Big Things on the Rise in Fayetteville!

Our friends over at Eco Modern Flats have just released some new pictures of their new project in downtown Fayetteville. We're so excited about what they're doing and have what it means for northwest Arkansas that we wanted to show you guys a few pictures and ask you to help us spread the word. We're all in this together!

First Multifamily LEED Community

Some friends of our recently got their new website up and running and we wanted to spread the word about what they're doing!  Focusing primarily on LEED green apartments in downtown Fayetteville Eco Modern Flats is doing some great things with big plans!  Check out their site for more info.

"Arkansas's first multifamily community registered for LEED green building certification"

 

 

 

New Reads

From time to time I want to take a few minutes and share some great reads that I've found.  Some have to do with green building, but I try to include a few for other areas of my life as well and I'd love to hear some of your favorites as well!

The first is a book called Cradle to Cradle by William McDonough

The second book is a great book by Francis Chan called Crazy Love

Last, is a book all about people by Dale Carnegie called How to Win Friends and Influence People.

Would love to hear from any of you that have read these or on other great reads!

Cheers,

Jacob Tankersley

CEO, Founder 



Spec House For Sale!

We are very excited to say that our Spec Home is fully designed and we have the location for the build.  If you or someone you know is interested in learning more please visit our website for more information or contact us with questions. 

Here are the designs to peek your interest a little more!

A Splash of Green's Website Launch

If you have managed to miss the big news about our sister company, A Splash of Green, launching their NEW WEBSITE in 5 days, we wanted to let you know a little about how it got started.  

Here is an excerpt from the company’s website, A Splash of Green.  Be sure and check out their products as well as follow them on Twitter to enter for many big Giveaways all day on 10.10.10!  

“Our story starts out over a decade ago, when our founder, Heidi Tankersley, was desperately sick as a teenager with Chron’s Disease . Back then she learned something that changed the course of her life: the body can heal itself of sickness and disease when given the right tools and a natural, healthy environment to do so.  Heidi’s path toward all things natural and healthy began.

In recent years, Heidi and her husband, Jacob, began looking for non-toxic interior products to use within their eco-conscious building company, Greenovation Builders.

After extensive research that confirmed how toxic so many home products are today, they knew they had to educate the public and make healthier options readily available.  A Splash of Green was born…”

To  Read the Full Story CLICK HERE

Safe Carpet Removal...

Solar Power Myths

Since saving energy is one of our biggest objectives in building green homes, we thought we'd take a little time and talk about solar panels. Below is some of the best information we could find on them and we hope you find it helpful in your decision making process. (Greenlivingtips.com)

Solar panels and energy payback

One of the most prevalent myths is the one that goes something along the lines of "it takes more energy to make a solar panel than it generates during its serviceable lifespan".

This just isn't true, even low quality panels, assuming they see out their 20 - 25 year lifespan, will generate far more energy during their life than what went into making them. The average energy payback time varies as it depends on the panel, and where it is used, but 1 - 4 years is the average range. Given the 25+ year life, that's a lot of extra energy produced.

Summer and solar power

It use to be thought that summer would have to be the best time for solar power production; after all the sun is up for longer. This isn't necessarily so. One of a solar panel's biggest enemies is heat. The hotter it is, the less efficient they are. A high quality panel will have better heat tolerance (temperature coefficient) than a lower quality one, but it will suffer nonetheless.

If you're in a region where you experience particularly hot summers, your solar power system will likely crank out the most power during the spring and autumn rather than at the height of summer.

Grid connect systems and blackouts

Some people install a grid connect solar power system, that is, one that can export surplus electricity to the mains grid, thinking that during a blackout, as long as the sun is shining they will have power.

Grid connected solar power systems automatically shut down when there is a blackout in the area for safety reasons. Imagine what could happen if a system was exporting power into the grid while workers were trying to fix whatever problems were occurring.

Using a grid connected system in a blackout can be done, but it requires additional (and expensive) components and in some areas, electricity authorities will absolutely refuse to allow these sorts of systems anyway.

Solar panels don't work on cloudy days

They do work. I'm writing this now in 100% overcast conditions and my panel is still working away and cranking out enough clean electricity to power my laptop - and is even putting a little bit into my deep cycle battery (I have a small off-grid system I use when out in the boonies).

Cloudy conditions will negatively impact on production, but it depends on the degree - how much of the light is blocked.

Solar panels and waste

Solar naysayers will sometimes acknowledge the long life of a solar panel, but will raise the spectre of millions of solar panels heading to landfill in a couple of decades. This is a valid concern, however there are already recycling initiatives in development to see this doesn't happen. Over 90% of a standard solar panel's weight is material that is recyclable, such as aluminium, glass and the solar cells themselves - there's money in them thar old panels!

Solar power and baseload

Sure, the sun isn't shining all the time, but solar power can and already has proven it can be used to provide baseload power on a substantial scale; that is, a continual and reliable electricity supply 24/7. Molten salt batteries are already in use - these store heat generated by solar power during the day and the heat is used at night to generate steam to power turbines.

Making your own solar panels

This isn't a myth as such - it can be done. Over the last couple of years there's been a plethora of information products available online (for a price) that teach you how to make your own solar panels. A couple of things - firstly, the claims made in the advertising of some of these products is way over the top. For example, some of them talk about connecting a home made solar panel to your mains electricity. Safety issues aside, your electricity retailer would have pups if you tried doing this. Utilities will only allow properly accredited and certified equipment to connect to the mains for obvious reasons. Also something to bear in mind is that while you can make a solar panel, it is quite time consuming, so you'll need to determine if the time put into building one is worth it given the price of solar panels.

