Specialty stores (those that emphasize green living) are your friend here, but since they’re smaller, they won’t always have all the options. It’s a good idea to research online and decide what kind of flooring, countertops, appliances, etc. you want before you even look for a buyer.

That’s where this article can help. We’ll look at a few areas where you can make environmentally friendly choices when remodeling the kitchen. In the end, your new kitchen will look as good as anybody else’s on the block (maybe better).

Countertops

There are lots of eco-friendly options for kitchen countertops. Concrete is low-maintenance and easy to mold into whatever shape and thickness you want. Natural stone such as granite, though a somewhat limited resource, doesn’t give off harmful vapors that man-made materials can. Countertops made from recycled materials are increasingly popular. You can find everything from paper to glass to ceramic (how would you like a handsome Terrazzo countertop made from old toilets, sinks, and tubs that would otherwise be cluttering up landfills?).

Eco-friendly Flooring

Bamboo is becoming very popular in the flooring arena, both in the kitchen and other rooms of the house. Since it’s a grass, it grows much more quickly than trees, so it’s an easily replenished resource. If you prefer hardwood flooring, consider wood harvested from sustainable forests. You can also get hardwoods made from salvaged or reclaimed wood (such as from old buildings that were torn down). These natural materials are often more eco-friendly than man-made compounds.

Kitchen Appliances

Make sure to choose Energy Star appliances when you’re shopping for your new oven, dishwasher, refrigerator. They may be more expensive than traditional models, but these appliances use 10-50% less energy and water so you will save money in the long run. You don’t have to give up style for energy efficiency; you can get stainless steel and other high-end finishes in Energy Star-rated models.

Cooktops

Is there such thing as an environmentally friendly cooktop? Of course. The new induction units on the market use electricity to produce a magnetic field that causes molecular movement, which heats pans instead of burners. This method of heating uses less energy than gas and electric stoves, and induction cooktops are safer too (no need to worry about a child touching a hot burner).

Cabinets

Choosing cabinets that are functional and handsome is a big part of a kitchen remodel, since they take up a large portion of the room. When you’re looking for eco-friendly options, choose the same sorts of materials you would with flooring. Bamboo and reclaimed wood are handsome choices. If you need less expensive cabinets, you can get fiberboard or particleboard, but make sure to find cabients that don’t contain urea formaldehyde, which is as unpleasant as it sounds; it’s not something you want in a healthy kitchen.

Paints and Finishes

Kitchen remodeling isn’t just about countertops, cabinets, and shiny stainless steel appliances. Think about the paints you’ll use on the walls and the finishes you’ll use on cabinets and countertops too. You should choose paints and finishes with Low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) ratings. (Many conventional materials have high VOCs, and these compounds produce potentially harmful gases when they’re applied. These can be troublesome for those with allergies or chemical sensitivities, and they diminish the indoor air quality for all.

Windows

Most kitchens will have at least one window. You can help save energy by installing Energy Star-qualified windows (in the rest of the house as well as the kitchen).

Remember Recycling

The eco-friendly homeowner will make recycling a part of his or her design. You can make separating jars, bottles, and cans easy by building a recycling center into your kitchen. When choosing the cabinets you want to install, consider adding one with a slide out unit that holds a traditional garbage receptacle and a can or cans for recycling too.

By: TCThorn

Inside Urban Green Kitchen

This is a designer’s view of a green kitchen that attempts to address a kitchen process from growing plants to composting. It’s a good idea but not very practical for mainstream consumer use. The herb-growing planters are not really an.  

Kitchen Appliances and Home Energy Conservation

Choosing green appliances for your kitchen conserves valuable natural resources and saves you money in the process. 

Gourmet kitchen design goes Green

A kitchen with out barriers is the best kitchen where people can flow, once again design is the key to a green gourmet kitchen. SO if you are special as we all are you need special things designed for you.

How to Green your Kitchen

A video by RealWorldGreen - How to Green Your Kitchen? Watch Real World Green and find out. In this episode, another in our series on greening your kitchen, Eric talks about the microwave oven. 

Your Home Editor’s Blog

Umbrella proves that you can be green and stylish at the same time. Partnered with Kitchen Designers Plus, they offer custom eco-friendly kitchens to meet all of your needs; from deep drawers for pots and pans to built-in wine racks.

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Making use of building materials which uphold the concept of nature and environment, and causes no harm to the environment at any given time. It is not only environment friendly, but is cost effective and gives a very homely and cosy feeling to your house. With an additional aesthetic appeal to the building. Also considered is the fuel, which is less harmful and leaves no fumes in the environment and plastic that won’t decompose in the environment if thrown away, if used it will be disposed in a safe manner so that it doesn’t affect the environment in any way. Enough care will be taken in case plastic is used. In addition to this, eco home products are used in some houses, which not only looks good, but also does good. Such as cork stool instead of plastic ones, alpaca cushions, buckram light, organic sheep skin.

Eco homes basically highlight the concept of sustainable building design and emphasizes on sustainable lifestyles. Such homes are carbon neutral; and make use of power (from a number of different green sources) efficiently and imaginatively; with beautiful furnishings.

