Green Options » Home design

New Glass Prevents Birds From Colliding with Windows

Bryan Nelson — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:19:42 +0000

A new exterior film for glass has been developed which can be seen by birds but not humans. It could be used to help prevent the needless deaths of billions of birds which collide with windows annually.

Collisions with windows are estimated to be the most common cause of bird death worldwide aside from habitat loss. The numbers of deaths are staggering, outranking deaths by domestic cat, hunting, vehicular collisions, and wind turbine accidents combined. Thus, preventing bird-window collisions could be the simplest way to significantly reduce bird fatality around the world.

Green Building Game Misses the Point

Philip Proefrock — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:44:10 +0000

I recently came across an online game called “Design Your Dream Home” on the Green Is Universal website. I was shocked by what I found and how bad the game really was. I prefer to focus on the positive aspects of green building, but this strikes me as so misguided that I could not let it pass unremarked.

Whoever designed this game has no understanding of real green building in any meaningful sense. Instead of providing any insight or education about green building, the game reduces design of a green house to nothing more than a couple of mouse clicks. “Choose the climate construction materials and energy sources and see how green you can be.” The oversimplification this presents is a huge disservice to visitors to the site who play the game.

What Grabs You: Non-Toxic Home Design!

Sara Holt — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 13:04:55 +0000

Photo Credit: EcoHome Improvement

They weren’t kidding when they said living green ain’t easy. With all of the toxic home design products out on the market today, it’s often difficult to locate products that are environmentally-friendly, non-toxic, affordable, and importantly, aesthetically beautiful.

In the world of green design however, the times are a-changin’, and with the birth of Berkeley’s own EcoHome Improvement, a crucial green scene player is now giving us the gift of a centralized hub for green design products and education.

Featuring “Ecological & Healthy Home Improvement Products,” EcoHome Improvement specializes in non-toxic paints, formaldehyde-free finishes, FSC-certified wood for cabinetry and flooring, as well as bamboo, cork, natural linoleum and wool carpeting. The list goes on to include recycled countertops and tiles. Each of these products is, of course, only selected after making a high standard cut for overall performance quality and aesthetic appeal.

When I went over today to chat with co-founders Nina Boeddeker and Taja di Leonardi, I discovered that running a green design business like EcoHome Improvement has as much to do with the finished product on the showroom floor as it does with employee relations and a green business model. “It’s not just about what you sell,” said Nina. “It’s also about how you function internally. By working together for something you believe in, you help expand the field of something you love.”

For EcoHome Improvement, this means incorporating a structure of lateral management and making all important decisions collectively. “It’s about showing passion for what you do,” said Nina. “As well as making green products accessible to the public, we are interested in providing a aesthetically green experience for people to network, share in advice from an expert, or even just enjoy some tea at the paint bar.”

Personally, I’m thrilled with my EcoHome-painted green room (in color and quality!) that lets me sleep without breathing in air full of toxic fumes found so common in the harmful off-gassing of today’s paint products.

For more information on green home design practices or for Ecohome lectures and workshops that are beautiful inside and out, please visit: www.ecohomeimprovement.com.