The disposable writing industry has undergone significant changes in an era that now takes into account measures like green and sustainable performance. Part of the Pentel initiative with an environmental focus mandates using both recycled content and post-consumer recycled content in the products it manufactures. Company reports that all products in its Recycology line are made from a minimum of 50 percent recycled content
Tag Archives: sustainability
23
Mar
Mar
If using a banking analogy for the untapped and clean geothermal energy our planet provides, we discover that the world lives on top of a remarkable energy safe deposit vault. In 2008, geothermal power supplied less than one percent of the world’s energy. However by 2050 it is anticipated that geothermal power will meet between 10 and 20 percent of the world’s energy requirements, according to a report from Renewable Energy World.
18
Mar
Mar
Kieran Timberlake Architects have been fighting for architecture to improve throughout the years. They have questioned why architecture is still done the same way that it has been done for years when professions such as ship building, automotives, and airplane engineering have bounded ahead with technological breakthroughs.
15
Mar
Mar
In Paradise Valley, Montana, experienced builder, Pouwel Gelderloos and family designed, built and are marketing the first “hybrid” house. It is a hybrid because it can be completely self-sustaining (off the grid) but is also connected to the grid incase the need should arise for additional energy sources.
09
Mar
Mar
Adaptive re-use plus brownfield reclamation are key factors in land conservation and reducing unnecessary sprawl. These are good for the economy, communities, and the environment. More plans need to be implemented and the importance stressed that this is our one chance to re-do and un-do our environmental impact so that future generations can make their choices.
07
Mar
Mar
Architects, engineers and designers are now doing what scientists, naturalists and environmentalists have been doing, instead of trying to change the planet in the name of progress they are looking at the planet’s progress. Designer-Artist, Ayala Serfaty and her photographer partner, husband, Albi Serfaty created a company that mimics marine life, uses natural materials, and brings sustainability technology to the forefront of light and furniture design. Serfaty artistic abilities allowed for the business of Aqua Creations to unfold, but to enhance the design world with beautiful, nature-influenced products is what the science of Biomimicry is about.
26
Feb
Feb
Efficiency as a home builder is just as important as efficiency for the home owner. Miranda Homes knows how important this is and is changing the construction industry by changing their ways making more sustainable options available to the public.
02
Feb
Feb
The tire wall construction has progressed from earthship and tire-bales are now being used.
05
Nov
Nov
Passivhaus is a type of design for homes that are super efficient. It was started in Germany in 1996 by physicist Dr. Wolfgang Feist. He developed the design based on superinsulated homes built in the United States and Canada during the 1970s. There are five basic elements in a Passivhaus design: High levels of insulation Reduce thermal…
04
Oct
Oct
A family in Atlanta gave up half their house and half the things they owned to support The Hunger Project. Actions like these beg the question, “Could I give up half of my house?”
07
Sep
Sep
EcoTech, a Los Angeles based company, claims their new roofing materials are the greenest and most sustainable product to date. Their new roofing panels promise to reduce energy costs and increase a home’s value easily.
02
Sep
Sep
It has been five years since Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans, and many parts of the city are still waiting to be rebuilt. Thanks to the Make It Right Foundation, much of the rebuilding will focus on green and sustainable technologies. Home owners still coming back to the infamous 9th Ward will get to…
06
Nov
Nov
When mention of an “earthen floor” is made, one might imagine a dusty, drab dirt floor. Earthen floors are far from this, however; instead they are very elegant, durable, inexpensive, and ecologically sustainable solutions to a typical floor installation. They are varied in construction, but the idea and ingredients are essentially the same across the…
27
Oct
Oct
Cascade Engineering has just launched its SWIFT Wind Turbine in the United States and Canada. Quieter than a whisper, SWIFT provides businesses and homeowners in windy environments an effective solution to lower energy bills and reduce carbon emissions.
24
Jul
Jul
Despite the narrowing gap in cost between green building and traditional “to-code” building, most builders and home buyers still perceive the green option to be significantly more expensive. The reality is that due to increased builder education and an influx of affordable green building products, a building can be built green within the same budget…
13
May
May
Many of my recent posts have touched upon the theme that the building industry cannot accomplish major advances in sustainability by itself; first its market must change. But there is ample evidence that consumers are now driving a change in the market. The USGBC website has printed a report by CoStar Group which has found…
10
May
May
Off the Grid Homes combines beautiful images with technical information for sustainable homes. The book by architect Lori Ryker is less of a manual for systems to be used in off the grid homes (though it does include good information about the systems and strategies that are used in sustainable off the grid living) and…
22
Apr
Apr
At the heart of all building projects are the materials, the stuff, the bricks and sticks, the elements that are assembled to build a building. Different materials have different impacts on the Earth. Some require extensive resources for their manufacture. Steel and other metals need to be refined from ore and processed into their final…