Create a beautiful, peaceful sanctuary within your home. With eco friendly items from around the world, makes your eco living a real pleasure. The key aim behind such eco homes is conservation of environment and revolves around the concept sustainable building design and sustainable lifestyles. With limited resources around the world, one should consider conserving the environment which is endangered and is heading towards depletion. Take enough care when you build your homes and reach out to eco home experts, and be a fully aware citizen who is takes responsibility towards his own environment and creates that aesthetic appeal that his or her house deserves. You feel good about your house and make the environment also smile with no harm caused to it.

The rising population of the world has a very important role to play in this. This is where living in homes that are friendly to the environment becomes important. That is because these homes are saving what the world has so that the future generations won’t feel the pinch. Take a step towards building an eco friendly home!

By: Kirthy S

Ecohome Improvement

Ecohome Improvement is your source for ecological and healthy home improvement products for all size projects. From non-voc paint stains, sealers too recycled glass countertops & tiles too cork and bamboo floors too.

Your Eco-Friendly Home - Buying, & Building.

Living in an energy efficient home made of eco-friendly materials is fast becoming a dream for many of us. No longer do we wish for a perfectly trimmed lawn.   

Nottingham Eco-Home Makes Old Victorian Super Green

Victorian gingerbread detail If you sometimes feel like you’d have to move to have a more eco-friendly home, check out the Nottingham Eco-Home. An old Victorian townhouse was retrofitted to be a super green home. 

New carbon efficient eco retirement home

Thu 26 Feb 2009 - One of the few remaining highly environmentally unfriendly Concorde aircraft has been retired to a newly-built eco-home at the UK’s Manchester Airport.

Medieval-style Eco-home

Green Issues news - A zero-carbon eco-home designed by scientists at the University of Cambridge uses double glazing to retain heat from the sun, yet stay cool in summer.

Converting Your House Into An Eco Home

There are a lot of people who would like to live in eco homes. Many people are looking for ways to reduce their own environmental impact and environmentalism, like charity begins at home. 

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Is the floor made from a renewable source?
Can the floor be recycled after its useful life?
Does the floor emit harmful levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs)?
Is the floor made from recycled materials?
How was the raw product and the final product transported?
How was the flooring manufactured?

A Number of Factors to Consider
Eco-friendly flooring is good to the environment in a few different ways and is often a matter of opinion. In some cases it may be up to you to decide what green qualities you favor most. Transportation, for example, is an important aspect to a product’s eco-friendliness and one that is frequently overlooked.

Stone flooring, which one might think of as natural and green, is not generally considered green because high-intensive machines are needed to quarry and shape the stone. On the other hand, stone is usually sourced and manufactured locally, which means less distance it has to travel. In the end it’s a matter of measuring the amount of pollution from all machines and transportation involved in the process.

Green Flooring Options

Almost all floors can be made in a more green way. Although concrete is made with machines that contribute 5% of the world’s total CO2 emissions, it’s made locally and can be recycled at the end of its life. Tile flooring can be made from recycled tiles and even recycled glass. Carpet, once one of the main contributors to flooring landfill waste, can now be made with recycled plastic bottles and used at the end of its life cycle. Reclaimed hardwood flooring is becoming a popular alternative to new hardwood, and is taken from abandoned buildings, warehouses and barns.

Vinyl flooring is one floor that is left out of the "green club" as it’s made with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a toxic building material. Tests show that PVC can outgas harmful chemicals for years after the vinyl flooring is installed. This not only creates an unhealthy indoor environment during its life, but also contributes to global warming once the floor is disposed of.

Cork, bamboo and linoleum pave the way for green flooring. All three floor types are sourced without harming the natural environment and share characteristics that are ideal for high-standard living. With these floors you can help the environment as well as enjoy a surface that’s hypoallergenic, antimicrobial and VOC-free. Of course, some manufacturers may use adhesives that contain a high level of VOCs, so consumers need to make sure they ask about this when purchasing.

How can you tell if a floor is green?
A number of organizations now give green labels to products that pass certain testing. Testing is different for every floor type. The Forest Stewardship Council, or the FSC, certifies hardwood flooring that’s made from socially and environmentally responsible forests. Carpet, on the other hand, is evaluated by the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Green Label program.

The Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a certification program developed by the U.S. Building Council to promote sustainable green building. While some organizations are only interested in specific building materials, LEED focuses on the building in its entirety. Buildings that are certified by LEED boast various benefits to the environment including conserving water and energy and reducing landfill waste.

In most cases, finding out if a floor is green may take some investigation on the part of the consumer. Use the preceding questions as a guideline when purchasing green flooring for your home. If you’re purchasing the flooring from a distributor, ask for the manufacturer’s contact information so you can ask them your questions directly.

Start Living Green
Start a life of green by donating your old floors to a local reclamation center. Every flooring type is disposed of differently; contact your manufacturer where you originally purchased the floor or do a local search online.

