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Creating Healthy Environments for Children features Private Practice’s Amy Brenneman as host with Ben Harper providing music. Pediatricians Dr. Philip Landrigan and Dr. Alan Greene provide their expertise, as well. Their five major tips include:

• Avoid using pesticides
• Clean safely
• Help children breathe easier
• Provide healthy food
• Use plastic products wisely.

Pop the DVD in your computers, and you’ll find three tool kits, one each for home, child care centers, and schools, that provide resources for making each environment safer for children. The tool kits also give advice for community outreach and activism on safer environments for children.

The DVD will be released in November and retails for $12.95. More information can be found on HealthyChild.org’s website. HealthyChild.org is also releasing a similar book Healthy Child, Healthy World, in March of 2008

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We need some smarter building controls.

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It is time to start thinking about getting our homes ready for winter. Maintenance and repair work done while the weather is still mild will pay off not just in the coming cold weather, but with year round benefits. Here are five common issues to think about when considering your winterization projects, and how to avoid making some common mistakes while improving your house.

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I’m going to try and recreate them for Halloween and holiday gifts in place of pumpkins and candles. Maybe add a stencil designs to them like the word "Boo" or a picture of a star or ornament. The only concern I have is the toxicity of the glass frosting spray that I used. The spray definitely made me feel a bit faint at the end of the day and I couldn’t help but hum the tune from Macgyver.

Sun jar instructions:

http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/homemadesunjar

Supplies needed: Handy assistant, frosting spray, jar, solar lamp, iced mocha to keep up with the excitement.

Don’t blink!

Oh you blinked and missed the set up because it was that quick!

See more here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/earth2joy/sets/72157602337039519

*The title of my flickr set "How to make a BOMB ass sun jar" was in reference to me trying to get through security for my flight home. They did search my bag and instead of saying "science project," I told them it was my solar lamp gift per my smart cousins’ husband’s suggestion.

So, for those of us alike who prefer socializing, enjoying the company of others, and connecting with like-minded professionals nationwide, there is a creative and more sustainable hotel alternative for you called Airbed & Breakfast. Two independent designers in San Francisco recently had the idea to rent out extra space in their SOMA loft to provide an opportunity for conference attendees to connect with others off the premise. This October 17-20, a rather large conference is taking place in the bay area called the IDSA World Design Congress. The last time this conference was in the US was 20-something years ago. As a result, designers of all ages from all over the country will be traveling to the city to be a part of this important design weekend. With the theme of the conference being "Connecting," this opportunity is perfectly appropriate.

What these two gentleman realized was that they have a wealth of extra space, extra desks, plenty of kitchen space to cook everyone breakfast, and somehow a stockpile of airbeds. When you put these extra resources together, it makes for a great environment that many travelers could advantage of. This is "something new and different: classier than couchsurfing, and more personable than craigslist — it is an AirBed & Breakfast."

In addition to building a website to advertise the brilliance of this new way to connect people at the conference, the two founders, Joe Gebbia and Brian Chesky, both in their mid to late twenties, wanted to provide an opportunity for others to list their place in order to create a new network of socialization and entrepreneurship at conferences nationwide. On the site is a link tovacancies where prospective residents can browse through and choose their weekend home and office based on location, attributes, ambiance, and other details. The moment that Joe and Brian launched the site (just this past week), the word spread quickly. There are now four different spaces offered on the vacancies link, and one is already sold out.

The brilliance in this idea is not only attractive because it builds relationships and creates a more comfortable living alternative to hotels, but it is far more sustainable. Even the acclaimed "green hotels" are required to use far more resources to maintain a whole room for one individual than an existing home with an added bed. If you think about it, if one is already making coffee in the morning, why not make it for 10?

When the US Green Building Council’s LEED® rating system became the standard for green building in the US a few years ago, it provided a way for builders and homeowners alike to have an immediate and measurable impact on the environment. Though certified buildings are increasingly common in commercial design, few platinum-certified homes exist in the US. Now, one of the most environmentally-friendly homes in California will be open to the public.

