Archive for August, 2009
August 25th, 2009
Daybreak is a thoughtful community in South Jordan (about 35 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City), and all their homes have a certain level of character that you just can’t find with most new construction in the city. Up until now, Daybreak homes haven’t been modern, although all of them are Energy Star. But Garbett Homes recently built two modern model homes, and this is Style B (see Style A). The home was designed by KTGY Group and will be replicated with different interior and exterior options on a street in Daybreak.
The Style B home is 1,961 square feet with an optional 830 square-foot basement. It’s priced from $240k (i.e., the model has some upgrades). With three bedrooms and two and half baths, you wouldn’t necessary need the optional basement, and the exterior patio/lounge spaces are a big plus.
The large and deliberately placed windows give the model a fresh, clean, bright, and homey feel inside. Also, the model includes some of the following green elements: rooftop photovoltaic system (standard with purchase), a cool white roof, Hardie board exterior, dual-pane low-E windows, R-19 walls and R-38 ceiling, high efficiency furnace, and Energy Star appliances. It’s a step in the right direction, and if you could bring these homes closer to Salt Lake City at these prices, I’d be a buyer.
[+] Style B Model Home Flickr Set.
Photo credits: Daybreak Solaris Style B on Flickr.
Posted in 
August 25th, 2009
Loggerhead turtles are among the species threatened by the oil slick. Photo: Damien du Toit via flickr.
Reuters reports that a leaking Australian offshore oil well will continue to spill oil into the Timor Sea for nearly two months. That’s how long it take to fix the blow out — two mi… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Go to Source
August 25th, 2009
We know flying is dying, that the carbon footprint of air travel is huge. Many say we shouldn’t fly at all. Then you visit places like the Chimborazo region of Ecuador, where community based tourism is a force for keeping people in their homes and building an industry based on local production of food, handicrafts and more. The Rainforest Alliance and a local group of indigenous organizers, Cordtuch, are doing important work. Is it all for naught?
<…
August 25th, 2009
The concern over the amount of garbage we produce is a hot topic these days – but even hotter is the buzz over the innovations surrounding reuse and recycling. A Healthy Green Home’s bright, funky Honey Bee reusable messenger bag (along with the rice sack lunch bag and wine carrier) are our current fav finds.
Lightweight, durable and inherently waterproof, the colorful bags are great for anyone looking to add a little spunk to their reusable bag options and make a statement about conscious shopping. By providing income to unemployed workers in the Philippines, and using discarded juice boxes and rice sacks, A Healthy Green Home works to alleviate two of the most pressing issues of today. When’s the last time your bag embodied that much good?
While the bags are a fabulous, the company understands their place in the journey to a more sustainable solution – “Recycling bags is a good start…. [but] creating biodegradable juice cartons and rice sacks is the solution to the problem down the road. Recycling the current material buys us time until we address the core issue.” A company with an ultimate goal to not have the need to create more of their product? We’re impressed!
August 24th, 2009
About four years ago, Indiana based audio and music equipment supplier Sweetwater Sound Inc. began running out of space and started looking for other options. After ruling out the ability to add to their existing facility, they decided to build something new.
The goal was to create something special for Fort Wayne and have the building resonate with the employees, almost all of whom are musicians and have an interest in the environment. The architecture firm MSKTD suggested that they pursue LEED certification, and after a visit to Herman Miller’s LEED Gold facility in Holland Michigan, they were sold.
