Is it time to install solar panels?
In case you haven’t noticed, the price of solar panels has decreased significantly in the last couple of years. I’m talking about photovoltaic panels that you put on your roof to generate electricity. They have gone down to the point that if you have been thinking about installing them, you might want to contact a [...]
How Our Neighborhoods are Evolving
I read an interesting article today on the NRCD’s Switchboard blog, about how the Recession has actually been helpful for the environment in many respects. We’ve curtailed wasteful spending (aka consuming so many goods), and we’re driving less.
The Recession has also helped push cities and neighborhoods into becoming more sustainable. For instance, since 2008, the environmentally [...]
Living with Relatives: A Great Way to Help the Environment
You’ve probably already heard that living in a smaller home is a wonderful way to help the environment. Smaller homes use less energy, less water, and generally take less time and resources to keep up. There’s a growing trend in America that’s also providing an unexpected positive side effect for the environment: more and more [...]
Should You Paint Your Roof White?
Take a drive down any neighborhood street, anywhere, and you’ll likely see the same sight: house after house, topped off with a black or charcoal gray roof.
What many people don’t realize is that these dark roofs are, for the most part, very energy ineffecient. At least in summer. And there’s a new grass-roots movement, called [...]
Boston Apartment Complex Saves Serious Energy
It’s not often I get to say an apartment complex is amazing. After all, most apartment complexes are, well, bland and boring. They’re designed to accommodate a huge number of people for the least amount of money. Usually this means that green initiatives are left behind (even though they usually end up saving money as well).
If [...]
A House Made Out of…Hemp?
Just when I thought green building couldn’t get any cooler, I discovered Push House.
It’s a house that just finished being built in Asheville, NC (ironically enough, not too far from where I used to live).
And it’s made out of hemp. Yeah, crazy right?
The amazing thing about Push house is that it’s made from British hemp [...]
Why Our Homes Are Finally Getting…Smaller
According to an article just released by Consumer Reports, American homes are slowly, finally, starting to get smaller.
The consumer magazine quotes figures from the U.S. Census Bureau’s annual Characteristics of New Housing Report, which was just released as well.
Now, the numbers still aren’t good. The average square footage for new homes in 2009 was 2,438. That’s [...]
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