Building Green Structures

Wool carpeting is a wonderful alternative to carpet made out of nylon or other synthetic materials. One of the great safe features of wool carpets is that they are fire safe. Wool also improves indoor air quality by absorbing contaminants in the air and is very durable. The great thing environmentally about wool carpeting as well is the fact that wool is so renewable! No animals need to be harmed in the making of the product as well, which adds to the renewable aspect of the product. No synthetic fibers are necessary to make them - assuming they are 100% wool of course!

The belief that the cost of building green is greater than the cost of building conventionally is very common, but there are many ways in which it is less expensive in terms of building and operating in both commercial and residential situations.  Typically the green projects that get press and you hear about are LEED certified or are very high profile, and this is very misconceiving.  An example on operating costs is that of your electricity.  Some states in the US offer incentive programs for not only installing solar panels, but also energy exchange programs.  Because the sun does not shine all the time in one particular place, if you are still hooked up to the grid, you can receive power from the electrical company during the off-peak times for the sun.  In exchange for being hooked up, all unused electricity produced from your solar panels will go to the electrical company.  In many cases, this can completely null your electrical expenses, once installed.

Make sure you look around and find out your options for programs like this.  They are established to help!  The bit of energy that goes back into the grid is that much less that has to be produced in other ways as well.

The exciting thing about jumping into a green building project, is that you have the opportunity to design and change the box thinking when it comes to housing.  I challenge the point that you could even make the same size house green as conventional and be way ahead with the green project.  It comes down to designing the way the sun will hit each part of the roof, house etc., less walls, more of an open floor plan (allows better air movement and less of a need to supply temperate air to individual spaces, as well as an awesome warm/whole feeling in the house itself!),  rethinking your heating and cooling systems, maximizing the space by eliminated unnecessary and unused spaces and corners etc.    The list can go on and on and on….  Be creative and get involved!

You may or may not be aware, but there are paints on the market that contain low volitile organic compounds (more commonly referred to as VOC’s).  Basically what it means is that there are low levels of organic compounds that are able to significantly vaporize into the atmosphere.  These types of paints are basically toxic-free and are better for your indoor (outdoor benefits too) air quality than paints that are considered ‘conventional.’   These paints are particularly sought out when painting around pregnant women and newborns/babies (think their first experiences of air), as well as people with sensitive allergies.

Low- or no-VOC paints are good for anyone, though, as the chemicals, including formaldehyde, not only are leaked into the air when it is smelly and wet, but it continues to leak these toxins into your indoor air well beyond it’s application time.

VOCs are traditionally put in paints as preservatives.  Conventional paints can last up to 20 years on the shelf, as opposed to an average of 4 for the low- or no-VOC paints.   Make sure you shop around, because the cost of these paints vary dramatically!   For example, Benjamin Moore’s low-VOC paints cost approximately $55/gallon, whereas Pittsburgh Pure Performance low-VOC paints cost around $25.16.  I don’t need to tell you that its a serious price difference.  American Pride and Sherwin-Williams Harmony both make  no-VOC paints, and both fall into the same price range of $35-40/gallon.
Happy Healthy Painting!

If you are interested in finding local recycled materials for your building project, but don’t know where to look, this post should help to give you some direction with where to start looking.  Online, you have so many different sources for types of recycled materials.  There are websites specifically set up for exchange or sale or recycled building materials.  Often if buildings are being torn down, their materials are available, but not necessarily advertised as so.  If individuals are replacing their hardwood floors, the old ones, if removed can be used and look beautiful.  If you take the time to look in newspapers, word-of-mouth, building sites, and the internet, you will for sure be able to find great recycled resources for your building needs.

It is not new information to hear about the housing market slump. There are several million empty homes in this country. When considering selling, I propose you back up your sales strategy with eco-friendly renovations. Sure you can brag about the new kitchen floor, refinished cabinets etc. But to stand out, feature marmolum floors (which are very cost effective, and have many benefits…see the post for marmolum), or low VOC paints and varnishes, surely new or expecting parents will appreciate that!

