Thursday, February 26, 2009
Green Building Washing Tons
Always ask "Why are we (and/or they) building this?" Is it really a green building?
Recycled TP Is Just As Good
February is closing and I haven't blogged here yet!!! Crazy. Life has slowed down some finally and I end up keeping articles for this blog, so I'll have to pull them together very soon.
This is the second day in a row that the NY Times have had interesting articles.
I enjoy this one about recycled toilet paper.
"Cottonelle and Scott, has gotten as much as 22 percent of its pulp from producers who cut trees in Canadian boreal forests where some trees are 200 years old." [Ouch!]
Seventh Generation anyone?
In other up dates, the Stimulus Bill passed and now energy efficiency is getting federal money. Yeah! I'm really interested in the part about "weatherization of low income homes." I'm way past interested, there's a month left in my internship, I'm a HERS rater and a Building Analyst with BPI and I may even decide to become a LEED AP here next month, we'll see. Things are good and I'm still very happy that slowly things really are changing for the better.
This is the second day in a row that the NY Times have had interesting articles.
I enjoy this one about recycled toilet paper.
"Cottonelle and Scott, has gotten as much as 22 percent of its pulp from producers who cut trees in Canadian boreal forests where some trees are 200 years old." [Ouch!]
Seventh Generation anyone?
In other up dates, the Stimulus Bill passed and now energy efficiency is getting federal money. Yeah! I'm really interested in the part about "weatherization of low income homes." I'm way past interested, there's a month left in my internship, I'm a HERS rater and a Building Analyst with BPI and I may even decide to become a LEED AP here next month, we'll see. Things are good and I'm still very happy that slowly things really are changing for the better.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Carbon Offsets
This is a story of a part of Atlanta that's trying to buy their way into "green," by using carbon offsets. Check out the Chicago Climate Exchange mentioned in the article. Oh capitalism and the environment, it is a start though. At least the first article mentions where the money is going.
I read a similar article to this one awhile back that is skeptical of carbon offsets since they are not regulated properly yet. The Chicago Climate Exchange was mentioned again as well. Is this another paper chasing capitalist substance-less "product" that got us into this financial crisis we're in now?
Carbonfund.org seems like a good place to start learning more. We'll see.
I read a similar article to this one awhile back that is skeptical of carbon offsets since they are not regulated properly yet. The Chicago Climate Exchange was mentioned again as well. Is this another paper chasing capitalist substance-less "product" that got us into this financial crisis we're in now?
Carbonfund.org seems like a good place to start learning more. We'll see.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Time Banks
This is a seriously cool idea I first heard from a program about globalization. Makes me want to start my own.
Time banks are all about reciprocity, changing the paradigm of "money" as the only incentive for exchange instead of one's time, labor, skills, etc.
Time banks are all about reciprocity, changing the paradigm of "money" as the only incentive for exchange instead of one's time, labor, skills, etc.
Recycling Myths
Read 'em and think about recycling and what's happening with our waste.
"A study by Morris found that it takes 10.4 million Btu to manufacture products from a ton of recyclables, compared to 23.3 million Btu for virgin materials. In contrast, the total energy for collecting, hauling and processing a ton of recyclables adds up to just 0.9 million Btu. The bottom line: We don't need to worry that recycling trucks are doing more harm than good."
Also:
"These days, processors are beginning to move toward "single-stream" material recovery facilities, which allow homeowners to dump all their recycling in one bin and rely on machines to do the dirty work. According to Eileen Berenyi, a consultant who studies solid waste management, the number of single-stream facilities in the U.S. jumped from 70 in 2001 to 160 in 2007." (this is what we do at work... read the link above for more!)
Something else VERY cool about recycling is the recyclebank where you can get points for recording your recycling behavior.
"A study by Morris found that it takes 10.4 million Btu to manufacture products from a ton of recyclables, compared to 23.3 million Btu for virgin materials. In contrast, the total energy for collecting, hauling and processing a ton of recyclables adds up to just 0.9 million Btu. The bottom line: We don't need to worry that recycling trucks are doing more harm than good."
Also:
"These days, processors are beginning to move toward "single-stream" material recovery facilities, which allow homeowners to dump all their recycling in one bin and rely on machines to do the dirty work. According to Eileen Berenyi, a consultant who studies solid waste management, the number of single-stream facilities in the U.S. jumped from 70 in 2001 to 160 in 2007." (this is what we do at work... read the link above for more!)
Something else VERY cool about recycling is the recyclebank where you can get points for recording your recycling behavior.
Oh Prefab!
I have a slight love affair with pre-fab buildings and anything designed ecologically for mass consumption and this is one area that quality control can bring energy efficiency to the masses. Here are some photos.
Most Popular Blogs
While the first blog of 2009 might not be about sustainability, it is about information.
Top 100 Blogs
Hours of fun just waiting for your click.
Top 100 Blogs
Hours of fun just waiting for your click.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