Find Green Flooring Information in One Place
It helps to have information from a reliable source to refer to when shopping for green flooring. FindAnyFloor.com (FAF), "The Web’s Flooring Authority," a site wholly dedicated to environmentally friendly flooring: Green.FindAnyFloor.com.

"Green.FindAnyFloor.com completes a trio of flooring information sites for our company," said FindAnyFloor.com founder and CEO Damien Patton. "FindAnyFloor.com was always intended to be the ultimate flooring site on the Internet for consumers. Pro.FindAnyFloor.com caters to flooring professionals. But our company is very environmentally conscious - right down to our in-house recycling and our purchasing of carbon credits. So it just made plain sense for us to put together Green.FindAnyFloor.com. While it will certainly continue to expand over coming months, I can honestly say that I think site visitors will be delighted from the outset with the depth and breadth of information, and how practical the site is."

As with its parent site, Green.FindAnyFloor.com is structured for easy use. Avoiding unnecessary "bells and whistles" and instead sticking with plain-English, neatly condensed information, the site guides the visitor through separate sections for a dozen of the most popular floors (including interesting choices like terrazzo), stockpiles of blogs and articles, analysis of supplemental flooring products (such as adhesives, trims and underlays), green organizations and standards, questions to ask retailers when buying flooring, and much more.

And, like its partner sites, Green.FindAnyFloor.com has been designed with accessibility in mind. There are approximately 60 million people in the United States alone with some form of disability. In the private sector, this fact is almost unacknowledged by companies with websites. Audio, visual, and mobility disabilities pose serious challenges for Internet users and these folks will find the FAF sites to be much more welcoming than most.

"We’re extremely proud of Green.FindAnyFloor.com because it’s a socially responsible website," said Patton. "But in these tough economic times, it also helps flooring consumers to be environmentally conscious and budget conscious at the same time. After all, there are few things in life that save you money better than good information."

Whether it’s the environment or the pocketbook, Green.FindAnyFloor.com offers flooring solutions that are kind to both.

By: Kirsten Kapson

Bamboo Flooring Reduces Health Risk

Flooring is the first thing that any visitor’s eyes will get stuck in the first entry. It is therefore a must to to have elegant floor for your home. Now, if you are in search for a nice option, then we advice bamboo flooring.

Things You Need to Know about Bamboo Flooring.

Bamboo flooring provides an excellent alternative to traditional hardwood flooring. Growing in popularity as an alternative, bmaboo flooring has many attractive features that make it a viable option for modern homeowners. …   Read more…

Cork and Bamboo Flooring.

Green Building Ideas is full of green resources, links, LEED info, Amazon books, Home Builders info, green building products and many more topics for green building.   

sustainable floors for eco-conscious homes

I’ve always known that laminate flooring is more plastic than wood so it’s not sustainable, it’s not eco-friendly and the melamine resin used contains formaldehyde, so it might be dangerous to one’s health.

Antique Pine Salvaged from a Demolition Site Becomes Eco-Flooring

Pioneer Millworks recently salvaged 50000 board feet of antique heart pine and white pine timbers from the old Delaware Hudson Rail Car Maintenance Shop in Oneonta, NY — part of the rai…   Read more…

Eco-friendly flooring is cozy and economical and suitable for …

Green living campaign has been very popular nowadays. Everyone seems very concerned about the earth, some of them are doing little thing but has a great impact to their life. Going green is somewhat more economical if we are able to …   Read more…

Technorati Tags: available, bamboo, cork, discount, eco, enviromental, enviromentally, floor, flooring, friendly, green, laminate, options, reclaimed, salvaged, solid, strand, sustainable

From Sick Building to Building for Wellness
We’ve all heard of "sick building syndrome" by now. So, how about "well building syndrome!" How far can we take architecture and the built environment in this direction? This article is going to explore a subtle and expansive view of "green building", and how it might be possible to blend human consciousness, the built environment, and the greater environment into a synergistic whole - a spiritual/holistic/integrous architecture, as it were. We call this architecture Integrous Vastu Vedic Architecture.

Creating Maximum Vitality in Our Living Space
What are we trying to get from architecture - certainly not just a "roof over our head". We would like to feel that life and relationships will prosper in the space we inhabit. This is the purpose of Integrous Vastu Vedic Architecture. It’s all about creating a  that has maximum "vitality" - has a "consciousness" that can fully support and nourish ours.

Inputs from Ancient Spiritually-Centered Architecture and Modern Psycho-Physiology
We shall explore how recent discoveries in psycho-physiology and an ancient architectural science of building and city design from the Vedic (ancient Indian) culture have come together to provide a design and construction system that promises to create space in which our potential for progress and growth - our spiritual advancement - may blossom fully.

The Power of Attention

A wise man once noted that whatever we put our attention on, its influence (its energy) will grow stronger and more potent in our life. Attention is always flowing out of us toward the environment. We spend so much time these days in, or interacting with, some part of the man-made environment - putting our attention consciously or unconsciously on it - that it is even more pressing to get the most out of our relationship with our surrounding man-made space.

