Before I became involved in the world of green building I had never even seen an eco-roof. The first time I saw one it struck me that from a purely aesthetic or architectural point of view they create a sense of integration, or synthesis between the structure and the surrounding landscape, but that isn't even the half of it...
I had the pleasure of interviewing Rosalind Haselbeck and Richard Alianelli from Building Green Futures, a San Diego company that specializes in living roof installation, here's what they had to say;
BIGC- So what do you see as the chief benefits of a living roof?
BGF- The answer to that depends on your idea of 'beneficial' I would say the greater benefit lies in the many environmental aspects, such as the regained space for plant life (pollution and CO2 reduction) as well as mitigation of theurban heat island phenomenon. However for the individual property owner his immediate and personal benefit lies in the exceptional insulation, and temperature reduction/stablization effects, as well as improved stormwater management due to the absorbtive qualities of the growth medium and plantlife. Did I mention they are beautiful?
Have you ever walked past a vacant lot in an industrial area and thought how much better it would look with a few trees in there? Perhaps there are patches of dirt around your town just begging for some plants, but the local council doesn't want to make an effort or can't provide the resources?
You're not alone - there are many people like you who have formed guerrilla gardening groups; often going out under cover of darkness and often without permission to make ugly plots of ground into gardens.
In my work recently with My Plumber San Diego, I have been getting a lot of questions about solar water heating. "Isn't Solar too expensive?", and "Can I afford it?" I ask my customers if they have a comfortable place to sit while we talk about it, because it's a fair amount of information to absorb. So I begin talking about energy costs, carbon footprints, incentives like tax credits, and the different types of systems available. By the time we're finished the customer is glad to have all of the information even if their a little bit punch drunk from all of the information. Keeping it simple seems to work best for making it understandable.
It's easy to instill healthy habits in your children. Really. All you have to do is eat right, get plenty of exercise, and let your kids see you doing it. That would be you, personally.
In developing children's values and habits, nothing is more effective than their significant adults' - generally their parents' - role modeling. It isn't a "Do as I say, not as I do" proposition.
Simply pour about ½ cup of baking soda into a bowl and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit.
Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and stone in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time.
Olive 8 Seeks Certification, Seattle’s Largest Green Roof
Posted by EcoFriendly - Sep 23
When you decide to outfit a building with a green roof, the plants have to come from somewhere. In this particular case, 8,355 square feet of plants are growing at T & L Nursery in Woodinville, Washington for installation at the new Olive 8. Currently under construction, Olive 8 will be Seattle’s first LEED hotel/condo (pursuing LEED Silver certification). In addition, it will have one of the city’s largest green roofs with 20 different varieties of drought-tolerant sedums growing in 700 planters totaling nearly 24,000 plants.
By DUNCAN MANSFIELD, AP Writer – Wed May 6, 2:47 pm ET
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – From its bamboo floors to its rooftop deck, Clayton Homes' new industrial-chic "i-house" is about as far removed from a mobile home as an iPod from a record player.
Architects at the country's largest manufactured home company embraced the basic rectangular form of what began as housing on wheels and gave it a postmodern turn with a distinctive v-shaped roofline, energy efficiency and luxury appointments.
We’ve all been out at the pub getting a seasonal pint, or down at the deli getting a tea and some salad, when you overhear someone next to you say, “I don’t know, I just don’t think that global warming thing is real. At least, it’s not our fault…” Or maybe it’s the friend you’re [...]
By K.C. Compton
Posted by EcoFriendly - Sep 23