Archive for February, 2010
February 25th, 2010
Calling all green techies! Stay tuned as ecofabulous editor Sara Little reports live from the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York – a day devoted to energy efficiency and sustainable design for electronics. From innovative recycling technologies to packaging solutions to greener product manufacturing to a focus on utilizing renewable energy when designing for developing nations, this conference covers it all. Follow Sara on Twitter at @saralittle as she sends out updates, and keeps us posted on the highly anticipated Greener Gadgets Design Competition!
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February 25th, 2010
Developer Steve Blanchard set out to build one of the greenest homes in Orange County, and he may just have accomplished that. In fact, this home, the Costa Mesa Green Home, is the first custom residence in the OC to receive LEED Platinum certification. Although 5,000 square feet in size, the home exceeds California Energy Code by 40% and isn’t expected to generate an electricity bill outside of standard add-on fees.
Homes of this size have a harder time obtaining Platinum certification, but that didn’t stop Blanchard. In fact, according to The Orange County Register, the developer is “anxious to go and do another one of these.“
The Costa Mesa Green Home was designed by David Gangloff in a “modern interpretation of craftsman” style, according to a statement on the architect’s website. The project contractor was Gonterman Construction.
Green aspects include optimized orientation and design to take advantage of the elements; use of durable, sustainable, and non-toxic materials; ventilation design to maximize indoor air quality and efficiently cool the home; use of high efficiency HVAC equipment and Energy Star lighting; construction with highly insulated walls and windows; installation of a no-water, native landscape; use of shower gray water recycling for toilet and irrigation reuse; and photovoltaic panels sufficient to power the home’s entire electrical load.
Located at 1811 Gisler Avenue in Costa Mesa, California, this home is
now being offered for sale at $2,999,000. This price will get the
purchaser seven bedrooms, seven bathrooms,and a three-car garage.
Photo credits: Brian Egan Photography.
February 25th, 2010
A few weeks ago, we mentioned the strong flat pack prefabs designed by Andrés Duany for Haiti. That effort is moving forward, and we’ve been able to catch a photo of a built prototype (see above). InnoVida Holdings, LLC, manufacturer of the lightweight fiber composite panels used to build the prototype, today announced plans to build a factory near Port-au-Prince and donate 1,000 of these houses to Haiti. It’s a massive endeavor that could lead to the production of 10,000 homes per year and 250 direct jobs in the country.
The manufacturer has several different housing solutions, although this Andrés Duany home — Le Cabanon — is about 160 square feet and sleeps eight. With InnoVida Panels, Le Cabanon can be built in a few days with no heavy equipment.
InnoVida says their fiber composite panel is waterproof and mold- and insect-resistant. It’s also fire-resistant and hurricane tested and approved for winds up to 156 mph. The 2.5-inch wall panel has an R-value of 14.6, while the 4-inch wall panel has an R-value of 23.7.
With these numbers, the panel might just catch on in energy-efficient home building circles here in the U.S. What do you think?
[+] Learn more about these Haiti housing solutions.
Media credits: © InnoVida Holdings, LLC.
February 25th, 2010
Images by B.Alter
Vancouver gets a medal for being the greenest Olympics; the question is: which one? The David Suzuki Foundation has given it a bronze because under half of Games-related emissions will not be off-set and they “failed to reach out to Canadians or even Vancouverites about climate solutions”.
But from a tourist’s perspective there are lots of medal opportunities. Everyone is unanimous in their praise of the Richmond O… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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February 25th, 2010
We like to keep a pulse on the evolving world of green prefab, but there’s an Austin-based company that we’ve yet to mention. Ma Modular, a venture of design build firm KRDB, turned to modular construction to make modern design approachable, affordable, and convenient. The company is also committed to good design and green building and aims to deliver projects with a quick turnaround.
Shown in this article is their first prefab, the Luna House, which, according to a recent article in Rare Austin, is about 1,500 square feet. It’s a beautiful home made with two large wing modules and one small connector module.
Pricing for a Ma Modular home starts at about $125 per square foot, which includes R19 walls, R30 to R50 roofing, low-E insulated windows, durable and reflective metal roofing, and cabinets and flooring from green materials such as bamboo or cork. The price includes set up of the home but doesn’t include foundation.