The Continuous Impact of the Built Environment on Our Consciousness
The influence of architectural space is truly insidious. For good or bad it is quietly working its influence over us since we spend so much time in it, involved, one could say, with it. We hope to show how Integrous Vastu Vedic Architecture offers a systematic way of optimizing the influence on us of the built environment.

Ancient Vedic Culture, the Self, and Nature’s Intelligence
Many eons ago, the Rishis or "Seers" of the Vedic culture of ancient India came out with simple yet profound truths about the man-environment relationship and how to make it prosper. [Note: for the interest of our readers, Sanskrit words - Sanskrit being the language of the Vedic culture - are placed after the English definition.]

They basically observed that at the source of our thoughts, deep within the mind, we can contact the source of nature’s creativity. They called this area of life the "Self" (in English, Self with a capital "S") or Atma, and they went on to say that every individual’s Atma is totality - Brahman. All beings and structures of matter and energy in the universe share a common energetic source.

Integrous Vastu Architecture - Optimizing the Relationship between Man and Nature
Let’s apply this insight and cognition to architecture. Let’s get this common spiritual source and the principles governing its intelligence to "design" the space we live in and actively permeate it. This way we can always be one with that influence - unlimited energy, creativity, and intelligence. Integrous Vastu Vedic architecture is a design system that has come down from the insights and experience of the Vedic Rishis - ancient and modern.

Insights from Quantum Physics on the Source of Creation
Interestingly, modern quantum physics is also coming to a similar conclusion regarding the nature of the foundations of our physical universe. Deep inside every grain of physical existence at the Planck scale (a very small distance size of 10 to the minus 33 centimeters, that is 1 divided by the number 1 with 33 zeros after it parts of a centimeter) all the force and matter fields of nature are unified. This is the source of all of nature’s energy and creativity. From or within this unified field, the universe as we see it unfolds.

Films that Explore the Basis of Nature’s Intelligence and Human Consciousness
A recent film "What the Bleep Do We Know?" explored these ideas in modern language and caught the public imagination. Another fascinating view is the PBS series "The Elegant Universe" with superstring theorist Brian Greene.

The Relationship between Consciousness, the Body, and the Environment
Getting back to the Vedic Rishis, they were in touch with this unified field within their inner space - their minds. By getting to know their own inner space intimately, and its source, they were able to come to useful conclusions about the outer space of the body and environment, and how to link these inner and outer spaces positively so that we can fully enjoy the world we find ourselves in. From their deep meditations, the whole system of Yoga came out - the target always being to get the most out of life by developing our full potential.

The Vedic Goal of Life - Yoga: Union with Cosmic Intelligence - Enlightenment
They considered that full human potential was achieved when human consciousness is fully identified (24/7) with that totality of nature’s intelligence and its formidable cosmic organizing power! All desires - Kama, codes of ethical behavior - Dharma, amassment of resources or wealth - Artha, are aimed at this target, they said. A human soul fully resonant with this cosmic intelligence, this unified field, they called liberated, free - enlightened. We shall see how Integrous Vastu Architecture offers an environmental or living framework in which human prosperity can flourish and human consciousness may even achieve true unboundedness, freedom, liberation - Moksha.

Vedic "Technologies" for Mind, Body, Health, and Environment
All the technologies that have come out from the tradition of knowledge brought to light so long ago by the Vedic Rishis have always had as their bottom line this goal of full human blossoming. Yoga is for that, AyurVeda - the Vedic health care system - is for that, and Vastu - Vedic architecture (also called Sthapatya Veda and VastuVidya) - is for that. We could even call Integrous Vastu Vedic Architecture an environmental health-care system - optimizing space energy for clearer thinking, feeling, perception and holistic or integrous action.

Self-Realization through Designing Enlightening Spaces
Imagine: creating a space to live in that will spontaneously keep you in touch with who you are deep inside - the unified field.

Is It Worth the Effort Designing according to Vastu principles?
Well, it all sounds good in theory, but how can we know if it is worth the effort to apply the principles of building design laid out in the Vedic texts - the Vastu Shastras. Let’s look at some of these principles at this point.

Examples of Vastu Principles in Building Design

• Buildings should be oriented to the cardinal directions for best and harmonious influence, with doors only to East and North. Doors to the South should be avoided at all cost
• Sunrise with respect to a Vastu building should not be delayed more than a few minutes due to topographical features (such as hills etc.)
• Building sites should be flat or sloping down to the East, North East or North, but not sloping down in other directions
• Bodies of Water should be to the East, North East or North
• Vastu buildings should not be near graveyards, places of public entertainment/meeting, bars, slaughterhouses, nor near pylons and the high tension electric cables they are carrying (this last insight coming from the "modern" Rishis).

The Challenge of Creating Truly Spiritual Space
So many principles, all to create living spaces that will make life flourish. The challenge is finding suitable sites that fulfill all the conditions, and this is all in addition to the actual integrous design of Vastu buildings (involving often more than a thousand mathematical and geometric specifications and computations that require many decisions in their fine tuning). The modern Vastu architects can apply the various principles to the best of their traditional knowledge, with faith, but is the final design really able to deliver the promised effects?

