
  • Green home remodeling means your home will use less energy and water and have improved air quality. Green remodeling by pros will minimize waste and recycles materials that are left over.
  • Your home will cost less in the long run to manage.
  • Your home resale value usually will go up. According to Seattle.gov “80% of homebuyers say new homes don’t meet their environmental expectations and 96% said they are willing to pay more for a home with green features.”
  • Your home will look better.
  • You can remodel green in small steps – i.e. you have a place to live while you go green vs. building a new green home where you’ll need a place to stay in the meantime.
  • There are less decisions to make with a green home remodel. Building new green homes from the ground up requires making scads of huge decisions, often on a minimum time frame; it can be a lot of pressure. Remodeling is less pressure on you.
  • Green remodeling improves your neighborhood and community both eco-wise and socially. For example, one idea within green remodeling is creating more outdoor living space which is welcoming to neighbors.
  • Green remodeling supports local businesses – because by nature, to remodel green, you’d use local suppliers and craftsmen.

Can you think of any other green remodeling pros?

Coming up: Cons of green remodels, pros & cons of building new green homes, and resources for both remodeling and building green.

What is an ENERGY STAR qualified home

May 11, 2009 in Green Building, Save Energy, Save Money by Jennifer | No comments

An ENERGY STAR qualified home is a simple concept. For a home to earn the ENERGY STAR qualified rating, it must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ENERGY STAR homes need to be at least 15% more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC). These homes usually include additional energy-saving components as well that can pop their energy efficiency rating up to 20–30% more efficient than your standard home.

The major features of an ENERGY STAR home include:

  1. Effective Insulation
  2. High-Performance Windows
  3. Tight Construction and Ducts
  4. Efficient Heating and Cooling Equipment
  5. Efficient Products
  6. Third-Party Verification – this simply means that an outside qualified party (Home Energy Rater), conducts “Onsite testing and inspections to verify the energy efficiency measures, as well as insulation, air tightness, and duct sealing details.“

WHY BUY OR BUILD AN ENERGY STAR HOME:

  • It can simplify the green home buying process. Since it’s ENERGY STAR you have fewer decisions to make, because a home needs to meet eco-specifications to qualify.
  • Compared with standard homes, ENERGY STAR qualified homes have much lower owner costs when it comes to energy and water use.  You can also save money with lower financing options.
  • According to ENERGY STAR< energy efficient homes are a smarter investment, “To date, more than 6,500 home builders have partnered with EPA to construct nearly 940,000 ENERGY STAR qualified homes. The trend is clear. By choosing a home with the ENERGY STAR label, you can be confident that it will have an increasingly valued feature when the time comes to sell.” Of course they’d say that, but really green home are doing well on the market, so it’s not just company fluff.
  • You’re helping to keep the planet green. Houses can generate more greenhouse gas emissions than your car.

If you’re building, not simply buying an ENERGY STAR home you can check out some home plans that are Designed to Earn the ENERGY STAR rating or click here to find home builders and developers that build ENERGY STAR qualified new homes, lenders that offer energy efficient mortgages, utilities that offer special incentives to buyers, and home energy raters that can verify the energy efficiency of a home.

You can take a tour of an ENERGY STAR home to learn more about the features offered.

Michelle Kaufmann – Embracing Thoughtful, Walkable Neighborhoods

May 10, 2009 in Uncategorized by Jennifer | No comments

Michelle Kaufmann, one of the major darlings of the green prefab movement, released a white paper this last January, “Embracing Thoughtful, Walkable Neighborhoods,” which offers ten proposed EcoPrinciples for Communities. The ideas revolve around ideas that “Delve into some of the best practices that city planners, developers, architects, and builders can employ in order to design and build green communities that ensure the health of our neighborhoods and our planet over the long-term.”

Green is not some flash in the pan idea, and I like that Kaufmann’s paper addresses the long-term. Plus it’s cool that it focuses on whole community efforts vs. simply focusing on building one green home and calling it a day.

Below is one image from the white paper that points out some of the discussed incorporated green community factors.

A overview of Kaufmann’s ideas about green communities is discussed as well as 10 EcoPrinciples for communities. Three EcoPrinciples include:

Smart design: Which looks at’ “Design to use less, to collaborate with the landscape, and for longevity as well as flexibility”

Energy efficiency: Such as, “Sealing building envelopes with super efficient insulation and glass”

Water conservation: Like, “Making water “challenges” into water “features” and, “Sculpting bioswales into the land”

You can download Embracing Thoughtful, Walkable Neighborhoods for FREE to see all the great ideas offered.

[image via Michelle Kaufmann]

Where you can recycle CD & DVD cases

May 7, 2009 in Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle by Jennifer | 1 comment

CD and DVD cases are a nuisance. You can cut them out of your world entirely by going with digital music and renting movies, but because I know some folks won’t give up buying CDs and others love their movies, here are some ideas about how you can recycle the cases. This is also a great space saver. You can consolidate all your discs into a folder, and ditch the bulky cases.

WHERE TO RECYCLE YOUR DISC CASES:

Some people want your old cases. In fact, some people LOVE them for projects, art creations, and other ideas. Sign up on Freecycle or Craigslist and offer your cases up for free.

You can ask around the neighborhood. Local libraries, schools, computer shops, and other non-profit organizations may be able to use your cases.

Most cities now have recycling centers that take old cases. Don’t just set them on the curb though. Recycling CD and DVD cases are different than recycling water bottles, paper, or tin foil.  Ask your local center IF they allow curbside pick-up. If not visit  visit Earth 911 – they have an easy and fast form you can fill in and it will locate you a center that takes old cases off your hands.

