Green Building : Jetson Green

January Monthly of Green Articles

Once again, it's been another record-breaking month here at Jetson Green and we're excited to welcome all the new readers.  Thanks for subscribing!  We have a new president and lots of clamoring for the big government money.  We've taken the liberty of not reporting much on the economy, though, because we're focusing on green homes, projects, and products like nobody's business.  If you have something that we should be talking about, make sure to email or contact us.  Also, as you already know, we're trying out some new ad spots and want to thank our new advertisers, 1st Replacement Windows and Charles & Hudson.  Here's some of what we've focused on in January:

Weatherizing Homes, Dying Incentives, Warming Priorities, + Green Demand

• Interest in green building continues to climb.
• States and utilities are starting to cut incentives.
• Majority say global warming is not a top priority.
• Future green construction may follow European models.
• Studies show green building is key to economic future.
• Weatherizing Homes: the next big green industry?
• New weapon in climate war is brilliant white roofs.
• Builders learning to meet demand for green.
• Building affordable & green can make builders rich.

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Photos of the BUILDER LivingHome

I thought it'd be fun to share some actual photos of the BUILDER LivingHome, since up until now, we've only been showing renderings.  The home was designed by KieranTimberlake, built by LivingHomes, and assembled in about three days on the IBS exhibit floor.  Can you imagine putting together an entire house in that time?  I picture Steve Glenn running around with a megaphone, Ty Pennington style, shouting, "We only have four hours, people!"  The modular modern home was designed to meet LEED Platinum certification and includes 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms comprising roughly 2,466 square feet.

Molly's Cabin Sits Off-the-Grid

I find this off-the-grid cabin in Northern Ontario to be quite interesting.  It’s a 1,000 square foot retreat that practically hovers out on the water.  Molly’s Cabin is located a few hours north of Toronto in a place called Pointe au Baril.  Outfitted out with a bedroom, living room, library nook, kitchen, dining room, and small loft, the L-shaped floor plan intermixes the interior and exterior.  Can you imagine how serene it would be to chill and fish and sleep in a place that sits gingerly on the edge of the water like this? 

TerraScreen Lush Interior Living Walls

If you've been to a green trade show or exhibit, you may have noticed a few green wall providers.  One to keep in mind, just in case you're thinking about incorporating a lush living wall or vertical garden, is TerraScreen.  The TerraScreen Interior Greenwall System was designed by Planterra to hold large 6" plants and can be maintained by your average interior landscape contractor.  The system requires about 18" of space from the wall and a catch basin, but can be supported with drip irrigation and a tank, too.  It's comprised of modular panels made with powder-coated, galvanized steel wire and these panels can be lined up to really liven up a place.  Make sure to check these images below ... having one of these, I think, is a pretty good way to make a statement about the way you do things. 

EcoClad Modern Green Exterior Cladding

It looks like Joel Klippert, a true Benjamin Franklin of green products innovation, has developed another great green material.  Building on his success with PaperStone and EcoTop, his company now offers EcoClad, a beautiful exterior cladding sure to please architects bent on sustainable design.  EcoClad can contribute to up to seven LEED credits and is made of a proprietary 50/50 blend of FSC-certified post-consumer recycled paper and wood fiber, and also with bamboo fibers.  Everything is bound together with a water based co-polymer resin, and the resulting product is durable, scratch-resistent, and stylish. 

PTI: Testing Out Something New

If you know us, you know we're never satisfied with the status quo, so we’re testing out a new ad server program that’s kind of fun.  If you look to the right sidebar, you’ll notice a 50x50 pixel gray square – it’s not standard ad size or anything, but that’s why we like it.  We think people will look at it and, curious about what the box is, they’ll click it and find you.  But this is entirely speculative and exploratory, so we can’t be sure.

The Simple House Offers Modern, Affordable, Green Home Plans

Bill Randall built his architectural practice doing solar and energy-efficient design, but recently, he's had an itch to get into small, sustainable housing.  So last November, he launched thesimpleHOUSE, and the concept has already been given an Honorable Mention in the 2008 green dot awards.  thesimpleHOUSE is all about providing simple, contemporary, green house plans at an affordable price.  You can order your choice of the expanding line of plans from prices of about $475 -- a straight up deal when you think about it.

New Post-Consumer Recycled Glass Mosaic Tile Just Like Wallpaper

Trend USA just launched an interesting new glass tile collection that I'm sure will be a favorite among the design savvy. The Wallpaper Collection* is available in 64 patterns; our ecologically inclined readers will notice that 26 patterns are the FEEL recycled glass mosaic, which is made from 80% post-consumer recycled glass bottles. The entire collection is broken up into four themes, Academic, Euphoric, Natural, and Classic – depending on your style, there's certain to be a pattern that's right for your project.

Consumers Now Want Smaller, More Efficient, Less Expensive Homes

Experts from the NAHB and Better Homes & Gardens Magazine released some interesting research at the International Builder's Show in Las Vegas last week.  They found that Americans aren't interested in McMansions or large homes anymore, they're looking for something more practical.  They're looking for economic and cozy spaces with neat organization.  What's interesting, however, is that the same group that presented this research, the NAHB, is also the group behind IBS and The New American Home.  So despite the fact that consumers want smaller homes, the NAHB brings out a New American Home of 8721 square feet -- it's a veritable Temple of Opulence.  I guess you could file this news in the ironic category.