Solar power system size

Solar power is big business and there's a lot of questionable marketing around at the moment telling people they can get all the energy they need from an average sized solar power system. This can make solar power seem very cheap, particularly with renewable energy rebates being so widely available.

If an average sized grid connect solar power system is 1.5kW (as it is in Australia), this is possible if you're really, really, really energy efficient. The fact is most of us aren't, even the green-leaning folks among us. With so many appliances, gadgets and gizmos in the average home, and if you run an electric stove and hot water system; the 1.5kW solar power system just won't cut it in a family situation.

The easiest way to * roughly* figure out how big a system you'll need to offset 100% of your energy use over a full year is to look at your power bill, find out your daily consumption in kilowatt hours, divide that by the average *peak* sun hours a day in your area (lets say 4-5 to be conservative) and that will give you an idea of how big a system you'll need. If you're consuming 20 kilowatt hours a day, you'll be looking at a 4-5kW system.

That calculation is for grid connected systems that will receive at the very least a credit for surplus electricity exported to the grid (it's called a feed in tariff) to offset the power you'll still draw from the grid during the night and in particularly adverse weather conditions.

Off-grid systems require battery storage and extra panels, which will add substantially to the cost.

Note: peak sun hours doesn't refer to hours of daylight, but the average number of hours of sunlight at a sufficient level to produce appreciable quantities of energy.

Also bear in mind the rating of 1.5kW on a system refers to the total of the solar panel output. In a grid connected solar power system, there will be some line loss and loss at the inverter, which is the box that converts the DC voltage from the panels into AC suitable for use in the home.

However, that doesn't mean to say that installing a 1.5kW system is useless, far from it - consider the energy and greenhouse gas savings over the long term and also the value it will add to your home. I've also found that people who install systems tend to become more energy efficient or at the very least, more energy conscious.

Tip: when shopping for a solar power system, instead of letting the salesperson convince you of buying a bigger system, save your bucks and consider other energy efficiency measures you can take that would reduce the size of the system you need. After all, solar power may be comparatively green, but the greenest watt is the one that doesn't have to be generated.

Solar power isn't without its issues, but as someone enjoying the benefits of sitting here watching my single solar panel quietly at work and producing all the power I need to write this; it's sure seems a heck of a lot better than filthy fossil fuel based electricity generation.

Does LEED Fulfill It's Promises?

Critics Say:

"LEED certification has never depended on actual energy use, and it's not going to," he says. "You can use as much energy as you want and report it and keep your plaque."

The business of green building is growing rapidly, even though the construction market as a whole has been in a slump. The U.S. Green Building Council, or USGBC, and its certification system are changing the industy! The company is influencing policy, but some critics say it isn't delivering on its environmental promises. Here's one such story.

In Washington, LEED Is Law.


Stoddert Elementary School in Washington, D.C., is the site of a sparkling new building addition and rehab. Last month, crews were still putting the finishing touches on the landscaping and a new glass wall that blends into a beautiful 1932 brick schoolhouse. The school is expected to earn LEED Gold certification for its renovation and new addition.


"Architecture can no longer be just sculpture," says Rick Fedrizzi, head of the USGBC, the private nonprofit that runs the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification system known as LEED. Architecture must be about performance, Fedrizzi says, especially in the case of schools.


"We have the ability through the bricks and mortar to change the way our kids learn, absorb information, interact with their teacher, and ultimately have the ability for a much more productive life," he says. "It's a moral objective of all of us to make sure that this happens across the board."


In Washington, it's more than an objective — it is the law. All new public buildings must achieve LEED certification.

LEED is a force to be reckoned with in the construction world. Fourteen federal departments and agencies, 34 states and more than 200 local governments now encourage or require LEED certification. Some places offer incentives to certify. Others, like Washington, mandate it as a kind of code.

Under LEED, the environmentally conscious features of Stoddert will be tallied up, and the USGBC will award a plaque certifying the school as a green building.

Noise Levels And Air Quality

Architect Mary Rose Rankin of Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn says the designers paid a lot of attention to the acoustics of this building because noise levels are important for learning. It's one of the LEED requirements.

Indoor air quality is another priority. Rankin says she expects the school's new geothermal heating and cooling system to save a lot of energy.


"Our model shows a savings of around 29 to 30 percent over what a comparable baseline building would be of similar size," she says. "That's 30 percent a year. And payback, for instance, for our geothermal system should be around six to eight years."

Critics of LEED have long said it doesn't put enough emphasis on saving energy. One of the most assertive is Henry Gifford, a New York apartment building owner turned energy efficiency expert.

"It's impossible to go out and buy a building with a guarantee for how much energy it won't use," he says. "And the LEED system, by basing everything on energy predictions, continues that. This is one of the reasons why it's so popular — because it's painless."

Questioning The LEED Certification

A couple of years ago, Gifford sparked a firestorm by challenging a study funded by the USGBC that concluded that LEED buildings save energy. He says the methodology was flawed and the numbers really show that those LEED buildings used more energy than their peers.

Gifford's bottom line is that LEED awards certification before the energy savings are proved.

Gifford says LEED should have teeth. If the building doesn't perform as predicted, yank the certification. And as for the growing number of governments that require LEED?

At the USGBC's platinum-certified office space in Washington, Fedrizzi walks past the two-story waterfall in the lobby to show off some energy-saving features. Natural light streams in, bouncing off white carpet and ceiling panels to illuminate the workstations. He says the lights are rarely turned on.

"LEED buildings are significantly more energy efficient than your typical building stock," he says.

