Why I love LEDs, by Anna Hackman

How many of you want to switch out your current light bulbs to LEDs, the new cool lighting technology on the block?   Maybe you hate the color of your CFLs.   Perhaps the thought of mercury in your CFLs gives you the willies.  Or maybe your incandescent laden home with its high energy bills are burning a hole in your wallet.  For whatever reasons, LEDs have a bright future.

Why do I love LEDs?  Since 2007,  I became a convert to the LED technology when my eyes saw LED Lighting Fixture’s LR6’s downlight, (Cree has since bought the company.) The color was wonderful, the output was great, and best yet, I can say good bye to my energy hogging incandescent light bulbs and my ugly colored CFLs.  I have been a smitten puppy ever since.

The problem that I see with this new technology is the average Joe or Josephine really doesn’t understand what LEDs are all about.  Reading the Department of Energy’s Solid State Lighting website can give you a headache.   So, let me shed some light on why LEDs may be in your future, highlighting both the advantages and disadvantages of this new technology.

What is LED technology?

LED stands for light emitting diode.

“Basically, LEDs are just tiny light bulbs that fit easily into an electrical circuit. But unlike ordinary incandescent bulbs, they don’t have a filament that will burn out, and they don’t get especially hot. They are illuminated solely by the movement of electrons in a semiconductor material, and they last just as long as a standard transistor.” [Source]

The Advantages of LEDs:

Efficiency:

One of the advantage of an LED is its efficiency. The filament of an incandescent bulb must be heated to generate light.  This results in a lot of wasted heat.  Worse yet,  only 10-15% of the electricity consumed results in the light you see.  LEDs on the other hand use a higher percentage of the energy used to create its light.

Long Life:

According to the Department of Energy, LEDs have the longest life compared to the following traditional lighting:

If you have a high ceiling, LEDs could be a godsend for you.  Since their life expectancy is anywhere from 35,000 to 50,000 hours, you wouldn’t have to change hard to reach lights for a couple of years.

No Mercury:

One of the biggest concerns about fluorescent bulbs is that the bulbs contain mercury. CFLs contain on average 4 milligrams of mercury.  If the bulbs are broken, mercury vapor is released.  Mercury is a potential neurotoxin, and therefore especially dangerous for children and fetuses.

In addition, mercury can leach into our waterways when bulbs are disposed into our landfills rather than recycled. According to Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers,

“[g]eneral belief is that most of the breakage occurs in the container, as opposed to at the landfill, due to the fragile glass and compacting that occurs in containers. When these containers are also exposed to moisture from rain or other sources and they leak, or when they are washed out, mercury enters the environment. Studies have shown that when fluorescent lamps break in containers the mercury can hover for days, and eventually migrate downwind and back onto the land[2],[3].”

To put the mercury issue in perspective, the use of fluorescents over incandescent bulbs dramatically reduces mercury emissions from coal fired electrical plants. A worse case scenario according to Energy Star, the broken florescent bulbs could  ”add 0.12 metric tons, or 0.12 percent, to U.S. mercury emissions caused by humans.”

But in my mind, that small percentage is still a concern especially when there is another lighting option available.  Recycling all fluorescent bulbs should be mandatory.  (You can recycle your CFLs at Home Depot, Lowes, and Ikea.  See here for a list of lamp recyclers near you.)

Can be used in Cold Temperatures:

Fluorescent lamps and cold temperatures are not a mix made in heaven.   In order for florescent lamps to work in cold temperatures, the amalgam added lamp will take longer to brighten up.  In contrast, LEDs performance increases as temperatures drops, making it an ideal candidate for use in refrigeration.

Instant On:

One of my biggest complaints about fluorescent bulbs is that they have to warm up before they reach their full brightness.  LEDs on the other hand,  warm up instantaneously.

On and Off Cycling:

Turning on and off fluorescents lessens their lifespan.  According to a report by Rocky Mountain Institute in 2008,

“A study published in 1998 examined CFL performance for five different operating cycles. It found that when the length of time the lamps were on was reduced from 3 hours to 1 hour, the lamp lasted for 80 percent of its rated life. When reduced to 15 min and 5 min, the lamp lasted for 30 percent and 15 percent, respectively, of its rated life.²⁸ ”

Keep in mind: although turning off the bulbs may lessen their life, in most cases, the reduction in energy cost outweighs the bulb replacement.  (See this discussion of how to ascertain your energy savings from turning off your fluorescent bulbs.)  However, the advantages of LEDs are you can turn them off and on without shortening their life.  Just think about a traffic light which has LED bulbs in it.  Notice how the light’s constantly turning off and on?

Disadvantages of LEDs:

I would be remiss to not point out that there are disadvantages to LEDs.  My issues with LEDs are as follows:  Price, Heat, and of course, the Marketing Hype.

Price:

Recently I reviewed Lighting Science’s 60 watt comparable recess light bulb sold at Home Depot.  Although I loved the white halogen type light, would I splurge for multiple bulbs at a price tag of $40 a piece?  I figured the payoff would be about 4 years compared to a dimmable CFL.  However, prices are falling.  When I fell in love with the LR6 downlight in 2007, the cost of the bulb was $125! In a September, 2010 GreenTech Enterprise article, Bill Watkins, CEO of Bridgelux, predicted prices will continue to fall dramatically.

“To outfit a house with LED bulbs today could cost around $2,500, according to Bill Watkins, CEO of Bridgelux, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony that took place at the company’s manufacturing facility here. ”It will be down to $200 in three years,” he added.”

Heat:

Heat is a LED light bulb’s enemy. It converts 20-30% of its power into light but the remainder is converted to heat.  This heat is dissipated through a heat sink.

According to the Department of Energy,

“Excess heat directly affects both short-term and long-term LED performance. The shortterm (reversible) effects are color shift and reduced light output while the long-term effect is accelerated lumen depreciation and thus shortened useful life.”

However, not all heat sinks are created equal.

Fact vs Fiction:

In conjunction with this article, I interviewed three lighting experts about how to find the right bulb for commercial and residential applications. Think part two of the LED story. They walked me through on how to decipher the truth from the fiction.

Basically, not all LEDs produce the same type of light, nor last as long.  It is best to buy lighting from a store where you can return the lights. Test to see if you like the light output, the color of the light, and whether it dims with your switch.  As I mentioned above, I happen to like a white halogen light.  Others may not.

Join the Conversation:

• Have you bought any LEDs for your home and if so, which one do you like?
• Would you buy LEDs at this point in time?
• Are you uneasy about the marketing hype about LEDs?
• If you are a lighting expert, which ones do you recommend and why?

About today’s guest blogger: Anna Hackman is a sustainability consultant, mom of four boys (yes, no lamp allowed in the house), and the editor of Green Talk, a green living website that creates the conversation to live a greener lifestyle for home and business.  She is passionate about green living, green building, organic gardening, recycling, and green business. Tweet with her @greentalk, yak with her on the GT Facebook fan page, or just visit the blog.

