GreenDigs Blog

We’ve been thinking about the home shop and how it could be greened even more in 2010.  Our digs are an updated grocery warehouse from the turn of the century and inherently green being a preservation project, but there’s always room for improvement right?  And being home to the GreenDigs blog… well you get the connection.  This will in fact be the first GreenDigs series, two here of six total.  Stay tuned.

A GREENER SITE

1. Plan and implement a green site and building exterior management program.

a.  Address pest management, de-icing, building exterior maintenance (painting and sealants, etc).

2. Provide a bike rack (novel idea) and a publicly accessible shower/changing room to promote alternative transportation and fitness.

3. Plant native grasses in the tree planters (currently filled with landscape bark).

4. Assess site lighting, create a plan to replace fixtures causing light pollution (bright uplights and light tresspass).

WATER USE

1. Install a demonstration rain barrel on the back deck for watering our deck plants.

2. Install low-flow (or no flow?) fixtures in our offices 2nd floor restrooms.

3. Conduct a whole building water audit to create a baseline for water usage.

Our site is downtown and consists of building, concrete, and asphalt thus no need to irrigate.

Now that we’re only a week away from Christmas we’re well into ‘Holiday Party’ season. How green have you been? Check out these tips I found at the City of Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability website (www.portlandonline.com):

• Avoid disposables. Instead, use dishes, utensils, glasses and serving dishes made of glass, metal or sturdy plastic that can be washed and reused year after year.
• If you use a caterer, ask that they provide reusable dishes; or, biodegradable paper plates and utensils they can take back to their kitchen’s compost barrel.
• Take advantage of the delicious food available locally. Buying regionally grown food reduces CO2 emissions and supports the local economy.
• Consider your guest list when preparing or ordering food so you’ll have the food people most enjoy in the right quantities.
• Put recycling and food waste boxes or buckets in plain sight where guests can easily see and use them.
• Donate unopened food and beverages, and any leftover food prepared in a commercial kitchen.
• Ask guests to bring Tupperware containers for taking home leftovers.
• Use the same decorations year after year, such as pinecones dusted with glitter, colorful ornaments and serving baskets.
• Recycle party platters purchased from delis and grocery stores. (They aren’t acceptable curbside, but there are local recyclers and a few grocers that accept them.)
• Celebrate community. Get friends together to volunteer at the local food bank or at a local shelter; coordinate a blanket or coat drive; make food baskets for gifts. 

Happy Holidays!

In line with the Christmas season, the staff at All Modern is feeling pretty generous and is giving away a $75 item (your pick) from their eco-product line. Their site features green items ranging from accessories and lighting to furniture and fireplaces, and of course, it’s all stylishly modern. Check out the AllModern.com website; you might be surprised that some of the famous classic furniture pieces have green attributes, or discover a new item which may become your classic piece… either way, it’s green and we love it!

To enter the contest, leave us a comment below with the name & location of your favorite green building, and why you like it. The contest runs from 11/20 to 11/27, and ends at midnight CST. Good luck and happy shopping!

Today I found an interesting article relating to LEED projects and acoustics (sound quality), featured on another green website. It noted how acoustics are often overlooked or improperly addressed, even though Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) credits are intended to improve them. (A webinar I participated in also reiterated this statement.) 

So if you design or assist on LEED building projects, this article is definitely worth checking out.

Kirei, most commonly known for their highly recognizable sorghum board, has expanded their line to include other green materials.  A recent visit to the manufacturer’s website brought a discovery of bamboo, wheatboard, and coconut shell green materials; all rapidly renewable products (grown, harvested and replenished within 10 years or less) which can help contribute towards LEED points.

