You've probably seen one of the latest Apple commercials.  The husband turns to his wife and asks, "Did we turn off the lights."  The savvy wife, with her iPhone and Schlage LiNK app, responds with something like, "WE turned off the lights," while she does the same on her phone without her husband's help.

The commercial caught my attention, and I wanted to see what kind of capabilities this Schlage LiNK app had.  Turns out the system is powered by Z-Wave technology to smarten typically unintelligent aspects of living.  Some of the things you can do include:

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• How green is my mansion?
• Green homes face financing difficulties.
• What makes green building products green?
• Deep-energy retrofits take root in homes.
• Paying for green with a guaranteed ROI.
• Restaurants get a little greener.
• Environmental hypocrisy. 

Also, follow @jetsongreen on Twitter or fan Jetson Green on Facebook for more news, links, and commentary.

A few months ago, Alchemy set this weeHouse in Dundee, New York, and it's now complete.  The two-bedroom, two-bathroom home sits at the end of a private road on Seneca Lake.  On the exterior, the prefab has corrugated steel siding, while on the interior, there's bamboo flooring and wall wrap, doors and windows made with FSC-certified wood, and Energy Star appliances. 

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The Fourth Annual Green Building Survey, published by Allen Matkins, CTG, and Green Building Insider, was just released.  It’s quick and to the point with some interesting perspective on the attitude of design and construction professionals.  That is, green construction and design remains a top priority, while LEED certification may not necessarily carry the same weight.  The survey was conducted in February 2010 and received over 1,600 responses. 

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With the economy the way it is, retiring folks are downsizing or losing their homes, while newly educated folks are graduating with slim pickings.  Not to be grim, but this is causing people to use property in new ways, such as with accessory dwelling units.  The space can be used for family or as a rental to cover loose ends.  In Vancouver, this is happening with laneway housing.  Smallworks, a Vancouver-based design and build firm, specializes in small and laneway houses, just like this one, the West House. 

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