Reduce showers to 5 minutes or less, by Shannon Hoffman Hinderberger

Did you know the average American’s shower time is eight minutes? During that time, it’s estimated that a standard shower uses 7-10 gallons of water per minute.

I tracked my showers for six days and discovered my average was around 7.5 minutes. My longest shower during this self-trial period was 12 minutes, and that’s only because I was so tired after being up from 2-4 a.m. with my toddler and I was trying to wake up!

Almost eight minutes seems too long to me. So for the past three weeks, I’ve been using my trusty kitchen timer to time-out 5-minute showers. If you want to get fancy, you can buy a shower timer [see the action on Practically Green for product recommendations, and submit yours], but your kitchen timer or your smartphone probably does just as good a job.

"good ole kitchen timer"

Why is this part of my green action plan so important? Not only is it worth 20 points on Practically Green, but it will help save on water and gas (hot-water heater) bills. If you shower everyday, like me, that means you could be saving up to 140 gallons of water per week.

My husband has always been pretty quick in the shower since he used to be in the Navy and took Navy showers; and my three-year-old is afraid of the shower so he bathes every other day. We use his bath water to water plants and hopefully this summer we will use it to water our garden.

Shannon and her family doing.... not sure.... opening a present in a box?

What are other ways you cut back on water in your house? We also follow the “if it’s yellow let it mellow. If it’s brown flush it down.” Just remember to flush when you have guests over. I was quite embarrassed when the sitter discovered this when she last babysat.

*    *    *    *    *

Shannon lives in Bend, Oregon, where she works all day and blogs in her “spare time” at Working Mom Goes Green.

Mission:

I’m a working mom taking a stand against yucky stuff in my food, cosmetics, etc. and gradually turning my family towards more eco-friendly, natural choices. I’m learning so this is about our journey towards going green. There may be a few stumbles so hopefully you can laugh with me not at me!

Shannon uses Practically Green to keep her on task. You can follow the ups, downs, and inevitable laughs via her blog, Facebook, and Twitter @workinggreenmom. Check out Shannon’s Action plan on Practically Green here: http://practicallygreen.com/see/shanlee.

–

manataka.org

Practically Green has scores of enticing Water actions, from Make your own sparkling water to Upgrade toilets that take more than 1.6 gallons per flush to standard toilets. You can check out them all of them here.

If you’d enjoy an infographic for facts on water conservation, please see this excellent recommended link from eLocal.com.

We asked our superb expert friend Jerelyn Wilson of BuildingGreen what she’d like to say on the subject of water conservation, and here’s her post.

Note: Please don’t miss the free links below to BuildingGreen’s related articles – especially the one about the Wilsons’ foot-controlled sink pedal.… and which our ecofabulous contributor Zem Joaquin so elegantly modeled on this blog post. (See Zem’s action plan here! … but we digress.)

foot pedal at Zem's kitchen sink

WATER CONSERVATION AT HOME

By Jerelyn Wilson

Water has always been precious to me. I remember dipping the long handled cup into my grandfather’s spring at his camp in the Bristol Hills of New York State. Sipping from the cup’s white enamel edge, the water was cold and tingling in my mouth. In the kitchen we had to prime the pump before any water came out – us kids always vying for who would get to pull the metal handle down and up five or six times. Even though we knew it was coming, we were always surprised when the water came rushing out.

Tresantiqcollect at etsy.com

In my own kitchen I’m often feeling such a sense of gratefulness that clean, clear water comes out of the tap. Maybe I’ve been to enough foreign countries where drinking water is such an issue that I am filled with awe by the good tasting, drinkable water that comes out of my tap. I don’t take my own tap water for granted. I’m happy to turn the faucet on and off as needed when I’m brushing my teeth. I wash my lettuce in a salad spinner and then water my plants with the gritty water once I take out the inner basket and before I spin the lettuce.

My husband, Alex, writes about green building products of all kinds and he’s often trying out some new product, personally testing it at home. I never know when I step into the shower if the showerhead will be the same as when I washed my hair a few days ago. My favorite water saving product is the foot pedal which we installed at our kitchen sink. They are a bit expensive and we got ours as a tester for free, but if I were building a new house or renovating a kitchen I’d find a way to get it into the plan. I love it. Turning the water on with my foot, or in our case with my left knee leaves both my hands free to rinse the carrots or wash the pots and pans. I can release my knee and the water turns off while I’m scrubbing, then press for the rinse. The funny thing is that when I go to a friend’s house and end up helping with the dishes, my knee automatically presses against the lower cabinet door. I have to laugh at myself.

But the real laugh comes when my daughter has friends over and they try to help themselves to a glass of water. “Hey, Fran, so what’s with your water?” “Oh,” she says, “you just have to snap your fingers.” And as she walks over to the sink she gives a good solid snap with her fingers, while surreptitiously pressing the pedal with her foot. Her friend looks awestruck and of course is unable to duplicate the trick!

There’s no question in my mind that the foot pedal saves water. How much? Well, that depends on the person. You can certainly can conserve water with the typical faucet set up, but the foot pedal makes it really easy.

“In a test performed by Pedal Valves, Inc. at a medical center kitchen, Footworks installed at three sinks saved a combined 285 gallons (1079 l) per day of hot water and 122 gallons (462 l) per day of cold water. The estimated annual savings in water, sewer, and natural gas costs was $1,159. Based on an estimated installed cost of $500 each, this would result in a payback period of less than 16 months. In a residential setting, payback is likely to take several years.”

You can check out two articles on our website, BuildingGreen.com. (It’s a subscription-based website, but I made sure these two articles are on the public side of our content.)

Thank you, Jerelyn!

Pedal Controls Save Water, Time (June 1999)

A Foot-control faucet for convenience and savings (December 2010)

If you’re interested in reviewing the actions on Jerelyn’s plan, click here.

(Note: please forgive the temporary glitch that produces a grammatical error on Jerelyn’s to-do list…. Any guesses? It’s partly on our end, partly because she’d like to encourage other couples to take green actions together!)

Jerelyn Wilson and her husband Alex are the heart and soul of BuildingGreen, which is the Acropolis of the green building world. The company was founded in 1985, so they’ve been around since ancient times. Alex’s famous book Your Green Home (which I suspect may have actually been written by Jerelyn) is essential for anyone who is planning to build — even if it’s just a little powder room closet you have in mind. I rely on BuildingGreen and all its publications for clear, no-nonsense advice, offered with a sly dash of humor. That’s why I called Jerelyn to see if she’d like to write about one of the dozens of home-maintenance items on Practically Green.

But Jerelyn wants to write about her Trash!

Interestingly, Your Green Home only has four pages on household trash. The concluding section is called “Involve the Whole Family in Waste Management.” (My bold.) Guess who is the Trash Mastermind in the Wilson family? You know the answer: The Mom. As in: Jerelyn. She’s proud of her decision to take charge of her household refuse, and I knew we’d get a great story for you. Enjoy!

