Green Building Blog - Jetson Green

IBM Predicts Solar Growth in 5 Years

2008-12-02T22:40:50-07:00

IBM is becoming gradually more involved in the world of clean tech, so it's not surprising that their third annual "IBM Next Five in Five" includes a mention of solar power. The list includes five innovations that will change the way people work, live, and play over the next five years. Accordingly, IBM thinks energy saving solar technology will be built into asphalt, paint, and windows. Basically, with the advent of thin-film solar cells and advances in technology, everything everywhere will have solar cells and harvest energy. And the technology to do so will be affordable, too.

According to IBM:

In the next five years, solar energy will be an affordable option for you and your neighbors. Until now, the materials and the process of producing solar cells to convert into solar energy have been too costly for widespread adoption. But now this is changing with the creation of “thin-film” solar cells, a new type of cost-efficient solar cell that can be 100 times thinner than silicon-wafer cells and produced at a lower cost. These new thin-film solar cells can be “printed” and arranged on a flexible backing, suitable for not only the tops, but also the sides of buildings, tinted windows, cell phones, notebook computers, cars, and even clothing.

There's certainly going to be some ramp up time to integrate solar technology into the world around us. As the technology becomes available, we'll start applying it and that will take time -- just think of all the buildings that could using renovating right now. But a massive, large-scale effort to improve both our buildings and infrastructure, while effectively using new solar technology, I believe, will bring about this change that IBM anticipates.

The other four ideas on IBM's list include: (1) a crystal ball for your health, (2) talking with the web, (3) having a digital shopping assistant, and (4) no more forgetting distant memories. Hmm ...

Via Sustainable Business.

Vatican Gets Serious with Solar

2008-12-02T10:26:15-07:00

Maybe Samsø started a trend in becoming a net exporter of renewable energy because it appears that the Vatican is thinking about doing something similar. The curvacious roof of Paul VI Audience Hall, a building that's located right by the famous St. Peter's Basilica, has been topped with 2,400 photovoltaic panels to source energy for lighting, heat, and air conditioning. The 5,000 m2 (54,000 sf) roof will produce ~300 megawatt hours of energy and cost approximately $1.6 million (donated by SolarWorld and SMA Solar Technology). With the addition of this massive solar roof, the sovereign city-state will cut CO2 emissions by about 225 tons. But that's not all:

According to Reuters, Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo, governor of Vatican City, mentioned that the Vatican was considering the possibility of a solar energy system on ~740 acres of land known as Santa Maria di Galeria, a plot located just north of Rome. The Vatican-owned site is currently used as a transmission center for Vatican Radio, and if installed, the system could produce six times the amount of energy needed to power the transmission antennas. The remaining power would be transferred to the Italian national grid for use by surrounding communities.

Although it's important to stress that this is only an idea right now, going through with it would make the Vatican a net exporter of alternative energy: An exporter kind of like Samsø.

In the meantime, the Vatican is working on the installation of enough renewable energy sources to provide 20% of its needs by 2020. You'll note that this emphasis on renewable energy coincides with the recent publication of a list of additional deadly sins. Pollution, or ecological offenses, was front and center on that list.

[+] Vatican unveils ambitious solar energy plans [Reuters]
[+] Vatican installs huge solar panel energy system [Telegraph]

Image credit: Reuters

Benjamin Moore Debuts No-VOC Paint

2008-12-01T21:22:15-07:00

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.

Natura is so impressive, as far as the elimination of VOC's, that a third party tester rated Natura of having the least total VOC's of any similar product on the market -- at least in this country! If you're going to make a product, it might as well be the best right? Now, I have not had the opportunity to try this paint because it is currently only available in WA, CA, OR and TX. This spring, it will debut in the rest of the country.

Natura exceeds the LEED requirements for paint and also qualifies for Green Guard certification. It dries to the touch in half an hour and can be re-coated in an hour, which saves you time. Further information, such as color palette, is not available on their site yet, but usually Benjamin Moore's eco-lines are available in almost any color, including custom mixes. This is one area where the product will surge ahead of other products on the market. Home Depot's line, for instance, has a limited color palette and custom mixes are not available. If Benjamin Moore's Natura is anything like their Aura in terms of quality, I will be hooked. We'll see come this spring!

[Ed. note] A couple weeks ago, Natura was selected as a 2008 Top-10 Green Building Product by BuildingGreen.

November Monthly of Green Articles

2008-11-30T19:45:47-07:00

It's been another record breaking month here at Jetson Green and we're excited to welcome all the new readers. Greenbuild 2008 was incredible and inspiring: In the future, we plan to speak more on issues of biomimicry and social equity in green building. In the meantime, we've linked to our main articles from last month and organized them below. There's tons of innovation in green prefab and home design, but there's also a lot going on with green innovation and products -- if you missed any, make sure to take a gander. Also, I want to shout out to our November sponsor, Envision Prefab. They're getting ready to ship a container prefab to Florida.

