All American Homes, LLC today continued its commitment to environmentally friendly systems-built housing with the delivery and assembly or “set” of the home for the exhibit Smart Home: Green + Wired, Powered by ComEd and Warmed by Peoples Gas, opening at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Ill. on May 8, 2008. All American Homes built the fully functional “green” home, designed by Michelle Kaufmann Designs, which will be on exhibit on the east lawn of the Museum grounds. The exhibit will run through January 4, 2009.
All American Homes Delivers and Sets Smart Home at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry
Posted in The Green Home.
– May 6, 2008
‘Change for Our Earth’ Promotes a New Form of Recycling to Better the Planet
Coinstar Kicks off Program During National Coin Week and Earth Day to Encourage Individuals to Be ‘Green’ by Reusing Change
To commemorate National Coin Week (April 20 – 26) and Earth Day (April 22), Coinstar, Inc. today launched its Change for our Earth™ program. This program encourages a new form of recycling, educating consumers on the environmental benefits of putting coin back into circulation, thereby reducing the need for limited natural resources used to create new coin.
Posted in Recycling.
– April 16, 2008
Husqvarna Unveils Hybrid Solar Electric Robot Lawn Mower
Husqvarna, the world’s largest producer of lawn mowers, is first to launch a hybrid robotic lawnmower. The new Husqvarna Automower™ Solar Hybrid is powered by innovative and groundbreaking technology that combines solar power and electricity.
“This is to take Automower to the next level with higher performance and further reduced impact on the environment,” says Bengt Andersson, CEO Husqvarna Group. He continues, “90% of Automower is recyclable, it eliminates the need for fertilizers, it is quiet, has no exhaust emissions and ensures your lawn is always well-kept.”
Posted in Green Products, Lawn, Renewable Energy.
– February 7, 2008
Take Steps to Save Energy on Earth Day
As Earth Day approaches, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) encourages home owners everywhere to take simple steps to reduce energy use – and to think green when they buy a new home.
“We are all proud of the significant steps our members have taken to make new homes more energy efficient,” said NAHB President Sandy Dunn, a West Virginia home builder. “More than 100,000 green homes have been built by our members in home builder association programs around the country. We’re moving the market – in a voluntary, cost-effective way.”
Posted in Green Living.
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– January 21, 2008
Americans Resolving to Go Green in 2008
From Shedding Carbs to Shedding Carbon? Half of Us Plan to Make a “Green” or Environmentally Responsible New Year’s Resolution. 75% Say They Are Very or Somewhat Likely to Reduce Energy Consumption in ’08; 74% Say They Are Likely to Recycle More… Survey Shows Younger Americans More Focused on the Environment than Older Americans… Green with Guilt? Three in 10 Americans Admit to Feeling Guilty. About Not Living a More Environmentally Friendly Lifestyle
Americans may be dreaming of a white Christmas, but they’re determined to lead a “green” New Year.
Just under half – 49% — of all American adults say they will make a green New Year’s resolution this year, according to the results of a poll released here today by Tiller, LLC, one of the nation’s leading consultancies on the design and implementation of advocacy marketing programs.
Posted in Green Living.
– December 21, 2007
Seeking Alternatives To Heating Oil
After monitoring news and blogs related to unusual heating systems since January 2006, the administrators of Alternative-Heating.com, a non-profit Web site, recently noticed a sharp increase in the interest for alternative heating methods. This interest was apparently fueled in part by the steep rise in heating oil prices. Today, the Web site staff are pleased to announce the creation of a sharing platform that will enable users to exchange ideas and discuss the best ways to use alternative solutions and products to heat their homes and businesses.
Posted in Heating.
– December 20, 2007
Energy Efficient Homes Pay Off for the Environment
New York ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes Program exceeds 10K homes
New York residents and builders have significantly reduced the state’s overall energy use and greenhouse gas emissions over the last six years simply by investing in homes that have earned the ENERGY STAR(R) Label.
Since 2001, more than 10,800 New York ENERGY STAR Labeled Homes have been built in New York, saving nearly 14 million kilowatt-hours of electricity and 603 billion BTUs of fossil fuel to date. The collective energy savings from these homes means that more than 44,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide is kept out of the atmosphere every year; the same as taking nearly 9,000 cars off the road for a year.
Posted in Energy Star.
– December 19, 2007
Travelling Green
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Almost on a daily basis I receive press releases about a new green hotel that has opened up somewhere in the US. The hospitality industry has a large role to play in the green movement. The J.D. Power and Associates 2007 North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Study shows that nearly 75 percent of all hotel guests are aware and willingly participate in environmentally friendly programs where they are staying.
The survey explains that, “In response to growing concern about global warming and conservation issues, being environmentally responsible has become a top trend in the hotel industry, with properties initiating various “green” programs, such as changing linens and towels only on request and using water-saving bathroom faucets and toilets.”
So next time your travelling check and see if there are any green hotels or bed & breakfasts in the area. One place where you can find a list of green hotels is at the following website: http://www.greenhotels.com/members.htm
Posted in Travel.
– September 13, 2007
The Cost of Green Building
Today I came across 2 bits of news concerning the green building industry that I thought I would share with you. The first was an interview on E&E TV that I watched this morning, on which two women decided to build green homes. The homes were installed with solar panels and now instead of paying large monthly utility bills, they receive a rebate from the utility companies every month. For the full interview go to following site: http://www.eenews.net/tv/2007/08/30/
The second news release that I found interesting was about a report on the lowering cost of green building. According to the Geneva-based World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), costs for going green may be overestimated by over 300 percent. The findings are disclosed in a new report titled “Energy Efficiency in Buildings: Business Realities and Opportunities,” which illustrates that in a global survey of 1,400 people, the cost of going green was estimated at 17 percent above conventional construction.
In truth, however, costs for green products, materials, and practices have come down tremendously in the past few years, bringing the cost of moving into the sustainable arena to just five percent above the cost of conventional construction.
Why the misperception? Most likely green is still perceived as the costlier option due to the fact that the providers of green goods and services haven’t done enough to market themselves as cost-saving options. Right now, the general perception of going green is that it’s an environmental issue, and that embracing the green movement is good for corporate relations. But the manufacturers of green and sustainable products will generate an amazing amount of momentum if they go straight for what the building community wants—a message that speaks to the bottom line.
Posted in Building Design, Green Building.
– August 30, 2007
American Clay
While I was doing research for our latest issue of green@work a few days ago, I came across a product called American Clay (www.americanclay.com). I was so impressed with this natural plaster that could be used on interior walls and ceilings. On their website they have dozens of beautiful pictures of homes and businesses that have used their product. The plaster really gives the homes a warm and inviting look that would be unattainable with paint. Best of all you can earn LEED credits by using American Clay in your home or business. Check out their website for a list of stores that sell the product and a how-to of applying the product to walls and ceilings.
Posted in Building Products, Green Building.
– August 29, 2007
