Green Building Blog - Jetson Green

The Second Annual Plenty Twenty

I always find these lists interesting, but here's the idea: "There are game-changers and then there are world-changers.  From Internet giants working to make renewable energy cheaper than coal, to a sea captain monitoring the ocean’s plastic waste, to the growth of intentional communities (they’re not just for hippies anymore)—welcome to Plenty’s second annual list honoring (in no particular order) 20 dynamic individuals and 20 pioneering companies that are bettering the planet, plus 10 innovative ideas that will revolutionize how we live."

                                                -- the Second Annual Plenty 20

Must Follow Green Twitter Feeds

The venerable HuffPo just posted a list of what they call the "Best Green Twitter Feeds."  It's an okay list, but when you name streams like @Sprig (13 total updates and nothing in 7 days), @globalwarming (sporadic tweets with nothing in 7 days), and @greennews (sporadic tweets and nothing in 12 days), it's tough to take the list seriously.  No offense Sprig, GlobalWarming, and GreenNews.  HuffPo's list includes some stalwarts, don't get me wrong, but when you assume the title of "Best," you have to bring it.  You have to name more than sixteen or seventeen Twitter* feeds.  Right?

Anyway, here's my list (not a "best" list, just a list) of environmental and green related twitter folks that you might be interested in following.  To clear the air, we're @jetsongreen.  Some of the following are no different than straight blog feeds.  Some are mixed blog feeds with conversation.  Others are pure conversation. 

Five Excellent Green Buildings, As Chosen By ...

[+] Top Five American Green Buildings [Building]
[+] Leading Ecoblogger Reveals Top Green Picks [Building]

Top 10 Green Building Products [Sustainable Industries]

Just recently, Sustainable Industries announced their list of the Top 10 Green Building Products for 2008.  To get that magic number of 10 products, SI accepted roughly 80 nominations and narrowed those products down based on their ability to meet the following criteria: LEED compatibility, environmental performance, value, scalability / market impact, innovativeness, and design aesthetic.  Without further ado, here are the Top 10 Green Building Products for 2008:

Five Suggestions for Businesses Confronted with Green Fatigue and Green Noise

You may have noticed an article by Alex Williams in the NY Times yesterday entitled "The Era of Green Noise."  The article hits on some trends we're seeing, especially in the green lifestyle area, with people worn out by the green barrage of choices and information.  Green advertising and/or pitches might get a roll of the eyes, or worse, some backlash.  People may just repel and fight against the message.  So businesses are starting to get concerned about the proper way to move forward given this "green fatigue" from the "green noise."

I've been thinking about this and have a few suggestions for businesses that want to keep a quality connection to their customers. 

Top 5 Green Building Products As Voted by Builders

As reported by LA Times blog Pardon Our Dust, the Pacific Coast Builders Conference holds an annual competition for the coolest building products and the green building product selections are in.  This year, over 600 home-building professionals voted on roughly 125 product submissions, and some of the best have risen to the top.  The following list represents the cool-product winners in the green building category for 2008:

Projects Recognized for Green Roofs, Living Walls

Recently, several green roof/wall projects were honored by Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. Green Roofs for Healthy Cities established the Green Roof Awards of Excellence in 2003 with an aim to increase general awareness of green roofs and walls and spread awareness of their benefits. This year, seven projects in various categories received Green Roof Awards of Excellence and here they are:

20 Ways Your Home Can Save the Planet [HGTV]

HGTV has this list of the 20 Ways Your Home Can Save the Planet.  Depending on where you're at in the process of greening your home, you may find this list helpful.  I like some of the suggestions but also realize there's a deeper level of analysis that goes into actually saving the planet with your home.  I bet the special presentation show on television was pretty interesting, though.  Without further ado:

2008 AIA/COTE Top 10 Green Projects Announced!

Every year, the AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) invites electronic submissions of built projects and announces ten (10) award winners.  I've included direct links to each project below -- after the links, you'll find detailed case studies and background information.  Here they are ...

Ten Critical Steps in a Green Remodel

Existing buildings have tons of embodied energy and we can't always go bulldozing them for brand-spanking new ones.  Lots of projects need to be rehabbed and renovated, but where do we go for best practices?  I like to follow other projects for ideas, such as this one that we recently featured:  World's First LEED Platinum Home Remodel.  The guys behind this project, after going through a major renovation of a traditional home, posted a list of the Ten Most Critical Things to Do in a Green Remodel.  They make some excellent points based on true experience, so here it is: