Aktivhaus!
From Treehugger comes news of a “passive house” with solar hot water collectors and a heat pump that actually generates more energy than the house consumes. A typical passive house is designed with lots of insulation and less windows, in order to absorb heat and trap it in, thereby conserving solar energy and reducing the [...]
Emily’s Ten Commandments of a Greener Office
1. Thou shalt avoid “vampire power” by unplugging appliances when not in use. 2. Thou shalt use coffee mugs instead of paper cups – and dishtowels instead of paper towels – as much as possible. 3. Thou shalt not purchase disposable plastic water bottles unless thou is dangerously parched. 4. Thou shall turn off thou’s [...]
Turn off your computer! (But read this first…)
Speaking of computers, I can’t believe I forgot to tell you about this. Do you want to know a really simple way to save energy in your home or business? Turn off your computers! This article from TreeHugger last week discusses a report that says… 50% of US workers don’t power down their PCs at [...]
Let’s Talk About Toilets.
I know, I know – toilets aren’t very exciting, are they? There IS, however, a lot that goes on with toilets that you may not realize… For one thing, if you live in a place that is experiencing or is prone to experiencing droughts, then you might want to think about how much water your [...]
A Green Designer’s Happy Place
I recently discovered a new retail establishment that I think we can all get excited about. It’s called Green Depot, and I bet you can imagine what it sells by its name association with the Big Orange, aka, the Home Depot. Where the Home Depot sells building supplies of all kinds*, the Green Depot supplies [...]
Kill-a-Watt! … and save some money, too
If you want to save yourself some money by saving energy, one way to do this is to figure out how much electricity you already use. It’s one thing to unplug small appliances when not in use, but what about your larger appliances? Do you know how much electricity they use? Well, you can figure [...]
Passive homes make a comeback
Although not a new concept, passive homes have been sprouting up more frequently lately, even appearing in the New York Times as part of their Energy Challenge series. Passive design strategies form the basis for many of the renovation strategies suggested in the GreenDesignCollective’s Green Your Home tool; essentially, they rely on sunlight, natural ventilation, [...]
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