Practical idea exchange about sustainable building development and living
From the category archives:
Global & historical perspective on the planetary impacts of human development on the environment. It is important to get out of our bubbles, and think about the problem as an aggregate of global action: a relatively tiny decision on your part to conserve, let’s say you buy an energy star rated front load washing machine or FSC Certified lumber for your next build, that decision DOES have a global impact.
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Some things are easily taken for granted, and countertop are one of them. When thinking about sustainable building and combating global warming, countertops probably do not rank up high on the list…but there are green options out there that are beautiful AND sustainable. For the 2139 39th Ave sustainable house I chose a Vetrazzo recycled glass product :
“All of the glass used in Vetrazzo is recycled, and it makes up about 85% of the total material. Most of the glass comes from curbside recycling programs. Other glass comes from windows, dinnerware, stemware, windshields, stained glass, laboratory glass, reclaimed glass from building demolition, traffic lights and other unusual sources.”
Other choices include Sonoma Cast Stone’s Earthcrete which combines high recycled content and lower Portland cement use to manufacture some really interesting looking surfaces; Richlite a company that builds a very chic line of FSC Certified Paper countertops and CaesarStone whose line of Quartz surfaces pushes the sustainable product envelop and is featured in the bathrooms of 2139 39th Ave.
You have choices other than granite shipped from God knows where, or laminates made up of God knows what. Choose wisely, because every remodeling step is an opportunity to build sustainably.
H
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I was talking with one of my friends at SI yesterday about the drought – made me think again about how large our water problems are, but also how hidden the problem can be since the state is so big, and users are often so separated from the storage facilities they just don’t get how significant it is. And all each of us has to do to help out in our own homes is to do the little, simple things, like buy a energy star rated front loading washer the next time we need a new appliance. Here is a great Guerrilla Reporting Vid from socal, props to the person who made this.
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Round two for Bill the green builder guy, again, some decent information, though he is a big lovable dork – I agree with a youtube poster that Vinyl Windows get an “F” for sustainability. Spray foam options can be sustainable from the perspective of higher insulation and better energy conservation, I have used them and they can be effective. As for composite decking made from recycled plastic – as much as I hate it, I give it a nod as it is recycled. So long as they source the material from the waste stream and keep it from going into the landfill for a time, I suppose its preferable. Whenever I think of plastic I think about this article in the Chronicle from 2006, and it never fails to piss me off.
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Dwell Magazine has a great piece in this month’s issue on Eco-Friendly House Paints. I would link the article but Dwell’s site is clunky and I can’t find it. Good rag though, I always like thumbing through it, and its a local SF business so props to them. Anyways, I have much love for low/no VOC paints. Painting is one of the easiest and most cost effective renovation jobs a person can take on, and it can be an opportunity to go and save green at the same time.
I was at Cole Hardware the other day checking out their low/no Benjamine Moore paints, and the prices are very comparable to the regular stuff – within a buck or two. I have seen the same aggressive pricing at the Kelly Moore stores as well, (BTW – were these like a brother sister family thing, the Moores – that decided to get all competitive with the paint?)
So why low/no VOC paint? Well, let me tell you, it doesn’t smell like a chemical factory for one thing, so you do not have to fill your lungs with the crap they mix into standard paint. Less chemicals for your house as well, which is always good.
What are these evil VOCs? As near as I can tell, not being a chemist, they are chemicals like Acetone, Ammonia and Formaldehyde. In regular paints they are found in concentrations of over 125 parts per liter. Low VOC paints have less than 20 parts per liter, and no VOCs have, well, I will let you figure that out. I myself use low/no voc paint exclusively in my rental units and in our remodels. I have no complaints, it is safer for my workers, better for my tenants, good for the environment, and pretty much the same price.
Win Win, Win and Win.
H
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