~                     ~                    ~                    ~

ACTION: Track your trash for one week

CATEGORY: Stuff

POINTS: 5

Who on earth would read a book in their precious free time called “Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trash?” Well, that would be me! I was really excited by author Elizabeth Royte’s persistence in following what she threw away along its long path and into the world of “away.” I guess my fascination with her story is rooted in a mantra of mine that my kids got quite familiar with, “You know, there really is no ‘away’!”

Of course what I end up putting in the garbage can for the trash man to pick up is directly related to my recycling and composting habits, and even more significantly to my purchasing decisions.

Tracking my trash has been a very revealing activity – and habit changing, I must say.

I find I often put things in the trash that could be recycled or reused. Excuses? I’m in a rush – it’s quicker, or I’d have to clean it out first – yuck, or I’ve cleaned out some drawer or cabinet and there’s all this random stuff I’d have to spend time figuring out if there’s someone else who’d want it or if it’s good enough for the secondhand shop – my head starts to spin! I just throw it away – it’s so easy. And then, there’s that darn voice of mine: “But, there really is no ‘away.’”

Tracking my trash, paying attention to what I’m putting in the garbage, makes me more conscious on the front end – the buying end. And, that’s a good thing. I have to say I’m finding it easier to reduce the amount of non-recyclable items in my household now that it’s just my husband and me. With two kids in the mix it was much, much harder to control. I gave myself a fair amount of slack. Now that they are off to college (and beyond) it’s way easier. I’m still pushing myself though toward that zero trash place.

Jerelyn's Trash Can

Right now, when I look in my trash bag under the sink, I see mostly plastic things – plastic bags from the broccoli I just used up, an empty tortilla chip bag, the plastic bag from 5 pounds of carrots, a cottage cheese container, a plastic wrapper from a new sponge. And then there’s the inside silver bag from some crackers (I recycled the box), a piece of tin foil, a piece of cotton from a new bottle of multi-vitamins. You get the idea.

I live outside the town limits so I have to pay for my own trash pick-up – it’s $35/month. I found with just my husband and me, we had only about 2/3 of a paper grocery bag in our garbage can each week. It seemed so silly to pay for trash pick-up for so little trash. After talking to Muriel, a friend who is a bit ahead of me on the trash front, I took the leap – I cancelled my trash service! Now anything I can’t compost, recycle, or give away, I have to bring to the dump myself. You can bet I’m really watching every little thing I put in the trash now. By cancelling my garbage pick up, I’m giving myself a new challenge toward zero trash.

Muriel was great. She talked me through the whole deal – she got right down to the nitty-gritty of things that will get smelly before her trip to the dump. For those things she keeps a paper bag inside of a plastic bag (both of which get recycled) in the freezer into which she puts things like bones and any meat leftovers that the dog doesn’t get, butter wrappers, cat food that her fussy cat doesn’t finish up, etc.

Here’s Muriel’s list:

1) glass and metals – recycle

2) newspapers – recycle

3) home compost

4) plastic wrappers and non-recyclable containers – to the dump

5) commercial compost – Residential Compost COW (commercial organic waste)

Number five is the really cool one and the one that allowed the most recent reduction in what ended up Muriel’s trash. I’m proud of my town for this and look forward to using the service.

Specifically tracking my trash this week helped me to identify yet another habit to change. I already bring my own canvas bags to the grocery store (which by the way took a while to figure out how to have the bags on hand when I needed them), but now I’ve decided I’m going to stop using the thin plastic bags for produce. I’ll continue to reuse what I have saved and then I’ll just figure out something else. I know they sell special reusable bags for produce, but first I’m going to see if I can do without. This will be one less thing I’ll have to put in the trash. I’ll let you know how I do!

We have just two favors to ask today:

1) The very idea of having a mobile app of Practically Green is so exciting!! — and if we win the Green Awards we’ll use the prize $ to create it! Please have a look at Susan Hunt Stevens’s rogue video entry and vote for us! Thanks…(yes, you have to register, slightly annoying, but takes two secs)

2) Have you performed a green makeover on a room at your house — or do you know someone who has? A baby nursery? A kitchen? A cabana? Tell us about it! We’re producing a feature for a Major. Women’s. Magazine. (Promise… we can’t say which one yet, sorry!!). Click here for the details, and send your before and after photos to our fab intern Samantha Roach at intern@practicallygreen.com!

News Picks:

Maybe it’s Practically Green’s Boston roots, but I just couldn’t bring myself to write today’s post without featuring some sort of St. Patty’s Day article. Ten Ways To Go Green On St. Patrick’s Day from Ingrid Ostby of Ecorazzi will inspire you to have a truly green holiday. From thrift store accessories to using eco-friendly and natural food coloring, these tips are good all year round!

Harvesting the Power of the Mom Blogger: I guess we’re not the only ones that know the POWER of mom bloggers! This article by Pradnya Joshi of The New York Times displays the amazing depth and influence of the network of mom bloggers on the web. We certainly knew all about the amazing support system of strong and intelligent women, but this article is a good reminder!

Nutrition Keys: Will They Really Help Us Make Better Food Choices?

This is a great piece from Lori Alper of Modern Hippie Mag, and definitely something to think about. As Alper points out, nutrition keys aren’t providing any new information, but they may just change the way we shop. I am definitely a label-reader, but when I’m in a rush, I grab whatever is in front of me, and usually regret it. I’m a big believer that something is better than nothing, and if this system encourages a mother of three to buy the cereal with less sugar, then I’m all for it. What do you think?

My Little Seed: A Story of Eczema and Betrayal: This blog post from Healthy Child Healthy World by Paige Goldberg Tolmach is eye-opening to say the least. Doctors told Paige that her infant son’s eczema was genetic, but the diagnosis simply didn’t make sense. Refusing to accept their word, Paige did a lot of research and discovered that it was her own home that was making her son sick. From his crib mattress to his teething toys, Paige’s son was being poisoned. This article will force you to look into the chemicals your family might be ingesting.

Paige Goldberg Tolmach and her son, HCHW

Multi-Media Pick:

The Urban Farming Guys is the video blog sector of the nonprofit organization Rock Solid Urban Impact.

The Urban Farming Guys is composed of 20 families that uprooted from the suburbs and relocated to inner city Kansas City. Their objective? To teach the youth, and “cultivate the life of the innercity.” With community engagement and sustainable farming practices as their bread and butter, The Urban Farming Guys and Rock Solid Urban Impact are an experiment to keep your eye on. They are revolutionaries living their lives to improve others. Watch their videos and learn what YOU can do.

New and Cool Pick:

USBCELL AA Rechargeable Batteries:

I have a drawer in my house that has the sole purpose of collecting used AA batteries. I’m embarrassed to say I have NO idea how many are in there or how many actually work. I know I should recycle the old batteries, but I just can’t let go! I have finally found something to help. These batteries from Moixa Energy have a built in usb to make recharging easier than ever.