The brainchild of builder/developer Tom Schey, the Venice home at 710 Milwood Avenue – dubbed project7ten – was built to educate and raise awareness of better, healthier choices that we can all make, every single day. It has been certified Platinum by LEED®, the highest level that can be achieved.

Inspired by An Inconvenient Truth and the installation of solar panels on the roof of actor Ian McKellen’s home (in notoriously grey-skied London, no less), Schey realized that he had to do something to help educate people. As Schey was active in the real estate business, that seemed like a logical place to start. By partnering with environmentalist and philanthropist Kelly Meyer, and architect Melinda Gray of GrayMatter Architecture, project7ten was born.

The new project7ten home was designed to emphasize the symbiotic relationship between a home, its inhabitants, and the land. It incorporates many elements of green building. For example, the house will not emit harmful gases either inside or out. With rooftop solar panels that double as shade-producing overhangs (a very cool idea), the house will create its own energy. Of course, Forest Stewardship Council-certified lumber was used throughout. It sports systems for irrigation through captured rainwater and recycled greywater. The home’s slab was made from 30% recycled fly ash, the floors from fast-growing bamboo, and the insulation from post-industrial denim waste (that’s blue jeans to you and me). The list goes on and on…

But green building doesn’t always begin with the first nail – it often starts with demolition of an existing structure. In this case, the old home’s concrete slab was recycled, and all useable wood from the existing building was sent to Guadalajara to be used in building homes for low-income families.

The house will be open Thursdays through Sundays from October 11th through October 28th. There is a $20 fee for touring the house, but all proceeds will be donated to Healthy Child Healthy World, a non-profit dedicated to protecting children from harmful environmental exposures. There will also be drawings each weekend for eco-friendly prizes such as Shaklee Get Clean Starter Kits, a Naturpedic organic baby mattress, and Going Green Consultations.

Powered entirely by the sun, these high-tech homes that exhibit superior efficiency are “likely to help shape America’s clean energy future,” states a press release from the Department of Energy. The first Solar Decathlon was in 2002. I am partially inspired by this event as my old alma mater, the University of Michigan, competed in the 2005 competition. Although Michigan is not competing this year, many of the students from participating schools and prospective schools took notes on the flaws present in 2005, and went home to improve, reinvent, and discover new technologies for this year’s event.

As a result of seeing the 2005 University of Michigan MISO (Michigan Solar) home, I can tell you that these teams are consciously composed. With students from disciplines ranging from Engineering, Architecture, and Design to Urban Planning andEnvironmental Studies, these projects are guaranteed to be well-conceived. “These solar homes are powerful, comfortable, and stylish. They are relaxed, elegant, wasting neither space nor energy.” Since these projects come from an academic setting, a place where exploring concepts and visions for the future is fostered and encouraged, these homes are creative, innovative, and surprising.

Not only is this an opportunity for students to learn, explore, and experience solar home construction; it is also an occasion for the public to come view the solutions and learn about the best in energy efficiency and home design. If you are in the DC area and have a chance to stop by, the exhibition hosts an entrée of tours, seminars, workshops, and talks by students and professionals. Starting this Friday October 12, the exhibition is open to the public. Next Thursday, October 18 is a day devoted to building industry professionals, and the official awards ceremony is next Friday October 19. Enjoy!

Can a 10,000 square foot house really be green? Is a hybrid GMC Yukon SUV an oxymoron? At what point does the alleged greenness of something go from truly being green to mere greenwashing?

The environmental bandwagon is getting crowded as more and more people recognize the benefits and importance of going green. Sometimes it is out of a genuine sense of commitment to green principles. But sometimes it is just marketing.

