Green Options » renovation

Simran’s Eco-Friendly Home Makeover Comes to Oprah.com

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:26:05 +0000

Buying your first home is both nerve-wracking and exhilarating. Imagine the heightening of both of those emotions if you choose to 1) buy an older house full of character, and 2) jump right into green updates and renovations upon purchase. You’ll then have a good sense of what journalist, professor, and good friend of sustainablog Simran Sethi is going through right now… she recently purchased an 84-year-old home in her adopted home town of Lawrence, KS. Unlike the rest of us, though, Simran’s inviting the world in to watch the process of greening her new house: on Monday, she posted the first entry on a new blog at Oprah.com.

Home renovation isn’t a task for the feint of heart, and Simran readily admits that her own hands-on experience is limited:

Read more of this story »

Green Home Remodeling Initiative Announced for Veterans Day

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:18:04 +0000

A happy Veterans Day to sustainablog readers who’ve served in the US military… and happy Remembrance Day to Canadian vets.

For many veterans of the US armed forces, the rewards of their service are intangible: pride, discipline, commitment to country and community. Of course, veterans also receive more tangible benefits — educational assistance, low-interest home loans, health care — but as we’ve seen over and over again, the provision of these services is often less than ideal. Yesterday, the American Society of Interior Designers announced a partnership with Rebuilding Together’s Veteran Housing Initiative to support our veterans by assisting them with home renovation; part of that support will include “[providing] REGREEN resources, the nation’s first sustainable residential remodeling guidelines, to Rebuilding Together affiliates.”

REGREEN, a partnership between ASID and the US Green Building Council, was launched in March, and is dedicated to “…the development of best practice guidelines and targeted educational resources for sustainable residential improvement projects.” The ASID/RT partnership will begin with a pilot project in the Washington, D.C. area, and will involve “…[renovating] the home of a deserving veteran.”

Read more of this story »

Showing the Green Building Process

Philip Proefrock — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 14:22:10 +0000

What does it look like to build a house with lots of green features? We see pictures of the finished buildings, and we read about the features that make them green. We know about the importance of good insulation and reducing electrical loads and choosing efficient equipment. But what does it look like while it all goes together?

Read more of this story »

Low Impact Living: Great New Resource for Green Rebates, Tax Incentives

Low Impact Living — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:33:53 +0000

Editor’s note: This short post from our friends at Low Impact Living points you to a (literal) gold mine of information on incentives for greening your home. Check it out: that energy-efficient upgrade to your home may be even less expensive than you imagined. This post was originally published on Monday, May 19th, 2008.

We want to let you know about an excellent new resource available to you– GreenMadeSimple.com. This site has created a very comprehensive database of green rebates, tax incentives and free offers across the US.

Their zip-code guided search allows you to find incentives and deals related to energy-efficient appliances and lighting, solar power, hybrid and alt-fuel vehicles, and more. The database includes federal, state and local incentives. Just put in your zip code and prepare to go green and save money.

Here are some examples of the jewels you’ll find:

Read more of this story »

Low Impact Living: Green Your Kitchen

Low Impact Living — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:17:45 +0000

Editor’s note: Thinking about a kitchen remodel? This week, Low Impact Living takes a look at every element of kitchen use, and how you can both make the space more efficient, more livable, and more earth-friendly. This post was originally published on September 7, 2007.

You may not know it, but your kitchen is one of the biggest resource hogs in your house. You use electricity and natural gas for your appliances. You use water in your sink and dish washer. Your fridge is stocked with foods grown and transported from all over the world that require chemicals, water and fuel to be produced and transported. And then there’s the non-recyclable packaging that goes straight to a landfill.

Here is a list of things you can do in your kitchen to lower your environmental impact, and also to live in a healthier home. We have recommendations for appliances, products and new behaviors.

Any chance you are planning a kitchen remodel? We also have great recommendations for you– wonderful new materials for countertops,cabinets and floors, leads on top-rated green architects and interior designers, and more. Just scroll down if you’re focused on a remodel.

Get Green in the Kitchen

1. Use energy-saving appliances. You can greatly reduce your power and water usage and your greenhouse gas production by using Energy Star appliances. Energy Star appliances can save as much as 50% of your energy and water use, and can cut your carbon footprint by 1000+ pounds, compared to standard appliances. Click here to see Energy Star models.

2. Use compact fluorescent lighting. Compact fluorescent lights use 1/4 the energy and last up to 10 times as long as standard bulbs. And they come in versions that are dimmable, recessed-ready, and daylight spectrum–any version of light type you can think of. Each high-use bulb you replace will save up to $10 and 100 pounds of carbon dioxide per year, and they last for many years. Click here to see our wide range of CF lighting options.

3. Recycle and Re-use. Can you rinse that ziplock and use it again? Can you reuse the containers you got from take-out? And don’t get plastic bags every time you go to the store for groceries– take durable reusable sacks with you. Click here for reusable grocery bags..

Read more of this story »

Green Renovation Profiled on NPR

Philip Proefrock — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:47:58 +0000

As part of their Earth Day coverage, NPR’s All Things Considered took a look at a LEED Platinum home renovation in Washington DC. Peter Yost from the green building resource BuildingGreen helped to explain some of the possibly unfamiliar green building terms and explained how the elements of this renovation contributed to its being one of the greenest homes in the country.

While building tours on the radio can’t show pictures, the NPR website has several accompanying pictures along with the story and an interactive kitchen tour with more information about the project.

image: NPR

Platinum LEED 19th Century Building

Philip Proefrock — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 04:50:52 +0000

Harvard University has achieved several firsts with the recent renovation of an old power plant into an office building. It is the first LEED Platinum certified university building renovation, as well as Harvard’s first Platinum building. More interestingly though, it is the first Platinum building built before the turn of the the century–last century, that is. Further, the university was able to complete this building without an increase in the up-front construction costs.

Read more of this story »