November 2008 Archives

On October 9th the Los Altos City Council approved new requirements and incentives for green building standards based in part on the California Global Warming Solution Act of 2006 AB32.  The act requires state and local governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the level they were at in 1990 by the year 2020.

The Los Altos green building requirements focus on increasing buildings' water and energy efficiency, conserving resources in building materials and improving indoor air quality. New public facility projects and homes must score 50+ points on the city GreenPoint checklist or 45+ points on the national Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for homes (LEED) checklist. Homes that are undergoing a remodel may opt in to the new requirements but are not mandatory.

Buildings (and opted in remodeling projects) that exceed the minimum requirements may qualify for expedited permit processing up to two day expedited building inspections. For more information on California's AB 32 go here. For more information on Los Altos and the city solar program go here.

1,500 lucky high school students in Chicago Heights, IL now attend one of the nations first "green schools" built as part of an ongoing project lead by the Earth Day Network and sponsored by the Wal-Mart Foundation. 36 solar panels were donated along with two "living walls" that act as giant air filters and insulation. The school also got a greenhouse where students can learn about plants and ecology as well as a giant student-painted eco-mural.

The school, aptly named Bloom High School, will undergo a series of energy audits and has already replaced many of it's appliances and lights with energy-saving versions. For many of the students this is a first real look at green technology and sustainable living, including organic food. Nobody wants to go green more than young people because they realize that they are going to inherit the planet. President Elect Barack Obama chimed in back in October with a letter of commendation praising what the school (and it's sponsors) had done as follows:

"Dear Friends: It is with great joy that I welcome you the Earth Day Network's School Greening Project. I want to offer my congratulations on the successful "green" renovations that have been done here at Bloom High School. Educating others about the importance of preserving our environment is a noble endeavor that is inspiring to all of us. I trust that everyone in attendance today can appreciate the hard work that has gone into making today possible. Your participation in Earth Day Network's National GREEN Schools Campaign will benefit the entire community and serve as an example for our country. Once again, congratulations on your accomplishments and keep up the good work. Sincerely Barack Obama"

The GREEN Schools Campaign is still relatively new but Ellis Elementary School in Denver as well as Merrick Academy in Chicago have also gone green under the 2008 campaign. If you're interested in making your home or school more green then check out the Earth Day Network's free online resource guide here. You can donate to the EDN foundation by visiting this page.

On a day that will be forever remembered as giant step toward our society's acceptance of change, California voters struck down two alternative energy initiatives at the polls this election day. The first was Proposition 7, otherwise known as "The Solar and Clean Energy Law of 2008," which would have required that 50% of the state's electricity come from renewable sources by 2025. Critics of this action object to what they think are new loopholes created by the law which would allow utility companies more chances to avoid compliance than under current laws.

The second initiative was Proposition 10, also known as "The California Renewable Energy and Clean Alternative Fuel Act," would have provided rebate incentives for the purchase of vehicles running on alternative fuels. Critics of this plan questioned where the money would come from when the state already has a deficit. While it's unfortunate that these initiatives were beat out at the polls, it is surely a good sign that more and more legislation is being introduced to help our environment.

Most experts believe that a carbon tax and feed in tarriffs for wind and solar are the best ways to green our nation and the good news is that a small feed in tariff is expected to go into use in California in late '09 or 2010 read more here.

While this is Green Home Authority we thought that without a job... you couldn't afford a home so logically, we want to help you green your job as well! Introducing green business cards, that being business cards made from recycled paper with recycled packaging and nature friendly inks and dyes. While there are several options out there (and we encourage you to share your favorite one in the comments below) we're going to focus on one specific brand today called MOO.

After searching around online and finding some really nifty green alternatives that aren't for sale anywhere (and are super labor intensive), we decided to focus on cards that anyone could get today, as in right now! Before we were hip to the green movement our long time "inexpensive and fast" choice for b-cards was overnight prints, but unfortunately they don't offer recycled paper for any of their products, let alone green inks. Don't worry though, while we were doing research for this piece we let them know that wanted to see recycled paper and green alternatives down the line and as soon as they are available we'll update you here.

Back to the task at hand, we wanted to find a green business card printer online that would allow us to customize our cards ourselves and then have them shipped speedily. After much searching we decided on MOO.com. Right from the get go they have a paper choice option which includes "eco friendly recycled green" and that's what we chose of course. However, if for some reason you're not down with recycled paper and you choose their MOO Classic option, your cards will still be made from sustainable forests and whitened using elemental chlorine free (EFC) products which is pretty awesome. If you choose the green option your cards will be whitened with totally chlorine free (TFC) products and made from 100% recycled and biodegradable paper.

Aside from being green, the MOO interface is super user-friendly and even lets you grab pictures and artwork directly from flickr, facebook, and our favorite Etsy! Of course, you can always upload images directly from your hard drive as well. Once you've added some cool graphics and colors you will be asked to add text and business information OR... you can import it directly from LinkedIn. Wow, talk about web 2.0 overkill here! In our opinion the LinkedIn addition is unnecessary but hey, it's not a bad touch and it adds a novel "we play nice with the other kids at recess" feel. The last step is choosing paper as we've already covered. The MOO Green card is 100% recycled and has received the NAPM recycled certification from the UK. It's also uncoated, revealing the paper texture which is very high quality. This is an un-flecked, non-reflective paper, with a more traditional matt feel and we here at Green Home Authority have actually ordered and tested these cards for ourselves and give them our stamp of approval so rest easy ;)

MOO is based in London, England, where they claim to carefully print and hand-pack everything for global delivery. For a nation that isn't known for having the whitest teeth, these business cards (even the recycled paper cards) are crisp and snow white in color. Check them out and spend the extra few dollars to go green. Below is a picture printed on the inside of the shipping container from MOO which reads like a comic book of sorts, detailing the journey your cards will take. If it weren't for the fact that it's printed on biodegradable paper, people 10,000 years from now would still be able to understand its message feel the love that goes into each MOO Green order.

