2nd Green Revolution

Here is a quick announcement regarding the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). In an email to members earlier today, the USGBC introduced a new Web site called GreenHomeGuide.com. Designed to help companies in home construction and remodeling, the site is also available to the public. The new site contains

• A searchable services directory helps green-minded consumers connect with local green building professionals
• Editorial content, written by green building pros like you, helps homeowners find answers to green home questions that are relevant to their location and project

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This post comes from a 2nd Green Revolution reader who forwarded us the idea. Originally from the Maine Solar Primer booklet 2nd Edition by Richard Komp with drawings by Caleb Crawford, the SunGrabber is a relatively easy way to capture some of the sun’s heat by attaching a home-made solar panel to an existing window. Also known as a “thermal siphon”, the idea in its simplest form works on the principal that hot air rises. The best way to understand the concept is to look at the drawing after the jump or at this URL at Build It Solar. Read the rest of this entry »

In his holiday letter to members, Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chair of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) mentioned some statistics that speak to the boom in green building:

• 27,373 people joined Greenbuild 2009 in Phoenix
• 14 million people are employed by a USGBC member company
• Of the 4,328 LEED-certified projects in existence, some 2,090 – more than 48%! – achieved certification in 2009
• Nearly half of all certifications in LEED’s eight-year history occurred during one of the toughest economic years in memory
• Some 33% of LEED-certified homes are affordable homes, and USGBC has worked to bring LEED Platinum affordable homes to the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans
• With the financial support of USGBC’s individual and organizational donors, five recipients of the USGBC Young Leader Awards and 39 other deserving students and professionals attended Greenbuild 2009 on full-conference scholarships.

- Rick Fedrizzi
President, CEO and Founding Chair
U.S. Green Building Council

Last month’s lengthy post titled “Inefficient Devices and the Laws of Thermodynamics” failed to relate the abstract laws of thermodynamics to everyday life. This post aims to tie the two together in a more easily digestible package.

Devices that consume excessive amounts of energy, convert energy inefficiently, or perform tasks that can be accomplished with less energy are wasteful and need to be replaced. This latter option, achieving a goal with less energy (i.e. carpooling instead of driving individually or cooking indoors on a cold day and leaving the oven ajar to release heat throughout your home) represents a version of low-hanging fruit.
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In finance, a good rule of thumb for managing a budget and staying out of debt is “Don’t spend more money than you make.” This same simple premise can also be applied to energy management. Take homes, for example. With efficiency gains, energy conservation, and home energy production through solar power, geothermal power (see one homeowner’s perspective) and other types of renewable energy, it is becoming possible to create or retrofit a home to be energy neutral. ZETA Communities is designing houses that don’t use more energy than they make. Partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy, ZETA’s zero energy homes

provide one of the first nationally scalable solutions to these unsustainable environmental impacts. Using a whole-systems design approach, high performance materials, and an innovative mechanical core, ZETA homes require 40%-60% less energy overall and 65% less energy for heating, cooling, and hot water than a comparable structure (based on data published by ZETA’s partner: U.S. Department of Energy’s Building America program). To achieve net zero energy, ZETA homes use grid-tied photovoltaic systems and other clean energy sources.

The Wall Street Journal has an interactive feature that shows how ZETA’s design features listed below can allow homes to produce as much energy as they consume and create a healthier environment for their inhabitants. Read the rest of this entry »

Here is some eye (and mind) candy. A neat slide show on the New York Times website shows several creative ways college students are living alternatively off the grid. While perhaps not reasonable or desirable for most of us, experimentation like this creates awareness and insight into our accustomed ways of living so that we may change certain aspects we don’t like. These folks may not be living like Henry Thoreau but their innovation is refreshing.

A family living in a yurt in Alaska was also recently profiled by the Times. For those who would like to check out a yurt without moving in, the Treebones Resort along the Big Sur coast in California is a unique experience in a beautiful location.

- Justin Manger

[Image Credit]

The United States Green Building Council is a relatively new organization, founded at the start of the last decade. However, communities have embraced energy efficient structures and natural materials throughout the history of mankind. Using the materials locally available to construct homes represents the fundamental approach to green building. Born out of the 1970s, Earthships are homes built into the side of hills for insulation. Many of these use old tires, glass bottles, and aluminum cans packed with clay, soil, or mud to serve as the foundation and basis for walls. The recycled – or reused – materials act as bricks and add a high level insulation to the buildings. (See the video clip after the “read more” link.) Read the rest of this entry »

The other day we had a post about the pros of geothermal energy along with some of the concerns that come with tapping the earth’s underground heat. Today, Samantha DeLair, a homeowner in upstate New York, shares her thoughts about geothermal as she and her husband take a major step toward going off the grid. We are excited to published her comments below.

We are very excited that we are able to install the geothermal system at our new house in upstate New York. We are well into the project now and haven’t had any worries – it is a relatively simple system and setting aside cost, an easy option for us to choose, particularly in the Northeast, where solar is a little less reliable. Read the rest of this entry »

Our facts for this Friday have to do with the energy consumption of buildings.

• Buildings account for around 40% of the world’s energy use and 33% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

• Buildings in the United States are responsible for:

39% of CO2 emissions
40% of energy consumption
13% water consumption
15% of GDP per year

• Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future U.S. demand for energy
• A national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.
• All of these previous facts lead to the realization that green building is a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity.

Source: http://www.usgbc.org

Team Germany's Winning Solar House

I am remiss to post this so late but still wanted to wish a quick and belated congratulations to Team Germany for winning the 2009 Solar Decathlon that was held last month on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The annual contest challenged 20 student teams to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. Full results and details are here, or click on the image below. The following synopses of the three top houses are from the Solar Decathlon website.

Overall Winners

First Place: Team Germany (Technische Universität Darmstadt)

The 2007 champions did it again! Team Germany focused on producing surplus energy by using the maximum overall building dimensions allowed, applying photovoltaics to every available surface, and pushing the envelope with new technologies. The team walked away with the Net Metering contest and performed well in several others, including Architecture, Lighting Design, Comfort Zone, and Hot Water. Demonstrating that they are true champions, members of Team Germany were extremely gracious in their victory and recognized the work of their peers.

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