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I found a pretty awesome article awhile ago. Apparently, painting your roof white can greatly reduce summer cooling costs and, if adopted by enough homeowners, could greatly reduce the spread of global warming.

The U.S. Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu, is a strong advocate for improving roof reflectivity. While speaking in London just before an international summit on reducing climate change, Dr. Chu strongly encouraged people everywhere to paint their roofs white. He said that the simple act of painting a roof white could have a dramatic impact on the amount of money and energy used to keep the building comfortable.

From the original article:

“The EPA reports that $40 billion is spent annually in the United States to cool buildings. That’s an extraordinary amount of money,” states Tom Black, executive director of the non-profit Metal Roofing Alliance (MRA). “We applaud Dr. Chu’s intent. However, in reality, white roofs aren’t feasible for most homeowners. Curb appeal rules. The good news is that highly reflective residential metal roofing is available in a wide variety of styles and colors to suit any home.”

Although a white roof is great, a highly reflective metal roof is even better. In fact, new technologies allow even darker colored metal roofs to absorb less heat through the use of highly reflective pigments in the paint that reflect solar energy. Studies from Oak Ridge National Laboratory show that a reflective metal roof can reduce summer cooling costs by about 40% — that’s great news for homeowners everywhere!

You should probably check out the full article.

Tags: energy-efficient, green living, Green Roofs, Metal Roofs, Reduce Cooling Costs

I’ll be writing a longer post a little later, but I thought y’all might get a kick out of this — a family in California just got a $100,000 tax write-off, just for trying to live a little greener!

Mike and Tricia Barry needed to completely tear down their home, but instead of sending it to a landfill, this eco-friendly couple had their home deconstructed peice by piece and recycled into new homes.

Almost 85% of the materials were able to be recycled or reused in one way or another. Everything from wood, nails, flooring, and roofing to appliances, copper piping, light fixtures, and windows went to non-profit organizations like Habitat for Humanity and Corazón.

Not only did the Barry family save tons of debris from going to the landfill, they also added a little padding to their wallet. Check out the full article!

Tags: Green Demolition, habitat for humanity, Home Recycling, Reuse, Tax Breaks

For many people, landscaping is just more yard work — drudgery at its worst. Some people appreciate good landscaping for the curb appeal that it adds to the home. Then there are others who genuinely enjoy working in the yard for the simple pleasures that it brings, but did you know that thoughtful landscaping can really help you become a lot greener (and I’m not just talking about grass-stains). I found a great article from HomePros.com that did an excellent job of explaining the green benefits of good landscaping.

Too often, people think of landscaping as just the backdrop for your home, but it can also help you irrigate, heat, cool and protect your house. You really need to study which plants you choose, and for what purposes they are to be used.

Trees

Everybody loves trees, but let’s take a moment to consider some of the benefits of a well-planted tree. Deciduous tress are great for shade in the summer and actually cool the surrounding air. In the winter, after all the leaves are gone, sunlight naturally trickles in and provides more heat to the home. Conifers are great for a windbreak, or for sections or the home that benefit from year-round shade. Besides, what could be greener than a tree?

Shrubs, Hedges, and Bushes

Other landscaping staples are shrubs, hedges, and bushes. When planted near the side of the home, shrubs, hedges, and bushes can help block reflected heat from radiating into the outer walls. Hedges, especially, are great for screening unwanted neighbors. Shrubs that lose their leaves are also great because they allow more heat to reach the home in winter months.

Grass

Grass is probably the most popular feature in almost any American lawns. However, I must offer a word of caution. Although a lush, green lawn is very appealing, be careful with your watering habits. More water is wasted during the summer through watering the lawn than any other activity. 

Garden Vegetables

Not only does gardening provide you with vegetables, herbs, and even medicinal plants such as aloe; it also does a great job of livening up your landscape. Just be sure to be as green as you can while exercising your green thumb. Compost and mulch are great natural fertilizers that may cost you nothing. Again, don’t over water! 

HomePros.com brought up another great point about landscaping: “Landscaping may involve more than just planting trees, bushes and flowers. Shaping the land itself to provide irrigation and protect the home from collecting water can be a boon both to the surrounding plants and the home’s foundation. Berms, which are essentially large mounds of dirt on which grass or other plants may grow, can protect a home from wind, heat and cold. You may also wish to include masonry or wood to define areas of the yard, creating levels, gardens or recreational areas. ”

A well-landscaped home truly can provide you with a better all-around living environment! (Click Here to see the full article)

Tags: Gardening, Green Landscaping, Healthier Living, Yard Work

For those of you who have been following this blog for awhile, you are probably somewhat familiar with Michelle Kaufmann. She is one of the nation’s most recognizable green home designers. Her company (Michelle Kaufmann Designs) was Residential Architect magazine’s Top Firm for 2008, and in 2009 she earned the NAHB’s Green Building Award for Advocate of the Year and Treehugger’s Best Prefab Architect Award (see her website for a complete list of her accomplishments).