Additional green options include low-VOC paints and finishes, tankless water heating, mini-split HVAC, geothermal HVAC, a rainwater harvesting system, and photovoltaic panels, just to name a little of what’s available.
To keep things simple, Ma Modular uses two sizes of modules, 15′x36′ and 15′x60′, and provides three options in each of these sizes. Of course, there’s also the connector module, too, and you can scan these on their website to imagine what your dream green home might look like.
[+] Learn more about Ma Modular.
Photo credits: Ma Modular.
February 25th, 2010
If you had the chance to catch 60 Minutes on Sunday, you saw their exclusive on Bloom Energy. The company has been in stealth mode for some time, but all of that appears to be over. As reported by Lesley Stahl, which you can view in the video embedded below, Bloom makes a fuel cell that will be used to power homes (in the future) and commercial buildings (right now).
Pictured above is K.R. Sridhar with a fuel cell stack – two of these could power the average American home. A retail store like Starbucks could be powered by about 64 stacks. Each stack is made with multiple fuel cells.
The fuel cell is made with a layer of sand that is baked into a ceramic and then coated with proprietary green and black “inks.” This is then sandwiched by a metal plate made of a cheap metal alloy to complete the fuel cell.
The core of the Bloom box is made with multiple stacks. The boxes require a fuel, such as natural gas, landfill gas, or bio-gas, which reacts with air in the fuel cell to create electricity.
Bloom boxes, according to Stahl, have been purchased and are being tested by 20 large California companies, including Google, FedEx, Wal-mart, Staples, and eBay. The ones bought by FedEx cost $700,000 – $800,000, with substantial state and federal incentives available to cut back the cost.
In five to ten years, Sridhar expects smaller Bloom box units in the residential context, with a unit costing somewhere less than $3,000. It’s an interesting prospect to consider. In the meantime, Bloom Energy appears ready to blow the lid off their website tomorrow.
Media credits: 60 Minutes/CBS.
February 25th, 2010
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons
In Manitoba, Canada, grizzly bears are officially listed as extirpated—a species that does not exist locally, though it is present in the wild elsewhere. With confirmed sightings in the province becoming more frequent, however, this classification may soon change.
If grizzlies become established north of Hudson Bay, researchers say, they could pose a serious threat to the region’s… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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February 25th, 2010
Image credit: Rathika Ramasamy/Flickr
With more than 10,000 known species of birds in the world, there is a lot of room for diversity among the feathered class. Diet is one of the most obvious points of variation. While some birds sip nectar, others nibble insects, seeds, and fruit.
Then, there are the carnivorous birds. Powerful and cunning, these species capture others from the sky and devour snakes, lizards, and rodents.
<a href="http… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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February 25th, 2010
Plastic marine debris collected in a surface plankton net tow. Photo: Sea Education Association.
Though it hasn’t garnered nearly as much attention as its plastic-ridden analog in the Pacific, the North Atlantic Ocean too has its very own gigantic patch of floating plastic waste. Recently the 5 Gyres project</a… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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February 25th, 2010
Hailing from the rainy Seattle, WA, designers Davora Lindner and Camilla Eckersley of Prairie Underground know how to dress a girl in bold, fashion-forward styles that are entirely functional with a cozy sex appeal – many of the pieces are equally appropriate for a day at the office or a lounging Sunday afternoon.
A long-time staple in the ecofab office, the signature cloak hoodie in organic cotton (available in a short and long version) is one of the true recognizable “Prairie Underground” pieces, but now that the Spring 2010 collection is available in stores, all bets are on the table trying to predict which of the new pieces may rival the old cloak. The “romp around the clock” short romper paired with the 3/4 length pointelle leggings or the savoy pant and joey t? And we can’t wait to sport the maiden voyage blazer, coupled with the ruffled flame skirt.
As always, Prairie Underground is dedicated to using eco-friendly materials like organic cotton, hemp and remnant materials – but holding firm to their sustainable standards doesn’t mean skimping on style!
