Green Building Elements

We recently tested several new homes for formaldehyde in the air. The newest home, advertised as a “green” home, had 300 ppb of formaldehyde. Children in homes with only 30 ppb can have decreased lung function. Between 60 ppb and 120 ppb, children are more likely to have asthma and chronic bronchitis. At 100 ppb, most adults experience eye, nose, and throat irritation.

Of homes that were less than 2 years old, every home we tested had at least 100 ppb of formaldehyde. The newer homes had 200 - 300 ppb.

The 300 ppb concentration we found in the newest home is equal to the 15-minute Short Term Exposure Limit (STEL) for occupational exposures. A worker in that home should wear a respirator to remain inside the building for more than 15 minutes. An employer that exposes workers to 300 ppb of formaldehyde should have a Hazard Communication Program to inform workers about chemical hazards and ways to avoid illness.

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Going green has reached an all time high, literally! In the movement towards a greener nation, Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, North Carolina has set a new standard for eco-friendly churches. The church as been recognized as an IPL green energy leader.

Pullen’s church expansion had to uphold the church’s tradition of cherishing the earth, so what better way to do so than by incorporating a green design? The desire to be “as green as can be” and still be affordable, is always a challenge faced by any homeowner or organization wanting to make ‘green’ renovations to their home. Pullen chose green design elements that allowed it to meet its goals within a healthy and comfortable structure that offers reduced maintenance and operation costs.

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We are by now accustomed to measuring carbon emissions in terms of “taking X many cars off the road”.

We know cars are responsible for carbon emissions. So we are used to sneering at hoggy cars that wastefully emit so many tons of carbon per year:

(In fact, measuring carbon footprints in these terms is by now such a cliche that the measure:  carsofftheroad will probably wind up as a regular metric that kids learn in school, just like feet and pounds are now: Phrases like I took 15 carsofftheroad last week installing 3 kw of new solar will be as readily understood as I lost 15 pounds last week running the marathon.)

But this week; doing a pre solar (thermal) efficiency analysis for an apartment complex - I noticed a surprisingly huge source of wasted energy that has thus far escaped notice and ridicule (well, mine, anyway) and that is: swimming pools.

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Stimulus Bill Increases Rewards for Energy-efficient Remodeling

Energy-efficient remodeling replaces painting your bedroom walls as the most significant home improvement project of 2009.

We all know that green is the talk of the town these days, but we’re not talking about paint color any more when it comes to home remodeling. The word ‘green’ now holds it’s weight in eco-friendly, money saving home improvements.

To add to the wave, the government has now stepped in and made stimulating your home a great way to stimulate the ecomomy by giving back a 30 percent tax credit for homeowners who install energy-efficient windows, insulation or heating systems in 2009 and 2010.

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The Three Culprits of Indoor Air Pollution

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the air inside your home can be as much as five times more polluted than outdoor air!

Ever wonder why you sneeze so much in certain homes? The reason is the air. A lot of families suffer from respiratory problems, allergies, and other health problems due to the qualify of their indoor air at home. Organisms such as dust mites and mold are the main culprits. Other pollutants include natural gases such as radon, which is radioactive, colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas which is formed as natural deposits of uranium throughout the earth’s crust decay.

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Here at Low Impact Living are big advocates for residential renewable energy. We’d like to see every home in the US being fed by solar, wind and/or geothermal power.  (And we hope that President Obama will be driving to make that vision a reality!)

But we also understand that very few of us Americans can afford $20,000+ for an installation of a solar PV system– especially these days!  That’s why we’re always on the look out for ways people can save on solar. So when I heard about what 1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG) is trying to do, I was intrigued.

1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG) is based in San Francisco, but they are launching a nationwide effort to create community-based buying clubs for solar power.  They claim that, “By aggregating consumers and negotiating on their behalf we take the fear out of buying new green technologies, decrease the purchase price, and increase the adoption rate of these technologies.”

