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Tag Archives: environment
From field to finishes – agricultural waste transformed!
In a world of dwindling resources, shrinking forests and threatened ecological habitats, it is more important than ever to embrace sustainable, environmentally sound alternatives, and find ways to reduce waste. In my quest to become a full-fledged locavore, and make … Continue reading
Posted in Cool building materials, Local interest, On Design
Tagged Building, creativity, environment, Green, Interior Design, LEED, Materials, Renewable, Resources, sustainability, TorZo surfaces
7 Comments
The grass really is greener, but…
The discussion came up at my kids’ school of replacing some more of the blacktop with greenspace. The idea is to fundraise and write grants to make it happen, as naturally there is no money for anything extra – at … Continue reading
From shou-sugi-ban to acetylated wood – a clean, green future in wood preservation
Tar kiln or “tjärdal” from Öland, Sweden. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. Since humans began using wood, the material has always been subject to more or less successful methods of wood preservation. Alexander the Great is said to have soaked wood … Continue reading
Posted in Color, Cool building materials, Culture, Environment, Green Living, On Building
Tagged acetylated wood, cool building materials, environment, green building materials, Green Technology, Japanese, lumber industry, modern, pesticides, Scandinavian, shou-sugi-ban, Traditional, wood preservation
27 Comments
Good Sources for Cool Building Materials that May Help Green Your Project
The exhibition catalog for the PNC SmartHome Cleveland (the Passive House I wrote about in my last post) – included a list of companies that provided the materials for that project. In an effort to spread the Sustainable Building Gospel, … Continue reading
It’s not easy being green – an exploration of the purported sustainability of ipé
Politics is ever-looming, wherever you turn in the design world. Kermit the Frog was right when he famously sang that “It’s not easy being green”. In fact, it’s damn tricky! Being a conscientious consumer (and materials specifier) is balancing on … Continue reading
Go wild, and fill it with natives!
I suggested this to a friend who was preparing to, once again, mow the sunny square of grass covering his back yard. It’s not that he particularly likes the grass, he said, but it’s there and it is relatively simple … Continue reading
The Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen
I just started reading the classic “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson. The book was first published in 1962, and became the spark that ignited the entire Green Movement. As a result of the newly awakened debate, a toxin known as … Continue reading
Posted in Green Living, Health and Safety
Tagged environment, EPA, FDA, food, health, pesticides, USDA
1 Comment
One quick amendment…
After sleeping on it, I would like to make one small amendment to yesterday’s blog posting on green roofs. Sometimes, there actually exists a good reason not to employ the glorious expanses of chlorophyll I gushed so extensively about in … Continue reading
Soften the Environmental Blow With a Green Roof!
Ever since I attended an architectural product luncheon back in 1993, where a Swiss rep was showing his wares – various sizes of the plastic, egg crate-looking modules holding the planting medium used to create planted roofs – and lauding … Continue reading
Posted in Client Education, Cool building materials, Environment, Gardening and Landscaping, Green Living, On Building, On Design
Tagged brown roofs, Building, climate change, economy, Energy, environment, extensive, Green Roof Initiative, green roofs, Green Technology, Heat Island Effect, intensive, Landscape design, storm water
7 Comments
Look! Modular, recyclable laptops!
“By 2015, there will be more than 60 million tons of e-waste….” begins this video clip. But wait – it gets better! Leave it to students to come up with something this ingenious. I wish they will find the right … Continue reading
Posted in Environment, Green Living, On Design
Tagged environment, Green Technology, Renewable, repurpose, Reuse, waste
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The Creative Flux 