Green Prefab & Homes:

Green Developments & Projects:

Green Technology & Innovation:

Interesting and Green News:

Envision Prefab Ships e-House to Florida

2008-11-30T18:08:43-07:00

[Sponsor article from Envision Prefab] Container architecture has taken on various forms over the last few years. We’ve seen many building types constructed with creativity as architects and developers experimented with cargo containers, from office buildings to apartments, and single-family homes. South Florida based company, Envision Prefab, is bringing container architecture to a new level by creating complete modular housing out of these frames. Envision has tracked the progress of a model home from its initial cutting and through the factory process, ready to be shipped. If you've ever thought about using containers in home design, make sure to read below:

The home starts with the basic cargo containers. Factory technicians mark out the windows, doors, mechanical, and plumbing vents and cut through the corrugated metal walls. The interior wall is completely removed, and the containers are braced to prevent any deflections. In the future living room, the original container doors are welded open, and a balcony is created. Once the welding is finished, the containers are sand blasted and coated with an anti-rust primer before construction resumes.

When the home is back in place, framing begins. Using steel studs, the crew frames the exterior walls and the ceiling. When the framing is in place, electrical, plumbing, and mechanical crews come in for the rough work.

Next, the insulation crew comes out to the site. The modules are lifted onto large benches, where closed cell spray foam insulation is applied generously underneath the home and to its walls.

The walls are now ready to be covered. The exterior sheathing and house wrap is applied, and the windows and doors are installed. Inside the home, the drywall crew hangs sheetrock on the walls and ceiling.
In the last stage of construction, the kitchen cabinetry and bathroom vanities are installed. Some fixtures, such as flooring, are installed after transportation out of necessity. The home is now ready to be shipped to its final destination!

Envision Prefab’s model home, the “e-House,” was developed to meet the standards of all major green building programs, whether EnergyStar for Modular, LEED-H, or The National Green Building Standards. The home boasts such features as a Solar Energy system, smart home lighting, and greywater recycling, as well as innovative additions like an organic waste composting machine, and custom made recycling center.

e-House was designed to educate homeowners about sustainability. In a recent interview, CEO Aaron Newman said, “Green is about more than just features, it’s about lifestyle and living with consciousness."

This e-House here is set to ship to West Palm Beach, Florida, where it will be for sale early next year. More information will be posted on www.envisionprefab.com.

Healthy Buildings, Green Jobs, Net-Zero Energy Buildings, + Green Funding

2008-11-29T11:29:00-07:00

Green projects may have an edge in getting funding.
Sustainable building is a necessity, not a trend.
Green homes: solar energy versus energy efficiency.
Green nightclub trend hits New York.
Sometimes green buildings may not be healthy buildings.
Will Obama's stimulus plan spur green jobs in U.S.?
Upstate NY office makes more energy than it takes.

Blogs worth reading: Green Inc. + Earth2Tech.

Shout Out for Thanksgiving 2008

2008-11-27T17:54:07-07:00

Hope you're all enjoying this fine autumn holiday and hanging with friends and family. Not to get all historical and such, but Thanksgiving has some interesting roots. It's my understanding that the holiday we now recognize harkens back to when the colonists and natives got together and had a meal of thanks in celebration for the harvest. Imagine all the work and sweat and travail that went into the harvest. Imagine those years when the harvest was slim. When the harvest was abundant. Life is crazy like that.

I certainly have nothing to complain about and want to shout out to you for your readership, comments, emails, and friendship. Let's turn this thing up another notch over the next year and meet back. And just so you know, posting on this end is going to be a bit slower because I'm with family and, well, wireless internet is sort of non-existent.

Image credit: Nature_photonutt.

Green Construction Starts Could Reach $140 Billion by 2013

2008-11-26T11:30:26-07:00

Over the last month, I’ve seen several reports on green building, and we’ll try to address them all in due time. With reports like this, though, we have to spread it out – this is geeky stuff, it’s not leisurely eye candy or anything like that. But we like to follow the numbers in anticipation of future trends. In that regard, the Green Outlook 2009: Trends Driving Change report by McGraw-Hill Construction has some interesting information. According to the report, the value of green building construction starts was up five times from 2005 to 2008, with values escalating from $10 billion to $36-$49 billion. Also, by analysis, the report estimates that construction starts could triple over the next five years and reach $96-$140 billion.

The report’s findings are based on the Dodge database, construction industry surveys, data analysis, and analysis of other indicators such as LEED certification and government regulation.