When asked about Gifford's charges that LEED doesn't live up to projections, Fedrizzi says ultimately it's not just about the design — it's about how the building is run.


"What really needs to happen is the transformation of the owners and the operators of the buildings to ensure that the building is being operated properly," he says. "I like to say you can get the same gas mileage out of a Prius that you get from a Hummer if you drive it incorrectly."


So should there be a system put in place of checks and balances to guarantee that what is being paid for in certification is indeed putting out as it says?  Should LEED be able to be written into law? With small towns and cities headed that way the criticism is sure to come out in heavier doses. 

The most striking thing about the business of LEED is how the system is being woven into the fabric of the building industry. Even in new buildings that are not LEED these days, many use it as a reference in the project specs. Regardless of the economic downturn, despite questions about performance, LEED is capitalizing on the desire for better buildings and pulling the market toward green.



(www.npr.com)

Is LEED Really Worth It?

Is LEED Certification really worth it? 

While much of the U.S. real estate market has been floundering, one area has not seen a dip. Green building now accounts for nearly one-third of new construction in the U.S. That's up from 2 percent in 2005, according to McGraw-Hill Construction, which tracks the industry.

The numbers suggest a revolution is taking place within an industry that is historically slow to change. There are many factors — and many players — in this move toward green building.

The University of Michigan officials ran the numbers this year and decided that yes: the intangibles that come from LEED are worth the investment. The university committed to seek certification on all of its new building projects worth more than $10 million. -The cost of LEED certification is a relatively small percentage of the overall cost of a building.




-For a $100 million project of the average building type, the additional cost to reach LEED silver is only about 2 percent.
-LEED silver certification would add 4.7 percent to the cost of that same $100 million project.

Certified buildings get a plaque for prominent display. And if you already know all of this, it's a sign of the brand recognition LEED has developed.

How LEED Works

LEED is set up like an arbiter of a sort of building Olympics. Projects earn points for various features. Use renewable cork flooring, for instance, get a point in the materials and resources category. Use paint that doesn't give off toxic substances — score a point for indoor environmental quality. There are categories for water efficiency and energy. Pay the fees, rack up enough points, and win a basic, silver, gold or platinum rating. The Ross building achieved silver.

The word LEED meant nothing 10 odd years ago. And now that is literally like Kleenex is to tissues. I mean, you think of a LEED building and people think, 'Oh, it's a green building.' "


(www.npr.com)

How to Build Green Homes in Northwest Arkansas

We are Greenovation Builders! We build green homes that save our customers money, increase their health, embody their natural lifestyle, all while preserving the planet.

A Green Seal of Approval for Your Home

Provided your home meets a minimum threshold for energy efficiency, you may be eligible for certification under a range of national and regional energy-efficiency certification programs. Even if you don’t already meet required thresholds, a few inexpensive improvements may be all that stand in your way.

Certification through programs such as ENERGY STAR, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Building Program, LEED for Homes and others can show potential buyers that a home promises significant utility cost savings over homes without certification – a major selling point in today’s economy. Certification also helps ensure that homebuyers and sellers alike are making greener choices that reduce overall environmental impact.

Read on to learn more about a range of energy-efficiency certification programs and how to participate.


ENERGY STAR

To qualify for certification under the ENERGY STAR program, a home must meet strict guidelines for energy efficiency as set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Homes must be at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code (IRC), and typically include energy-saving features that make them as much as 20 to 30 percent more efficient than standard homes. Some of these features include effective insulation, high-performance windows, tight construction ducts, efficient heating and cooling equipment and energy-efficient appliances.

According to ENERGY STAR, homes certified through its program use substantially less energy for heating, cooling and water heating, resulting in average savings of $200 to $400 annually. Additional savings on maintenance can also be significant, and ENERGY STAR homes are eligible for financing through energy-efficient mortgages.

The EPA reported in July 2009 that nearly 17 percent of new homes built in 2008 earned the ENERGY STAR label, up from 12 percent in 2007. According to the EPA, American families living in ENERGY STAR homes slashed more than $250 million in annual utility bills in 2008 alone, saving enough energy to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 29 million cars.

NAHB Green Building Program

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) launched the National Green Building Program in February 2008 – an education, verification and certification initiative for builders located anywhere in the United States. For a home to qualify, an independent home energy rater must verify that it adheres to the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines and the ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard, which award point values across a range of categories, including lot and site development; resource, energy, and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and homeowner education.

The NAHB website features an interactive scoring tool that helps homebuilders and homeowners alike guage how a home will score according to the Guidelines and Standard. The scoring tool also provides continual feedback, helping those who use it to understand what steps they can take to make a home more green.

Both single- and multi-family homes, including renovations, are eligible for certification through the NAHB program. To locate an accredited National Green Building Program verifier, use the state-by-state listing on the NAHB website or call the National Green Building Hotline at (877) NAHB-GRN begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (877) NAHB-GRN end_of_the_skype_highlighting.



LEED for Homes

LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a rating system created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1998. LEED ratings measure the overall performance of homes in the following eight areas:

1. Innovation and design process
2. location and linkages
3. Sustainable sites
4. water efficiency
5. Energy and atmosphere
6. Materials and resources
7. Indoor environmental quality
8. Awareness and education.


There are four levels of LEED ratings – certification, silver, gold, and platinum – awarded according to the number of points a home earns in each of the above eight categories.

Participation in the LEED for Homes program requires third-party inspection and verification through LEED for Home Providers and Green Raters. LEED for Home Providers are organizations selected by USGBC to provide certification services in local and regional markets, and Green Raters are individuals who work as part of the Home Providers team to perform field inspections and performance testing. The USGBC maintains an updated list of providers on its website.