Sadly, Michelle recently broke the news to the public that Michelle Kaufmann Designs (MKD) will be closing its offices. On her blog she states:

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.

Although her company may be closing, Michelle is still very optimistic about the future. She assures everyone that although this chapter in her life is closing, there will be a next chapter. She insists that the mission of greener design cannot go away. It is something important and must not be lost. Healthy, efficient and well-designed homes really do need to be accessible for all. We simply cannot give up on it.

I just want to close with a quote from Michelle’s blog:

I want to urge all of us not to give up on this mission. I look forward to hearing about all the methods that you are creating in your work, in your homes and in your lives – different models of innovation and reinvention during these difficult, yet interesting times.

Good Luck!

Tags: green design, Lousy Economy, Michelle Kaufmann

I know this may seem like kind of random way to begin a green home design blogpost, but I recently joined the worldwide “Twitter” community.

For those of you who don’t know what “Twitter” is, let me explain . . . No, there is too much; let me sum up: Twitter is an online tool for social networking, much like Facebook. However, Twitter narrows its focus to answer just one question, “What are you doing?”

It’s a pretty neat tool, I guess. I haven’t really been able to get into it that much, but I know some people can’t live without it. As I was messing around with it the other day, someone posted a link to a site called www.thedailygreen.com. More specifically, they referenced a really neat article about Green Swimming Pools.

I went through and read what they have to say, and I’m convinced that Green Swimming Pools are the way to go. What is a Green Swimming Pool? For decades, European have been developing and implementing what they call “Natural Swimming Pools.” These natural swimming pools use carefully selected plants and conscientious design to create a sanitary mini-ecosystem that will provide people with a great place to swim and relax. Instead of relying on harmful chemicals such as chlorine and ozone, green swimming pools allow plants to perform the same function.

Obviously, some people might say that this raises health concerns; but as more people research the option of having a green swimming pool, more experts are finding that green swimming pools meet (and often exceed) the standards set by conventional chemically-treated swimming pools.

Like I said – after reading the article, I’m convinced that green swimming pools are the way to go, but don’t take my word for it. Check it Out for yourself!

Thanks for your help, Twitter!

Tags: green design, Green Swimming Pools, Twitter

I recently spent some time looking through the Green Home Guide website that I told you about last week. I can’t adequately tell you just how much information is available on this website; it really is a great resource if you’re new to the world of green living and design.

Today I started looking at a feature called the “Green Home Checklist.” It was pretty informative, but I ran into a few things that I really disagree with. I realize that there are some very exciting green innovations on the horizon, but many of these products simply aren’t feasible for the average homeowner at this time. So when people start preaching about how everyone should make the sacrifice to incorporate photovoltaic panels, etc., I tend to leave the conversation.

The article I was reading was very good until the author started preaching about how: “The home should generate some of its own energy with technologies like photovoltaic systems” and have a water-conserving irrigation system.

Now don’t get me wrong — I love green design. I think new technologies are very interesting and important, but I can’t stand it when people start preaching that green living is all about expensive, impractical gadgets. Green innovations certainly have a place in our lives, but they should not be our main criteria for judging a green lifestyle. Green living is about simple, clean, renewable, and healthy living.

I hope you’ll forgive my rantings, but I guess this is what a blog is for — ranting. Despite my disagreements, I really do recommend you review the article yourself. Check it Out!

Tags: Geen Living, green design, Green Home Checklist, Green Preaching

As a self-admitted novice in the world of Green Design, I am always on the lookout for websites and organizations that can help me expand my knowledge of green building/living techniques. Well, I think I’ve just hit the mother-lode!

I usually try to find some time each week to surf the web in search of resources about green living. This morning in the middle of my wandering, I stumbled upon www.greenhomeguide.org — a website that is run by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). Green Home Guide is overflowing with useful information about green living.

You can find anything from Green Home Checklists to Green Living Guides. It really is a great tool if you’re looking to learn more about anything green. You can bet that I’ll be returning! (In fact, I’m pretty sure I’ll be blogging about some of the stuff I learn there). I can’t wait! Check it Out!

Tags: green building, green design, green living, usgbc

I’m a terrible blogger. I’ll admit it. I have a really hard time trying to decide what to write about. The words just don’t seem to “flow” like they should. That being said, I am going to put forth a greater effort to change my ways.

