Category Archives: Recycling
22
Jan
Jan
Did you know that an average of 8,000 lbs. of waste go into landfills during the construction of a 2,000 square foot home? That’s four tons of waste! Construction waste recycling isn’t exactly glamorous, and you won’t hear about it on popular home shows, but it’s a real way you can minimize your footprint and potentially give your business a leg up. Here are some things to think about if you’re considering ways to build greener.
Compact fluorescent light bulbs tend to be a lot more energy efficient as they do not produce excess waste heat. They consume only one fifth of the electricity, which means that they are 400 percent more efficient. There probably isn’t another way you can save and improve on energy efficiency to this extent. Shades and light fittings will last for longer due to the significantly smaller amount of heat they produce.
18
Oct
Oct
It is crucial that we implement more recycling and reuse programs into our everyday practice because if everyone on the earth consumed resources at the rate that Americans do, we would currently need five earths to keep up and this ratio will continue to grow as the population continues to grow. But we have the abilities and the technologies, already in existence to change this. We need to implement into our everyday lives zero waste system practices.
13
Oct
Oct
A number of innovative structures have been created using materials that might otherwise have been destined for the landfill. Here are five examples of what we’ve found, thanks to the The Daily Green, Flavorwire, and Design Buzz.
10
Sep
Sep
Buying used appliances can be a very cost-effective method to get the most out of a household budget. Today’s consumers are a different breed of those from years past. It used to be that the only time someone sold an appliance was because it no longer had any useful life left in it. Most old appliances were sold for scrap and the money gained went towards the purchase of a replacement item.
18
Jul
Jul
Hotels hire liquidators to remove and re-sell their used furnishings.
26
Jun
Jun
Take this 150-foot-high garbage dump in Colombia, South America. Soon it may have life as a public park thanks to work from researchers at the University of Illinois and The National University of Colombia in Medellin, who are demonstrating that bacteria in the dump can neutralize numerous contaminants in the soil.
23
Apr
Apr
The tower at Rush University Medical Center opened in January 2012 designed by Perkins + Will. It is the largest new construction health care facility in the world to receive LEED gold certification. Its shape takes form from a butterfly but it received high sustainable remarks in tons of other areas as well including green design, construction and operation.
29
Feb
Feb
Cell phones have become a necessary part of daily life, and with the advent of the smart phone they are only becoming more of a daily fixture. Every month or so a new model comes out that has faster processing speeds, updated features, and the coolest new applications that many feel they absolutely need. Because of this, the average shelf life of a cell phone is 18 months, which leads to 100 million phones being replaced each year and at least two million ending up in landfills each week.
28
Feb
Feb
I liked what I read in this guest post from Sarah Parker, challenging the audacious proposition from commentator Lou Dobbs that green policies have far less to do with liberal or conservative leanings, and far more to do with the planet we leave for our children to inherit.
23
Feb
Feb
Two different types of environmentally sustainable homes are being incorporated into neighborhoods or developed as their own neighborhood community across the country giving people the choice to not only be green but to be entirely sustainable in their living situation. They are Modular
It’s time to revisit Colorado architect Doug Eichelberger’s trash barn and comment on the refreshing economic and sustainable philosophies that are behind the outbuildings he’s created using little more than scrap that was destined for the landfill or found materials.
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