Green houses are one area where this is becoming an issue. Houses which many people would consider oversized behemoths are being touted for their supposed greenness. In a recent article, Jetson Green pointed out the absurdity of a 9,800 square foot house in Larkspur, Colorado being called a "green" building. A couple of weeks ago, when I attended a GM-sponsored event (along with David Anderson), I test-drove a 2008 GMC Yukon Hybrid. How truly green are these?

A new LEED for Homes standard is coming out later this year. One contentious issue is that LEED-H factors in the size of the house in program in a way that will penalize larger houses and require them to earn additional points in order to obtain LEED certification due to their larger size.

The USGBC has taken a very important step by setting the LEED-H standards so that builders cannot easily "greenwash" bigfoot houses. An example 15,000 square foot house in Florida that Lloyd Alter discussed had to earn an additional 26 points to achieve the same certification as an average-size house with a typical square-foot-to-bedroom ratio.

In many ways, LEED is about having a badge of status, rather than about building a green building. There were environmentally-sensitive buildings built before LEED was even introduced. There are buildings that incorporate green features that are not LEED certified. LEED is as much a marketing tool as it is a method for building green buildings. But if the builders and the owners want to ausuage their guilt about having an excessively large house, while they certainly can (and should) still build it as green as possible, LEED will not provide an easy shield to hide behind.

LEED-H offsets the requirement thresholds for its certification levels by raising the number of points needed for a larger home and reducing the number of points needed for a smaller home. The baseline figures are:

• 2 bedroom house 1430 square feet
• 3 bedroom house 1950 square feet
• 4 bedroom house 2400 square feet
• 5 bedroom house 2600 square feet
• and 200 square feet for each additional bedroom.

When I test drove the Yukon, I was initially somewhat unimpressed. Having been paying so much attention to higher efficiency vehicles for so long, 21 MPG seems abysmally poor to me, though I have since found that a Toyota Camry V6 has the same combined efficiency. But to put it in comparison with the scale for house size, the full-size SUV, big as it is, seems less of a monstrosity than the gigantic McMansions do.

If the Prius, with a 1254 kilogram curb weight, corresponds with an efficient, 1270 square foot (7 point LEED-H bonus adjustment) 3-bedroom house, then the Yukon, with a 2513 kilogram curb weight would correspond with a 2550 square foot (5 point LEED-H penalty) house. That’s within the realm of reasonableness. It’s not so far out of scale with what an ordinary family might need or use to render the hybrid features an absurd affectation. For comparison, that 15,000 square foot house corresponds fairly well with a 40-foot Winnebago motor home (15,500 kilograms).

Relative size is a factor to consider when evaluating the greenness of anything. There may be any number of good, valid reasons to have something that is larger than average. Lots of good homes can be built with green features that fall within the guidelines of LEED-H. LEED, after all, stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. A 15,000 square foot house may be green, but it is not leading; it is not setting an example for other green homes. And unless it meets a higher standard in many other ways, it certainly does not deserve LEED certification.

Links:
USGBC LEED-H Draft (pdf)
Jetson Green
Lloyd Alter in TreeHugger

image source: Wikimedia

Well a recent graduate of Central St Martins’ Masters Industrial Design Program, Tom Ballhatchet, decided to use the guild in a constructive way. Instead of throwing away all this stamped foam packaging from his new flat-screen TV, Tom decided to construct an entertainment stand. It makes us think of the form of these extruded or stamped packaging part, oftentimes they are the same shape and size or have nice crevices that can serve as storage. My only wish in this project is that he found a way to incorporate the gigantic box and plastic wrap.

With this trend of Zero waste design and seeing packaging as superfluous, we are beginning to see even more products out there that use their packaging in the fully constructed form. Lite2Go’s packaging doubles as the actual lampshade leaving very little waste (the label and instructions for assembly). Designed by Knoed (i.e. know no-end), Lite2go is a good example of their mission statement- “taking into consideration the full life cycle of materials going into the products they design”. The packaging/shade is made of recyclable polypropylene plastic; and the electric cord and bulb can be recycled at the appropriate centers.

