In our last discussion, several readers have pointed out that many web sites have sprouted up that are not very useful, and are merely trying to capitalize on the current popularity of green building.
What web sites do you use that you actually find useful? Where do you go to find contractors and suppliers? What sites do you use to keep up with green building news? What would you like to see covered in this weblog?
This isn’t exactly about green building — they didn’t even live in a building — but it seems like an interesting movie.
SURFWISE follows the odyssey of 85-year-old, legendary surfer Dr. Dorian “Doc” Paskowitz, his wife Juliette, and their nine children—all of whom were home-schooled on the beaches of Southern California, Hawaii, Mexico and Israel; they surfed every day of their lives, and were forced to adhere to a strict diet and lifestyle by their passionate and demanding, health-conscious father.
More at IMDB or the Surfwise website
The historic city of Philadelphia hasn’t been known for its skyline in a long time. Now, some developers want to change that with a proposal to construct what would be the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the second-tallest building in the world.
The good news is the designers are planning on making the Philly landmark a green building, even hoping to earn an impressive gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program. At least 2 gardens are even planned for rooftop spaces on the structure.
Greenbelt is a new LEED-certified apartment building in Brooklyn, the first in this borough. Greenbelt is also the first LEED-certified performance space in all of NYC. To promote its opening, the following events are scheduled:
GreenHouse Party
February 20, 2008 – 7:00-9:00pm
GreenHouse Effect
February 23, 24 and March 1, 2, 2008, 11:00am-6:00pm
The exhibition will raise awareness of the environmental effects of our personal choices. Visitors will be invited to explore a “home of the future” – a model apartment that has been transformed to showcase green products, services, and lifestyle choices.
GreenHouse Conversations
February 28, 2008 – 7:00-9:00pm
Moderator Gita Nandan, founder of GreenHomeNYC, will lead a lively discussion entitled “Green, Greener, Greenest: Approaches to Living Green in NYC.” The event will offer attendees a wide spectrum of perspectives on sustainable life choices for city residents – from the simple fix to the radical off-the-grid leap. Panelists will include Mark Caserta, Owner, 3R Living, a stylish green products boutique; Ben Jervey, Author, Big Green Apple Guide; Emily Main, Editor, The Green Guide, a consumer resource for green choices; No Impact Man, a New Yorker who has explored minimizing his carbon footprint for the last year; and a representative from Just Food, an organization that promotes local agriculture and organic foods for urbanites. These events are free and open to the public.
Displacement @ greenbelt
Performance + Art Opening: March 8, 2008 – 7:00-11:00pm
Art Gallery Hours: March 8 – 30, 2008 on Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00am-6:00pm
The evening will feature performances of new dance works in conjunction with an exhibition of work by internationally recognized artists Alejandro Almanza Pereda, Irit Batsry, Andy Graydon, Daniel Rozin, Raphaele Shirley, and Eugenie Tung.
A reader asks for some advice,
We are building a retreat on 160 acres in Arkansas and desire to go all green. I see everyone saying that they want to get rid of the myth that building green costs too much, yet my research has me staggering at the costs to equip our many buildings with:solar, wind, water filters, softeners, hot water heaters, and so on.
I am becoming increasingly frustrated with my quest to go all green. Building green seems limited to large corporations and people loaded with money. I need input and help.
Thank you in advance for your response.
Thank you for your question! Let’s see what other readers suggest.
Previously: Green Buildings and the Bottom Line
Relying on solar heating might sound like a bad idea if you live in a country that sees little daylight for much of the winter. Yet that’s exactly what 50 households in Anneburg, Sweden, have been doing for the past two years.
During the summer, water is pumped through rooftop solar heaters to warm it, before being stored in pipes embedded in granite 65 metres below ground. The water is kept hot by the rock, and can then be pumped back up to heat homes in winter.
SACRAMENTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The City of Riverside on Tuesday became the first community in California to provide incentives to builders who utilize the voluntary California Green Builder program as a way to meet the city’s “Clean and Green” requirements, the California Building Industry Association announced today.
SUWANEE — The city of Suwanee is building a new City Hall with an interesting and increasingly popular twist. Designed to be the focal point of the city’s town center, the cutting-edge, art-deco-style structure will be a high-performance “green” building.
The University also plans to build two new residence halls (in addition to the new dormitory on Race Street), a biomedical center and a skyscraper near the Cira Centre. Lastly, the administration plans to demolish Myers Hall after these changes take place, to create more of a campus atmosphere. Many students feel that this large building expansion plan presents the University with a unique opportunity to go “green.”
This annual conference attracts more than 1,000 builders, architects and engineers with seminars, innovative new product and tool displays and other special presentations, including the National Green Building Awards and the National Arbor Day Foundation’s Building With Trees awards.