This week's PG Picks by Sam Roach

We love seeing home renovations, but particularly if there are GREEN and HEALTHY features. There is something just so satisfying about seeing something not only made more beautiful, but that also uses resources more efficiently and improves health. While renovations take resources, exploring lower impact options can also be really fun!

For example, when we renovated our home, we worked hard to keep everything we could as original as possible. Except the bathrooms.There was no getting around the fact that they were ugly water hogs with poor ventilation, no insulation, and serious mildew/mold.

So we tried to make the upgrades not only stylish, but green. Here’s how one has turned out!


Yes, we love how it looks. But what we love more is that the toilets are dual-flush, the lights are CFL’s, the shower/faucets are low-flow, the wall tile is recycled glass, the paint is low-VOC, and the ventilator fans are EnergyStar. We also insulated the walls, upgraded the windows and the tub is much smaller than normal so we use less water for the kids baths. And yes, even the toilet paper is recycled, much to my better half’s consternation. It’s not perfectly green (what is?!), but we’ve reduced our water usage by nearly half and these upgrades are a huge part of that.

We bet many of YOU have amazing green home upgrades and we’d love to see your best before and after photos of kitchens, bathrooms, nurseries, bedrooms, living rooms, pantries, laundry rooms or even green garages! We are going to show off our favorites on our blog and Facebook page over the next few weeks, but our MOST FAVORITE will also win a copy of Planet Home, the awesome book by our editorial director Alexandra Zissu and advisor Jeffrey Hollender.

You may also get a chance for your green room makeover to appear on the website of a major national women’s magazine! (Photo quality will matter for this so please send high resolution images and please try and have the same angle for before and after).

Here’s what you do to enter, it’s really simple:

1.  Email us before and after photos of your project.  Use the email intern at practicallygreen dot com.

2.  In the email, tell us what healthy green actions you took in your upgrade because as you know, healthy green stuff can sometimes be invisible.

3.  Make sure we have your contact information–email, phone.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.  And please feel free to share this with your friends who you know have done cool healthy, green stuff!  The deadline is a week from today:  Wednesday, March 23rd!

News Picks:

Toxics Leaching from Plastic Food Packaging & What You Can Do: This Great article from Jenelle Sorensen (one of our wonderful inspiring action planners!) of Healthy Child Healthy World is helpful and informative. Jenelle offers solutions that remind us to make smarter choices in our everyday lives. Remember, earn your PG points for packaging-related actions!

I recently discovered an awesomely refreshing blog that I just had to share.  If you’re looking for something to lighten the environmental mood, you have to check out Laugh Green! With pictures, videos, jokes, and witty cartoons, you’re bound to find something to share with your friends.

Herman Miller’s GreenHouse Factory Generates 15 Pounds of Landfill Waste Per Month: Sound crazy? It’s true! This article by Lloyd Alter of TreeHugger is one of the more inspiring things I’ve read in quite some time! Read this article and learn more about what makes it so efficient. I’m hopeful that Miller’s recipe for success becomes commonplace.

Photo by Sara Hurt

Just when that post-Valentine’s Day lull was moving in, a great article from the TreeShagger column on Grist by Holly Richmond: 10 great green date ideas. These ideas are a must try, and some great excuses for a date night! My favorite? The photo scavenger hunt! Remember: use these titillating ideas as an excuse to earn your Date Night Badge!

Multi-Media Pick:

Michael Pawlyn: Using nature’s genius in architecture: This recent TED Talk is a good one! I’ve always believed that in order to maximize benefit and minimize harm to the environment, we must look to nature itself for help. Michael Pawlyn is astute and creative. The projects that he explains, which focus on resource efficiency from nature, are inspiring and eye-opening to say the least. Enjoy!

New and Cool Pick:

Stuff We Love: 30 Fantastic Green Finds: This great slideshow from Erin Renzas of iVillage is packed with cool, new, green products you must see. I found myself writing down a bunch of things I want to order ASAP. From ventless fireplaces to eco-friendly dog beds, this article has it all.

This week's PG Picks created by Sam Roach

News Picks:

Latest Lead and Cadmium Toy Recalls: Ceramic Piggy Banks: This article by Dan Shapley from The Daily Green gives great new information on some of the most recent toy recalls. From piggy banks and bracelets to lacrosse gloves and mood rings, Shapley covers some really unexpected material. This article is definitely worth the read, proving that some of the most dangerous materials are found in some really unexpected places. Remember to earn PG points by getting rid of lead in your home today!

The 2011 Green Jobs Conference is coming up February 8-10 in Washington, D.C. and it might just be the perfect time to look into a new career! From topics like recycling and agriculture, to community gardening and transportation, the conference provides some incredibly helpful information for greening your lifestyle. Check out the scheduled workshops here!

Indoor composting and gardening. mathiasbaert, Flickr Creative Commons Attribution License

No Yard? Here’s How You Can Still Make and Use Compost: This article by Colleen Vanderlinden of planetgreen.com is helpful for people with and without yards. Vanderlinden suggests worm bins and Bokashi, two methods I had never heard of. Read this article and be inspired to compost, no matter how you do it!

Multi-Media Pick:

Still having trouble cutting back on plastic? Van Jones’ talk on TED, The economic injustice of plastic, serves as a great motivator. His sincerity and humor make this talk easy and valuable to listen to. It’s a good reminder to utilize reusable bags and bottles whenever possible.

New and Cool Pick:

Looking for a way to save energy, but still want fully-charged electronics? Check out this Belkin Conserve Valet Energy Saving USB Charging Station featured on Green Shopaholic. Only $40, it draws zero power when it’s not in use and can charge up to 4 devices at the same time. I need this!

18 Incredible Small Green Homes That Live Large: This awesome piece by Brian Clark Howard of The Daily Green is the most fun article I’ve read in a long time! With a picture, description, and location for each house, it not only makes you want to travel, but to build green as well! It’s a great reminder that thinking big comes in small packages!

This week's PG Picks created by Samantha Roach

We asked a few special friends to try out the new Green Action Plan tool, and here they are!

Inspiration for making green and healthy changes can come from all over: that big plastic garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean, concern about health of a loved one, a love of nature, or even, yes, all the crazy weather. Inspiration can also come from amazing people who are on their own healthy green journey — whether they are leading people in the world of health and sustainability or a person kinda like you who you haven’t had a chance to meet yet. We wanted to share some of our favorite Inspiring Action Planners and hope this makes setting up your own action plan just that much easier.

