Green Building : Jetson Green

Benjamin Moore Debuts No-VOC Paint

I am very excited to let you all know that Benjamin Moore's newest line of eco-friendly paint, Natura, offers no volatile organic compounds (VOC's).  Volatile organic compounds are the chemicals, usually found in paint, that toxify your indoor air quality.  I've been waiting for this day because while other no-VOC paints are available on the market, I don't think that you can beat the quality of Benjamin Moore. 

The Freshaire Choice: Home Depot's New, Green Paint

I have to admit, I was very skeptical when I first heard about Home Depot's new, green paint, The Freshaire Choice.  I associate large corporations like this, who are not generally known for being environmentally or socially responsible, with a concern for their bottom line, not the earth.  Whether or not this is true, Home Depot has made an impressive eco-friendly step with this line of paint.

EcoTimber Launches Next Gen Bamboo Flooring

You'd think bamboo floor is pretty cut and dry, but EcoTimber, a leader in the push towards environmentally-friendly flooring options, has found a way to innovate in this area.  They've just released a new, prefinished, strand-woven bamboo flooring that doesn't look like your regular bamboo.  The top image is a blown-up version of the amber color (view others below).  Looks like a regular hardwood, doesn't it?  It actually acts like a hardwood, too.  It took about two years to develop and can be sanded and refinished just like regular hardwoods.  With a suggested retail price of $5.99 sf, there's no reason to stick with the old growth products.  Seriously. 

Here are a few green reasons to like this new EcoTimber Bamboo offering:

Milk Paint Natural Green Paint

Milk Paint has been around for thousands of years, with the roots as far back as 6,000 years ago when it was used for cave paintings.  It is now gaining recognition as a biodegradable, green product.  Milk paint is made from milk and crushed, natural pigments, and it is used for walls, furniture, and even art.  It is very durable, as it hardens with age.  But, beware, there are companies who market "milk paints" which are not natural and contain harmful chemicals. 

First LEED Platinum Healthcare Facility in World!

Green buildings, with their natural light and excellent indoor air quality, have the potential to make a big difference in the healthcare industry.  At some point, there's going to be the world's first LEED Platinum healthcare facility in the world and Dell Children's Medical Center of Central Texas just might be the location to do it.  The 32-acre, $200 M project is on schedule to take LEED Platinum, if everything goes as planned.  The pictures are magnificent and we here at Jetson Green think it would be great if no one ever had to go inside!  TBG Partners was kind enough to provide photos of the work they're doing on the project, which includes site planning, sustainable design, and landscape architectural services.   

Amenity: Green Fabrics, Furniture, Art, + More

Amenity is a wonderful green home company, especially for all you eco-parents out there.  Amenity offers a hip line of eco fabrics, bedding, nursery furniture, pillows, wall art, and even totes.  Their fabrics are all made from organic and sustainable materials and printed using water-based, environmentally-friendly inks. 

Sidwell Friends School, Anatomy of a Green School

The Sidwell Friends School is the first LEED Platinum-rated K-12 school in the world, but what's incredible is the story behind it.  First, it's a renovation of a fifty year old facility.  Second, the renovation involved the students, so everyone was able to participate and learn about the benefits of a green building.  Matter of fact, about sixteen 5th - 8th graders studied the building, wrote about its benefits, and recorded an audio feature explaining each green feature.  Feel free to take the green building tour to learn about low-VOC materials, CO2 monitoring, natural light, native plants, the green roof and biology pond, photovoltaic panels, a heat recovery wheel, vertical solar fins, and the settling tank, etc.  This is quite the impressive interactive visual/audio tour.  Seriously, great work. 

[Video] The Green Building Revolution

It's Friday, why not watch a little video?  High quality video content like this is hard to find online, so I thought I would share it.  A lot of people think green building is about saving energy.  It is.  But that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.  Buildings. Use. Water. Materials. Land. Space. Air. And. Money.  Click on over to KQED for some background information on the above video. 

Lawrence Country Home with Trombe Wall, Small Wind + Solar Power

This home isn't necessarily modern, but it has all the modern conveniences one could ask for: solar panels, small wind, radiant floor heating, air filtration system, and a trombe wall, etc.  Kent and Kathy Lawrence's custom country home, which was completed in 2005, ended up costing roughly $300 psf.  The wind turbine alone came in at a cool $37,100 (producing 13,000 kwh/year), and that's without tax subsidies.  And unlike many custom homes that tend to explore new boundaries of profusion, this home is only 2,200 sf.  Not bad.  But the Lawrence's weren't just concerned with smart design and energy efficiency.  Currently, they're removing invasive plant species and planting native flowers, just trying to be gentle stewards of the land they inhabit.  I think this is a rather picturesque setting for a home ... much the American Dream. 

V2G Technology, Healthy Design, Hot Greentech, Small Wind + America's Greenest City (WIR)

• Vehicle to Grid Technology - Power to the people: run your house on a Prius. 
• Fitter. Happier. Better. Greener.  Science shows sustainable design does more than help the Earth, it makes you feel better, too. 
• AlwaysOn Going Green 100 - a first annual list of the hottest private companies in greentech. 
• There's a new trend in residential energy: being the first small wind turbine on the block. 
• Aspiring to be America's greenest city, state commitment helps Sacramento rank No. 2 in energy efficient office space.