It will be well worth the investment to make sure any areas in the house that traditionally seep air from the outside is fixed so you can tell the prospective buyers. It will be good to emphasize that the house has been checked and fixed so that the maximum amount of heat will stay in etc. Perhaps replace certain windows that are single pane to double pane.

Consider installing energy efficient appliances. How comforting will a new house be if they owners know from the start they are saving money with the appliances? They will sleep very well knowing that they spent a little more for the house, but are going to be saving on bills, and the chemicals aren’t as harsh for their health.

You may or may not be one of the many people who want to build a new house that is eco-friendly all the way. Construction, however, in many different and all forms is taxing on the environment. From the fuel required to ship the raw materials, to the cost of manufacturing them, every aspect creates an impact on the earth. The house you are in right now, may very well be the greenest option. This is not an absolute statement, of course, but when you are considering building an entire new structure, it might be a good idea to consider what you can first do with the structure that you are in.

I wanted to send you all an e-mail to say Happy Earth Day, and to suggest everyone to make one Earth Day Resolution, earth friendly oriented.  No matter your commitment to this cause, try to implement one change and commit yourself to it!  There are so many ways we can improve our footprint on the earth.  There are also many different reasons to, including saving money!!!  Personally, I am choosing to use reusable bags for 100% of my store visits.  I am going to carry an emergency one in my car at all times for those unplanned stops as well.  I will let you know how it goes in a year!!!  Here are some examples of things you can do for the earth, to save our precious natural resources, and store some extra money:

(1) Turn off the water when you brush your teeth
(2) Use Reusable bags
(3) Turn off unneeded lights
(4) Make sure all lights are turned off when you leave the house
(5) Use the natural warm and cool air to help your active heating and cooling systems
(6) Save shopping for a one trip occasion
(7) Purchase clothes, linens, and household items that are made from renewable materials such as bamboo
(8) Don’t use a car if you can walk
(9) Wash clothes only when you can fill the washer full
(10) Turn off electronics when not in use
(11) Unplug electronics that are not frequently used (toaster, coffee pot, electronic chargers, lamps in guest rooms, etc) even though they may not be in use, they are still taking electricity!
(12) Purchase energy efficient appliances
(13) Plant foliage to help keep your house cool in the summer
(14) When driving, anticipate stops and avoid speeding up excessively fast
(15) Take short showers

Aluminium is a great building material, especially when you consider it’s draw on natural resources.  This building material has been used widely for about the past 50 years and will continue to do so well into the future.  One of the best parts environmentally about aluminium is that it can be melted down and used again with using only 5% of the energy it takes to make other metals.  Therefore, it is a great recycled product and can be recycled over and over again.  This product can be used for so many different things on your structure.  Some examples of it’s use are door handles, stairs, siding, and window catches.  As with any building material, there is so much room for creativity and design.  Explore different options with what you can do with aluminium.

In general, thermal mass refers to heat storing materials.  This type of integration into your heating and cooling system has the potential to greatly reduce the needed amounts of active heating and cooling, as well as the consumption of fossil fuels and non-renewable resources.  As with any type of passive heating and cooling system, when integrating the use of thermal mass into your structure, in order to get the most use out of the system, make sure that it is a part of a much larger overall system.  Although, some features to help reduce the need for active heating and cooling is much better than nothing at all!!  The type of thermal mass that will be best for you will greatly depend on your climate, so make sure you research the needs for your specific environment.

Just as in when considering your heating system, the cooling system is just as important, if not more depending on where you live.  I have discussed some ways to cool your structure, without making major changes to your house design.  The options you have range from strategic placement of foliage for the summer months, to completely integrating a cooling system throughout each room in your house.  You can even go as simple as trying to control the heat during the day by allowing cooler air in throughout the evening.  A cooling system, whichever you choose, should have many different elements that work together to create the overall system.  Mix and match strategies/elements to provide cool air to your home.