Click here for the very first Inspiring Green Action Planners:

• Avital Binshtock of the Sierra Club
• Gayle Crowell & Meghan Crowell, ConservingNow.com
• Shannon Hinderberger, Working Mom Goes Green
• Jeffrey Hollender & Sheila Hollender of Seventh Generation fame
• Stacy Malkan, Co-Founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
• Nancy Massotto, Creator of the Holistic Moms Network
• Nancy Mims, Co-Founder, ModGreenPod
• Robyn O’Brien, Author and Founder, AllergyKids
• Meaghan O’Neill, Editor-in-Chief, Treehugger
• Janelle Sorensen, Healthy Child Healthy World
• Lynn Stone, Smiling Green Mom
• Alexandra Zissu, Author, incl. Planet Home

It’s just a beginning – we hope lots of you will discover this handy organizer and create your personalized Action Plans, too.

Here’s how:

1. Once you’ve taken the Quiz and registered, go to your dashboard at http://practicallygreen.com/
2. See the line that says “Your Plan for Living Healthier and Greener” (in orange)?
3. Below it, see the line that says:
4. “Add actions to your plan or choose from our recommendations”   ?
5. Click into any one of the Actions pages and look at the upper left. Click on “Add to my plan,” if you want to add that action — and presto! It appears on the plan on your Dashboard.

Got questions? Email Jason@PracticallyGreen.com for a speedy reply.

Sylvania CFL bulb

The subject of green lighting seems to be riddled with endless choices and caveats. Take lightbulbs: We all know that traditional “Edison” bulbs are horribly inefficient. Ever touched one that’s been on for a while? All that heat is doing nothing but permeating your indoor air.

We’re supposed to switch to CFLs, but they have mercury, and we all know mercury is bad (as in maybe deadly). CFLs can’t be recycled easily, and if a bulb happens to smash on the floor, you’ve got mercury to clean up.

Lately we’ve been hearing that LEDs are best. However, they’re expensive, and the quality of the light is sometimes so-so. Improvements are happening rapidly, new products are coming, but bottom line: “they aren’t ‘there’ yet.”  What does “there” look like? And when do we arrive?!

To the rescue: Brian Clark Howard, the web editor at The Daily Green who decided to write an entire BOOK about green lighting.

We asked Brian to review the lighting Actions on Practically Green:

“I think your PG lighting challenges are great!”

Yay! Here they are:

Install LEDs or CFLs in 1 light fixture (5 points)

Install LEDs or CFLs in 10 light fixtures (10 points)

Install LEDs or CFLs in most light fixtures (50 points)

Switch to LED holiday lights (20 points)

Switch to a solar-powered light fixture (1o points)

and the oh-so-simple:

Turn out the lights when you leave a room (10 points)

Philips LED bulb

“I would agree with your summary on CFLs although I’d be hesitant to describe LED light quality as so uneven. There is some unevenness in quality but that’s true for all lighting categories, and it’s a good idea to try before you buy and go with major brands. I had a chance to play with the new Philips LED bulb the other day and was very impressed with the good quality of the light and its yellow color, which people tend to prefer. The biggest drawback of LEDs is indeed initial price, I believe the Philips is $30 and consumers aren’t used to paying up front for home lighting. They should remember that with incandescents, more than 90% of the money they spend for their light is due to the energy use – and not the cost of the bulb. I definitely suggest CFLs as a good buy now, and for applications where they don’t make sense or if people won’t tolerate them I suggest halogens and dimming. That’s if they can’t afford or won’t buy LEDs, and also for some applications where LEDs really aren’t ready.”

Next time, we’ll talk with Brian about geothermal, since he’s written a book about that, too!

Check out The Daily Green on Facebook and follow them @ the_daily_green

Brian Clark Howard

News Picks:

Steve R

Still looking for New Year’s resolutions? How about changing your transportation habits! The year ahead in bikes, an article by Elly Blue on Grist, discusses getting around on two wheels in 2011. Better infrastructure, more bike-sharing programs, and environmental urgency could propel bike usage forward! Remember, you can get PG points for committing to bike-related actions in 2011.

Nike Print Pack: Shoes Made from Old Magazines: That’s right, magazines. Just when we thought Nike couldn’t get any cooler! I have a bunch of friends that would love a pair of these recycled kicks. Just another way to reuse!

School gardens improve health and academic performance, reduce discipline problems:

In an article on world.edu, Jennifer Copley gives some great insight as to why education continues to become a crucial aspect of green living. The article provides explanations of major health and behavioral benefits of school gardens, including some helpful statistics. Advocate for your child’s school to start a garden today and earn some PG points!

Multi-Media Pick:

A vision for sustainable restaurants: As green living continues to spread, it’s no wonder the restaurant industry has begun to take the hint. English chef and restaurant owner Arthur Potts Dawson is a pioneer. Watch his talk on TED and be inspired to visit a dine-green certified restaurant near you…and of course earn some PG points!

New and Cool Pick:

Giving Those Old Gadgets a Proper Green Burial: Mickey Meece’s NY Times article sheds light on some of the most difficult recycling challenges of today. Old chargers or remotes you don’t know what to do with? The article suggests many helpful and unexpected places to turn including Best Buy, Target, Apple, and cell-phone service providers, many of whom offer trade-in programs which will also earn you PG points!

Bryce Vickmark for The New York Times

This week's PG Picks was produced by Samantha Roach, Practically Green intern, Northeastern University '13

Like Magic, dozens of Green Action Plans took shape on Practically Green this morning.

Curious to know the most popular healthy improvements people have in mind for 2011? Here are the Top 20:

1. Install smart power strip to turn off TVs and computers completely (10 points)
2. Turn off the lights when you leave a room (20 points)
3. Drive on a short trip (<400 miles) versus fly (20 points)
4. Use a live Christmas Tree (20 points)
5. Unplug cell phone chargers and other appliances when not in use (20 points)
6. Sign up for green power from my utility (200 points)
7. Install one low-flow faucet (10 points)
8. Replace soda with fizzy all-natural juices or sodas (10 points)
9. Get an energy audit (10 points)
10. Insulate & seal my ductwork (20 points)
11. Weather strip my windows (20 points)
12. Upgrade my vehicle’s fuel-economy by 5 MPG (50 points)
13. Switch to LED holiday lights (20 points)
14. Find out what food I buy regularly that contains high-fructose corn syrup (5 points)
15. Find out what food I buy regularly that contains artificial sweeteners (5 points)
16. Send e-cards for holiday (15 points)
17. Join Meat Free Mondays (eat vegetarian once a week) (20 points)
18. Buy meat that is raised using sustainable farming methods (50 points)
19. Give away something on Freecycle (5 points)
20. Track my trash for one week (5 points)

Why wait?! Click here for details on how to make your Green Action Plan, and please don’t forget to share with your Facebook friends!

{Photo credit: PaperlessPost.com}

News Picks:

The National Christmas Tree goes green: Energy-efficient LED lights are the stars of this year’s luminous creation by GE, which has designed the last 49 National Christmas Trees. GE shares three reasons why switching to LED is smart:

1. LED strings will last up to 10 times longer than traditional lights
2. they’re more cost-effective in just one season of use
3. break-resistant, cold-loving LED light sets are sturdier than incandescent light sets.