If you’ve ever gotten and compared quotes for a solar installation, you know it can indeed be confusing and intimidating. Having a group discount negotiated by a third party sounds like a great idea to us.

1BOG did one set of installations in San Francisco in 2008, and they are just getting their 2009 group ready for another round. They are working with SolarCity for the new installations there.  The 1BOG website says they are launching a group for Los Angeles in February 2009.  Sign up quick!

I did some research and it seems that one of the participants in 1BOG’s inaugural program in San Francisco cut 43 percent off list price, according to co-founder Sylvia Ventura. But that is not necessarily a standard savings. For the average participant it would probably be closer to about 20 percent off.  For a $25,000 solar system, you could save $5,000 — and you’ll get additional goverment rebates as well.  Not too shabby!

We also want to remind everyone to always consider a solar hot water system if a solar electric system is too expensive.  Solar hot water systems cost in the $4-6K range and will still save you a TON off of your power bills.

Also, to find a solar installer near you click here.  You can also get quotes for wind power and geothermal power, depending on where you live.

Shown here is a winning green building design for Bird Island, a private and gated residential park in the center of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which peacefully shares the environment with many local and migratory birds.  The Bird Island Green Homes Competition had a challenge for eight of the world’s top architects to try and create eco-friendly living spaces. Global firm Graft Lab submitted plans for Bird Island rendered above. Inhabitat mentions that Bird Island will also be constructed with a fabulous “grey water recycling system that channels water from sinks and showers back to the plumbing”. This eco-resort design is admirably aiming for zero-waste. Read the rest of this entry »

Can a bad economy save the planet?

Let’s be honest, construction companies and home builders are facing terrible times.  New building construction has ground to a halt and the subprime mortgage fiasco resulted in plummeting home values, leaving many builders with homes that were worth less than the cost of construction.   The longer the recession - some say through 2010, some say longer - the more companies will have to lay off employees or go under altogether.  There’s not much of a silver lining to this dark cloud, but one good thing looks to come out of it.  The green building market, which had been slowly increasing its share of the overall construction market prior to the market slowdown, is poised to provide a much needed spark in the construction market through a new public works program proposed by Barack Obama that will include a focus on energy efficiency in buildings.  With a national movement toward green building practices, there is a very real possibility that once the current recession is over, the majority of new commercial buildings and houses will be much more energy efficient, sustainable, and healthier than current building standards.

An Opportunity for Change

For those with long term vision, a market slowdown can be good for an industry.  It is an opportunity for a reevaluation of business practices.  When things are going well, there’s no incentive to change, even if those changes can mean greater energy efficiency and more of a focus on sustainability and health.  But a slowdown gives companies not only the time to research new innovations but the financial incentive to seek new revenue streams.  Consumer behavior is trending green, with 73% saying they would pay more for products that are better for the environment and 89% saying they’d pay more for products that will reduce heating and cooling costs, according to a survey done by the Opinion Research Corporation. Read the rest of this entry »

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing are supposed to be the greenest yet. There has been some coverage on television, and despite all the attempts to clean things up beforehand and to limit especially the air pollution during the games, pictures from the city show it still in many ways to be a smoggy, grimy place. It’s not wholly bad, however. The buildings constructed for some of the competitions are architecturally striking, and they seem to be a functional success, as well. But how do they stack up as green buildings? Read the rest of this entry »

The AIA and dwell Magazine have announced the winners for their “How Green Are You?” contest. (For background on the contest, see “The AIA and Dwell Magazine Team Up to Spread the Word about Sustainability,”  published on Green Building Elements last April.)

The contest recognized affordable home designs that achieve sustainability in creative ways.  Juror Robert M. Rogers, FAIA, of Roger Marvel Architects states in a press release on the AIA website, “We were especially intrigued with projects that executed beautiful design ideas and were inherently green by concept. From small ideas for the kitchen, to a way of life, the winners embodied these principles.” Read the rest of this entry »