Category Archives: Education
18
Mar
Mar
Green district certifications have ramped up slowly over the decade since the US Green Building Council unveiled LEED-Neighborhood Development. Now communities, health advocates, and market forces are driving new developments in sustainable construction. An explosion in certified green buildings has led sustainable-infrastructure advocates to push for more neighborhoods, campuses, business districts, and cities to track…
04
Dec
Dec
Japan has a long history of sustainable home design that brings in natural elements. Learn about the history and culture of green building in Japan.
13
Jun
Jun
At the headquarters of the Seattle-based Bullitt Foundation, author Mary Adam Thomas documents the building of the Bullitt Center, a structure she regards as the world’s greenest building in her recently released book, “The Greenest Building: How The Bullitt Center Changes The Urban Landscape.” The Bullitt Center stands as an eye-catching model of environmental design. Using…
18
Jan
Jan
GBE will be featuring three posts highlighting projects from the recently published book Designed For The Future: 80 Practical Ideas for a Sustainable World. The book asks the question: “What gives you the hope that a sustainable future is possible?” Featuring responses by 80 innovators spanning architecture, urban planning, landscaping, journalism, and also environmental leaders, the resulting…
04
Dec
Dec
Welcome to Part II of our interview series with John Perlin on forests. Perlin is author of “A Forest Journey: the Story of Wood and Civilization,” an important book that has now come out in its third edition. Our topic? Our forests and our civilization. Perlin details the place of forests and wood in our civilization’s evolution. In…
07
Jul
Jul
This is part two of our posts on R-value. Read the first post to get a definition of R-value and find out what it means to you. Doors and Windows As much as we love, and need, doors and windows, they are not good for a building’s insulation value. Doors open and close, allowing air…
01
Jul
Jul
What Is R-Value For Insulation? Simply put, R-value is a measurement of how insulating a building material is, protecting one side from the heat or cold on the other side. A higher R-value means that a material insulates better than one with a lower value. In order to get an idea of what these…
27
Jun
Jun
Green Boot Camp is a program of Honeywell Hometown Solutions. It teaches middle school teachers about sustainability so they can teach their own students.
31
Dec
Dec
The Facebook game Power House may finally make all those hours spent mindlessly playing games online pay off! The object of the game is to guide a family of four through daily activities using as little energy as possible. It is addicting and challenging, and teaches players how to save energy in real life. The…
03
Oct
Oct
Originally published by Insteading. Environmental science professor Jeff Wilson believes that American homes have gotten way too big, and way too wasteful, giving people something they don’t need at a price that- often- they can’t afford. Wilson’s not “all talk”, either, and will spend the next year of his life living in a standard 6’x6′…
29
Sep
Sep
I am pleased to post this third in a series of SOLAR ENERGY history articles from John Perlin, based on his ground breaking book, Let It Shine: The 6,000-Year Story of Solar Energy. Perlin discusses the major breakthroughs in solar energy throughout the millennia — here the solar heat trap. Third Major Breakthrough – Glass as a Solar Heat Trap Vitruvius,…
26
Sep
Sep
For those individuals able to attend, I highly recommend this NREL Power Lunch lecture, featuring John Perlin, author of “Let It Shine: The 6,000-Year Story of Solar Energy.” October 1 lecture by John Perlin, author, lecturer, consultant — solar energy & forest preservation John Perlin will present a lecture on his new book, Let It…
18
Sep
Sep
This call for wood design nominations is for all lovers of wood! The due date is fast approaching (September 30 deadline) to nominate work for the Wood Design awards. Here is pertinent information from the website: Wood Design Awards celebrate excellence in wood design, engineering and construction, as well as innovative projects that showcase attributes of…
03
Sep
Sep
Social media is helping many start-up companies gain followers, earn profit and take off. One company that was featured on Kick Starter and on startup-USA.com is The Green Tower Project. The Green Tower Project is a self-contained vertical garden/composting system. “It’s a Garden, it’s a composter – It’s the Garden Tower! The unique self-contained vertical…
23
Aug
Aug
As cities re-develop and re-define themselves in new urban and sustainable ways, mixed-used mini-cities are becoming popular oasises in the midst of traditional metropolitan areas. In Houston, Texas, one of such, ‘city-with-in-a-city’ exists and is called Memorial City. It is 7.6 million SF of a place that intertwines the living, shopping, working and play parts…
31
Jul
Jul
Dr. Michael Braungart, scientific director and founder of the Environmental Protection & Encouragement Agency (EPEA) and co-founder of Cradle to Cradle (C2C) design framework, spoke recently at a seminar during the NeoCon Design Expo and Conference in Chicago. The conference, which was attended by several leading architecture and design professionals, provided a platform for Dr. Braungart to explain the…
22
Jul
Jul
Thanks to environmental writer Emma James for providing this post on ISO 14001 and its environmental impact. For the uninitiated, “ISO 14001” may seem to have little to do with the environment, but in fact nothing could be further from the truth! ISO 14001 is a quality management system specifically designed to help businesses manage…
21
Jul
Jul
John Perlin’s book, “Let It Shine: The 6000-Year Story of Solar Energy,” tells of a scheming thirteenth century priest/scientist who tries to convince the Pope to start a solar weapons’ race by showing him a treatise written by an early Muslim geometrician regarding solar burning mirrors. Had solar energy lived up to its threat as…