Category Archives: Recycling
09
May
May
Portable water purifiers are great for camping or hiking trips. They are also convenient for everyday life since they can purify tap water at home. The main purpose of these devices is to remove harmful contaminants from drinking water. There are several types of water purifiers out there, each designed for specific purposes. Water purification…
14
Sep
Sep
Made from consumer paper products, cellulose insulation typically contains about 85 percent recycled content. Using this green building material can effectively lower the carbon footprint of your home or business property. Essentially, this is because cellulose insulation is plant cell matter that is still storing the carbon sequestered when it was alive. Responsible management of…
24
Aug
Aug
Blocks used for residential and commercial construction employ a wide variety of green building materials in their composition. The most popular and commonly used is the standard hollow concrete block, but there are many variations in shape, weight, and composition. Sand, cement, gravel, and water are the most commonly used elements in blocks, but there…
03
Aug
Aug
Used in a wide variety of ways in the building construction market, aluminum is a very versatile green building material, especially when it’s recycled. Everything from huge external building structures to delicate window blinds can be manufactured from this lightweight, durable, and corrosion-resistant metal. Doors, windows, and awnings are popular products made from this material,…
23
Jun
Jun
A new company in Portland, Oregon is gearing up to manufacture large quantities of the latest product in the ICF (insulated concrete forms) world. BluBloc offers a twist on standard ICF products – it uses recycled styrofoam instead of manufacturing new for use in the forms. BluBloc is 85% recycled polystyrene foam (styrofoam) and…
30
Dec
Dec
There’s a new green building material on the market that is light, strong, and flexible, and can be made into just about any shape, including complex molded shapes, without the need for any glues, harmful chemicals, or toxic ingredients. This material, called ECOR, is a high-strength fiberboard made using only water, heat, fiber, and pressure,…
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…
25
Jul
Jul
In design, when concepts become creations that the world hasn’t seen before, then the job is well done. A young and upcoming firm is Penda and their goal is to create nothing that isn’t unique and thought out. Penda was started in 2012 by Chris Precht and Dayong Sun. Every project that they undertake becomes…
18
Jun
Jun
A new creation has come to fruition on the plains of Colorado. The first of its kind is called “Zulu Queen” and it is a Corten steel shipping container ‘high cube’ turned home. The designed home emerged from a team of an artist/architect and an outdoor woman/tech guru of Sam Austin and Jan Burton as…
17
Apr
Apr
Everyone has their heroes, their role-models, their if-I-could-be-like-anyone-it-would-be persons and I am no different. I wrote about his past accomplishments, including his cardboard cathedral and paper tube relief houses on GBE a couple of years ago and now my career hero was given the ultimate award in architecture this past month. He is Shigeru Ban…
17
Apr
Apr
I hate to see a scrap pile go to waste when it can be put to good use somewhere else. Saving a pile of wood cutoffs about to be tossed in the trash can This red oak coffee table is an example of what can be done with scrap wood cutoffs from another project. Like…
03
Apr
Apr
Karlovo Power Plant Will Turn Syngas Derived from Straw and Wood Wastes into Cleaner, More Reliable and Economic Electricity Bulgarian plans to use alternative fuels for generating sustainable electricity are now taking shape, following the start of construction of the Karlovo integrated gasified biomass power plant. When completed the plant will distribute cleaner electricity, using…
10
Mar
Mar
There are tons of inventions that may be small in scale but are big in economical value. Simply put, finding another use for an item that will go in the trash is a huge value. There are multiple web sites available to help beginner inventors get their start, such as Kickstarter, Invent Help and Indie…
18
Nov
Nov
Last Friday was National Recycling Day. Today, we honor a recycling pioneer, Colorado architect Doug Eichelberger, who designed and built an outbuilding in 1995 made from salvaged materials that otherwise would have ended up in a landfill. Doug Eichelberger’s Trash Barn
11
Sep
Sep
Shipping container homes are catching on. When you step into a building with a low ceiling or one which is divided by many walls, it may feel small to you. This has led architects and even homeowners to pursue more “open” concepts which make buildings feel bigger. In these open concepts, walls are removed to…
26
Jul
Jul
When planning your next building project, think about the materials you’re going to use and how you’re going to recycle and reuse any materials you have left over when you’ve finished your project.
08
Apr
Apr
There are tons of ways buildings are going green these days and there are new methods being seen every day. The best part about this is that not only are they great for the environment, but they’re sustainable and they’re just as good as traditional methods.
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