The interesting thing about this design is that it is just plain practical. One doesn’t have to be an eco-conscious consumer to see this. Why create extra packaging when it is unnecessary? Although the light is marketed as a green product, it could be marketed just as a light with a fun DIY surprise.

With this trend of cutting down on emissions and waste, we need to think beyond recycling. As recycling requires energy to break materials down into a new usable source, reusing materials for a new purpose is much more energy efficient. I challenge you to get creative with your waste and repurpose some of it at least once before you get rid of it.

However, I do find the innovations in green clothing fascinating, and for that reason I plan on attending EcoNouveau this Saturday. Billed as LA’s definitive EcoLifestyle experience, the event is a precursor to LA Fashion Week, which begins October 14th.

The event will feature the Spring/Summer ’08 collection of eco-fashion designers in a non-traditional runway show (I’m really curious to find out what that means!) The show will spotlight innovative uses of organic materials and processes.

EcoNouveau will take place on September 29th at 8pm at the Architecture and Design Museum. The A+D, as it is commonly known, is an all-inclusive information and education center for design including architecture, interior design, landscape design, fashion design and product design. It is the only museum in Los Angeles where continuous exhibits of architecture and design are on view.

At the event, organic hors d’oeuvres and beverages will be served, accompanied by music by Dublab and drinks provided compliments of VeeV. The suggested donation for entry is $20.

EcoNouveau is the brainchild of Rob Ganger, of Pollinator Media Group, and co-founder of The Evolver Project, an incubator that launched a print magazine (Evolver) and an online directory and media portal (evo.com). The event has two additional sponsors: Sarah Shewey, owner of Pink Cloud Events, a full-service event production and design company that specializes in eco-friendly resources, and Peter Gurnz of BOXeight, an art/media/production company.

Blade Runner

(The interspersed quotes in this article are taken from the Architecture 2030 "Think You’re Making a Difference?" page.)

Architecture 2030 is a foundation established by architect Ed Mazria in 2002. Mazria famously created the pie chart graph (see illustration) showing that buildings represent 48% of the total energy used in this country. As the largest single segment of energy use, responsible for nearly half of all energy use in the country, buildings need to have more attention paid to them. Architecture 2030 is dedicated to reducing all fossil-fuel, greenhouse-gas-emitting energy use for buildings by 2030, with an immediate 50% reduction (as compared to the typical energy use for particular building types), and phased increases in the reduction percentage until the 100% target is reached in 2030.

Buildings are responsible for more of an impact on the environment than cars or other elements of energy use because they last so long. As you drive around cities in the country, almost all of the vehicles on the road were built within the last 20 years. But the majority of the buildings are at least that old, and many are decades older. Buildings last a long time. They need to be substantial in order to accomplish their purposes. This makes them long-lasting, but they also are slow to adopt new, more efficient technologies. Replacing them is also incredibly expensive and extremely material and energy-intensive. So making sure that our buildings are built efficiently and with an eye to the future is crucial.

For building operations, carbon offsets are one way many people are looking to reduce the impact of their energy use. And while those steps can help to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide, the scale of even large scale efforts dwindles to near insignificance when compared to the amount of carbon that building energy use puts into the atmosphere.

"Home Depot is funding the planting of 300,000 trees in cities across the US to help absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions…

The CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized (500 MW) coal-fired power plant, in just 10 days of operation, will negate this entire effort."

Conservation steps can be helpful. Cutting your lighting energy usage by switching from incandescents to compact fluorescents is a step that many sources strongly advocate. (I’ve even mentioned it once or twice myself.) The energy savings are dramatic, and can cut energy use by more than half. Multiplied across millions of households, this amounts to a huge energy total, but lighting is just a portion of total building energy use.

"If every household in the US changed a 60-watt incandescent light bulb to a compact fluorescent…

The CO2 emissions from just two medium-sized coal-fired power plants each year would negate this entire effort."