Kirei’s bamboo line features the fairly commonly edge grain, horizontal, and strand grain versions.  Also included is a proprietary “chocolate” bamboo, which is darker in tone than a typical caramel or carbonized version. The wheatboard is marketed towards as a green MDF substitute, as it is not overly stable as a countertop surface or cabinetry front.  Is it suitable, however, as paneling or surface which does not receive high usage. Lastly, the Coco product, which is made from coconut shells, is tile form available in a woven or organic pattern.  The sizes are 12″ x 12″ tile or panel size of 48″ x 48″, which could be used in multiple ways to create patterns and forms.  Check it out.

It’s not too early to mark your calendar and make plans to attend Plain Green 2010 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center on April 28 and 29, 2010. Check out the website at www.plaingreen.org to sign up for updates about speakers, workshops, tours, and registration.

A cool new product I saw featured this past week is BP Glass Garage Doors, which is made from 100% recycled aluminum, glass, and steel, and can even be recycled at its end of life (similar to a cradle-to-cradle product).  They make commercial or residential grade garage, barn, gates, or swinging doors for various applications. (Check out their photo gallery for some great design ideas and past projects they’ve completed.) These have numerous applications, one of which could be a live/work space, to open up to fresh air and close as needed (and look really cool when illuminated at night).  Visit BP Glass Garage door’s website more more information.

Be sure to check out these upcoming green events in Sioux Falls:

City of Sioux Falls Green-ival 2009
Saturday, September 19, 2009
10am-2pm at Falls Park

The City of Sioux Falls is sponsoring the first annual Green-ival including arts & crafts vendors, musicians, educational displays, food, recycling companies, clothing, cleaning companies, landscapers and builders, and much more!

Chartreuse, a non-profit started by Koch Hazard, will be displaying some green building information for the public so swing by, say hello, and learn about alternative building methods.

The Sioux Falls Green Project is in charge of keeping this event clean and green and they are looking for volunteers.  Trash Talkers will be working from 9:45am to 2:00pm in two hour shifts so if you’re interested, contact Joe at joe@siouxfallsgreenproject.org or 605.610.4240.

Also, if you’re one of the first 50 people that take public transportation to this event you will receive a bag filled with fun green stuff from Leading Green Sioux Falls.

For more information visit www.siouxfalls.org/green.

Downtown Harvest and Wine Festival 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
10:00-4:00 at Fawick Park, Phillips Avenue, East Bank
and 5:00-8:00 at 2nd Avenue between 10th and 11th Street

The 2009 Harvest and Wine Festival in downtown Sioux Falls is focused “on sustainability and our South Dakota Heritage.” There will be booths about local history, food, and demonstrations such as stone cutting and straw bale construction as well as the Zoo Mobile, a working beehive, a pet show, horse and wagon rides, and a farmer’s market in Fawick Park from 10-4.  From 5-8 there will be wine and beer sampling and live music on 2nd avenue between 10th and 11th street.

Be sure to check out Chartreuse in Fawick Park who will be displaying straw bale construction techniques!

To learn more about the event visit the Downtown Sioux Falls Website at www.dtsf.com/Top-Menu/Latest-News/Downtown-Harvest-Festival.

Happy Friday! Time for a easy-to-understand green principle for the weekend.  Listed below is a chart of how energy use is typically spent.

As you can see (and might already know), buildings -commercial or residential- use the most energy across the board, with lighting and heating consuming the highest percentages.  So, consider LED light fixtures, room sensor switches, and incorporate daylighting into buildings.  Insulate walls with some of the new bio-based products, or even turn down the thermostat a few degrees.  We could all save some energy this weekend.

September 2, 2009 at 11:00 am. A public groundbreaking ceremony is planned for Rural Learning Center; a project designed to achieve the highest LEED standards. Platinum.

This project is creating plenty of buzz and getting noticed not only locally, but regionally and even nationally. RLC has been the muscle behind an aggressive and successful rural revitalization movement in Howard and surrounding Minor County within the past decade. The new building will have an array of green features along with cutting edge sustainable technologies, and it will truly become an example for other rural communities in the future.  

What a great way to showcase rural South Dakota!