National Geographic just finished a story about light pollution that raises some very interesting questions about health and happiness. Environmental sustainability is about working with the natural systems surrounding and supporting our livelihood as humans but often we are polluting our very own living environments without fully realizing the impact.

Certainly people living in cities are missing out on spectacular star gazing and beautiful shadows cast by the moon or even Venus and other bright stars, but beyond that, natural sleeping patterns are being confused which causes stress on the body and mind. As our circadian rhythms and natural sleep cycles are altered new stresses are encountered and several new studies suggest a direct correlation between higher rates of breast cancer in women and the nighttime brightness of their neighborhoods.

In 2001 Flagstaff Arizona was declared the first International Dark Sky City and several other towns have followed suit, usually based on astronomy needs at local universities, but individuals can also fight light pollution, it doesn't just have to remain at the city level. New lighting systems such as this one are designed to focus light downwards and minimize the impact it can have on the community.

While entire flocks of migrating birds are being lost from exhaustion as they tirelessly circle oil rigs in the middle of oceans, and bats become more and more common in cities as they follow their insect swarm food sources to streetlights, baby turtles struggle to find the moons reflection on the ocean as they hatch because beachside properties are lit up with bright white light. The negative impacts of light pollution on nature and animals and us is more drastic than many people would realize. Keep this in mind in your community as city planning takes place and your own neighborhood and home are being expanded to include more and more bright lights. It's amazing to realize the impact of just one metal halide lamp being used in the south Atlantic by a squid fisherman (to lure pray), such light can be seen from space appearing brighter than Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro!

Please consider using the "yellow light" alternatives (also available in energy efficient CFL) often called "bug lights" that emit a soft yellow light that reduces the attraction of bugs and insects. These lights can go a long way in reducing light pollution and unwanted pests at your home but also contribute much less to your city's overall light pollution which may be impacting far more ecosystems than you know. An extensive list of light pollution resources can be found here.

Today while perusing Facebook we spotted an ad for Simple. It's a new line from Deckers Outdoor Corporation geared completely towards environmentally friendly shoes and bags made from recycled plastics, cotton, hemp, and even car tires! Deckers Corp is also behind the uber popular Teva sandals brand, UGG (those "ugly" woll boots that surfers used to wear in Australia, now popular with preppy college girls), TSUBO, and... Deckers.

The new www.simpleshoes.com website allows users to search in several unique ways for their green shoes including vegan friendly, press (where you might have seen the shoes featured), and collection. In addition to standard "eco friendly shoes" there are several designs themed to universities including the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU Buffs), University of Wisconsin, Texas Longhorns, Stanford, Duke, and Cal Berkeley.

The whole organic cotton/hemp thing is cool but the car tires are what got us really excited. The website states that "we collect used car tires that would normally be sent to a landfill, cut them up, and then use them as outsoles on some of our shoes" an idea that has been done before on a smaller scale but never picked up by a major brand.

In addition to shoes there are several cool bags available from Simple Shoes as well as a blog and a storybook adventure site by Dan Price (a digital hobo who lives "simply" as he explores the nation) called the Moonlight Chronicles. Simple Shoes also has a team of thirteen sponsored surfer athletes. Not bad...

It's just one of those things that makes sense, usually the sun is shining when you need a fan to cool off. So why not power that fan using energy from the sun? Solar powered window fans are popping up all over these days and there is even talk of a solar powered air conditioning system available on the next Toyota Prius. In addition to basic home solar window fans and even solar car window fans, there are also solar powered attic fans (which have larger panels and usually work better due to direct sun exposure).

This particular fan shown above is about half a window's width in length and can be used to circulate the air inside your house, apartment, dorm room, kitchen, bedroom, living room, garage, or anywhere else really, even inside of a car or RV potentially. Unfortunately, based on the reviews we've read this particular unit is a bit weak and only works in direct sunlight, but as photovoltaic panels become more and more efficient with higher output this type of device will surely improve. Until then, it's not a bad idea, even if it is a bit lacking in power, and if you (as a reader of Green Home Authority) are aware of a fan like this that does work well or that you have used yourself then please share your tips and links below!

By lowering the thermostat setting on your hot water heater, you can reduce its energy consumption. For every 10 degree reduction in water temperature, you can save approximately 3% - 5% in energy costs. Generally, hot water heater manufacturers will set the thermostat to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, however 120 degrees is optimum for most households and any higher than that can sometimes present a scalding hazard.

You should consult the user's manual for how to adjust your thermostat. Generally there is a dial that you can turn to either lower or raise the temperature. It may help to mark how the dial is currently positioned and then to adjust and test with a thermometer at your faucet until you get a desired temperature. In addition to adjusting the temperature, you can also save energy by turning the hot water heater to the lowest set point, or by completely turning the device off if you are going to be away from home for an extended period of time - after all there is no need to keep the water hot if you aren't going to be home to use it. Finally, adding an additional layer of insulation around the tank can help keep your water warm and in the end, less energy will be required to maintain the set point.