Lighting energy reduction is a good first step, but there needs to be more done to build on these improvements. In addition to having all buildings be built to neutral GHG-emissions standards by 2030, they are also calling for an equal amount of existing building area to be renovated to matching levels of efficiency. Many steps are being taken presently to increase the efficiency of existing homes and buildings, but often, these steps are just doing less-bad than they are turning things around to the point of doing good. These are positive steps, certainly. But we need to continue to press for further improvements still.

"Wal-Mart is investing a half billion dollars to reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions of their existing buildings by 20% over the next seven years. If every Wal-Mart Supercenter met this target…

The CO2 emissions from only one medium-sized coal-fired power plant, in just one month of operation each year, would negate this entire effort."

Even if all of Architecture 2030’s goals are met, there will still be billions of square feet of buildings that have not been renovated by 2030 that will still be needing fossil-fueled energy supplies for their operation. Joshua Hill’s recent article noted the latest imperative from Architecture 2030 which calls for the elimination of coal as the "silver bullet" necessary to stop global warming. In 20 years, it is possible to begin to make significant changes in our energy infrastructure, so that renewable power sources represent an increasing portion of the energy being generated. Those developments, combined with increasing the energy efficiency of the buildings we are building, can help turn our energy profile to one that does not put such a carbon burden on the environment.

Image source: Architecture 2030

I recognize all the benefits of green building, but, as I’ve never owned any kind of building, I’ve never explored a homeowner’s eco-friendly options in much depth, or been to a conference targeted at the industry.

Right from the opening plenary, visionaries (led in prominence by Steve Wozniak) hammered home the feeling that the green building industry is really at a tipping point where a cascade of exponential growth is possible. In this respect, I didn’t feel too out of place. I had heard a similar message at every niche conference I’d been to since starting Green Options. Indeed, the implications of a true transition to a sustainable economy are the same for green pioneers in every industry. If you can provide any product or service in a more environmentally responsible way, and do it as cheap or cheaper than the old way, you are the future.

So what? People have been saying we’re at a tipping point for years… They’re just another kind of salesman trying to drum up business, right? Even if it’s growing, it’s just a bubble, like everything else.

Wrong.

In the many industries that demand consistent natural resource inputs (energy, building, transportation), people have been doing things essentially the same way for a long time. And entrepreneurs are finding solutions that preserve all of the advantages of our unsustainable practices, but with less toxicity, fewer resource inputs, and beautiful outputs. Any industry can optimize a business model for more than one variable–say, profit AND impact on the system as a whole.

Some of the exhibitors did just that.

There were multiple firms that recycle packaging styrofoam into insulated concrete forms. The best one I saw was Apex-Block. Some might object to the use of styrofoam in any "green" building, but my take on it is that we need cost-effective, energy-efficient solutions now, and there’s no shortage of styrofoam being produced and thrown away that none of us can do much about at the moment, so… get real.

There are were also some "breakthroughs" whose green-ness I question: both of the two ethanol-burning fireplace booths I visited were more concerned with emphasizing the simple, sleek, user-friendliness of ethanol as a fireplace fuel than where the fuel came from. I found it ironic that 10 minutes later I was listening to a pre-eminent architecture professor use his Powerpoint to contrast decreasing crop yields from global warming against our policy of sacrificing food for fuel.

It didn’t surprise me too much that my fireplace salesmen friends weren’t up on the significant disadvantages of corn-based ethanol. All day, the fragmentation of the green building professionals I saw at the conference struck me; it seemed a little like most of them didn’t know there were that many others out there. As they grow, WCG and conferences like it continue to help refugees from the old economy find their place in the new.

1. LED Christmas lights are 80-99% more efficient than standard incandescent lights.

2. LED holiday lights are safer than incandescent lights. They operate at 1 degree above ambient room temperature and draw so little energy that risk of circuit overload.