New homes, renovated homes, and multi-family homes that meet LEED standards can be marketed and sold as LEED-approved, which can significantly increase their resale value.

(Better Homes & Gardens-Live Green)

Things To Consider...

We get questions every day about green building and more often than not, they are the wrong questions.  They're wrong because they aren't asked in the right order.  When you decide to build a green home, it's a very wise decision to find an architect and green builder who will help you ask the right questions upfront.  Don't start building and planning your dream house with the desire to go green, but not even think about the direction your house faces.  So here are 10 things to consider when you are getting geared up and starting to dream about your next home. 

1. Get oriented. Before you build, study the lay of the land, and put the sun to work for you and your home. Notice how the sunshine travels across the property, then orient your house so the rooms you'll use most often catch the best rays.


Take your climate into account. Are winters brutally cold? Plan your home so main living areas -- or any rooms you might use during the limited daylight hours of winter -- receive southern exposure. If harsh winters swing into sizzling summers, invest in high-efficiency windows (such as those with low-E glass) to keep cool.

2. Don't waste space. Do you really need a guest room? How often would you use a den? Eliminating rooms that you'd rarely use will help keep your building budget in line. In addition, you'll save the cost of heating and cooling these rooms in the future. Sit down and examine how you'll use each space in your home. What you decide might not adhere to conventional design standards, but if it will work for your family, go ahead.

3. Help out your HVAC system. Make your building materials and home design work double duty. That way, you can purchase a central air-conditioner and a furnace with less power -- and a smaller price tag. For example, use argon-gas-filled double-glazed windows. Then you can let in vast sheets of sunlight and save on the heat bill at the same time.

Ventilation is also an important part of heating and cooling. Strategically placed doors at either end of the house, along with double-hung windows at reachable heights, can be opened to let breezes sweep through the house. Similarly, an open floor plan allows heated or cooled air to pass easily from one space to the next.

Money, Doors, Surfaces, Water

4. Spend money where it counts. How your building budget is allocated is largely an individual decision, but creating an energy-efficient home usually requires a few up-front expenses that will save money in the future. Paying extra for custom work can maximize a modest space; that can be more economical than spending money and resources on additional square footage.

5. Skip the doors. Of course, doors on certain rooms, such as closets, bathrooms, and the master bedroom, are a must, but limiting the use of doors can help decrease costs. Consider separating rooms with a simple step down, a corner, or a change in ceiling height that allows the entire space to drink in the same sunlight and air (whether heated, cooled, or fresh from the outdoors), while still visually dividing the spaces.

6. Leave surfaces exposed. Drywall and the labor required to install it can get expensive. Think about leaving ceiling beams -- and the recessed lighting therein -- exposed in several areas of the house, including the breakfast room and part of the kitchen. Exposed structural elements provide visual interest and give the illusion of more volume and a higher ceiling.

7. Save water. New toilets are stingy with water, using a standard 1.6 gallons per flush. Some toilets have dual-flush handles, which allow you to choose between flushing less water (just over a gallon) for light waste or using the full amount for solid waste.

Opting for short showers rather than baths will conserve even more water, as will installing low-flow showerheads. Especially if your house has a septic tank, it's important not to overuse water. You're also saving a natural resource.

Coatings, Recycling, Natural

8. Use simple (or no) coatings. Chemical paints and coatings can be a source of major irritation in a new home. Not only can they aggravate asthma or allergies -- especially in children -- but they also require adequate ventilation and drying time.

Use water-base paints. They have less odor and require less cleanup than oil-base or alkyd paints. Treat wood floors with a citrus-base oil for a light sheen rather than with layer after layer of polyurethane.

9. Use renewable or recycled products. Simple choices in finish materials can help make your home ecologically sound. Opt for flooring manufactured from recycled materials where possible, such as rubber with embedded neoprene chips in an entryway. Not only is rubber resilient, easy-to-clean flooring, but using a recycled version keeps the material from ending up in landfills.

In the absence of recycled materials, select products that are renewable. Purchase exterior wood doors from a company that buys its lumber from a conservation forest (the company plants a new tree for every tree that's harvested).

Use maple butcher block for kitchen countertops, or fireslate, a material that looks like slate but costs about half as much. Fireslate is used in laboratories, especially in school science classrooms, because of its durability, heat-resistance, and low cost.

10. Go natural, not synthetic. Select cellulose insulation, which is made out of plant fiber, instead of fiberglass, and Homasote, a recycled newspaper product, as a substitute for drywall in some places. Use linoleum for the kitchen floor rather than vinyl, carpet made of wool and sisal, a natural grasslike fiber and wood floors. A metal roof shields the house from harsh sunlight, and since it's not petrochemically produced, is a nontoxic material.

More Tips


Green building, while certainly not difficult, is not quite mainstream yet, at least in most regions. That's why it's a good idea to research the subject on your own so you know what to ask for and what sort of things will work for your new house. Scour home improvement magazines and books for tips, and explore the Internet for information (conducting a search for the term "green building" will help you get started. Your search will lead you to local, regional, and national sources for eco-sensitive materials and methods.

"You have to dig and find out about these things for yourself," says architect James Sterling. "It's still a kind of underground thing." It's also important to work with architects, designers, and other home-building professionals who are familiar with environmentally friendly materials on the market. These people will know what's available, where to buy, and how to get a fair price.


(Better Homes & Gardens-Live Green)

That's Right, We're in the Top 7!

Fayetteville recently made the list of Top 7 Unexpectedly Green Cities! 