Assistance from the Research of Dr. David Hawkins
Here the work of a modern psychiatrist should be mentioned - Dr. David Hawkins, MD, PhD. He showed that the simple kinesiological principle that the body reacts to a statement of truth by being strong and to a statement that is false by becoming weak could be used to develop a scale of consciousness. This scale of consciousness, or measure of energy, can be applied to validating the "truth" and effectively the energy of any "thing", be it an abstract idea, a person, a building - anything really.

The Kinesiological Response - Evaluating Energy and Consciousness
He found in his research that the kinesiological response of the human musculature was not a localized response involving just the body-mind of the tester but was the localized expression of the response of the entire field of universal consciousness (the unified field of nature’s energy). His books are a great read and provide a fertile ground for scientific research in the future for serious scientists (and skeptics) who wish to explore the mind-body-environment connection.

Applying Kinesiology to Optimize the Influence of Living Space
Applied to architecture, we immediately have a way of testing if land and environment is appropriate for development or redevelopment, and how its energy or consciousness tallies with the needs of the client. We now have a practical tool to evaluate how effective a building or space, and the land it occupies, might be in supporting the life of the inhabitants.

We also now have a way of not just following tradition in "blind faith" but a way of measuring how specific Vastu principles and computations can optimize the living space - the space energy. We even have a method of deciding which tradition of Vastu or any architectural system, for that matter, would prove the most appropriate for a particular time, place, and client.

The "Feel" of Vastu and Evaluating Space Energy
One can feel the nourishing effect of a Vastu building with an East or North entrance. One can certainly evaluate the energy or "consciousness" of the space within the building via the Scale of Consciousness and kinesiology. But these subjective measures can also be tested via objective scientific research - yet to be done.

Scientific Research on Vastu Principles
One can perform research on how Vastu can improve the quality of life by taking, for example, just one principle of Vastu: auspicious door entrances. Take a city laid out on a North-South East-West road grid and see if the people using the South entrances and West entrances of their homes and offices are having a harder time in life (through appropriately designed questionnaires) compared to people with North and East entrances.

Summary
In this first article, we have explored the relationship between the space we live in and the unified field of nature’s intelligence, energy, and power. We have talked about how it might be possible to entrain that energy into our living space and lives via an ancient system of spiritual architecture called Vastu or Vedic Architecture. Principles of Vastu - Vedic Architecture - are joined with kinesiological methods numerically evaluating the energy or consciousness of buildings (through the Scale of Consciousness developed by Dr. David Hawkins) to create a modern holistic architectural system. This system is called in this article "Integrous Vastu Vedic Architecture". Thus, we have a basic way of constructively tuning the built environment to both the outer space of our environment and the inner space of our mind and personal consciousness. In this way, architecture can promise to expand our life towards the state of full human potential called enlightenment.

More articles will follow going more deeply into the principles of Integrous Vastu Vedic Architecture.

References

Scale of Consciousness
Research by Dr. David Hawkins, MD, PhD
VeritasPub.com

Superstrings
A quantum mechanical theory of the unified field
PBS.org

Leading Vastu Architect in the Tamil Tradition of India
An Introduction to Ganapati Sthapati
TamilNation.org

Leading Vastu Architect in the Kerala Tradition of India
An Introduction to Kanippayyur Krishnan Namboothiripad
KeralaTourism.org

Vastu Texts
Vedic architectural background reading by modern authors
ChooseTeacher.com

Vastu in the News
The Return of the Temple Arts
HinduismToday.com

Integrous Vastu Vedic Architecture
http://blogcolony.com/access/MAILTO:info@IntegrousVastuArchitecture.com

By Lakeraj Dikshin
Published: 5/1/2007

Sparks of Light » Ob-la-di, Ob-la-da (non tradotto)

Gordon.Dalaya incorporated principles of Vedic or vaastu design, based on ancient Hindu texts. "We’re not Vedic architects per se," KGD principal Tsutomu Ben Kishimoto says. "…   Read more…

The first house of Vedic astrology gives the high prediction

Dr.Rajendra Raaj Sudhanshu is the astrologer of India who practices “stellar KP system (vedic), on, Medical astrology, Astro-Vastu, Indian astrology, Vedic astrology. For more you vi fef sit …   Read more…

Vastu: Indian Feng Shui

Vaastu is the science of the ‘living place’ or the dwelling. It can be compared to the Chinese Fung Shui. It focuses on harmonizing life according to the architecture, interior design and the …   Read more…

Health, Wealth and Vastu: VASTU

Vastu encourages you to imitate Nature and divine Creation by beautifying your own spaces. References. This article was originally published at the American Institute of Vedic Studies. …   Read more…

Authenticity Of Vastu Science of Indian architecture

Vastu is one of the most ancient sciences of Indian architecture and is composed of specific rules, regulations and directions, set down by sages of the vedic times. For the modern society it …   Read more…

vastu consultation service - Planning the house or office

Vaasthu sastra. Atharva Veda Vaasthu shastra is the science of direction that combines all the five elements of nature, namely earth, water, air, fire and space and uses them to the benefit of humank…   Read more…

Technorati Tags: architecture, available, books, built, buy, discount, energy, enviroment, fish, home, how, living, on, positive, sale, space, to, turtle, vastu, water

The use of both plywood and fiberboards has become integral to modern building practices. Unfortunately both of these wood products use formaldehyde solvents in the binding process. The wood is usually from a non-sustainable source and the glue off-gasses for many years, not a healthy situation for people or the planet.