3. LED Christmas lights will save you money. Not only will you save money in the form of lower energy costs, but you will also save money because you won’t have to replace your Christmas lights every year. LED string lights have a useful life of over 50,000.

This November 7-9, Chicago will host the largest GreenBuild Expo in history. Put on by the USGBC (United States Green Building Council), this year over 18,000 attendees will gather to learn about the trends in green construction and get inspired about future projects. In a city aiming to be the greenest, this is a monumental event. On top of it all, GreenBuild will be held in one of Chicago’s LEED certified facilities, the McCormick Place West Building.

According to the USGBC, "Chicago mayor Richard Daley has pledged to make Chicago the most environmentally friendly city in the world. Building on its legacy as a center of American architecture, Chicago was one of the first cities to adopt LEED. Today it has the most LEED projects of any city in the world."

Included in the Expo is an international conference with headlining speakers such as Paul Hawken (author), Sadhu Johnston (Chicago Commissioner of the Department of Environment),  Thom Mayne (Founder and Principal of Morphosis), Maria Atkinson (Global Head of Sustainability at Lend Lease), and former US President Bill Clinton. USGBC President and CEO Rick Fedrizzi on is especially excited about Clinton’s planned appearance:

"This is an unprecedented opportunity for our green building community to hear from one of the greatest philanthropic and environmental leaders of this century. The William J. Clinton Foundation is facilitating a series of global action plans that are addressing some of the most intractable problems of our times — AIDS, economic sustainability as a way to eradicate poverty, the elimination of childhood obesity. His framework has shown the power that groups of individuals have to effect real change."

"Reducing the C02 emissions that lead to climate change is another key area of focus, and it’s being addressed by the Clinton Climate Initiative, with green building as a cornerstone of that effort,” Fedrizzi noted. “We are making a difference, and President Clinton’s unique ability to inspire individual action will add incredible momentum to this important work."

The event has a full schedule of networking and educational opportunities. Whether you are a homeowner, a builder, designer, architect, engineer, and, heck, even a programmer or a banker, there is something applicable to everyone’s life. With over 850 exhibit booths displaying the newest products and technologies, the expo itself will be an educational and eye opening experience. If you leave thinking, "I still can’t do it," then you didn’t pick up enough tools while in attendance.

Radiant heating is a popular option in green buildings. Many green buildings feature it because it is a more efficient, and more comfortable, method of heating. If a building doesn’t require air conditioning, it may be possible to eliminate ductwork altogether, or at least use a much smaller system that is sized for air conditioning. And even in buildings where air handling is still necessary, the systems that push the air around can be run less frequently because they are needed only to provide fresh air, and don’t need to take care of the heating as well. Radiant heating systems don’t cause the air to be dried out in the same manner that heated forced-air systems tend to do. Most of all, radiant heating is comfortable because it is warmest at floor level and slightly cooler at higher levels, matching the human desire for warmth for the feet, and less for the head.

A recent blog post by Jetson Green about the National Solar Decathalon reminded me of an intriguing product that can be used for in-floor radiant heat systems. Warmboard is a specialty subflooring for use in radiant-heated buildings that doesn’t require a concrete slab to embed the radiant tubing. This makes it especially useful for multi-story buildings where a concrete slab floor may be less desirable. Warmboard is much lighter than a corresponding concrete slab, meaning that less structural material is needed to support the floor. It also does not need curing time, unlike a concrete slab, which is another factor that makes it appealing for use with modular and pre-fab construction.

Warmboard is a plywood material that is slightly thicker than typical subflooring plywood. It has regular channels cut into it that the radiant heating system tubing can be laid into. On top of this, an aluminum plate is formed to the surface, providing a transfer surface to uniformly distribute the heat from the tubing across the floor.

Warmboard can be used in place of regular subflooring plywood (although some of the pictures Jetson Green posted showed warmboard being installed on top of regular plywood subflooring, which is both redundant and costly). Almost any kind of flooring can be installed over Warmboard. Hardwood flooring and tile can be set directly over the warmboard. However, carpet, which is not as good a choice to use with a radiant floor heating system, requires a 3/8" underlayment.

