Green Building Tips from the Dilbert Blog

A pretty good primer on basic energy-saving building techniques from the Dilbert blog:

"Twelve Rules of Energy Efficient Building"

These principles are so easy for a builder to follow.  It's a shame that homes aren't built this way by default, as a standard.  Maybe some day soon.

Pics from the 2009 International Builders' Show

More analysis to come later, but here are some photos that we took at the International Builders' Show out in Las Vegas last week (comments below each photo):

Check out the bottle of Maker's Mark in the bottom-left corner.  Vegas is really a drinking town.  This was a chef who was cooking on some really cool kitchen appliances.

This big contraption is an air ventilation system that improves the indoor air quality of a home.  It was installed in one of the homes that Palm Harbor Homes set up at the show.

This amazing device is GE's Ecomagination Smart Connect system.  It basically is the brains of your house.  It has connections for your home security system, water management, power management, lighting, music, and more.

Here's a screen shot from the user interface of the GE Smart Connect system.  As you can see, it's touchscreen and elegantly designed.  Sweet.

This is the inside of the GE Smart Connect system.  All those wires running into the box are the various ethernet and phone cables that connect all your home systems to the brain box.

These are Kohler water efficient urinals.  Especially in the deserts of Las Vegas, these will come in handy.

Another way to save water, a dual-flush toilet.

Stylish looking solar panels that integrate into the shingles on your roof.

The wall is insulated with Icynene spray foam, which does an amazing job of eliminating air leakage.

Here's an example of the Icynene spray foam being used in the ceiling. This stuff really makes the house airtight and energy efficient.

Well, that's all for now folks.  Be on the lookout for my analysis of the show and of the state of green building in general.

Viva Sustainable Energy Construction Practices!

Having been in Las Vegas for the better part of last week I have deemed it necessary for my next blog post or four to involve that wonderfully debaucherous city.

If you are out and about in Vegas you cannot help but notice a massive construction project going on involving what seems to be the most glass I have ever seen in my life. This would be the City Center project by MGM.

Check out how CityCenter is incorporating sustainable design and construction here.

It is very impression some of the design aspects that have been included on a project of this size. Can any of you think of such a massive undertaking in your area that included sustainable construction?

On a side note - it might be time to invest in a new condo!!

Headed to the International Builders' Show

The Doctor Sean Levy and I are headed out tomorrow to Las Vegas for the International Builders' Show.  I had the opportunity to go to this show the past two years when it was in Orlando, and let me tell you, it's amazing!

Exhibitors from all over the world present concepts and products relating to every aspect of building.  All the latest, greatest innovations and inventions will be on display, everything from sustainable building materials to cutting-edge design software to fully completed homes.  That's right, completed homes!  

Thanks to the power of modular homebuilding, it's possible to construct, deliver, assemble, and finish-out a gigantic custom luxury home in only a matter of a couple weeks.  My company, Palm Harbor Homes, Inc., a national leader in the manufactured housing industry, will have three completed homes on display at the show.

The Doc and I will be reporting back on what we see, especially in the way of green building techniques.  I expect to have a lot to share with you in the coming days.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot...Vegas baby!!!

Portland, Oregon - Land of amazing microbrews, great music scene, and lots of green!

In my never ending search for "green" investments I began to wonder what type of investments are major cities making in green? I came across this little nugget from the Office of Sustainable Development in Portland, Oregon.

City of Portland and Energy Trust of Oregon offer $425,000
for innovative, high performance green buildings

I am hoping that there are many more programs like this one out there that I just have not come across as of yet. What a tremendous opportunity this program provides to green building innovators in the Portland area.

On this same topic I found a full article from a Portland Architecture blog.

OSD seeks Green Investment Fund applicants and feedback for new High Performance Green Policy

Do any of you know if there are similar programs in the metro areas where you live?

Is Green Building Our Han Solo?

I know you've all seen Star Wars, right?  I'm not talking about the sequels or prequels.  I'm talking about the original Star Wars, Episode 4.  Do you remember the climax when Han Solo (greatest movie character ever) swoops in from out of nowhere at the last second to save Luke Skywalker's butt (lamest character ever)?  Han was their ace-in-hole, their deus ex machina, their ringer.

Right now, the American economy is in bad shape.  It's like we've got Darth Vader, Boba Fett, O.J. Simpson, and Dick Cheney all after us at the same time.  We need a miracle!  Do we have a ringer?

Maybe we do.  Maybe it's Green Building:  "How the Recession Means More Green Building (and Why That's Good for the Economy" from the Green Building Elements blog.

Facts:

1. Obama wants to "weatherize one million homes annually"
2. Obama wants to "launch a massive effort to make public buildings more energy-efficient"
3. The technology, expertise, and labor required to do #1 & 2 are readily available
4. Democrats control large majorities in both houses of Congress, making it likely that funding for #1 &2 will be appropriated shortly after Obama's inauguration

We in the construction industry felt the recession sooner than about anybody else.  We might feel the recovery sooner than anybody else as well.  Is any other industry in such a prime position to make an immediate impact on the economy and our environment?