One promising option utilizes agricultural waste from the production of food such as the straw from wheat, oats and rice. These materials would otherwise be destroyed or used as compost. Fiberboard can be made from each of these types of straw. This approach does not require solvents for the bonding process. Soy-based resins are used instead.

Another unique composite wood material is Dakota Burl, made from sunflower hulls. This beautiful product has the look of burled wood caused by the striations of dark and light areas on the seed hull. Sunflowers are a rapidly renewable agricultural product. Dakota Burl can be finished with traditional wood staining and finishing techniques.

Wheatboard is another excellent option. Wheatboard is made from recycled wheat chaff and an isocynate binder that uses no formaldehyde. Wheatboard is incredibly moisture resistant, holds screws and nails well, is superior in strength and stiffness when compared with regular fiberboard, and is ideal for painting. Wheatboard can be used in any way that particle board or fiberboard is used. Wheatboard is more elastic and has a stronger internal bond than regular fiberboard.

Other products to watch are made from coconut hulls and fast growing reeds. Bamboo flooring has become an instant design success. Bamboo cutting boards and bamboo countertops are also popular in the home market. Luckily for all of us, there are an increasing number of wonderful options available for sustainable, green wood products. Make sure to take a look at these options for your next building project!

By: Len Piotrowski

Greensboro renovation.

They’re renovating the two-story building at 526 South Elm Street, which dates back to the 1920s, into a loft-style home on the second floor and commercial space on the ground floor. And they plan to meet a building … Ziegler said while renovation is a lot of work, she hopes other building owners will see the merits of going green.

SBA Goes Green With Loans for Small Businesses

(Vocus/PRWEB) February 5, 2009 — The SBA 504 Loan Program has been assisting small business entrepreneurs for over 25 years by providing fixed rate, long-term financing for the purchase, construction and renovation of commercial real estate.

Lululemon Athletica & Kenneth Park Architect Open Green Outlet.

Even as we continue to monitor the chaos in the green commercial real estate market, there is still some pretty neat sustainable stuff happening in the local commercial interiors space. 

Green Lending Picks Up Despite Credit Crunch

With the establishment of its new Green Building Loan Program, the bank has joined the ranks of those financial institutions that are making an extra effort to step up the support of green commercial development.

Technorati Tags: building, buildings, education, feasibility, green, of, practices, program, sustainable

A roof truss is a very strong and stable frame that is made of wood and is held together with the help of metal connector plates. It is a relatively new design that has also been used to provide support and shape to bridges. It is also commonly described as an open web type of design.

Roof truss designs have been considered as a wooden engineering marvel that is highly cost effective and is well acclaimed in the market as a means to provide low cost roofing with a high quality that can be used in all commercial and industrial buildings where fire resistance is not a requirement.

The most common roof truss designs are made using ordinary softwood of sizes 2×4" or 2×6" which are held together with the help of joints and a number of wooden and metal fasteners. It is a very delicate piece of structure when it is not in its upright position and can be easily damaged if handled clumsily.

The important points to take care of during the construction of the truss roof is the peak of the truss, clear span, pitch, the overall length and the overhang. Ensuring that the lumber is not too moist and is adequately flame retardant and the metal connectors that are uses are rust free is a very important step too.

Advantages of Roof Truss Designs

The design of the roof truss designs is such that it is very complex and because of the critical nature of the joints, they are usually not assembled at the site. Rather, they are assembled at the manufacturing plant and are trucked to the final destination. Despite the complex structure and the fact that these structures appear very fragile, these structures are extraordinarily strong once they are erected mainly due to the amount of sophistication that is put into its engineering.

Roof truss designs are a product of the computer age. Over a hundred years ago engineers would calculate the amount of stress and built these roofs intuitively, but at that point of time, roof truss designs were an expensive affair not feasible for residential or commercial constructions that were to be built on the budget. The computer has helped change everything. Today, you can walk into any one of the local lumberyard with a design of the building on your palm and can watch the technician key in the specifications and a few seconds later, the printer prints out the design with every piece of lumber identified complete with the joint design and an estimated cost.

The wooden trusses work out cheap but offer great strength as they have been engineered in a manner that every piece of wood in the roof structure offers support and strength. To further enhance the strength of the structure, special metal plate with punch stamped were invented. These fasteners are user to join pieces of wood together using a hydraulic press.

