Greener, Faster
Germany Out in Front
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Modern sustainable construction owes much of its current status to developments in Germany over the past 50 years. The country is in the forefront on matters of ecology and technology, and continues to innovate in the materials, construction and maintenance of green buildings.
Germany today has gone beyond the energy efficient approach just now becoming more widespread in the U.S. The movement in Germany is towards “Bio Bau,” or organic building. This entails not just energy efficiency, but use of local, sustainable materials that contain no harmful chemicals, careful site selection to maximize light, heating and cooling, and use of technology to either enhance or mitigate natural occurrences. For example, floating houses actually rise with flood waters.
Almost every farm in Bavaria has solar panels on the roof of the barn. When American consumers catch up with that awareness, perhaps the U.S. can begin to compete in the development and production of green technology.
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Dry Grass
Bamboo Fiber Soaks It Up
Sunday, December 30, 2007
The latest arrival in trendy bathrooms is bamboo. Not on the floors or in cabinets, but in the towels.
Pure Fiber’s 100% bamboo towels are plush and soft. But besides the softness and silkiness of cashmere, bamboo yarn gives you the absorbency of fine cotton. Even better, bamboo yarns are more environmentally friendly than cotton, which accounts for a quarter of all crop pesticide use worldwide. Bamboo fabric requires less dye than cotton, modal or viscose, and the color is much more vivid.
And when you’re ready for new towels, the old ones are biodegradable. As a natural cellulose fiber, bamboo can be 100% biodegraded in soil by microorganism and sunshine.
Pure Fiber’s towels come in a range of colors like midnight blue, coastal blue, zesty orange, sunny yellow and, of course, white and natural. A set of bathtowels retails for $42.
Locally, Bambu Batu stocks bamboo towels and other bamboo items.
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California Native Plants for the Garden
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Here’s a book we can all use. The title is a bit misleading—this is an authoritative reference not only to plants, but to landscape design and maintenance, including, watering, pruning, and pest control.
Filled with wonderful color photographs of individual plants, it’s a resource for neophytes and experts alike. The authors provide crucial details on plant siting, color, seasonal appearance and a lot more. If you’ve been considering forsaking the English country garden for one that’s more authentic to our region (and one that’s more ecologically sound), this book could just tip the scales. It’s a volume you’ll return to again and again.
Sizzling Sales
Solar Hot in Cool Real Estate Market
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The one bright spot in the current real estate market is the pace of solar home sales, according to the Los Angeles Times. The paper reports that solar homes are starting to outsell traditionally electrified homes in several markets, and developers are stepping up their use of the technology.
“They sell like hot cakes,” said Bernadette del Chiaro, energy specialist at the advocacy group Environmental California. Julie Blumden, a vice-president at SunPower Corp., a San Jose-based manufacturer of solar roof tiles, said builders using solar were selling homes faster than nonsolar competitors. “The increase in sales velocity is actually paying for the solar systems,” she said.
The boom is helped by California’s Million Solar Roofs rebate program, federal tax credits and growing public and political support for renewable power.
Click here for the full story.
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Can Do
Aluminum Chairs Go Stylish
Monday, September 24, 2007
Aluminum chairs have been making a statement indoors for a while. For a broad selection of sophisticated styles, check out Emeco, which also manufactures stools and tables.
You’ll find rocking chairs, stacking chairs, even upholstered swivel chairs. There’s a nice selection of Philipe Starck designs, including the oval-back Kong chair and the stackable Icon chair.
All chairs are made from 80% recycled aluminum and are available hand-polished or hand-brushed. They’re almost infinitely stackable and come with lifetime warranty. And don’t forget to recycle them when you’re ready to replace!
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(Re)claim to Fame
Old Wood Shines Once More
Monday, August 27, 2007
Using reclaimed timber is a great way to go green while benefiting from the unparalleled beauty and depth of old wood.
California company TerraMai offers flooring, decking, paneling, siding and beams taken from old buildings and structures, such as bridges, tunnels, and railroad ties. Reclaimed wood also includes wood from orchards that are being replaced or replanted and wood from cut logs abandoned many decades or even centuries ago during wasteful logging operations.
Their flooring is gorgeous and full of character—for example, plantation-grown teak can’t compare to the old-growth Asian teak used to create this flooring. Each floor comes with its own distinctive story and visual character, and a wide range of colors, species and prices, both prefinished and unfinished. Whether you like deep amber and cinammon, or warm rose and burgundy, cool gold and nut brown, you’ll find the mix for you.
All flooring is milled from reclaimed or salvaged, chemical free, untreated wood. Installation of TerraMai floors is easily achieved using the same techniques as other tongue and groove flooring, resulting in a one-of-a kind, solid wood floor.
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