Solar heating systems that use collectors to heat water are the most efficient solar energy systems available. Combining solar energy capture with a radiant heating system is an easy way of taking best advantage of the strengths of both systems. A system can be easily designed to take advantage of solar heating on sunny days, with backup heating from an alternative source to heat water to provide supplemental heat or for days when the sun is not as bright. The quick assembly ability and the good integration of radiant heating systems is why Warmboard is popular among the Solar Decathalon teams.

There are some drawbacks to using Warmboard. It is an expensive product, and owners may balk at the perceived cost. However, using Warmboard subflooring makes the installation of the tubing much quicker and easier, as opposed to doing the installation from the underside. In a crawl space, it’s exceptionally awkward, and working overhead is tiring work. Installing the tubing in a Warmboard is much quicker than installing it under the subfloor, and labor costs for tubing installation should be lower. The Warmboard also incorporates an aluminum plate, so a separate reflector plate or reflective insulation is not needed, and both the cost of the material itself and the cost of installation can be saved by using Warmboard, as well.

Warmboard is also configured for a regular 4′ x 8′ sheet of flooring. If you are working with a regular design so that you only need full size pieces, then Warmboard can be an economical choice. It can be worked with much the same as a standard plywood subfloor and can be cut in the field (though a carbide blade is required in order to cut the integrated aluminum plate).

Although the company says that their material can be used in remodeling projects, in most cases I think that would be unfeasible. Laying Warmboard on top of an existing floor will add nearly 2" to the floor thickness with the Warmboard itself (1-1/8" thick) as well as the hardwood or other finished floor covering (3/4" or more). That also would mean doors would have to be cut down or replaced, and other elements would be similarly affected. But for a moderate sized new construction, Warmboard can be a good product to use to help make a comfortable, radiant-heated building.

Image source: Warmboard

Tip of the hat to Jetson Green

When Amy wrote about green magazines, she mentioned GOOD as being one of her favorites. I, too, a self-described magazine junkie, am a big fan of GOOD since it’s inception last year. With all the depressing news out there on any given day, GOOD always reaffirms my faith in humanity. Its focus is, like its name implies, good stuff: those things that are making our world a little bit better, and when I’m feeling down about what’s going on around me, GOOD usually perks me up. It’s a rare magazine that doesn’t need an annual "green" issue: sustainability has been a priority since the magazine was founded.

The latest issue (Sept/Oct 07) is no exception. The issue, which commemorates their one-year anniversary, focuses on design solutions. A topic I covered a while back, green schools, gets a feature nod from Eva Steele-Saccio. Steele-Saccio highlights different schools’ efforts to reduce their footprint and become more energy efficient, and acknowledges that there are benefits beyond energy savings: "Green schools create a healthy atmosphere for learning that has measurable results. The combination of natural light, fresh air, open plans, and multi-use facilities that encourage community involvement has helped student test scores rise by 20% and reduced asthma rates by 39%."

There’s also a feature about a village in England that launched a community effort to reduce their carbon footprint, with the ultimate goal of becoming the first carbon-neutral village in the U.K. GOOD’s product reviews almost always include items produced with sustainability in mind, and in this issue, they create a proposal for better CFL packaging: create a package that can be used to ship burned-out bulbs back to the producer for proper disposal. There’s also a profile of Rogan Gregory, founder of clothing company Loomstate, who was virtually responsible for bringing organic cotton to the fashion industry though his work with Loomstate, and his other two companies, Rogan and Edun

Even subscribing to GOOD can make you feel good: 100% of your $20 subscription costs goes to your choice of twelve charities, including the World Wildlife Fund and Oceana. Good is printed on 30% recycled post-consumer paper that is EcoLogic certified, and 100% offset by projects Good is actually involved in.

The September/October issue of GOOD is on newsstands now.