Disadvantages of Roof Truss Designs

Because of the complexities involved in building the roof structures with multi prong fasteners with the help of hydraulic equipments, these structures cannot be built at site of the building. Hence, these roofs are designed at a plant and have to be transported to a location of the building. Transportation itself raises a major drawback. Once the trusses are assembled, they can get a little too big. Sometimes they are too big for a truck. Specially designed truss trailers have to be used to haul the structures around.

The conventional truss design leaves a large volume of attic space unusable as these structures create a web of wood framing that leaves no possible space of using it as a utility. Further, because of the entangled wooden framework, the aesthetic appearance of the roof is very low. No doubt, it can be covered up with wooden trim, but it is an additional cost.

Lastly, these wooden roofs can be very susceptible to fire. However, an alternative is available these days and the lumber can be replaced with light gauge steel frames which will not only be more resistant, it will also be more robust when compared to wood roof trusses

I hope that this article has provided sufficient information and has shown both the sides of the coin with regards to roof truss designs. However, before you make a final decision, it is imperative that you talk to your contractor or builder to analyze the feasibility and the cost effectiveness of using a truss roof for your building. Happy building!

By Ranjan Shandilya

Green Living - Thinhouse

Now we are hearing about living roofs and edible lawns, about soy-based insulation and biodiesel-producing algae contraptions. Yes! Bring it on! Sustainable should be stimulating, creative and, dare I say it, fun.

Painting the town white

Painting the roof of a house white reflects solar radiation back to the atmosphere and helps cool the planet. California Energy Commissioner Arthur Rosenfeld tells host Bruce Gellerman that a white roof not only saves on air conditioning.

Going Green: Roof positive

Most living roofs aren’t flashy. Usually they are no more than nondescript greenery on top of a building. Sometimes you can’t even see them. 

Green Roofs in 4 Easy Steps

Here are your options, the Green Living Roof Tray and the Green Living Roof Panel. The Trays were designed to be installed by one person. The standard 4" depth comes with 2 layers of water retention, handles and complete with 3.5" of soil.

Building Green TV

Plant Connection (NYC Location) will be stocking Green Living Roof systems and Green Living Wall systems. The cost to consumers who "Have to have it now" is a result of not knowing or poor planning. 

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Besides the change in the point rating system, there is another change that is affecting those who are on the front line of the green building movement through LEED, the LEED Accredited Professionals.

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There are over 65,000 people who are LEED APs around the entire world, many of which who have helped bring LEED and the USGBC to where it is today in the world of sustainable architecture and green building design.

There is no longer just a LEED AP, as those who will be implementing the LEED rating systems for LEED 2009 will be a part of a three tiered credential system. The first tier is called ‘LEED Green Associate’, the second ‘The LEED Accredited Professional’, and the third ‘The LEED AP Fellow.’

The first tier, the LEED Green Associates, will be for ‘the people who support the LEED rating system,’ as said by Beth Holst, VP of credentials for the Green Building Certification Institute. The exam for the LEED Green Associate will cover basic green building knowledge and will not require the in-depth knowledge that it takes to bring a project to LEED certification. The types of people who are fitted for this exam are the product manufacturers, the marketers, the finance people, customer service, and students. It is unknown how many of these people are already LEED APs, but this exam will be much more suited for their needs, as they will probably never get into the actual details of LEED certification, which is reserved for the next tier, the LEED Accredited Professional.

The second tier, the LEED Accredited Professional, will be specialized credentials that get’s into the ‘in-depth knowledge of the rating system for the area that you work in most.’ These specialized rating systems will include specializations in New Construction, Interiors, Homes, Operations and Maintenance (previously LEED for Existing Buildings), and Neighborhood Development. The exam and rating systems will be similar to the existing version, with the changes in regionalism and the addition of new Water Efficiency credits, which was commented to be a minor lacking in the current version of the LEED rating system. There will be other changes, all of which will be announced when the new LEED reference guides come out mid to early 2009.

The third and final tier is reserved for the LEED AP Fellow. The LEED AP Fellow is a person who demonstrates great knowledge in the LEED rating system, distinguished with years of experience and leading green building design. This is an elite class of leading professionals that will be of much fewer numbers than the previous tiers of the new LEED credentialing system.

Beta testing for the LEED Green Associate’s exam begins in February of 2009, and the entire rating system is planned for launch in mid 2009. This is a great step towards refining the somewhat controversial rating system, which should make it more accepted and specialized for buildings living in certain regions of the world.

Many people are anxiously awaiting the new rating system, and will be curious to see how widely accepted it will truly be. It’s a step in the right direction, and we should all thank the USGBC in their efforts to stay current in today’s constantly changing green building market and it’s technologies.

By: Intheleed.com

www.intheleed.com Intheleed.com provides the latest study materials and help to those who want to become a LEED Accredited Professional. With helpful tools, tips and credit summaries, Intheleed.com has become the #1 Free online LEED AP Exam Resource. If you are interested in the LEED exam, please visit intheleed.com for more information.

Green building rules the roost.

