Green Building : Jetson Green

August Monthly of Green Articles

Another month is now gone, and it flew by fast.  We tried to balance out our coverage with a better approach to products and technology.  Vantage was kind enough to show us their energy management system, and Oxygenics let us test out their new luxury showerhead.  (I'm still testing it out, by the way).  If you have a green product that you'd like us try, let's get in contact.  Also, we're moving along with the job site, and from the stats, it seems like a lot of you are taking advantage of the new green job board.  Check the Twitter and Facebook, and let's share, like, and retweet.  Here's last month:

Modern Green Studio NOLA Pieces

If you're in the market for green, modern, designer-built furniture, make sure to check out Studio Nola.  You can see a few examples below.  These pieces are built with FSC certified woods, 90% recycled steel, zero-VOC powder coated paints, low-VOC sealers, and locally sourced materials.  Plus, if you need one or a few shipped, Studio Nola will send them out on a carrier using the EPA's SmartWay transport system. 

Imitating Life, Green Communes, Efficiency Strategies, + Roof Cash

• Architecture that imitates life.
• Communes of the green generation.
• Approach green renovations wisely.
• Living roofs are the new green cash crop.
• Cities weigh green features v. expense in new buildings.
• 10 strategies to increase home energy efficiency.
• Air conditioning with ice.

Follow @jetsongreen on Twitter for more news, links, and commentary.

Check Out These Greener Jobs

We're in beta with a green job board, and everything's been going pretty good so far.  Plus, with all the talk about green collar jobs, we thought we could at least help out a little bit.  So if you're looking or thinking about looking for a job, make sure to check out these green positions.  And if you have a green position, we provide free listings. 

• Sustainable Building Specialist, Habitat for Humanity, Louisville, KY.
• Environmental Consultant, Green Restaurant Assoc., Boston, MA.
• Green Building Consultant, Paladino, Seattle, WA.
• Green Building Consultant, AECOM, Orange, CA.
• Home Performance Trainer, Build It Green, Berkeley, CA.
• Retail Energy and Sustainability Manager, REI, Kent, WA.

Also, follow @greenerjobs on Twitter for more green job listings.

Green Simplicity with a Preform Prefab

In Surrey (near Vancouver), Canada, a new prefab company is taking shape.  Preform Construction has a 20,000 square-foot factory for building Predesigned Living Units that have been designed by Tony Robins of AA Robins Architect.  The home featured in this article is made with one unit and includes some of the following green elements:

Old 1957 Home Gets a New Modern Look

Perched on the east side of the city is this renovated gem at 3602 Apollo.  I saw it a few months ago mid-renovation, and it's hard to miss: floating entry steps, dark mystical brick, expansive new windows, and a modern cedar fence.  Wow!  The home sits on a corner, and that deck provides captivating views of the surrounding mountains and downtown Salt Lake City.  Plus, it's for sale. 

An Efficient Coolerado in the Wild

About two days after hearing that Coolerado had won the Western Cooling Challenge for the hybrid commercial version of this technology, I saw this on a newly built home.  This is what appears to be the M50 Coolerado.  Coolerado says they have the most efficient air conditioning system made -- it uses up to 90% less electricity than a traditional air conditioner, depending on the humidity and elevation above sea level.  High and dry works best; see how:

Going Postal with the Largest Green Roof in New York City

Turner Construction is substantially finished with New York City's largest green roof.  The company, one of the largest green builders in the country, installed plants, grasses, and fourteen benches made of FSC certified lumber for the United States Postal Service (USPS).  The 2.5-acre green roof sits on the Morgan Mail Processing Facility on West 28th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues. 

It's expected to reduce storm water runoff and save ~$30,000 each year in heating and cooling costs.  

Breaking Down Building Energy Use

We've all heard the numbers before, but here's a nice little chart with a helpful breakdown of information.  Buildings account for roughly 40% of all U.S. energy use.  Or stated with more particularity, residential buildings account for 22% of all U.S. energy use and commercial buildings account for 18% of all U.S. energy use.  When you parse the numbers out, here's where that energy is used:

Solaris Style A Modern Green Home

This is a new model home in Daybreak, a planned community in South Jordan (about 35 minutes from downtown Salt Lake City).  With the exception of some urban townhomes and condos, Daybreak homes haven't been modern, but they're all Energy Star.  However, Garbett Homes had some home designs put together by KTGY Group and built two of them as model homes.  This is Style A (see Style B).  These modern homes will be replicated with different interior and exterior options on a street in Daybreak.