"When we think of green cities, most of us think of the same perpetual lineup: Portland, Boulder, San Francisco, Seattle, and Burlington. We here at HuffPost Green wanted to expand the green cities label with some more contenders. What about Eugene? Fayetteville? Austin? Long Beach?

Rated one of the NRDC’s green cities to watch with a population of 67,158, Fayetteville is an up and coming green city nestled in the Ozark Mountains. Fayetteville boasts an impressive farmers market in the newly renovated downtown square, featuring fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs. Since 2007, Fayetteville requires all buildings greater than 5,000 square feet to be LEED-Silver Standard certified. The city also instituted Project LIGHTS to provide energy efficient light bulbs to low-income residences. Fayetteville is the first in the state to employ a Sustainability Coordinator, using the funds saved through eco-friendly measures to pay for the job."

We were so excited to read this and know that we are smack-dab right in the middle of a growing revolution in the U.S.!  We love what we do, but more than that, we want to help people save money and live healthier lives, all while being excellent stewards of the earth we've been given!  It is our passion to be leading the way as green experts in this fast growing field so let us know if you have questions and we'll do our best to answer them! 

Email us at contact@greenovationbuilders.com

We'd love to hear from you!

10 Ways to Tighten Your Belt in the Kitchen

Recession is still in the air, and talk of a second downfall in our ever-so-stable economy is one of the main topics! So here are some tips on tightening your belts. Taken from one of our favorite sources Planet Green!

The weekly grocery bill takes up a lot of the average family's income so here are some ideas about how to cut out some of the fat.


1. Ditch prepared meals right now: Consumers have been led to believe that they don't have the time to cook and it simply isn't true. You can have a healthy meal on the table within half an hour. Prepared meals have more fat, more sugar, more salt, more preservatives, and more garbage waste than anything you can cook yourself.

You will be paying significantly more per serving than if you cooked it yourself. Someone has to pay for executive salaries and television advertising, why should it be you?

2. Plan ahead: Yes, this is going to take a bit of effort, but once you get going it will be easy. Make sure you have a well stocked pantry. Canned or dry legumes, rice, pasta, canned tomatoes should all be on hand to make quick, nutritious meals.3. Plan your week: Take the time to work out a menu plan for the week. Most people grocery shop once a week and they toss things into their carts, without considering what they really need. If you know what you are going to eat, and you have the right ingredients, you'll be less likely to call for takeout, or head out to the fast food joint.

4. Cook more meatless meals: Meat will consistently be the most expensive food item in your grocery cart. The ready availability of other protein sources allows you to expand your food repertoire and have a healthier diet.

5. If you do use meat, use less: As I pointed out in my weight loss post, no one needs a 10-ounce steak. Cut back on the amount of meat that you cook and increase the amount of vegetables for each serving.

6. If you do use meat, use a cheaper cut: There's a reason why your mother or grandmother made stew-it's cheaper. There are lots of recipes for braises and stews that use cheaper cuts of meat and cook for a longer time.

Take advantage of a snowy Sunday afternoon and get something cooking that will fill your house with a wonderful aroma. If you make a large recipe, you will probably get more than one meal from it.

6. Use your leftovers: If you are cooking instead of eating prepared foods, you are going to encounter leftovers. Don't let them turn to mould in the back of your refrigerator. Add leftover vegetables to soups, toss them into that stew, make a stir fry ,or take them to work for lunch.

7. Plan meals that will stretch through the week: If you make a spaghetti sauce one night, make enough to use in another meal. Use it as a soup base or make an eggplant parmigiana.

8. Make friends with your freezer: I admit to being a total hypocrite saying this, because my freezer holds a bottle of gin and martini glasses and precious little else. I don't work outside of the home, however, so I don't need to "bank" any food in the freezer. If you are making that spaghetti sauce already, make twice as much and freeze some for another day.

9. Brown bag it for lunch: I sent my kids off to school with a hot lunch every day once they were in high school. Sometimes I made something new, but mostly I just made enough dinner the previous night that I could heat it up in the morning. You have to invest in a good thermos, but it is significantly cheaper than buying lunch in a cafeteria or a restaurant.

10. Forget the pineapple: Unless you live in Hawaii, of course. Buy local vegetables, in season. Support your local farm economy buy going to your local farmer's market.

5 Things that will Drastically Cut your Electricity Bill

One of the first steps that you should take in an economic slump is finding all the areas of fat and cutting them. I don't mean going on a diet, well I sort of do, a utility diet. Do everything that you can to control your fixed expenses. That means downsizing your living space, transportation, cable bill, water bill, and electricity bill. Cutting your electricity bill can have a dramatic effect. Here are some quick and easy ways to downsize your electricity bill really fast:

Plug everything into power strips and turn them off when you leave everyday.

Control your thermostat and dress for economic success, which means heavier pajamas. Get under the blankets at night and turn the heat off if you can. You save $114 annually by adjusting your thermostat three degrees.

Use candle light. It's so much more relaxing and it doesn't take any energy at all. If you're just sitting around watching television turn off the lights and enjoy some soy candles.

Don't buy a television for every room. They suck up way too much energy.

Use the most energy efficient appliances in the kitchen like the slow cooker instead of the stove. When compared to a conventional oven which uses 2.7 pounds of CO2 for one hour of use, a slow cooker uses .9 pounds of CO2 for seven hours of use. If you have the money, buy energy efficient appliances.

The Hidden Truth about Most Carpets

Did you know that new carpet can be one of the most toxic things put in your newly built or renovated home? Sadly, this truth is generally ignored (or even hidden) by the general public.

Do you know what mainstream carpeting fibers are made of? Plastic. Yep, that's right. Plastic!

