Green Building : Jetson Green

More California Codes, Home Trends, Saving Rainwater, + Our Electric Future

• California adopts innovative solar loan law.
• LA bans plastic bags in stores starting July 2010.
• How big a deal is green building?
• Going green a growing trend with homeowners.
• Saving rainwater: when it becomes illegal.
• The plan behind our electric future. 
• California building is first hotel to get LEED-EB certification.
• What's lurking in your granite countertops?

*WIR = Week in Review; a Saturday showcase of excellent links.

Bonus Giveaway: Natural Home Magazine 1 YR Subscription

This is part of the Jetson Green birthday giveaway, so make sure to leave a comment by midnight Tuesday, July 29, 2008, if you want to be considered for the contest.*

With the Jetson Green birthday givaway wrapping up and winners soon to be announced, I want to announce this bonus giveaway which we're offering by the generosity of Natural Home Magazine and its editorial team.  As a reader of Natural Home Magazine myself, I'm pretty psyched to be able to giveaway a year's subscription to this high-quality publication.  Natural Home focuses on sustainable home design and materials, earth-friendly decoration, and natural lifestyles.

Matching Modern with Energy Efficiency

I'm in Huntington Beach this weekend taking a little r&r and didn't realize how much of the housing here is built like the townhomes above: with an urban feel -- tightly together with at least 2-3 levels.  These townhouses are located on 19th Street in Santa Monica and called Green on 19.  Three are already sold with the remaining two ready to go.  Green on 19 was designed by Jesse Bornstein to provide modern living while supporting the global community's need for energy efficiency. 

Method Home Prefab Cabin Complete

When we first brought news of Method Homes in April, we were pretty excited because they were cruising along with construction at a pretty quick clip.  Their design was mountain modern and the founders, Bryan Abramson and Mark Rylant, were executing on a plan to build this smart green home in three months.  Now Method Homes' first foray into green prefab is met with success as the home is complete -- it looks gorgeous and exudes the company's "Down to Earth Prefab" tagline.  The cabin home is currently available for tours and, if you like it, you can place an order for your own. 

Greensumption, the Ecological Pickle

For background on the video, make sure to check out this Dot Earth interview.  The point being made is quite poignant, probably making you feel as though there's an environmental pickle with nary a solution.  But we've got to do better than that -- we have to find solutions and turn this ship around.  So what's the next step? 

Giveaway: Ripple 3D Recycled Wallpaper & The Lazy Environmentalist

This is part of the Jetson Green birthday giveaway, so make sure to leave a comment by midnight Friday, July 25, 2008, if you want to be considered for the contest.*

Ever the activist, environmentalist and friend of Jetson Green, Josh Dorfman has contributed two items to be given away with this article.  You've probably heard of Josh through his website and Sirius Satellite Radio show, The Lazy Environmentalist.  He's also the author of The Lazy Environmentalist: Your Guide to Easy, Stylish, and Green Living, which he generously autographed and provided for this giveaway.  You may also know about Josh's ventures with Modern Green Living and Vivavi, both of which we've mentioned previously.  Vivavi has some serious green eye candy -- but the one for our focus is the Ripple 3d Recycled Wallpaper. 

Giveaway: e² Design Season 1, 2 & Energy 3 PK DVD Set

This is part of the Jetson Green birthday giveaway, so make sure to leave a comment by midnight Friday, July 25, 2008, if you want to be considered for the contest.*

We've blogged about e² previously because the video series is so absolutely compelling.  You can catch previews of the show at the e² series website, view episodes at Hulu, and buy episodes at iTunes.  With the Brad Pitt-narrated, design season three in production and available for viewing from September 1, 2008, we can expect more incredible information in this delicious video format.  While you're waiting for the next installment, why not catch up on what's already been produced?  The critically acclaimed series envisions a better quality of life on earth and explores attainable solutions in a variety of fields: design, energy, transport, water, food, and urban development.  This three pack promotional DVD giveaway is made possible through the generosity of Kontentreal. 

Giveaway: Building Green With Kevin Contreras Season One DVD

This is part of the Jetson Green birthday giveaway, so make sure to leave a comment by midnight Friday, July 25, 2008, if you want to be considered for the contest.*

If you're a Jetson Green reader and you haven't heard of Building Green, then you must be living on another planet.  Building Green originally aired on PBS (and other public television channels), and the entire season one experience has been newly released as a DVD set.  As a result of the generosity of Building Green, here's your chance to watch the entire season: That's 325 minutes packed into three incredible DVDs.  Host Kevin Contreras will take you through 13 of the following episodes: Breaking ground, The Foundation, Framing and Roofing, Straw Bales, Doors and Windows, Exterior Finishes, Interior Finishes, Floors and Closets, Lighting, Water, Landscaping, Interior Design, and The Grand Finale.  That's pretty much everything you need to know to build a green home from start to finish. 

Giveaway: Worldchanging & Nature

This is part of the Jetson Green birthday giveaway, so make sure to leave a comment by midnight Friday, July 25, 2008, if you want to be considered for the contest.*

If there's anything that I've learned from you the reader, it's that you're (1) concerned for the environment and (2) smart, engaged, demanding, and relentless in your pursuit of quality information.  For that reason, I've decided to giveaway two books together as kind of a bundle to one commenter.*  The first book is Worldchanging: A User's Guide to the 21st Century in paperback.  The forward was written by Al Gore and the rest was edited by Alex Steffen -- it's 600 pages full of legit solutions.  The second book is Nature and Selected Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson.  What can I say about this book other than it contains over 15 classic writings that have influenced thousands and thousands of people.  Both books are highly influential, both books are perfect for smart Jetson Green readers. 

Giveaway: MOO Green Pack of Eco- friendly Business Cards

This is part of the Jetson Green birthday giveaway, so make sure to leave a comment by midnight Friday, July 25, 2008, if you want to be considered for the contest.*

I've been a MOO mini-card customer for probably two years and am what you might call a gargantuan fan of the company.  Every time I give someone a MOO, I get a reaction from them.  I gave one to Ed Begley, Jr. and he was blown away by the small design.  So I was excited to hear that MOO began offering eco-friendly business cards within the last couple weeks.  I designed a set using Jetson Green logos (imported from Flickr) and they shipped to me in a snap.  They're absolutely incredible, too.  I just love the look and feel of these green business cards.  If you want to get a set, MOO Green cards come in a 50 pack with pricing from $21.99 plus shipping.  They're made with 100% recycled fiber, completely recyclable and biodegradable, and totally chlorine free.  Plus, they look so good and you can make as many unique cards as you have imagination.