You might be skeptical of information such as this because, after all, the economy is a little different today that it was, say, 6-9 months ago. That said, it appears that McGraw-Hill Construction built tough economic conditions into the report, and as a matter of fact, green is doing good in the down market. Perceived economic benefits are driving green building and some of those benefits include:

Higher revenues
Lower lifecycle costs
Lower operating costs
Other motivations: health costs, governmental regulations, global competition

Harvey M. Bernstein, VP of Industry Analytics, Alliances and Strategic Initiatives for McGraw-Hill Construction, said, “The business opportunity afforded by green building, even in the midst of a global economic crisis, are real and recognized by industry players. Furthermore, green building has great potential to help tack unemployment through green jobs, and can address other societal issues, such as creating healthier places where we live and work.”

[+] Order the Green Outlook 2009 Report - $249
[+] Read more: Green Building Could Triple [MarketWatch]
[+] Green Buildings Financial Outperform Non-Green

Green Blogs and the Environment

2008-11-25T11:31:07-07:00

Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to sit on a Greenbuild panel with four other respected and popular bloggers: Lloyd Alter of Treehugger, Willem Mass of Green Home Guide, Stephen Del Percio of Green Buildings NYC, and Leigh Stringer of The Green Workplace (moderator). In preparation for the panel, we sent out a survey and the basic results of that survey are embedded above. Click through it, you may see some interesting information. The panel raised several interesting issues, and some of those have been discussed below. I also wanted to clarify my thoughts on things like Twitter and PR because I think my perspective may not have come through adequately. First, let's check out the interesting survery stats:

68% of surveyed are under the age of 40
59% of surveyed are bloggers themselves
54% of surveyed consider themselves "medium green"
82% of surveyed are not LEED APs
87% of surveyed did not plan to attend Greenbuild this year
88% of surveyed prefer fact-based blogs, rather than opinionated
70% of surveyed do not think mainstream media accurately addresses sustainability issues

I was surprised by the figure that 88% of surveyed readers prefer fact-based blogs rather than opinionated ones. Blogs, I believe, are the gibraltar of opinion, speculation, and casual conversation, so I had to reconcile what people were saying here with what I believe blogs are. Are we seeing a distinction between voice and opinion? Is it that readers don't mind voice and color, but they prefer that such articles are couched in fact?

Blog Value and Making Money:

I think it's safe to say that bloggers can make money. That said, it's tough to do so and not everyone does make money -- matter of fact, there's some contraction in the industry right now. Network ad sales are down, but there are rumors of the flight of money to measurable, online ad markets. Also, if I recall correctly, Willem mentioned a general figure that blogs might make about $10,000 per 1 million visitors (not sure if he said visitors, unique visitors, impressions, or what). If you break that down, you're talking about a $10 cpm for a page, which I think is reasonable. So 100k visitors is $1k and 1k visitors is $10. If you've ever blogged, you know how hard it is to get a thousand readers, especially if it's better than social media quality traffic.

Although no one laid out any specifics to making money, and Green Home Guide and Treehugger have both enjoyed successful exits through acquisitions, no one really talked about getting rich. Other areas of blog value seem to include staying current on various topics, getting to know other bloggers, getting to know readers, raising the profile of the blogger, etc.

Greenwashing and Content:

The twin topics of greenwashing and the blogosphere echo chamber came up. I think the green blogosphere has a reputation of being a place to ferret out misinformation and greenwashing. Plus, with the big bloggers, there's a wall between editorial and advertising, and Lloyd mentioned he's never been told to change his writing because of advertisers. Another issue to consider is that bloggers, in some way, endorse things by writing about them. This is where vetting information becomes important and Willem mentioned that it's very difficult to vet company claims. That's where comments and reader emails can be helpful.

Lloyd gave two examples of topics that tend to get tossed around the blogosphere, echo chamber style, without those topics being explored or examined for their veracity. The Editt Tower and Verdier Eco-Camper were those two examples -- they're vaporware (disclosure: we've written about Verdier twice previously and still think it will end up being made next year). So we can all agree that the blogosphere may perpetuate some untruth, but it's also quicker than other forms of media. Blog articles often become fodder for more expansive stories / articles in the mainstream media. As it goes, if you want to stay on the bleeding edge of innovation, read as many quality blogs as you can.

Death of Blogging and Twitter and Facebook:

The much talked about death of blogging came up on our panel. I thought Leigh kind of raised this topic in the context of the rise of new technologies such as Twitter and Facebook, but I could be wrong. If I'm correct, all the panelists are on Facebook and a couple of us on Twitter. Stephen was certainly bullish on Twitter and Facebook, but I don't want incorrectly speak for him. Leigh seems to have summarized this area of discussion well, but I have a few thoughts.