Reaching LEED Platinum turned out to make business sense. Sweetwater was comfortable with longer payback periods for energy efficient systems and didn’t feel they’d thrown money away getting to the USGBC’s highest level of certification. The 150,000 SF building sits on a 44-acre campus. Sustainable features include:
- 31.4% recycled materials, 44% of all materials from within 500 miles;
- 54% water savings over a similar code-compliant building;
- Skylights to reduce electrical lighting;
- Dimmers that lower light use when daylighting is good;
- Automatic sensors that turn off lights in rooms not in use;
- Low VOC materials;
- High-efficiency boilers;
- Dual-flush toilets and waterless urinals;
- Innovative ice storage system that lowers peak-use electrical load for cooling; and
- High MERV-value filters, CO2 sensors, and a comprehensive indoor air quality plan
There was a lot of excitement and praise by the public on opening day. One woman’s comment on the indoor air quality illustrates how the difference is felt: “I have terrible sinuses, and I can always tell when a building is new, because the off-gassing is terrible for me … I walked in and this is the best air in a new building I’ve ever been in.”
Photos courtesy of: MSKTD.
August 24th, 2009
Here are today’s picks for what’s wow in the world of green.
Ranking Universities by ‘Greeness’
Scientists achieve highest solar cell efficiency
August 23rd, 2009
For the third year in a row, we’d like to announce that Jetson Green has teamed up with West Coast Green as a media partner. One of the reasons we’re doing this is because it give us to the opportunity to pass on a 20% discount on full conference registration. Another reason is because the speakers and exhibitors are really good and friendly. I loved the Harbinger House last year, too, so let’s see what’s in store for 2009.
This year, the Innovation Pipeline is going to be a lot bigger. West Coast Green is at the tail-end of accepting submissions for ~50 companies that will display for free. The Innovation Pipeline will include the most innovative, cutting-edge products (or ideas for products in development). If your company wants to be considered, email Diane Loviglio, Innovation Pipeline Curator, at diane@westcoastgreen.com.
West Coast Green will assemble over 14,000 international innovators and entrepreneurs in San Francisco’s Ft. Mason Center, October 1-3. Turn passion into action and transform the built environment with some of the following:
- Interactive sessions and summits on smart systems, clean tech innovations, the new energy economy;
- Design charrettes and conversation salons facilitated by experts;
- Wisdom, vision, and expertise shared by top experts; and
- Expo with 300+ companies with new products, technologies and innovations.
Make sure to give the West Coast Green program a look and get registered for October 1-3, Fort Mason Center, San Francisco, California.
August 23rd, 2009
Mira Sorvino and family watch red-shouldered hawk release after “public option” rehab. Photo by Gayle Uyehara
Every week private oceanside homes, from Laguna to Malibu, host star-studded annual fundraising galas. Last Sunday Mira Sorvino, Pam Anderson and Ed Begley, Jr. graced Gulls Way Estate to support healthcare for California wildlife. This week it’s Glenn Close and Morgan Freeman gathering the glitterati at Villa De Sogni to fork over donations for Oceana. While town hall rabble-rousers fake concern over healthcare, who takes the tuna and terns to the vet? … Read the full story on TreeHugger
Go to Source
August 22nd, 2009
- FSC versus SFI.
- Trendlines for green hotels.
- Moving beyond green building to green neighborhoods.
- Building green doesn’t have to break the budget.
- Colleges see demand for green course programs.
- Could parking stimulate more bike commuting?
- CO2 monitoring advances air quality and efficiency.
- ASHRAE pushes new building rating system.
- A 163-item list of things you can compost.
- Green financing programs emerge in cities.
Follow @jetsongreen on Twitter for more news, links, and commentary.
August 22nd, 2009
We’re in beta with a green job board, and everything’s been going pretty good so far. Plus, with all the talk about green collar jobs, we thought we could at least help out a little bit. So if you’re looking or thinking about looking for a job, make sure to check out these green positions. And if you have a green position, we provide free listings.
- Home Performance Trainer, Build It Green, Berkeley, CA.
- Retail Energy and Sustainability Manager, REI, Kent, WA.
- LEED AP Design Architect, Grant Architects, Baltimore, MD.
- Fundraising Director, Oregon Sustainability Center, Portland, OR.
- Development Director, Architecture for Humanity, San Francisco, CA.
- Director of Green Sustainability, Confidential, Dallas, TX.
Also, follow @greenerjobs on Twitter for more green job listings.