The Greeniuses Buffet: Now Serving Tasty Green News

We're dishing out links hand-selected by The Greeniuses for your consumption.  Here are the daily specials:

• Green Building:  "First Net Zero Energy Commercial Building in Florida" from MarketWatch
• Green Investments:  "Profits triple at Envrionment & Ecology" from BusinessFirst
• Green Living:  "Downhill trend seen in number of miles driven by Americans" from The Dallas Morning News
• Green Politics:  "Obama Should Implement Carbon Tax" from TreeHugger
• Green Technology:  "Tokyo Station Installs New Floors to Generate Electricity" from GearCrave

Hungry for more?  Click here:  The Greeniuses Buffet

Green Collar Careers

This time I'm not commenting on any articles or linking to any web sites. I'm just gonna ask a few real-life questions about how we see green affecting our careers, if at all. Here goes:

1. Is your dream job a "green-collar" job of any sort?

It doesn't have to be working for Greenpeace or anything, but does that sweet job you've been keeping your eye on for a while have any element that contributes in a meaningful way to the green movement? What about your current job? My current job...well, not so much (although we do build a lot of EnergyStar rated homes that are quite energy efficient). My dream job, however, would be to lead large-scale green/sustainable building projects all over the world. I think that would be a meaningful contribution.

2. What are you willing to sacrifice to land a green-collar job?

Two years studying for a master's? Taking a pay cut to apprentice with a well-known green company? Giving up the relative security of a corporate job to start up your own company? Right now, I'm in the process of deciding whether I wanna enter a Project Management MBA program at the University of Texas at Dallas. It would give me a better shot at landing a project manager position,which would give me a better shot at leading green projects worldwide. However, it's extremely expensive and time-consuming. How much do I really wanna be a Greenius?

3. What job sector should you be in right now to put yourself in prime position for jumping on an amazing green opportunity...the Green Google, or the Green iPod?

Would you be willing to start putting things in motion right now to get into that industry? Our generation jusy barely missed out on the career and investment opportunities of the IT Revolutuon of the 90's. This time around, with the Green Revolution getting ready to ignite in the U.S., our generation is in prime position to play the game. But, we have to be on the field to play the game. Can't be on the sidelines!

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Sent from my mobile device

I've Got Green in Low Places...

This past week, I came across several articles that show how Green Building is starting to pop up in places you'd never expect.  Here are but a few of them:

1. "Green Nightclub Trend Comes to New York" from the NY Times' Green Inc. blog.  I had never really considered looking to nightclubs for examples of Green Building, but apparently they have more to offer than eardrum popping music, hotties who apparently don't like it when you do the Mangina for them, and $12 whiskeys in plastic cups.  Good to know.
2. "Project 3.0 greens Ybor City"...as a born & raised central Florida boy, I was amazed to read that the 103 year old Tampa Bay Brewing Company building is undergoing a green renovation.  If Green Building can work in this building, they can work anywhere.
3. "New spas go green"...even the Mecca of poor urban planning, Atlanta, is showing signs of green innovation.  I love the quote from the spa founder & CEO:  "We've always been interested in building with energy efficiency and eco-chic design."  

Eco-chic, I hadn't heard that phrase before.  I think I like it, but I'm kind of dubious because it makes Green sound like just a fad.  Is Green Building the next fad?  Will it go the way of boy bands, slap bracelets, Pauly Shore, and such?  Or will it be an ever-enduring fad, like The Beatles?  Only time will tell, but I'm betting on Green.

Green Transportation article from Slate.com

"Trains vs. Planes vs. Automobiles"

The last part really caught my eye:

"...in some cases, construction is the biggest polluter. Roads were responsible for more particulate matter than tailpipes, for example. For rail travel, operating the trains actually accounts for less than half of a system's greenhouse-gas emissions. The implication: Making concrete and asphalt in a more environmentally friendly way can be just as important as getting vehicles to run more efficiently. In other words, it's not just the road you take, but what it's made out of, too."

Again, sustainable construction is a big deal, an important piece of the green movement. Running a cutting-edge green concrete company isn't glamorous, but I'd bet that it could be profitable in the near future. A smart green person could have an advantage on the usually slow-to-adapt traditional construction industry. I'm just sayin'...

Green Buildings = Easier Financing

"Environmentally friendly projects may have an edge in finding funding"

With the credit crunch, the ability to obtain funding has got to be nearly impossible.  Any advantage you can get is huge.  This is a huge opportunity for green builders, if they can impress lenders with their green building designs.

Green Construction article

"My View: We can create 'green' construction"

My favorite line from the article:

"Expect more locally sourced construction materials, saving transport costs and creating greater regional differences in buildings' appearances and regional adaptation."

It seems more natural to have variety based on locally/regionally available materials, don't you think?

I also like this quote:

"Today's younger people seem less tied to the idea of workplace. Face-to-face business interaction is essential, but imagine working where you are, rather than spending fuel and time to travel to work."

Brophy sells some cool high-def video solutions that make a lot of business travel unnecessary. Maybe he'll blog on this later.

The "Slow Home" Movement

I came across a fascinating web site dealing with sustainable homebuilding: Slow Home.

The name initially interested me. 'Slow' Home? According to the web site, it...

"...takes its name from the slow food movement which arose as a reaction to the processed food industry. Suburban sprawl is like fast food - standardized, homogenous, and wasteful. It contributes to a too fast lifestyle that is bad for us and for the environment. In the same way that slow food helps us to avoid the processed food industry and make healthier and more sustainable choices about the food we eat"

Also from the web site, their Three Principles for sustainable living: Close, Simple & Light. Read more about it on their site. These principles pretty much represent how I feel about how we should design our communities and homes.

If you have time, check out their series of videos: Slow Home Report.

Sustainable Construction in Michigan

Michigan Redevelopment Project Featured

It might be a marketing challenge to sell homes on contaminated property, but if they package it as a EPA partnership promoting the latest in sustainable construction techniques, it might work.

Would you buy a home in that neighborhood?