We’re sold! Get PG points for switching to LED.

Are your gifts giving back? Check out this post from a Practically Green favorite, Healthy Child, Healthy World. Several great products are showcased, like a home-cleaning ionator and Giggle baby store, which uses exclusively non-toxic and allergy-free products. Each of these products will donate a portion of your purchase to Healthy Child.

Holistic Moms Network: Going Greener, Practically: Check out this great post featuring our Founder, Susan Hunt Stevens. Every once in a while, it’s nice to be reminded how Practically Green got started, to really inspire change for the better! One of our favorite quotes: “Does living green have to be hard? Maybe not, if you have simple, practical steps that you can take to make small changes, one at a time.” Rev your journey by taking the quiz!

Multi-Media Pick:

Great gardening tools for women: Even though Jack Frost may be nipping at your nose, take a look at this great little video from Rodale, with some gorgeous and crave-worthy gardening tools made with women in mind. Green Heron Tools has some great gadgets, and even if it’s too cold to use them right now, they are perfect items for your holiday wish list! Feel free to send husbands and children this post for a holiday hint. Get PG points for your garden here.

New and Cool Pick:

CFL’s get an elegant make-over: You won’t need a dust-collecting shade for these beautiful bulbs. CFL designer Plumen has decided to combine energy efficiency and beauty to prove that the two can coexist successfully. (Pssst… you can get PG points for installing CFLS in one light, ten lights, all outdoor lights, or most indoor lights)

Do you love your home the same way you love your bones, your skin, and your organs? Do you get excited about a new insulating foam tape that expands in a few hours to 15 times its packaged thickness? Are you up on the latest in LED lighting? Do you worry about the estimated 100 million birds that die each year when they crash into high-rise buildings?

If you already subscribe to Alex Wilson’s blog at Building Green, you know about these and other late-breaking issues and innovations in energy-efficient and environmentally friendly construction techniques. At the tender age of 58, Alex is the grandfather of the green building industry, having founded Environmental Building News, considered by most to be the bible in that space.

Accolades on the occasion of winning the prestigious Hanley Award this year:

by all accounts, through his humble yet constant resolve, he has made the kind of significant and widespread impact on the housing industry few can claim….

“Alex Wilson has quietly and methodically gone about the business of changing the way we build by defining green building product standards, promoting performance-based thresholds for projects, and challenging all sectors of the industry to become active and honest brokers in advancing environmental building,” says Michael J. Hanley, founder of The Hanley Foundation and creator of the award. “In the process, because of his objective and clear analysis, tireless and courageous leadership, and insightful long-range vision, Alex Wilson’s voice is trusted throughout the industry, and we are thrilled to name him as our 2010 recipient.”

Alex is generous with his advice — on his blog , at Building Green, and with Practically Green — and we wanted to share more of his wisdom with you as winter sets in.

**Speaking of settling in, as you settle into using Practically Green as your guide to healthy and eco-friendly living, you’ll notice hundreds of earnable points for doing exactly what Alex prescribes. We’ll note relevant PG actions and point values in bold below. You will quickly see that Alex’s corner of the world = big scores at Practically Green!**

1) Improve the insulation in your attic. (100 Points) “This can be very effective and can be added to an attic pretty cheaply. Fiberglass insulation can be rolled out, or cellulose insulation can be blown in. Fiberglass insulation is not considered a carcinogen, but it is still irritable to our respiratory systems. Still, I tend not to worry about as much as others do.  You don’t want fiberglass exposed to the air, but it’s fine in a sealed wall cavity. Cellulose is cheaper, greener — and more labor-intensive.”

2) Improve your windows. (10 to 100 points) “If you’re thinking of replacing yours, find out what it would cost to upgrade to a high-performance window. Chances are it will be well worth the expense. Look for at minimum a low-E coating, argon-fill, and two layers of insulated glass. Triple glazing and two low-E coatings are very effective but hard to justify in an existing house.”

3) Check cabinet materials. (50 points) “If there’s any renovation to be done, avoid kitchen or bathroom cabinets made of ureaformaldehyde. Ureaform emits high levels of formaldehyde into the air. Because of the new California law,” Alex says, “retailers like Ikea and Home Depot will be changing so they won’t offer these any more. Most of the national mass retailers and resellers will be switching to either solid wood or a plywood product.”

4) Use low or zero-VOC paint. (50 points) “These are very good today; only five years ago, they weren’t!”

5) Properly deal with waste products. “Disposing is a big issue. Look for hazardous waste-disposal days. We’ve got to stop making this stuff….”

See our previous post about Alex for four more of his tips:

1) Get an energy audit (10 points)

2) Replace your incandescent bulbs with CFLs (10 to 50 points)

3) Install Programmable thermostats – and use them! (20 to 150 points)

4) Replace old showerheads (50 points)

Building Green is on Facebook here. Alex can be found on Twitter @atwilson. He is the author of Your Green Home.

Our friend Meg Smith turned us on (forgive the pun) to an innovative local business that blends the best of vintage with green design. This holiday season, we’re grateful for all your leads on eco-creative gift ideas.

Hard drive, ca. 1985

Hard-drive pendant light, ca. 2010

From Meg’s dispatch:

It’s so like a Vermonter to come up with this: take a quintessential symbol of the farmhouse kitchen, turn it on its head, and let it shine.  Conant Metal & Light of Burlington, Vermont, salvages thick-glassed, antique canning jars, the ones Granny used for putting food by and turns them into energy-efficient lights.

Steve Conant and his team of lighting artisans get their buzz from rescuing vintage objects from the attic or landfill and divining them with new purpose as lighting fixtures. And in this case, they raised community consciousness at the same time. The company advertised a contest to collect canning jars, paying $1 a jar with the promise to contribute $1000 to the local food bank if 1000 jars were collected. Goal reached in 7 weeks: Vermont Foodbank $1000 richer, scores of individuals 100% happy to have jars recycled, lots of traffic into the store and a feel-good vibe for staff and public alike.

Custom-made with ultra-efficient LED, the Ball jars are transformed into pendant lights, wall sconces and ceiling fixtures. “Repurposed lighting” is the term Conant uses to describe the mindful blend of environmental ethos, design and over-the-top case of nostalgia. The pendant light sells for $180 and comes in clear, tinted and frosted glass, depending on what Granny liked to use for pickling and canning winter preserves.

We caught up with Steve to find out if he has any other ideas in the works, and he does. Here’s his description of what’s in this photo below, from left to right:

1) Paint can: plain old everyday quart or gallon can.

2) Insulator from the top of a telegraph pole. This is lying around in every grandfather’s workshop. They come in all different colors and shapes.

3) LED pendant, little shade. Embossed with “made in the USA” There’s an endless supply of these. You cut the bottom and sand them.

4) Light fixtures. We have boxes of these brass sockets, and we fit them with LED bulbs.

