BuildingGreen recently cleared out about 75 shelf-feet of periodicals -- Architecture and PanelWorld and Ecological Restoration and Mold and Moisture Management and lots more. The recycling area outside the office was getting overcrowded with them and we still had more to remove. Then I remembered that our neighbor, Steve Benson, at J.S Benson Woodworking & Design, had told me he could use paper in his briquetter.
Workers blowing cellulose insulation onto a wall.
Insulation is our number-one line of defense against high heating costs, and my favorite type of insulation is cellulose. Along with its effectiveness at slowing heat flow, cellulose insulation is a green product--made mostly out of an abundant waste product: old newspaper.
7/1/09 Update: The LEED AP exam has significantly changed, and the following sample exam has not been updated to reflect this. By the way, if you are looking to learn about the LEED 2009 rating systems, there's no better tool out there than our own LEEDuser.com.
SNOW ON THE ROOF IS A GOOD THING. It proves that the new insulation does exactly what it should--it keeps the heat inside the house..
There is no component of a home more important in minimizing energy costs than insulation. Insulation is the material used in walls, ceilings, roofs, and foundations that slows the flow of heat.
Hybids account for less than 5% of all car sales in the U.S. The Toyota Prius continues to be the best-selling hybrid.
If you don't already know about technical briefs from California's Public Interest Energy Research Program (PIER), you should (PIER's web presence has been absorbed into a larger site on research and development). The folks at PIER research various topics related to energy efficiency, and come out with some great briefs that are published through ESource.
Aside from cost of gasoline, driving can result in traffic congestion, time loss, stress, wear and tear on vehicles, and added pollution.
Rarely a day goes by that I don't hear people complaining about how much money they're spending on gasoline. Indeed, filling up costs three times what it did just a couple years ago; it's understandable that people are upset.
Aside from cost of gasoline, driving can result in traffic congestion, time loss, stress, wear and tear on vehicles, and added pollution.
Rarely a day goes by that I don't hear people complaining about how much money they're spending on gasoline. Indeed, filling up costs three times what it did just a couple years ago; it's understandable that people are upset.
America's buildings are no small contributor to our environmental difficulties and energy use... but they're far from the biggest part of the problem. The enemy is us — the choices we make individually and as a society. America's building envelopes are getting better and tighter, our heating and cooling systems are getting more efficient, but every year we keep using more energy. And our carbon emissions keep going up, not down.
In a few days I'll be leaving for the fifth annual Natural Building Colloquium East in Bath, NY. I go every year.
"In spite of persistent claims to the contrary from green advocates, 86% of respondents believe that it costs more to build a green building — and not just by a little." — High Perceived Cost of Green Persists, Says Survey (January 1, 2008)