ACT Recycling accepts old CD cases and other computer media.

Avoiding tropical wood in your home

May 7, 2009 in Furniture & Appliances by Jennifer | No comments

According to Rainforest Relief, the U.S. is the largest importer of tropical wood by dollar amount. That’s not cool. Tropical woods harvested from rainforests create all sorts of negative impacts on the planet, and for little gain – flooring, furniture, and other home uses for tropical woods can all be altered. There are plenty of wood options nowadays that won’t kill rainforests. What’s worse is that massive destruction of rainforest habitats are required to produce relatively small amounts of actual usable wood.

Woods to avoid:

“Endangered forests” are usually defined by organizations as…are defined to include the following

  • Tropical forests (excluding plantations);
  • Old growth or overharvested temperate forests.
  • Old growth boreal forests.

Rainforest Relief notes that high value species like mahogany, ipê, jatoba and virola in the Amazon, African mahogany, wenge, oklumé and padauk in Africa, ramin, apitong, keruing, kepmpas, kapur, nyatoh and balau in Malaysia and Indonesia, are targeted by legal and illegal loggers and should be avoided.

Woods to look for:

When shopping for wood products for your home – i.e. for building projects, flooring, furniture, and accessories look for the following…

  • Wood from companies accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council.
  • Wood products that have been recycled or reclaimed.
  • Recycled plastic lumber (RPL) – this is 100% recycled materials and doesn’t contain any wood fiber.

Rainforest Relief offers a great graphic look at the best and worst woods for indoor home use. The chart below can help you make smarter decisions when it comes to buying wood products. The top (in green) are best woods to look for, while the bottom of the chart contains the worst woods to buy; that is, if you’re interested in NOT killing the last of the rainforests off.

Do you know which wood types are used most in your home?

6 Tips to Green your Mother’s Day

May 5, 2009 in Holiday, Holiday Gift Guide by Jennifer | No comments

I usually don’t sway from house related green speak here, but with Mother’s Day in just five days (yes, that’s the 10th folks) I thought we should take a look at some eco Mother’s Day tips. Your mother is in your house from time to time, so we’ll pretend this is home related!

1. Send your love with organic flowers. Conventional flowers, as we’ve heard time and time again are full of pesticides and are harmful for the growers. You really don’t want to send your love with chemicals – do you? Try a great organic arrangement from Organic Boutique. Four arrangements I’d love (yup, I’m a mama) include the ones shown above…

2. Skip the greeting card: Mother’s Day is the third most popular holiday for sending cards. In fact, about 150 million Mother’s Day cards are sent out each year. That, my friends, is a whole lot of trees. Try a tree-free card, a homemade card made with recycled materials, or a digital greeting card.

3. Try something crazy unique: Recycled Newspaper Roses for Mother’s Day.

4. Try a gift of time: Take your mama to dinner or lunch. Clean her house, plant her a garden, or just make a goal of spending more time with her during the upcoming year. That’s what she really wants anyhow.

5. If you do go with a gift make it eco-friendly: See some great earth-friendly Mother’s Day gifts. Need another great guide – Mother’s Day Green Gift Guide.

6. Look for eco-friendly jewels: Jewelry is one gift that runs rampant during the Mother’s Day season. BUT jewelry is extremely bad for the planet. Jewels and metals are mined which erodes the earth and human lives are sacrificed for diamonds and other jewelry creation. Lame right. Your mama does not want that on her conscious. Luckily, there are plenty of places to score eco-friendly, Fair Trade jewelry.

How are you greening this Mother’s Day?

New Natural Product Web Store: Natural Home Boutique

May 3, 2009 in Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

Natural Home Boutique just launched in March 2009 and carries a decent selection of green home items at good prices. Carrying items like bamboo towels, green kitchen products, eco-cleaning supplies, and natural handmade soaps, this would be a good place to get some basics for your home.

Some cool buys here include:

Glasslock Rectangular Glass Food Storage Containers – good if you’re looking for non-plastic, green-minded food storage.

Natural Bar Soap – 5 Bar pack

100% Bamboo Bath Towel Set

The store also features a connected blog, Natural Home Products. The blog is mainly product features and news rather than specific green tips though. Maybe check it out if you’re watching for a sale; I’m assuming they might post news like that there.

Visit Natural Home Boutique.

Insurance needs for green homes

May 2, 2009 in Green Building, Green Your Home by Jennifer | No comments

Building or remodeling green is healthy and eco-friendly, but it can change some of your insurance needs because some green home modifications  may need specific insurance or not all the changes may be covered under your current insurance.

If you’re looking for advice, The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) has a page full of great insurance tips for green home owners. Some tips offered include:

  • A standard or what the NAIC calls a non-green homeowners policy usually provides coverage for either, “The actual cash value or replacement value of your property with standard building materials.”
  • If you build a home that meets certain environmental standards, you need to check that your policy specifically provides replacement to that same environmental level. If not, you may end up paying out-of-pocket costs to reach those same eco-standards.
  • Green homeowners policies didn’t used to cover repairs, but that’s far more typical now. Make sure your policy covers varying degrees of green repairs.
  • A Green homeowners policy will generally cover the costs of environmentally friendly materials and low environmental-impact processes, as well as energy-efficient replacement products and materials.
  • Green policies are not available in all states. You can check with your state insurance department.

To see all the tips visit the NAIC.