5) Very nice nickel-plated brass flashlight. LED. Basically it’s an accent light. We took the batteries out and out pipe in.

6) Ball jar (already described above): That’s the one that really sings to people. It’s an iconic look and feel, I love the light through the pale blue. We can frost it so you don’t see the bulb, if you want.

What about efficient lightbulbs? What’s Steve’s advice on Compact fluorescents (CFLs) vs. light-emitting diodes (LEDs) at this point? “The consumer is price conscious, and a CFL costs a dollar.  There’s absolutely no question about the payback. Right now the LED bulbs are still fairly expensive and inaccessible for most of us – but the prices on LEDs are coming down very quickly. In five years, a LED bulb will be affordable.” Personally? “I use CFLs today. It’s the right thing to do. Soon, LEDs will be an even better solution.”

What does Steve think of Practically Green? “Boy did I enjoy taking that test. I really got my marching orders.” (We assume he’s already added in 50 points for installing CFL or LED bulbs in his indoor lighting fixtures! Click here for all four of Practically Green’s bright-light ideas.)

And why is a rhinocerous crashing through Steve’s store upstairs?                

“This guy came in, he’d found this rhino head in an antiques shop in Maine. I said, GREAT the customers will go nuts. I put it behind my desk and nobody said a thing. So one of our key employees helped me figure it out, we took three hours and make it look as though it’s busting through the clapboards on the second floor. This rhino put us on the map!

Join Conant on Facebook for updates. If you have an idea for Steve, call him at the shop, (802) 658-4482; or email him at Steve@conantmetalandlight.com. Chances are he’ll be able to solve your lighting problem. This year he and his team completed projects at the Governor’s mansion in Maine, a Las Vegas casino, and reproduction historic fixtures for the Westerly, Rhode Island, Public library. More “obscure projects,” he adds: “We made 700′ of bronze and stainless steel grillwork for the Kuwaiti Conference Center in Kuwait… We built a 48″ transparent glass clock for the University of Vermont. We  built eyelids for the Muppets…What fun!”

We just finished building a little dream cottage near the Atlantic Ocean in Rhode Island. The project is powered by solar and geo-thermal, we have super-duper windows, incredible insulation, and terrific builders. All of this is good, because we live in a hurricane zone and we’re only 110 feet above sea level.

Our mantra is green, sustainable, reduce, reuse — all of that. Remember, my husband is the guy who turns his collars around a few times before he willingly surrenders a shirt, and he composts religiously. (The man spent his childhood sleeping over a worm pit, but that’s another story.) We’ve got low-flow toilets, faucets, and showerhead. We used collected beach stones for the shower floor. (He specified grout the color of sand.) We’ve reused doorknobs and a claw foot bathtub, and we repurposed bead board as wainscot paneling in two of the bedrooms.

What to use for the countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms? Obviously a polished verde marble brought in from Brazil wasn’t going to qualify. We considered recycled glass, recycled ceramic, Icestone (a recycled glass and concrete mix) durable recycled paper, rescued stone, cork, tree trunks — everything but the kitchen sink.

Then our architect suggested concrete. Concrete? But doesn’t concrete have cement in it? And I don’t want my kitchen counter to look like the neighborhood basketball court!

We found a local concrete master named Justin Hawkins, and his work looks more like marble or buffed metal than anything else. In fact, Justin can finish surfaces to resemble just about anything. Countertops do not look like a basketball court, or sidewalk, he says, “unless that is the look you are going for. Our concrete is refined and smooth to the touch. We build countertops, sinks, tubs, fireplace surrounds, outdoor accents, and furniture all made with concrete.” As you can see, a drainboard detail can be seamlessly incorporated into the design.

OK for the aesthetics. But isn’t cement in concrete? And isn’t cement toxic? Justin explains that his concrete material includes about 16% cement:

Manufacturing the cement is by far the most energy consuming part of the process, as the conversion of the raw ingredients (limestone primarily) to cement powder takes about 3700 degrees to make.  There have been great strides in the energy reduction to produce cement, but unfortunately it is a necessary evil, as it is the main binder in concrete, mortar, grout and Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC).

One way to reduce the cement amount in a mix is to use industrial byproducts to replace a portion of the cement. These “supplementary” cementing materials are byproducts of other manufacturing industries that would otherwise be heading to the landfill.  These can be used to replace cement without losing any performance. In fact, most of these materials increase the properties of the cement given what you are using them for.  These materials are referred to as industrial byproduct pozzolans. There are a few different ones that are available and widely known about.

• Fly Ash- byproduct of the coal industry
• Silica Fume- byproduct of the silicone industry
• Slag- byproduct of the iron industry

The one that I use in our concrete is one that is lesser known. VCAS (vitreous calcium aluminosilicate)is a light-colored pozzolan that is created from ground fiberglass waste. We replace around 20% of our cement with this material.

Justin, at right, working in his studio

What makes concrete a more globally conscious choice versus granite is mainly the local production. When you think about the lifecycle of a granite slab in your house, there is a lot of energy wasted: 1) getting it out of the earth; 2)cutting it to approximate size; 3)crating and shipping from Brazil, Turkey, India, China, you name it; 4) getting it off the boat and trucked to where it needs to be.

The cement in our mix has the highest impact of the whole process. It’s a small part, by comparison — around 20% of the total mix weight. Eventually I would like to buy a crusher and crush down old countertop surfaces to create our concrete aggregate — essentially making just about the whole thing from recycled content.  We did one countertop like this and we broke the aggregate up by hand… I will never do that again!

Justin’s mentor is a Berkeley, California, designer named Fu-Tung Cheng. Which countertop is greenest? Cheng’s website answers the question this way: The greenest counter is the counter you already have. And the second greenest counter is one you recycle. That said,

If I’m in the market for a new countertop and want to make the smallest possible impact on the environment while still choosing a functional and captivating material, what choices are available?

Consider concrete. While not the only responsible choice, it is local, durable, sustainable, recyclable, and uniquely beautiful with its earthy appeal combined with the personalization and nuances you can customize to your style and functional needs. By choosing concrete as a decorative building material, particularly for countertops, you affirm your consideration for the earth as well as a desire to be a little different, casting your own unique character in concrete.

If you’re really fortunate, you’ll find a Cheng-certified artisan. Justin’s Livingstone Studios now offers training as the Northeast CHENG Center of Excellence Training Center. Registration and more info here.

Here’s a video from Cheng’s studios:

You can get lots more information about concrete countertops and search by state or zip code for a contractor near you at the Cheng Concrete Exchange.

Needless to say, when you buy a bathroom product or kitchen product made from renewable materials you earn points on Practically Green!

This post is part of the monthly Green Moms’ Carnival, and the topic is Cement. Please read all the participating bloggers at RetroHousewifeGoesGreen.

http://www.retrohousewifegoesgreen.com/2010/11/green-moms-carnival-takes-look-at.html

When Zem Joaquin renovated her forty-year-old house in the Bay Area, she interviewed all of her friends who had also experienced home makeovers:

“All of them!”

