News

Masdar City: A Test Case for Sustainable Urban Living

October 14, 2016

Sweltering in the hot desert sun, Masdar City sits under a global microscope at the nexus of rising clean technology and the development of sustainable urban life in the glaring light of climate change. Conceived on a zero-moisture stretch of barren desert sand in Abu Dhabi, UAE, the zero-carbon, zero-waste settlement of Masdar City has diligently sustained itself through every struggle and step of progress. Masdar City: A Living, Striving Test Case for Earth’s Future As the warming effects of…

Eco-Friendly Ways to Manage Industrial Waste

October 14, 2016

Regardless of the specific type, industrial waste can create hazards for you, your company and your community as well as the environment. Industrial chemicals and liquid waste create a hazardous situation but even dry waste such as metal, building materials and more, can create problems such as offering pests a refuge, being risk-laden and more. Efficient and safe disposal of industrial waste is not only crucial to protecting yourself and your business, it is the law in many locations. Here…

Public/Private-Sector Collaboration Showcased In 2016 Smart City Challenge

October 12, 2016

Planning a smart city for the future involves planners, architects, engineers, and designers– rather than bureaucrats, bureaucracies, and politics as usual. According to the Smart Cities Council, a smart city is “one that has digital technology embedded across all city functions.” And per Frost & Sullivan, there are eight elements (each with the word “smart” in front of it) that make up a smart city: governance, building, health care, mobility, infrastructure, technology, energy, and citizens. The 2016 Smart City Challenge encourages cities to embrace…

UL Courting Solar Market With New Acquisition

September 29, 2016

This article was originally published on Planetsave Independent global testing and certification body UL (Underwriters Laboratory) has acquired renewable energy engineering services and support firm, AWS Truepower for an unspecified sum. Underwriters Laboratory (UL) announced its AWS Truepower acquisition will strengthen its full lifecycle solutions. “There is strong alignment between the two brands,” said Jeffrey Smidt, vice president & general manager for UL Energy & Power Technologies. “UL and AWS Truepower have a shared mission and complementary businesses. As the market for renewable…

$20,000 Tiny House Is Upending The Construction, Banking Industries

September 27, 2016

Rural Studio in Alabama has spent a decade perfecting the design of a tiny house that will cost less than $20,000 to build, including labor. Their first prototype was completed in January.

Stylish Sustainability: Trondheim’s New Student Village

September 19, 2016

Meaning more than just focusing on the environment, sustainability also means creating a sense of place and belonging. Interpreting this philosophy brilliantly, MDH Arkitekter has nearly completed Moholt 50|50, an award-winning university student village in Trondheim, Norway. Envisioned as a community-focused commercial district featuring distinctive Scandinavian aesthetics, MDH Arkitekter’s minimalist approach and stylish use of natural materials is simply stunning. Trondheim’s Moholt 50|50 A miniature city in itself, the Moholt student village accommodates about 2200 students of the Norwegian University…

10 Steps to Converting your Home into a Smart Home

September 15, 2016

There are so many benefits to having a smart home, and the Internet of Things is expanding everyday with offerings. Check out this list from Thornbury Electrics about all the opportunities to connect your home.

Cellulose Insulation – The ABCs of Green Building Materials

September 14, 2016

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 the US forestry industry has led to a sustainable supply of planted trees, which are a highly renewable resource for both building and paper products. Combining…

Meet The Men Who Put Solar Shingles On The Roof

September 13, 2016

Originally published on CleanTechnica Solar shingles are now gaining increasing traction in the renewable energy landscape. They are architecturally distinctive, more so than traditional rooftop photovoltaic panels. Solar shingles provide an integrated building product providing both roofing security and solar electricity in one package. As PV Magazine’s Charles W. Thurston has stated, “The nascent field of U.S. solar shingle manufacturers is beginning to expand from its small base in building-integrated PV (BIPV), leveraging their systemic reductions in installation costs, their improved…

New Construction Materials… That Self-Repair?

September 12, 2016

Opening up a new field of design for construction technology, the US Department of Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is envisioning futuristic materials that repair themselves. After recently launching the Engineered Living Materials (ELM) program, DARPA’s goal is to create a whole new class of construction materials. Imagine engineering living cellular systems into the structural features of traditional construction materials. The results might offer, for example, a driveway that eats oil spills; a chimney that cleans itself or heals…

Start-Ups Aim To Turn All Windows Into Solar Power Generators

September 9, 2016

Three companies in the US and the UK are working on coatings that turn windows into solar generators of electricity, saving building owners money and reducing carbon emissions.

Brush & Wattle — The ABCs of Green Building Materials

September 9, 2016

The age-old construction techniques employed in traditional brush and wattle structures are time-tested and worthy of great respect. “Touching the Earth lightly,” these techniques are both low-impact on the natural environment and highly sustainable, employing the most natural and abundant of green building materials. Brush, referring to tree branches, twigs, leaves, and bark, has been used extensively throughout history and throughout the world by indigenous people to construct living quarters and animal shelters. Perhaps the most familiar brush structures in…

Meet Einstein, a New IoT Solution for Smart Commercial Buildings

September 8, 2016

Artificial intelligence company Verdigris has just announced the debut of “Einstein,” a next-generation Internet of Things (IoT) smart energy management solution. This latest IoT energy management platform from Verdigris is designed to be “the easiest most-scalable connected sensor for complex enterprise facilities.” Using innovative smart sensor and metering technology, Einstein’s continuous stream of energy data is driving smarter, more responsive commercial building operations. Einstein Automates Energy Efficiency Verdigris CEO Mark Chung states, “Einstein makes it unbelievably easy to know what’s…

Bricks – The ABCs of Green Building Materials

September 1, 2016

In terms of sustainability and green building materials, brick is probably king. The process of making fired clay bricks has been around for over 5,000 years and just keeps getting greener. Today’s brick kilns use about 70 percent less energy to fire bricks than just 50 years ago. Brick is a term usually referring to red-colored, fired clay units composed of sand, lime, and soil containing clay or shale. Firing bricks in a kiln renders them one of the strongest…

5 Tools That Everyone In The Renovation Industry Should Be Using

September 1, 2016

The right tools are important for all contractors, and here are the best tools for renovations.

Cheap Off-Grid Cabin Built For Under $300

August 29, 2016

Alyssa Craft and Jesse Stafford completed a cheap off-grid cabin-add-on to the trailer they are living in while setting up their homestead in the Western US. The cabin was built to allow them to heat the air around the trailer and prevent the plumbing, and themselves, from freezing during the snowy winter months. The majority of the building materials for the cabin are reclaimed from a demolition project and found by scouring the internet, thus the low cost. Alyssa and…

How to DIY your Home Driveway

August 25, 2016

Tips for making the most of your driveway repair to add beauty and value to your home.

Blocks – The ABCs of Green Building Materials

August 24, 2016

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 is a wide variety in the mix of materials used. This latest article in our series, the ABCs of Green Building Materials, explores the various…