Perhaps the most vocal advocates for dark skies are astronomers, both professionals as well as amateurs. The Bortle Dark-Sky Scale was created by astronomers to evaluate the quality of a dark nighttime sky.

Dark nighttime skies are needed by birds for navigation. Animals (and humans, too) are adapted to the day-night cycle. There have been reports of robins in urban areas that have stopped singing at daybreak because the city never becomes dark enough for the birds to perceive that it has become night.

Of course, part of the issue is the use of appropriately sized and placed lights on a building site to illuminate only the portions of a site that needs to be lit. By reducing the size or number of fixtures, in addition to helping to maintain a dark nighttime sky, a building owner will also pay for fewer fixtures, and will pay less for the electricity to operate those fixtures.

But the security that is the reason for much site lighting may not be the most effective means of providing security for buildings. According to an article in New Yorker magazine:

[L]ighting is effective in preventing crime mainly if it enables people to notice criminal activity as it’s taking place, and if it doesn’t help criminals to see what they’re doing. Bright, unshielded floodlights — one of the most common types of outdoor security lighting in the country — often fail on both counts, as do all-night lights installed on isolated structures or on parts of buildings that can’t be observed by passersby (such as back doors). A burglar who is forced to use a flashlight, or whose movement triggers a security light controlled by an infrared motion sensor, is much more likely to be spotted than one whose presence is masked by the blinding glare of a poorly placed metal halide "wall pack."

Night skies away from the glare of a city can be a fantastic sight. Just as the old growth forests are part of our shared legacy that needs to be protected, being able to enjoy a darker sky is another experience that is being lost to more and more people. Cities will never be completely unlit, and it is highly unlikely that citydwellers in any major city will ever be able to see the Milky Way in the skies over their heads. But darker nights can contribute to energy savings and wildlife health, as well as contributing to better security at night.

via: Bruce Schneier

Links:
DarkSky.org
New Yorker article
Bortle Dark Sky Scale
Dark Sky abstracts of articles about effects on wildlife

Mariah Power of Reno, Nevada has developed a new efficient and attractive wind harvesting station called the Windspire that has a quite attractive profile for suburban dwellers. The Windspire, at 30 feet tall and 2 feet wide, takes advantage of the access of vertical space you have out on your suburban lot. With only a ½ acre of land or more, the Windspire will work effectively. The 1 kW inverter will produce about 1900 kW hours each year in 12 mile per hour average winds. The Windspire even includes an internal wireless modem that will continuously communicate with your computer about the amount of power is generated in your backyard while at work, sleeping, eating, and generally going about your day. This allows you to track and check the generation progress at any time.

The propeller construction is different from more common wind turbine. The vertical construction allows propellers to turn at the same speed as the wind. This allows it to be virtually silent and safe for both birds and people. In addition to the safety and tranquility, at only 30 feet in height, it is below most residential and urban zoning restrictions. And at a tall height in the sky, it is responsibly easy on the eye. The design is sleek, light, and simple. Available in customizable colors and designs, you can even appropriate the construction for your own aesthetic tastes.

With simple and complete installation, the kit is an easy addition to the home. Priced at only $3,995, the lowest cost of anything of its kind, wind power immediately becomes an affordable commodity. In addition to providing the product, Windspire’s site has a useful tool for clients and potential clients. The tool helps you evaluate your site and appropriate the installation to be the most effective.

So, if you have been looking for a way to incorporate alternative energy in your home but always thought your site wasn’t appropriate, think again. With sleekness and silence, your neighbors will only be intrigued.

As alternative energy is coming of age, new designs and more inventions are making it easy for you to install alternative energy generations stations at your home. A West Australian designer is working on a turbine system invention small enough to be installed on your roof. At a meter in length and a half meter in height, this invention is even easier to apply to your household energy consumption (and production). Keep your eyes open, pretty soon we will be able to put a turbine on our car, belt, and bike to generate usable amounts of energy.