It was my husband’s idea. I asked them, what are the two things you like the best about what you did, and what are the two things you regret the most. We got amazing ideas from that…. One friend, who has devoted his life to water security (he’s on the board of Blue Planet Network), raved about his foot pedal-controlled sink. And he told us about the pedal to attach to the kitchen faucet.

The infamous kitchen-sink foot pedal

We love this idea!

I’m a bit of a germophobe anyway. I hate going from cutting chicken to then washing my hands, touching the faucet. So this helps me with that because my hands are free. And it saves so much water. Half the people who come to our house and see this end up getting one. It is a huge behavior changer. This single add-on has reduced our water usage a lot.

Photo courtesy of Traditional Home

So many mothers will relate to the story of Zem’s green journey:

Both of my kids had asthma, they were going to the hospital all the time. And I had really bad bronchitis. I realized that our cleaning supplies were making this worse. One day I just couldn’t breathe. I began looking into all the VOCs in the products we were using, and changed all of them.

Today, Moms who are making the switch to healthy cleaning products can experience a smooth transition with Practically Green’s info and help, whether they’re switching to an all-natural all-purpose cleanser, switching to non-chlorine bleach products, or going for the Green Kitchen badge.

Back in the land of Zem, she stays busy with her website EcoFabulous, she’s on a number of environmentally focused boards, and she’s eBay’s eco-spokesperson, including the popular World of Good area. “When you think about it, eBay is the green way to shop. It’s all about used products! The founders are heroically green. World of Good is a socially responsible site, lots of free-trade goods. In fact, eBay will be awarded the Global Green award in December.”

Zem has worked with architect William McDonough for several years, and they recently collaborated with others to launch the non-profit Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Insitute, at Google headquarters.  This will now be the place that issues Cradle to Cradle certification to companies seeking the ultimate approval for sustainably designed and produced goods and services. More on Cradle to Cradle in an upcoming post.

For now, check out EcoFabulous, sign up for her frequent eco-goodie updates; follow @Zem and @ecofabulous on Twitter, and visit EcoFabulous on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ecofabulous/68044025044

Unless you’re a traffic cop, chances are you live and work in a building. And if you’re reading the Practically Green blog, you might be curious about how green a building can be. We’ve got lots of ideas on how to make your own home space more efficient and healthy. How about an entire magazine and website devoted to green building? That’s what Eco-Structure is — but you may not have seen it because it’s geared to professionals: builders, designers, architects, manufacturers.

Katie Weeks

We’ve noticed that there are more and more interesting articles in Eco-Structure lately, and so we spoke with the editor, Katie Weeks, about her approach.

The green stuff has started coming up on a noticeable scale fairly recently, about six years ago, and each year it grows exponentially. There’s lots of innovation going on, interesting people: creative and technical worlds merge. We look for excellence in terms of design and performance. There’s a stigma attached to green building, that it has to look hippyish and alternative. But today, you can have efficiency and gorgeous space in one building.

September, 2010, issue of Eco-Structure

The September issue of Eco-Structure is just coming out as we write this, and Katie graciously provided the link to the digital edition.

The new issue is all about learning environments. We feature a K-12 school in Hawaii, whose renewable-energy lab was funded by an innovative parent. We also have a School of Architecture, at a college in Portland, Oregon: it’s a retro-fit of a 1915 building – very exposed and open — with radiant panels in the ceiling. And we have a public library in Washington, D.C. It’s one of the first new libraries in the overhaul of the D.C. library system: new construction, LEED Silver, and an anchor for the community.

The Learning Environments focus sprang in part from a trip Katie took to the College of the Atlantic, in Bar Harbor, Maine, earlier this year.

I was there for the Delta Project, a three-day Think Tank. It’s an amazing, sustainable campus. There’s a new dorm cluster that’s LEED certified: small little houses, all natural. The student body there is a unique population.

From Katie’s editorial about the trip:

Our focus was the sustainable campus of the future: what would it entail, how could small higher education institutions work both independently and as larger groups to build it, and how would it possibly shape curriculum?…

What struck me most about my time in Maine, however, was the transition in scenery. The contrast in locales is perhaps best represented by this anecdote: On one day of travel, I packed up my things in a high-rise hotel nestled among the swank stores of Michigan Avenue in Chicago and unpacked them several hours later in a two-story, six-bedroom college dormitory, on the woodsy shore of the harbor in Maine, where the showpiece was a compostable toilet. More importantly, however, the change in scale of both events and locales reminded me of the wide and complex range of ways our built environments impact the natural world, whether we’re in a giant metropolis, a wooded outpost on the coast, or an airplane flying high overhead…. I challenge you to take a moment in your own journeys to look at your surroundings with a new perspective. I think you’ll find the view fascinating. I did.

We asked Katie to tell us a bit about the eco-decisions she makes in her daily life:

I live in D.C. I’m personally very conscious of the environment. We have to pay for 5 cents for plastic bags here, so I normally have bags on me. My sister gave them to everyone for Christmas. They’re called Baggu: little pouches. I love them. They come in all these great colors! I got a tip from a friend: she uses different colors for different items: orange for meat, yellow for packaged goods, green for produce.

A smattering of Baggu's color palette!

Follow Eco-Structure via Facebook or on Twitter @ecostructure

News Picks:

Water Footprint: Find out how much water some of your favorite products use! Did you know that the “Global Water Footprint” for a single apple is about 18 and a half gallons of water? Reduce *your* Water Footprint with these actions.

Fall is coming, is your garden ready? If you’re a gardening newbie and just planted a garden this summer, here are a couple tips to increase your garden’s longevity. The legendary gardening gurus at Rodale have tips on fall garden cleanup that will have you looking like a pro come spring.

The Happy Planet Index: Nic Marks discuses why we should measure success in terms of happiness in this 16-minute TED Talks video, tracking well-being against the amount of resources we use. Though the U.S. does quite well in terms of well-being, it is one of the countries that also uses the most resources. What country should we emulate? You may be surprised!

Multi-Media Pick:

Cafeteria Man: Chef Tony Geraci is on a mission to make-over Baltimore public schools’ cafeteria food. In this 2.5-minute trailer for the movie “Cafeteria Man,” students complain of “mystery meat” and tons of pizza, pizza, pizza. Geraci plans to swap unhealthy mystery food for local produce.

Get PG points for your healthy food actions!

New and Cool Pick:

DIY mini BBQ for Labor Day Weekend: Recycle a container of Altoids Sours into a mini BBQ. All you need besides the tin are some salvaged computer fan guards and a few nuts and bolts. The kids will marvel at making the little cooker, capable of cooking a full sized hot dog or small hamburger patty. The kids will love to use it for some yummy s’mores too! Don’t forget the organic chocolate.