GreenDigs Blog

Plain Green 10 was a kick. Now we’re sifting through all the bytes of information needing organization and wrap-up, and the headless snowman napkin sketch I woefully described during the “good morning welcome” has emerged. Had we been able to bring this simple diagram up on the screen, it would have illustrated our intent and mission for the day.

It was a quick illustration by Brian Dunbar from the Opening Party the night before. Brian was explaining three very different places in the way we design our world.

Degenerate. The bottom of the illustration is where most of us reside, and usually design if that is our profession, and if we’re being honest.

Sustain. The middle is really a misnomer, but worthy target.

Regenerate. At the top is what the future holds for those who truly dream, stretch and look long into the future when designing and making our world.

The ‘belly button,’ by the way, is where Brian sees green building these days.

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.

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.

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!

This past month, Armstrong introduced a new acoustical ceiling tile  – Tierra – which is composed of 45% of rapidly renewable jute fiber and has Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Silver Certification.  (Cradle to Cradle measures how environmentally sound or “green” product is by levels of certification – platinum, gold, silver, or basic.)

Armstrong markets Tierra as the “greenest” ceiling tile system available in the marketplace, and the visual appearance of the tile is virtually identical to a fine textured acoustical ceiling tile.  The performance acoustics aren’t bad either – it has a NRC of .85 and LR of .88.  The only downside is that because of the jute composition (i.e. soft fibers that cannot form edge profiles), it only has square edge profiles available in 2′x2′ or 2′x4′ sizes. No information on cost yet, but it would be an easy way to help target LEED Materials & Resources credit 6 for rapidly renewable products. Check it out on their Website.

1) Integrity Block produces a compacted-earth block to be used as a cost-competitive replacement for concrete masonry units (CMUs). They are composed of portland cement and soil content which contains up to 60% pre-consumer recycled content from mining/manufcaturing byproducts.  Creating these earth blocks uses less energy (40%) than CMU, and plans are in place for additional distribution locations (its only availabe in Northern CA currently).  Keep a look out for these in the near future.

2) MIT is working on concrete that is projected to last more than 15,000 years. While seemly impossible, the mega-dense concrete could greatly impact green (and non-green) buildings alike.  Concrete production contributes nearly 5-10% of total earth CO2 pollutants, so longer lasting structures would add less pollutants and waste to the environment. Check out their article and read our Concrete as a Green Material blog!

3) Lastly, solar roof panels from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory  are flexible and moisture resistant, to be used as traditional roof tiles. Photovoltaic panel are quite spendy, but these thin solar panels may be more affordable once released.  Unfortunately, it’s still under development so we’ll update when we find out more information.

(Products spotted on GreenSource & Inhabitat)

Countertops with recycled glass content are about as common as cell phones these days, but it’s a bit rarer to be easily accessible to the general public.

Available through Lowe’s is the ECO line by Cosentino, launched which contains a mix of up to 75% post-consumer and post-industrials recycled mirrors, glass, and porcelain materials. What makes ECO unique is its concrete/bio based resin composition; it has about 25% of natural based products used as a binder.  It’s even available in tile form as well as slab sizes.

Eco is Greenguard certified (doesn’t contribute to indoor air contaminants) and can even help contribute towards LEED points. Check out their site.

If you are at a loss to find ways to creatively incorporate reclaimed wood into a green projects, check out the Reclaimed Iconic Panels by B&N Industries.  Wood species varies from fir to teak, and all panels are finished in a low VOC varnish. Very graphic/design-esque oriented, they are FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified, making it a creative way to target LEED several credits.

 Their website features some great installation photos of the panels, check it out.