News

Brownfield Development Web Site Links Project Team Members

July 21, 2016
Companies of Interest, Sustainability

Brownfield developments, sites or buildings that have environmental contamination, are not usually the most desirable projects. However, a web site called Brownfield Listings is giving these projects a new lease on life. A small town in Missouri wanted to convert an abandoned school into a community center and emergency shelter. It put out three requests for proposals for their brownfield development to find contractors and designers willing to work on the site that was contaminated with lead paint, asbestos, and…

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How To Build A Wind Turbine

July 19, 2016
Energy, Renewable Energy, Wind

This ‘How-To’ was originally published on CleanTechnica There is something remarkable in watching a wind turbine capturing the energy of the wind and converting it into clean electricity. For those unsure of a wind turbines workings, the Department of Energy provides this overview: “Wind turbines operate on a simple principle. The energy in the wind turns two or three propeller-like blades around a rotor. The rotor is connected to the main shaft, which spins a generator to create electricity.” Windmills…

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New York City’s Lowline To Be World’s First Underground Park

July 19, 2016
Design, Solar

Instead of talking about the marvelous skyscrapers in New York City, they may soon be able to marvel at the Lowline, the world’s first underground park. New York City is now considering building the world’s first underground park in an abandoned trolley terminal. “The Lowline is a plan to use innovative solar technology to illuminate an historic trolley terminal on the Lower East Side of New York City. Our vision is a stunning underground park, providing a beautiful respite and…

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Stress-Free Solar Panel Mounts for Tile Rooftops Shine at InterSolar

July 18, 2016
Companies of Interest, Products, Solar

Launching the premier solar event in North America, Intersolar is spreading solar energy all over San Francisco this week from July 12 through 14. This is our continent’s most-attended solar event, with over 500 solar and energy innovations on exhibition. With so many great booths to explore, let’s just dive in and take a look at some cool new solar panel mounts that caught my eye. Quick Mount PV, a local manufacturer of solar panel mounts in Walnut Creek, is…

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On The Smaller Side Of Houses, Meet GreenPod

July 12, 2016
Architecture, Design, Green Homes

A recent visit to treehugger has provided us with a great resource for the smaller side of the housing spectrum: GreenPod. It appears modular and prefab homes are finally gaining some mainstream traction, states treehugger author Kimberley Mok. For people interested in getting an eco-friendly home relatively quick, going prefab can be an easier route with less headaches. “Woman-owned GreenPod Development, LLC creates green-jobs by building new modular and sitebuilt homes with healthy interiors and furnishings. GreenPod assures basic human needs: clean water,…

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Pig Manure Bioadhesive Produces Alternative To Asphalt Paving

July 5, 2016
Construction News, Products

A newly discovered pig manure bioadhesive has been developed by civil engineer Ellie Fini and a team at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Turns out the oils in swine manure are similar to petroleum, but are too low-grade for gasoline and perfect for asphalt. First, just to be clear, the asphalt created with this pig manure bioadhesive does not create an offensive odor. The odor-causing parts of the manure are removed during processing. “It is different from petroleum refinery,…

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NEXT Solar Window Coating Generates Free Electricity From Sunlight

June 29, 2016
Products, Solar

NEXT Energy Technologies has developed a scalable solar window coating that allows commercial glass products to produce clean energy from the sun. The product pays for itself in a year and provides clean energy for up to 30 years. “It is certainly not an overstatement to describe this technology as a game-changer with far-reaching implications for architecture and buildings of the future,” said Daniel Emmett, CEO and co-founder of NEXT Energy Tech. “We foresee a time in the near future…

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LEED Homes Award Winners for 2015 Announced

June 28, 2016
Green Homes, LEED

USGBC announced the recipients of its annual LEED Homes Awards, which recognize projects, architects, developers and homebuilders who have demonstrated outstanding leadership and innovation in the residential green building marketplace. “Homes represent a critical piece of the buildings industry and our daily life,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “We applaud these amazing honorees for their significant contribution to greening the residential sector by implementing strategies that positively impact the environment and enhance the health and well-being of…

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Thermoslate Solar Thermal System Integrates Unseen Into Slate Roof

June 24, 2016
Design, Energy, Green Homes

The Thermoslate solar thermal system from Spanish slate company Cupa Pizarras is worth observing. Here’s why: a structure’s slate roof can absorb a massive amount of heat and because of this stone, it has good thermal mass and holds it for some time, reports treehugger. In the Thermoslate system, slate roof tiles are integrated with thermal cells where heat is collected. The end product supplies hot water which can be used for various domestic purposes, including solar water heating. As shown in this…

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Solar Air Conditioning System Uses Heat To Cool Spaces

June 20, 2016
Commercial Buildings, Solar

CSIRO’s solar air conditioning system now sits on top of a major shopping center in Australia, and it is saving energy by using heat from the sun to cool the air in the center. The system uses concentrating solar thermal technology to produce heat energy used to power the air conditioning system. It is a “closed-loop” air conditioner, meaning it heats and cools air within the building without introducing any external air into the system, with a pair of “desiccant” (drying)…

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Seattle’s Bullitt Center Stands As The Greenest Model

June 13, 2016
Architecture, Book Reviews, Commercial Buildings, Design, Education

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 the Living Building Challenge, created by the International Living Future Institute, an organization dedicated to making green building the new normal as a guideline, a team…

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