In talking with a woman who had been in the carpeting/textiles industry for many years I learned some interesting things.

I was informed that they push melted plastic through big machines (much like you would envision long doughy spaghetti strings being pushed through a metal strainer) and viola--carpet fibers are born! Simply tie this plastic to some more plastic backing, coat it with some more chemicals, and its ready to be shipped to your local carpet store.

Crazy, we know! Now the "new carpet" smell is making a little bit of sense. It also makes sense that you can get headaches, nausea, and even extreme physical reactions such as seizures from your new carpeting. Check the link below for a startling documentary on one little boy's severe reaction.

So, what are your available options besides this plastic, chemical cocktail?

Introducing a breath of fresh air: EarthWeave Carpet Mills Inc. and their BioFloor Line. This is 100% natural, untreated wool carpeting. The only color variations come from color of the sheep themselves. Perfect for families with small pets, children, and the chemically sensitive. It will also appeal to those wishing to turn their home's interior into a fresh, natural oasis. (Which we all deserve to have.) No chemicals are ever used during the process: all the way from shearing the sheep to attaching it to the 100% natural jute and cotton backing. Undeniably durable: 20+ lifespan and TOTALLY BIODEGRADABLE!

There are five different color lines to choose from and 4 different weave options. Wall to wall carpeting and rugs are both available. Visit A Splash of Green for more information. Online purchasing capabilities will be coming this Saturday, so be sure and check back and tell your friends!


To read the frightening carpeting documentary, click HERE.

      

16 Ways to Green Your Home: Part 2

If you read last week's blog hopefully you are well on your way to 'greening' your home this summer!  Most of us just need to prioritize the time to make the changes we have been wanting to make for some time and why not take this summer and start implemting at least a few of the ways listed last week and below to start being the change you wish to see in the world!  It starts now!

First let's start with 4 Ways to Choose Green Products:

8. Buy Local

Buying local produce reduces the amount of fossil fuels required for the transportation of products from

other parts of the country or the world. It also reduces the amount of plastic and paper products consumed

in the packaging of such far-traveling products. Buying local reduces consumption of valuable natural

resources.

9. Use Low-VOC Products

Improve your indoor air quality by switching to products that don’t give off “volatile organic compounds”

(VOCs). Some common low-VOC or no-VOC products include:

• Paint: A low-VOC paint is available from most major paint brands

• Cleaning products: Low-VOC cleaning alternatives are available for sale, or you can make your own VOC-free cleaning products using simple household materials like baking soda, vinegar and borax.


10. Use Wood Alternatives or FSC-certified Wood Products

11. Use Rapidly Renewable Flooring Materials

Now there are affordable, durable, and rich-looking flooring and cabinetry materials you can use that have a positive effect on your health and pocketbook. (Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)) You can choose from flooring options made with grasses and trees and mature flooring products are a sustainable alternative to traditional hardwoods. 12. Plant Trees to Provide Shade and Wind Protection for Your Houseficiency Carficient cars at http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/bestworst.html

3 Ways on how to Green Your Yard

This simple step can help you save money on heating and air conditioning bills while providing beautiful

views around your home.

13. Use Native Plantings

Native plants have been growing and evolving in your area for thousands of years and, as a result, have

adapted to the local soils and climate. As a result they are more likely to thrive with minimal care, unlike exotic

plants. That can mean less need for water, fertilizer and pesticides.

Additional info on green landscaping techniques can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/reg3esd1/garden/.

14. Use Nontoxic Gardening Techniques

Many gardeners over-apply or improperly apply pesticides, putting themselves, their families, and pets

at increased health risk. Nearly half of all households have pesticides stored within reach of children. About

230,000 people each year are treated in hospital emergency rooms for injuries relating to various lawn

and garden tools. Our clean air and drinking water are affected by pesticides and garden equipment emissions.

2 Ways on how to Green Your Transportation

15. Carpool, Use Public Transportation, Walk or Bike When Possible

Environmental responsibility does not begin and end at your doorstep; green transportation means can

greatly reduce your energy expenditures and carbon emissions from your daily routine.

16. Buy a High-ef

See the U.S. Department of Energy’s list of most fuel ef

The type of while reducing your environmental impacts.

• Consider using environmentally preferable and rapidly renewable products such as linoleum, bamboo, recycled-content tile or non-VOC carpet.

• Choose wood products from sustainably managed forests, such as those certi

• Use locally sourced products when possible to reduce carbon emissions associated with the transportation of those products.

Alternative Beauty Products??

I know, I know, this is a blog about green building and products right?  Well, along the subject of all things green; saving energy, saving money, saving consumption...I stumbled upon the following information and I couldn't help but think how many women would love to know this stuff!  Well, more than that, actually have the time to apply it to their lives, but in any case it is an incredible source of information I have now "favorited" on my desktop for that time in my life when I will have time.  But, I'll encourage you in this venture much like I do any other area of my own life, just start with one.  Start recycling one thing.  Start reading one book on 'green living'.  Start making one beauty product. Start implementing ONE change in your life at a time and discipline yourself (your kids, your family, etc) to master just that one before moving on. 

(The following is a blog from Planet Green and if you'd like to see the article in its entirity feel free to follow the link below, we have simply put the information below for your own convenience, but in no way claim the article as our own, but a great source of information!)

50 All Natural Beauty Products You Can Make Yourself

Natural, easy, and cheap -- simply beautiful!

