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Archive for July, 2008

If you can’t tell, we’re pretty hooked on the latest and greatest in green prefab design. One big problem, though, is that there’s a huge amount of noise and not all that much action - plenty of fabulous prefab designs and museum / conference exhibits, but very few actual installations (and even fewer mid-market installs, which is where prefab has to go in order to make a true difference in our housing stock).

Finally, the log jam seems to be breaking. Several firms have begun to produce green prefab homes for real people in small but growing numbers. This past month, Marmol Radziner, a prefab company here in Southern California, made a splash with some pretty showy installation videos on local media outlets. These homes are either a) high end or b) for the firm’s founders, so they’re still a ways away from mass-market. But, the videos do a good job of showing what elements make prefab homes unique (factory construction, rapid installation, modular components) and at least to me suggest that they’re not all that far away from being able to replicate these installations on a larger and thus less expensive scale.

So, take a few minutes out of work and check out this great video from the LA Times on the installation of one of the homes. And continue to hope for the day when all you have to do is walk down the street instead of visit the local museum to see a beautiful green prefab home near you. (our apologies for whatever ad the LA Times is running in front of this clip - when I last viewed it it was a Chevy Pickup ad - ugggggg).

A location often dreamt of in my household, for its summer weather and prime surfing, Hawaii now goes up another notch in my estimation with the passing of a bill which makes it mandatory for water heaters to be powered by solar energy.

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Written by Joel Bittle, courtesy of GreenBuildingElements.com

A few weeks ago I offered my thoughts on green kitchens on a budget.  Today, I want to focus on making your new kitchen as green as possible, without regard for cost.  Remember, often the greenest options is to keep your current kitchen; many choose to repaint their cabinets with non-VOC paint or to tackle DIY cabinet projects.  This article is for those building a whole new kitchen or are remodeling from the ground up.  It’s up to you to determine the balance between what is the most green and what is the most practical for your project.

The three categories that determine a product’s green-ness are health, sustainability, and energy.  Health takes into account the product’s offgassing of VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, especially urea-formaldehyde.  In order to even consider something as green, it must contain very low to no VOCs.  Sustainability looks at the life cycle of the materials used not just in the final product but in the manufacturing process as well.  Products that are made from recycled materials or renewable resources fall into this category, as well as products whose manufacturing process embraces sustainability.  Energy includes the water and energy usage of products such as plumbing fixtures and appliances, as well as the product’s embodied energy, which takes into account the energy used to produce and deliver the product.

Step 1: Design. If possible, design the kitchen with plenty of energy efficient windows or a skylight to maximize natural light and give you that important connection to the green outdoors (or the red bricks of the building next door.)  For indoor air quality, make sure your hood vents to the outside rather than recirculating the air.  Click here to find a green architect/designer near you.

Step 2:  Cabinets. We are in an in-between phase right now where the major cabinet manufacturers realize they need to go formaldehyde-free but are still a few years away from mass production.  Currently, formaldehyde-free cabinet choices are limited, and Neil Kelly Cabinets stands out as the leader.  They offer Forest Stewardship Council certified wood cabinets with low VOCs.  Midwesterners might choose to go with ultra low VOC wheatboard cabinets manufactured in Kansas by Koch Cabinets.  To find other green cabinet companies, click here.

Step 3:  Countertops. Silestone offers several colors with recycled content, one as high as 70%, which makes the Greenguard certified countertop one of the greenest.  But IceStone recycled glass and concrete countertops, with their  Cradle-to-Cradle Certification, take the crown as  the greenest among an ever growing list of green countertops.  Not just limited to countertops, IceStone has earned points for LEED’s “innovation in design” credit. Click here to find more eco-friendly countertop options.

Step 4:  Flooring. I’m not quite sold on bamboo, yet.  I do, however, like some of the cool patterns you can get with cork and linoleum.  But the green flooring that impresses me the most is reclaimed wood flooring by Terramai.  Offering a stunning mix of FSC certified wood from around the world, Terramai promotes conservation and sustainable building.  Not limited to flooring, Terramai’s reclaimed wood creates a mosaic of wood in a cool mix of colors. Click here to find more green flooring options.

Step 5:  Appliances. Because of the advances in energy efficiency in appliances, it is often better to replace your old energy wasting appliances, especially refrigerators, with new models.  Visit the ENERGY STAR website for appliance lists, which show energy savings by model.  For dishwashers, some of Bosch and Asko’s models are at least 140% more energy and water efficient than the federal standard.  Fisher & Paykel sells dish drawers that can save water and energy if you just use one for small loads.  (And yes, most energy saving dishwashers are more efficient than washing your dishes by hand.)  For the cutting edge on refrigerator energy efficiency, check out Sun Frost, whose refrigerators are by a large margin the most energy efficient on the market - and they’re ready for solar, wind, or standard power inputs. Find more eco-friendly appliances here.

Step 6:  Plumbing. Although the EPA’s WaterSense program doesn’t rate kitchen faucets, you can choose to install an aerator or go with a touchless faucet.  While stainless steel and cast iron sinks contain recycled material, I’ve become a fan of recycled content hammered copper sinks that over time can develop a natural patina that is, you guessed it, green.

Step 7:  Accessories. Recycled glass tile can make for a beautiful backsplash.  Instead of a trash compactor, stick one of these home composters from Sun Frost right outside your kitchen door.  Many of the products listed above can be used in creative and innovative ways.  IceStone can be used as a backsplash.  Terramai can be used as paneling.

Please offer your own thoughts on making your kitchen as green as possible below.

The Energy Star Washing Machine vs. The Wonderwash vs. The Basin vs. The Future of Home Dry Cleaning

In this 4-way battle royal to earn the title “The Best Washing Machine for You and the Earth According to Joe”, a variety of factors need to be considered. Water use, electricity use, size of family, and–of course–convenience all need to be given a good look. And even though I am of the mindset that we have way too many unnecessary conveniences in our society, I am aware that some conveniences have proven to be beneficial time savers.

In reading for this post I had to turn to No Impact Man to see what his thoughts were on the subject, because, unlike my familiarity with the reel mower, I have never used an alternative to the washing machine. I was surprised to learn his thoughts.

The laundry machine is the one appliance I believe makes the difference between a life of drudgery and not. If cars are the Devil, as I think they are, then laundry machines are God.

This quote will weigh heavily in my judging process.

Up first for review:
The Energy Star Washing Machine

PROS:
* Uses over 40% less water than a conventional washing machine
* Uses over 40% less energy than a conventional washing machine
* Can save you over $500 in operating costs over its lifetime (stats from www.energystar.gov)
CONS:
* Uses more water and energy than the models below
* More expensive than the models below

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Back in late May, I shared some information about the Medis 24 x 7 PowerPack, a fuel cell that charge a variety of electronic devices through the use of interchangeable tips. Last night I noticed an story on CNET’s Crave (”the gadget blog”) about a new application for the cell. It described an LED flashlight with an adapter to plug into a PowerPack that can operate for as long as six weeks on a single fuel cell.

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