2008 October

Recycled Plastic Outperforms Wood, Steel and Concrete Alternatives

October 27, 2008 By Reenita Malhotra 3 Comments

i-plas , a UK based company has invented a building material known as i-plas, from recycled plastic that would otherwise be destined for landfill, to produce products which outperform the traditional alternatives of wood, steel and concrete.

According to the company, recycled composite plastic helps reduce carbon emissions, conserves oil and is extremely cost effective. The recycled composite profile has a wood like appearance, its surface is contoured giving it better slip resistance as well as visual appeal.

Tour Chicago's Greenest Home at the Museum of Science and Industry

October 26, 2008 By Joel Bittle 1 Comment

Step outside Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry’s back door and you’ll find a fully functioning, high-tech, modular, green wonder house. The project, called Smart Home: Green + Wired, showcases ways to go green, both major and minor. Inside the 2,500 square foot prefabricated home, you’ll find re-covered thrift store furniture surrounding a dining room [...]

First LEED Certified Green Data Center

October 24, 2008 By Keith Rockmael 12 Comments

Mostly when we talk about LEED certified buildings we think about office buildings or government centers but here we scope out another first. The Advanced Data Center building in Sac-town already became the first data center to be pre-certified LEED Platinum. Surprised? You bet. Most people think that these data centers with all of the [...]

A Financial Stimulus Package that Pays for Your Photovoltaic System?

October 22, 2008 By Joel Bittle 12 Comments

Could the economic downturn hurt the green movement? Thomas L. Friedman, the Pulitzer Prize winning columnist of the New York Times, breaks down the possibility in today’s Bailout (and Buildup) of a tight economy and lower fuel prices leading to a greater reliance on foreign oil and a postponement of a national switch to cleaner [...]

Largest Solar Installation at a Winery

October 17, 2008 By Keith Rockmael 2 Comments

Up here in the Bay Area where people are crazy about their wine and their green building, Gonzalez winery decided to combine both. No, the Monterey County based isn’t the first local winery to go solar but when this 170,000 square foot system gets up and running it will represent the largest solar installation at [...]