Nowadays the North Coast Builders Exchange is engaged in the planning of a green-building education center and it seems that it could be equipped by mid-summer. 

Revit3D.com - BIMBoom Revitlution.

In my personal effort to expand from Revit to BIM to IPD and LEED and Green Building Analysis & Design, I’m sure I’ll be spending a lot of time following her blog to see how it can help us with Revit. 

Vanderbilt University’s Campus Recognized for "Green" Building

These three residence halls are LEED-Silver certified and The Commons Center is LEED-Gold certified, making it the first higher-education building and the second overall to obtain this designation in Tennessee. 

Tourism for Tomorrow 2009 - 12 finalists named.

This group of companies, comprising the Puntacana Resort&Club, the Punta Cana International Airport, and the Puntacana Ecological Foundation, has been instrumental in building a network of tourism infrastructure in an impoverished region of the Dominican Republic. Grupo PUNTACANA not only offers employment opportunities for the local population, but also provides health and education services, transport infrastructure, and fundamental conservation activities. 

RIBA to push architects’ role in green retrofitting programme …

There is work in this for all scales of practice.” A spokesman for the UK Green Building Council also backed the RIBA’s efforts, claiming architects would be vital in helping design out inefficiencies in heating and energy. 

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Here are a few of the latest green products for your home. They’ve been selected based on their aesthetics, functionality, and their innovative use of recycled materials.

1. Green Planet Paints has created a line of interior paints that produce zero volatile organic compounds, so they won’t negatively affect your indoor air quality. Non-toxic and reasonably priced, these environmentally friendly paints are available in over forty colors that will match any dcor.

2. Vetrazzo has become one of the hottest products around. Made out of recycled glass shards, Vetrazzo surfaces can be used for flooring, counter tops, and more. Vetrazzo is smooth to the touch, heat-resistant and beautiful to look at, and offer a great alternative to marble or granite.

3. Another option for counter tops comes from a small business owner in Washington State. Squak Mountain Stone was created by Ame Quiriconi as a means of reducing landfill, and stimulating the local economy. Defined on its site as "a fibrous-cement material comprised of recycled paper, recycled glass, coal fly-ash and cement," Squak Mountain Stone has all the good looks and durability of natural stone, but weighs much less and is made from recycled materials.

4. Featured in several national publications, the designers of SCRAPILE have developed quite a fan-following. SCRAPILE’s Bart Bettencourt and Carlos Salgado’s goal was to create lasting pieces that are stylish to look at, functional in the home, and good for the environment. They have achieved their goal by building stunning tables, chairs, and accessories out of scrap pieces of lumber.

5. Along the same lines as New York’s SCRAPILE, the talented coppersmiths of Cobre take scraps of discarded copper and make hand-hammered copper sinks, wall hangings, and vases. Reclaiming unused copper keeps materials out of landfills, and provides homeowners with a unique surface that has naturally germ-killing properties. In addition, Cobre is a Fair Trade company, so you can feel good knowing that the artisans who make the products receive a competitive wage for their work.

6. Philips’ Eco TV is a 42-inch, flat-panel LCD television set that runs on only 75 watts of power. The unit contains no lead-based materials, has an energy saving stand-by mode, and comes in a recycled box. You get all these benefits plus high definition picture quality, and the unit retails for just under $1400.

7. For green laundry enthusiasts, there are now new options for washing your clothes without wasting water or energy. Wonderwash is a new hand crank washer that handles a 5lb load in minutes, without the use of electricity. You also only require about 10% of the water used in traditional washing machines, and it’s a real space saver too. An added bonus is the great arm workout you get when you have multiple loads to do, and the product is affordably priced at only $42.95.

8. The Spin-X Spin Dryer would make a lovely companion appliance to the Wonderwash. Clothes dry in half the time, which means that the machine uses half the energy of standard units. Clothes last longer because they’re exposed to less heat and tumbling action, and less heat is pumped into the room, which makes doing laundry on a hot summer day less of a chore.

By: Lesa Parham

Home Depot Gets Some Green Competition

The 3500 square foot store offers guests one-stop-s 8205 hopping for their environmentally friendly home supplies. There are several items in the Green Depot that you would expect to see like bamboo flooring and recycled glass counter tops. 

Sustainable Children’s Furniture

Decorate your little darlings’ new nursery in sustainable style from Muu, a brand new environmentally friendly furniture designer crafted in the United States. Muu’s philosophy is simple: their core belief is in the environment.  

Jewelry that speaks gratitude, miracles and transformation …

I have been using an environmentally friendly metal and refining company for several years now; but only recently secured a guarantee of the high percentage of recycled metal content in my jewelry. 

Environmentally-Friendly Furniture Refinishing.

Safe, non-toxic and environmentally clean furniture refinishing and remanufacturing, re-upholstery services completed on-site at less than a quarter of the cost of replacing furniture.  

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Here you will find helpful reviews, informative information and tips and much more. This site is in the format of a ‘weblog’ so that each time I post new information, it will come to the top of the front page. This means that ou can check back here frequently to see new updates to the information found here.

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