"I looked at my bathroom counter this morning and realized that I buy very few commercially-manufactured beauty products anymore. Mixed up in baby food jars and other reused containers, my daily arsenal consists of homemade shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste/tooth whitener, lip balm, lip gloss, dry skin salve, and solid perfume. The goats milk soap I buy is locally made by a non-profit goat rescue farm. And my kids use a lot of the same stuff I do.

I started making my own beauty products because I'm cheap, and I couldn't stand the idea of paying retail prices for things that I could easily make, and make better, for much less. But I've expanded the items I make because, like many of you, I'm concerned about what the chemicals in all of those commercially produced products are doing to my body.

The items below are easy and fairly inexpensive to make. You can customize many of these to your own preferences. And you'll have the peace of mind of knowing that you aren't putting anything harmful on your body."

Hair Care

1. Dry Shampoo

2. Use Vegetable Oil to Condition Your Hair

3. Add Lasting Shine to Your Hair With Vodka

4. Chamomile Shampoo

5. Avocado Mayonnaise Deep Conditioner
6. Rosemary Hair Conditioner
7. Home Remedies for Shiny Hair
8. Blonde Hair Dye Recipe with Lemon and Chamomile
9. Brunette Hair Dye Recipe with Coffee or Tea
10. How to Henna Your Hair
11. Go 'Poo Free: Baking Soda Shampoo, Apple Cider Vinegar Conditioner

Skin Care

12. Spoil Your Face with Spoiled Yogurt
13. Make Your Own Shaving Cream
14. Yogurt and Honey: Two Key Ingredients in Your DIY Facial
15. Blueberry Facial Mask
16. DIY Hand Softener
17. Exfoliate with Strawberries
18. Make Your Own Egg White Facial Mask to Fight Acne
19. Five Natural Blemish Busters
20. Easy Homemade Facial Masks
21. Make Your Own Lotion
22. Gentle Oatmeal and Yogurt Facial Cleanser
23. Cucumber-Honey Toner
24. Rose Facial Toner
25. All-Natural Salve for Dry Skin
26. Get Gorgeous Summer Skin with Homemade Body Scrubs
27. Chocolate-Orange Lip Balm
28. Green Tea Facial Toner
29. 5 Skin Care Recipes from Common Ingredients
30. Olive Oil Moisturizer

Makeup

31. Make Your Own All-Natural Lip Gloss
32. DIY Bronzer Compact
33. DIY Lipgloss Tinted with Beets
34. Enhance Your Eyelashes Naturally
35. DIY Beeswax Lip Gloss

Perfume and Colognes

36. Make Your Own Perfume from Flowers in Your Garden
37. Make Your Own Solid Perfume
38. Soothing Summer Body Spray
39. Sandalwood/Bergamot Perfume
40. Passionflower and Ylang Ylang Perfume
41. Aftershave for Men

 

Hygiene

42. Lemon and Salt Tooth Whitener
43. Homemade Natural Stick Deodorant
44. Use Baking Soda as Deodorant
45. Easy Homemade Soap

Foot Care

46. DIY Pumpkin Foot Scrub
47. End-of-Day Foot Spa
48. Strawberry Food Scrub

Nail Care

49. Cuticle Cream
50. Nail Strengthener

16 Ways to Green Your Home: Part 1

Change. 

It is one of the hardest things for us as human beings to master.  Even those of us who thrive on change and claim to embrace it have our areas that are still hard to change.  Sometimes it just takes a change in mindset, a little education or some practical tools and steps to get the ball rolling.  Well below is some key information we gathered from the US Green Building Council. It's a great way to kick start making some changes in your home and family to save money, energy, preserve the planet, and live healthier lives. 

Let us know if and how this was helpful for you.

Here are the first 7 on Lowering Your Utility Bills! 

1. Switch to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) can be a huge energy saver. Replace some (or all) of your incandescent fluorescents and enjoy reductions in heat production, energy use, and electric bills!

Savings: Five of the most frequently used light bulbs in your home can save you $100 per year!


2. Program Your Thermostat
When you are at home, keep the thermostat at 78°F or higher in the summer and 62°F or lower in the winter eficiently. Programmable thermostats allow you to program the systems to reduce output when they are not needed (e.g., when no one is home during the day, or in the evening when everyone is sleeping).

Savings: Reduce your energy bill by $100 per year or more!

3. Plug Air Leaks
This simple step can go a long way toward keeping your home at the temperature you desire, saving

money on heating and air conditioning bills and more. Common leaks occur around windows, doors, and

other wall penetrations. Plugging those leaks with weather stripping and caulk can be a simple task for

anyone!

Savings: Reduce your energy bill by $100 per year or more!

4. Tune Up Your Heating and Cooling (HVAC) System
Have a checkup for your HVAC system every 2 years to make sure it is running efficiently. Be sure to clean filters monthly during times of peak usage; a dirty filter can significantly reduce the efficiency of your HVAC.

Savings: Reduce your energy bill by $100 per year or more!

5. Choose ENERGY STAR Appliances, their qualified products meet a high level of energy efficiency, which can translate into savings on electric bills. When considering the price of a new appliance, take into account not only the purchase price, but also the long-term savings associated with an energy-efficient appliance!

Savings: Reduce your energy bill by $50 per appliance per year or more!

6. Reduce Water Use


• Indoor: Use less water by adding aerators (available for a few dollars at your local home supply
store) to your sink faucets and changing to low
• Outdoor: Incorporate native plants in your landscape plan and minimize high-maintenance landscaping such as turf grass to conserve water, while still maintaining a beautiful lawn.



Savings:Reduce your water bill by as much as $100 per year!



7. Switch to Green Power

Green Power is an optional utility service for customers who want to help expand the production and

distribution of renewable energy technologies. With green power, you do not have to change your electricity

provider. Instead, customers choose to pay a premium on their electricity bill to cover the extra cost

of purchasing clean, sustainable energy.

