Archive for February, 2010
February 28th, 2010
- Blue is the new green.
- Energy Star label due for an upgrade.
- Green homes sell faster and for a premium.
- Creative borrowing spurs commercial retrofits.
- Could poorly performing projects kill green building?
- Insuring on the sustainable side of the fence.
- A smarter planet needs smarter buildings.
- Home sweet passive home.
Also, follow @jetsongreen on Twitter or fan Jetson Green on Facebook for more news, links, and commentary.
Posted in 
February 28th, 2010
photo: Meghan Murphy, Smithsonian’s National Zoo
While it may seem small now, at only about 3 pounds, this guy will grow to about 13 times its current size. It’s the Giant Pacific octopus and the National Zoo welcomed the first one of its kind last month. With an expected arm span of 25 feet, this mega octopus evokes memories of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea.
… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Go to Source
February 27th, 2010
Bedtime can be a challenge no matter your parenting prowess. Regardless of book, lullaby or rocking, sometimes the precious little prince just takes a while to be put down. One factor that is in your control is how stylish he looks while slumbering.
Leave it to the Swedes to come up with the cutest eco-friendly pj’s we’ve seen in a while. Full of bright, bold patterns, the new ECO collection from Polarn O. Pyret is made of 100% independently certified organic cotton. With a host of tees, tops, dresses and rompers, it was the wonderful print eco pajamas, available with dogs, trains, hearts or stars, that caught our eye immediately. Aside from the attention to environmental sensitivity, the footie pajamas are incredibly thoughtfully designed with chafe-free seams and long sleeve and ankle cuffs that can be adjusted up or down to allow the piece to transition as your child grows. Fashion forward and functional? We wouldn’t have it any other way.
February 27th, 2010
Check out this incredible new video from Healthy Child Healthy World! A must see for every parent and anyone who cares about eliminating toxins from our homes and further supporting the development of a chemical-free childhood. It all comes back to one simple question, “What’s more important than the health of your child?” Join Healthy Child Healthy World, take the pledge and then share with friends!
February 26th, 2010
Ideabox’s newest prefab model, the Fortino, is on display at the Portland Home & Garden Show this weekend, so you’ll want to check it out if you’re in the area. The Salem-based prefab company teamed up with Crate & Barrel to design the interior and several landscape designers to transform a 50′x100′ show space into a contemporary landscape setting. Jim Russell, president of Ideabox, says it’s a complete “living experience” on an urban lot.
Ideabox focuses on energy efficiency with these homes. The Fortino has
ductless heat pumps and zonal heating, Energy Star lighting and
appliances, and an EPA Cool Roof.
It’s 1,250 square feet with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. The kitchen has Kitchenaid appliances and composite quartz and concrete counters, while the bathrooms have Kohler Yin Yang vessel sinks and Persuade dual-flush toilets. The fixtures are water-efficient and stylish at the same time.
The Portland Home & Garden Show runs through Sunday, 11-8 pm today, 10-8 pm Saturday, and 10-6 pm Sunday. Make sure to tour the home, come back, and tell us what you think.
[+] Learn more about the Ideabox Fortino.
Photo credits: Ideabox.
February 26th, 2010
A giant iceberg in the southern Atlantic. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
On February 12 or 13, a truly mammoth iceberg broke free from the Mertz Glacier Tongue. The 985 square-mile block of ice is roughly the size of Luxembourg and, at 1300 feet thick, would fill Sydney Harbor more than 100 times. The block was dislodged by another large iceberg—known as B9B—which cleaved in 1987.
Now drifting together in the Southern Ocean, the icebergs are threatening—researchers report—to cap an important region responsible for driving the world’s ocean current… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Go to Source
February 26th, 2010
photo: Chris via flickr.
One more on the connection between whales and carbon sequestration: Scientists from the Gulf of Maine Research Institute have determined that 100 years of whaling has released the same amount of carbon as burning 50,000 square miles of forest, BBC News reports:… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Go to Source
February 26th, 2010
Our last article on VAST Pavers generated substantial discussion in the comments. The company makes composite masonry with roughly 90-95% recycled scrap tire rubber and plastics. The pavers are light, durable, and apply in a cinch once the proprietary grid has been laid. Up until recently, VAST has been expanding business with a 3″x6″ paver, but now they also have a new 4″x8″ paver that was designed with larger projects in mind.
VAST sent us a sample of the new paver, and sure enough, it smells a little like tires. It’s also easy to handle and handsome — the redwood option has a nice look to it.
The custom, open-graded sub-base makes the product a good stormwater solution, depending on what you’re looking for. It can do over 400 inches per hour of stormwater filtration and is suited for commercial projects, as well as for parking lots, walkways, sidewalks, and driveways.
[+] Learn more about Vast Composite Landscape Paver.
Photo credits: Vast Pavers.
February 26th, 2010
Red tide off the coast of La Jolla, California. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
As Alexandrium fundyense algae floats and swims in the water, it divides repeatedly, eventually creating the toxic bloom commonly called “red tide.” In addition to dividing, however, it also produces dormant cells, or cysts, that drop to the ocean floor.
Researchers from the NOAA-funded Gulf of Maine Toxicity project have observed a larger then usual “seed bed” of these cells lying off the coast of New England—a finding they fear might signal a major bloom this spring and summer…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
Go to Source
February 26th, 2010
Check out this incredible new video from Healthy Child Healthy World! A must see for every parent and anyone who cares about eliminating toxins from our homes and further supporting the development of a chemical-free childhood. It all comes back to one simple question, “What’s more important than the health of your child?” Join Healthy Child Healthy World, take the pledge and then share with friends!