I hope you’ll accept my apology for my three-month dry spell. Today, I want to tell you about an awesome home design that was recently featured on the homepage of www.theplancollection.com — CKd688.

House Plan CKd688 isn’t necessarily a new house plan. In fact, it was designed over a decade ago; that’s what makes it so great! CKd688 was designed primarily to provide a flexible living space that takes full advantage of the benefits provided by the natural environment. This concept is what people call “Passive Solar Home Design.”

CKd688 and other Passive Solar House Plans are designed to take in energy when it is needed, but block that energy when it isn’t. This can be accomplished in a number of different ways. South-facing windows with long overhanging eaves are a great way to take in sunlight when it is low in the sky, yet the heat and excessive light is deflected by the eaves when the sun is at its zenith. Strategically placed monolithic concrete slabs, masonry walls, or even water tanks can absorb heat from the sun during the day and help regulate the temperature by dissipating that heat all through the night.

Passive Solar Design is a very complex subject. There is way too much science behind it than I can explain in one blog, but I can assure you that CKd688 was designed by a licensed architect with many years of experience and expertise in the field of Passive Solar Home Design. You can Click Here to see his entire collection of great Passive Solar House Plans. You should really Check it Out!

Please excuse me if I’m being a little redundant, but I just read an article that I really enjoyed. It was introducing a new type of formaldehyde-free insulation. This article really emphasized the point that green living is all about better living.  This new insulation is all about improving air quality, but it is also sustainable at the same time. If you want to check out the full article, go to BuildingGreen.com (or just Click Here).

Now I’m going to digress a little from biobased insulation techniques to put in my two cents about green living. It doesn’t matter if you’re building, remodelling, or just getting a new appliance; going green is something I would suggest looking in to. I’m not saying that the greener option is always the better choice, but sometimes it is.

Take, for instance, this new insulation - EcoBatt.

 According to the article, “EcoBatt has the same performance and cost as Knauf’s other fiberglass products, with R-values ranging from R-8 to R-38, depending on density and thickness.” So, for the same price, you get the insulation you need, but can avoid exposing your family to the obvious dangers of formaldehyde. And as an added bonus, EcoBatt doesn’t contain any petroleum derivatives. That seems like a pretty good deal to me.

I know there are some other green ideas that are way out in left field (like using a wind turbine to power your home), but the number of practical applications of green technology really is growing. On one hand, you could argue that most green products end up using more green from your wallet. On the other hand, green advocates will point out that many of these investments will pay for themselves in the long run.

My advice is to look into it for yourself. Don’t go and buy something just because it says “green” on it. Take it easy, scope it out, and weigh all your options. As often as not, you’ll find that the green option provides the best benefits. But don’t take my word for it — check it out yourself!

Tags: being a smart consumer, green building, green insulation, green living

I’m sorry that it has been so long since my last post. The holidays sure are great, but I got very behind in my work schedule. I’m just now catching up with everything. I finally have a little time to relax and continue my study of Green Design and Homebuilding.

Sadly, as I’ve been perusing through various websites, I ‘ve noticed a disturbing trend — the dreaded curse of normativity!

It’s probably a good idea to take the time to define two key terms: normativity and objectivity. Normativity is focused on telling others what “should be”. It attempts to force an opinion on others. Meanwhile, objectivity is not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or prejudice; it is based on facts and is unbiased.

Although it is impossible to completely eliminate normativity from our writing, true advocates for green living need to be as strictly objective as possible. Remember that when opinions are stated, you should make sure your intended audience knows that it is only an opinion. Writers should be aware that they are not trying to force their views on other people.

I recently read an article that listed the top ten green engineering trends of 2008. The headline sounded very informative, but much to my dismay, I was told that I am single-handedly destroying the planet (all because I use incandescent light bulbs, plastic shopping bags, and a gas-powered car). I speak from experience when I say that people hate it when they are told that their lifestyle is harmful to the environment.

That article left a bad taste in my mouth for quite awhile. If I ever start getting too “green-preachy”, please let me know. I love it when I come across an article that just lays down the facts, fair and square. That is far more persuasive than a publication that tries to “guilt” people into green living.

So there you have it. There is my opinion about normative writing. Personally, I think green lifestyles would gain much more popularity if the loudest advocates weren’t so normative or “pushy”. You’re free to form your own opinion. In fact, I’d love to hear what other people have to say. Let me know what your opinion is about anything - especially green living! (it’d be nice to know if anyone actually reads my rantings) Until then, Happy New Year!

Tags: Green Advocacy, green living