More info on green power can be found at: http://www.eere.energy.gov/greenpower/markets/index.shtml..gov/greenpower/markets/index.shtml

(The last 9 Ways focus on products and greening your yard...stay tuned)

Alternative Toys!

It's Wednesday and with that we'd like to showcase a product that you probably haven't heard of up to this point, but your children will thank you for reading on!  We've all heard and, for most of us, played with Play-doh at some point in our lives, but did you know what's actually in the stuff?  Here's just a short recap:

 

Play-Doh contains water, salt, and wheat flour, a starch-based binder, a retrogradation inhibitor, salt, lubricant, surfactant, preservative, hardener, humectant, fragrance, and color.  A petroleum additive gives the compound a smooth feel, and borax prevents mold from developing.

Exactly what I want my children playing with and yes, on occasion putting in their mouth (let's be real, we all did it!)! So, today we'd like to give you a great alternative for that creative time with your kids! 

A winner of Dr. Toy’s Best Classic Toys in 2009, Happy Fun Dough is a natural alternative to popular Play-Doh products. The dough is made by For My Kids from flour, water, salt, vegetable oil, cream of tartar and citric acid, and each individual jar of dough gets its color (brown, green, natural, orange, pink or yellow) from plant extracts. There’s even a gluten-free variety. What’s more, Happy Fun Dough packaging is completely recyclable, and discarded dough can be safely composted.

A sample pack—2-oz. tins of each of the colors in a reusable cotton drawstring bag—costs $23.49.

The Super Mega Fun Pack—4-oz. tins of each of the colors—is $35.99.

Let us know what you think of it! 

Training Your Kids to Go Green

I recently read an article on the importance of training your children on living green and there were opposing views  that one should just let their children choose so that they truely value it later in life.  Personally I think you must train a child and show them how to live green or else how will they know.  Yes, they will always be able to choose as they grow up, but isn't that the job of a parent, to show and train your children in the way they should go.  Yes, I pulled that last part straight out of the Bible, but it's quite simple, watch a young child very long and you'll know that you don't have to teach a child to be bad, it's just in them.  But you MUST teach a child to be good and show them what is right.  I believe this overflows into many other areas of their little lives. 

So with that said, here are 10 things you can do as a family to train your children to go green! 

1) Get green school supplies. Going back to school and going green can go hand in hand! Kids can get green school supplies that will make a big difference in price. Your green school supplies also provide an opportunity to share your thoughts on the environment with other students and teachers who notice that they are a little different.
 *This could include reusing old supplies, using passed down supplies from others, using recylcled paper and pencils, etc.
2) Walk, carpool, or have them take the bus to school. Less carbon emissions and less smog comes from less burned fuel. We have to use gasoline to run most of today's cars - so, let's use as little of it as we can! When you share a ride with others, it means fewer people have to use gas, and when you walk or bike there is no fuel burned at all...except maybe your breakfast.

3) Teach them to turn off the water while showering and brushing teeth. Most people let the water run while soaping up or brushing, but that wastes water. Run the water to get your towel and body or toothbrush wet, and then wash or brush with the water off. It saves water AND time because you end up focusing on getting clean and getting out of there!

4) Start an organic garden at home or school and create compost for it. It's a large undertaking, but if you can get the teachers behind you, it's very likely that the principal will allow you to start an organic garden of some kind and a compost heap to fertilize it.  Also a possible area of extra credit!

5) Turn off lights and appliances/electronics when not in use. Kids who aren't environmentally conscious don't usually think about turning off lights and appliances because kids in general aren't cost conscious. That means kids waste stuff. Kids who reduce, reuse, and recycle know that wastefulness is not good, and one thing they do not waste is energy. Although cleaner energy is becoming more common, no energy should be wasted. When you're not using lights or appliances/electronics (TV, computer, video games, etc.) TURN THEM OFF!

6) If parents recycle, allow the kids to sort.  Going green is a lifestyle, so get in on the day-today activities by doing your part. Find out about recylcing centers that pay you to recycle!

7) Volunteer with community organizations that plant trees. Trees help us enjoy cleaner air and more beautiful landscapes. Find organizations where you live who plant trees, and then volunteer to help! The Arbor Day Foundation is a good place to start if you need help locating a group in your local area.

8) Hand-wash dishes or only run the dishwasher for full loads. Most people don't realize it, but dishwashers use considerably more water to wash a load of dishes than the traditional sink method does. A LOT MORE. So, to conserve water, it's best not to use the dishwasher at all. If you do, use eco-friendly dishwashing detergent and only run the washer when it is completely full. If it's not full or if you can, choose to wash dishes in the sink instead, of course, with eco-friendly dishwashing liquid.

9) Reduce waste by curbing use of disposables. It's easy to use throwaway cups, plates, wrappers, and utensils, but it only creates more waste for landfills. Also, disposable paper products like facial and bathroom tissue and paper towels and napkins also end up in the trash. We can save more trees by using less paper products, and we can keep more plastics and styrofoam out of the landfills by using less throwaway utensils and containers. Also, eating less often at fast-food restaurants cuts down on your useage of these items, too.
When you have to use them, use less. When you don't have to use them, DON'T.

10) Teach your children to ease up on the video games. Playing video cames on both computers and systems uses a LOT of energy! That's why your system or computer feels hot afterwards! They can save on energy by simply doing homework or going outside to play instead of posting up in front of the TV or computer screen. This activity uses more electricity than regular TV or computer useage, so it should be kept to a minimum