I said it in the panel and will say it again: Twitter will not replace blogs -- it's going to be its own thing. Twitter will certainly gain in popularity and become a more important tool, I mean, I'm a heavy user with over 600 followers and have been using it for coming up on two years. But I don't think it will replace blogs because some topics need to be addressed in long form. You can't show someone how a building harvests rainwater in 140 characters. And Facebook will be its own thing, too -- a social place to connect with friends, etc. It's not going to replace blogs, at least in its current form.

But this is not to discourage anyone's use of these tools. They're distinct and innovative.

Plus when you think about it, the industry has been talking about the death of print media for some time now and it's still alive. It's evolving and changing and struggling, but it's not dead. And I'm a believer that print media will die before blogs do. Also, can you think of any leapfrog technology that provides readers with news, images, articles, information, and ads like blogs, newspapers, and magazines? I can't, but I'm looking. Blogs will change, but they're not going to die out to Twitter or Facebook. Maybe Flickr will kill them, but not Twitter or Facebook.

Impact of Blogs on the Environment:

This may not have come through very clear, but I believe blogging can contribute positively toward creating change and improving the environment. Why blog about the environment unless you think you can make some sort of difference? Is that arrogant? Hard to say.

All the bloggers seem to provide information, news, case studies, and discourse in an effort to, at least in part, educate and activate the community. One audience member asked about preaching to the choir and whether blogs are reaching the so called unconverted. In response to that, Lloyd mentioned that about eighty (80%) percent of our readers come from some search query on Google. So they come to blogs for information and either find that information or they don't.

I think another way to describe this phenomenon is preaching to the curious. If I may ask, what's the point of trying to convert people that aren't willing to be converted? Through natural search and blogs being indexed and juiced up with Google, bloggers have the opportunity to speak with those that are seeking information -- they get to guide people towards an understanding of a topic.

The fact-based articles with correct and helpful information will end up making a difference -- they'll become loved by readers and frequented more and more. And slowly, ever slowly, person by person, our cultural attitude and understanding of a topic with veer towards a new path: Hopefully that path is true sustainability. I think some blogs are doing this and many are certainly trying.

Bloggers and Public Relations Professionals:

One audience member owns a pretty cool business (we'll talk about it soon), and he mentioned that he didn't have the money for a PR staff and wanted to know how to get the attention of bloggers. It's my understanding that all the bloggers are approachable and readily respond to emails. They receive email pitches from anyone and seem to consider those pitches on their merits, no matter who they are coming from. More than anyone else in the publishing industry, I think bloggers are accessible and willing to listen. You can be someone in the company, someone in PR, or someone else and bloggers will at least listen.

In the context of this discussion, I made the short statement that if an owner came to me with his story, my ears would perk up and I'd try to pay more attention. Why? Because if an owner is taking time to talk about his company, I have an innate feeling it's important to listen. I even went so far as to say that the owner doesn't need a PR professional to speak with me. But I have to qualify that statement. PR professionals are important and certainly some companies benefit from their services. I'm not trying to call out the death of PR or anything like that. In all honesty, I read all emails from everyone. But there's something impressive about talking with companies directly about their journey.

Making It Successful:

Willem, Lloyd, Leigh, and Stephen -- they're all terrific examples of what it takes to be successful in blogging. They're individuals with voice and integrity. They write about important information with honesty and transparency. And they've been doing it, all of them, for a long time.

It takes sheer enthusiasm and grit to be a successful blogger. It takes a strong interest in the subject matter of the blog and definitely some love from the blog community along the way. I think Darren Rowse of Problogger once said it takes a blog about two years to get to stabilization, or the point where things are starting to work right. I believe two years is probably correct, so budding bloggers: Hang in there.

In conclusion, the panel was very fun and the audience was kind enough to listen. I definitely want to shout out to the USGBC for giving us a platform at Greenbuild. Hopefully, this discussion will help readers and attendees collaborate with their audience and create a positive environmental impact. Blogging is a crazy and powerful tool that can be used to do news things. Give it a shot and see if it holds value.

Eleek Offers Recycled Metal Products

2008-11-24T23:06:16-07:00

Eco-friendly hardware can certainly be a challenge to find, but Eleek Incorporated of Portland, Oregon offers a hip line of recycled metal hardware for your home. Their offerings include door handles, door pulls, switch-plates, house numbers, and signs in addition to unique lighting options and beautiful recycled metal sinks for bath and kitchen.

Eleek is dedicated to sustainability -- running on 100% green electricity, using soy-based inks whenever possible, re-using and recycling their own waste, and making sure that 80% of their materials come from within 50 miles of their shop. Their company car even runs on biodiesel, getting 50+ miles to the gallon.

Their designs are mostly rustic-feeling, but while some are decorative, others are sleek and minimalistic. For all of us who have been searching in vain for a great green hardware company, it looks like Eleek has granted our wish. I personally love the house numbers (featured above) as well as their 90% recycled cast bronze farmer sink (below).

Image credits: Eleek.