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 stems (grown without pesticides) mixed with a binder made from hydrated lime.

According to Treehugger. Hempcrete, as it’s called, isn’t strong enough to hold the house up structurally, so it does have a wooden frame. But Hempcrete is a great insulator and is incredible soundproof.

Although the house is breathable, Push says there is no concern over mold and mildew, especially in Asheville’s damp environment. They’ve tested and rested the hempcrete, and have found no evidence that the material is susceptible to mold, even when it’s soaked in water for days.

And if you think this hemp house is going to feature black lights and hand-me-down Ikea furniture, think again. This eco-friendly house is super high class.

Take a look at some of these pictures; all images courtesy PUSH.

Can you believe how incredible gorgeous this house is?

When I saw it, my mouth was on the floor. The lines are so clean and austere; this is the type of house you can really breathe in. Next time I’m in Asheville I’m going to have to go visit.

Global Production…

Push is already getting modular plans completed so they can start offering their hemp homes globally. Hopefully this will mean a low-cost green housing that we can put up in a matter of days or weeks.

Push is going to keep updating their blog as they get further along on the West Asheville non-toxic hemp house, so I’ll keep you all updated as they go!

Rethink Energy Efficiency

If someone asked you the most effective way to save energy, what would you say?

Chances are, you’d tell them to turn off the lights, drive less and change the thermostat. At least, that’s what most people would say.

An intriguing article was recently published in Scientific American that says this isn’t the case, however. Scientists surveyed over 500 Americans to learn what their preconceptions about energy savings are. And they discovered that most people overstate how much energy they’re saving.

To truly save energy, we have to improve the efficiency of our homes and cars. We need to replace our drafty windows, add insulation to the attic, replace our old appliances, and transition to cars that burn less fuel.

So why do so many of us cite flipping the switch and driving less as the best ways to save energy? The reason is because those actions are easy-we can do them with little or no thought.

High impact changes like adding insulation to our home requires thought and planning. We have to go to the store, figure out what kind of insulation to buy, purchase it, and then come back home to install it. Because this is so much work, many of us negate this huge impact this would have on our energy consumption. Turning off lights is just so much…easier.

What We Can Do

Scientific American lists some really easy, high-impact changes we can make.

For instance, choose aluminum over glass when buying a beverage. Glass requires 1.4 times the amount of energy that aluminum requires.

Also, don’t bother line drying your clothes. Simply switching to cold water and optimizing your loads will save more energy than skipping the dryer.

Another great suggestion? Cool the room, not the entire house. Many people think that room A/C units burn just as much energy and whole-home systems. But this is false; cooling one room will save much more energy than using an entire system.

A Human Powered Car?

We’ve done a lot of talking on this site about pollution, global warming, and oil dependence. And since so many of us are dependent on our cars to get around, it only makes sense that they’re a big part of the problem.

But here’s a novel idea: what if we had access to a human powered car? That is, a car that could get up to 60 mph, have enough room for passengers, and was completely powered by…wait for it…our own energy.

Sounds crazy, right? I mean, that kind of car was what Fred Flinstone drove around. Is something like that even possible in our society?

Amazingly enough, it is. And it’s happening right now.

Take a look at HumanCar.

The HumanCar is a street-legal Low-Mass Vehicle that’s currently ready for production. It’s 100% powered by human energy, and can get up to 60 mph.

The company is currently taking advance orders for their first run of production. The cost is $15,500, and hundreds of people have already signed up to own one.

The cool thing is that you don’t feel like rowing, there’s an electric motor that will take over. The car can also be used to power your home, or as a portable power generator.

Personally, if I didn’t live in an area that was cold 8 mos. of the year, I’d definitely be on board to own one of these cars. I think this is an incredible smart solution to a lot of our problems.

Think about it…

First, with the HumanCar we don’t have to use any fossil fuels to get around.

Second, we don’t emit any greenhouse gasses.

Third, we’d help solve our obesity epidemic because more people would be getting more exercise.

Sounds like a dream come true, right?

Again, check out the HumanCar site; there are some great videos, even one from CNN, that shows how the car works.

GM Crops Now Growing in the Wild…

Remember that scene in Jurassic Park, when all the archeologists are touring the “nursery” for the baby dinosaurs?

In that scene, the main character, Sam Neill, asks one of the genetic scientists how they’re managing to control the population of all the dinosaurs.

The scientist gives him a smile, and says, “Oh, all the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park are female. They can’t reproduce, which means we control the population.”

And, we all know how THAT turned out.

Sometimes, movies do get it right. And when Jeff Goldblume says, “Nature will find a way,” he was spot on.

We can see this playing out right now in Nebraska. Scientists have discovered that genetically modified plants, mainly canola, have begun spreading into the wild.

Scientists investigated over 3,300 miles of roads in Nebraska. They photographed 407 canola plants growing by the side of the roads. What’d they find?

That 80% of them were the genetically modified strain of canola that local farmers had been using. These strains are resistant to the herbicide Roundup. They’re also drought resistant, and heat and cold tolerant.

This means they’re going to be very difficult to control. The CDC suggests now that gm crops are reproducing with native species, we could begin to see strains of “superweeds”. Since this new strain is resistant to all natural forms of weed control (drought, heat and cold) as well as man made forms of weed control (Roundup), chances are high it’s going to spread like wildfire.

As much as I hate to think about it, the situation resembles Jurassic Park just a little too closely. Fortunately for us, the canola plants aren’t going to rear their ugly heads and, teeth flashing, chase us down a muddy road at night.

But they are going to spread. And spread. And spread. All because a group of scientists thought, just like in the movie, that they could control Mother Nature.

Just How Clean is Natural Gas?

Many people tout natural gas is a “clean fuel”. And there’s no doubt that it’s much cleaner than coal.

But just how clean is it? Is running our homes and cars on natural gas as eco-friendly as we think?

Well, like most things, the answer is a bit complicated.

The Benefits of Natural Gas

Natural gas is probably the cleanest of all the fossil fuels we use because, when burned, it emits less carbon dioxide per joule than oil or coal.

Another great thing about natural gas is that it’s 100% American. We have a ton of this stuff, which means we don’t have to import this energy. Less transportation=less carbon footprint.

Side Effects of Natural Gas Drilling

There are, however, some pretty nasty side effects to natural gas.

For instance, The National Wildlife Federation recently published an incredibly enlightening feature on natural gas. And they report that over 5,000 new natural gas wells have been dug out in northwestern Colorado between 2000-2008.

And, that’s just in Northwest Colorado.

All told, there has been over 120,000 new wells dug in the past decade; all of them are out West.

The landscape now looks like the suburban sprawl outside of a major city like Dallas or Los Angeles. There are roads, infrastructure and huge swaths of land simply cut away to make room for piping and trucks.

Getting natural gas out of the ground is also devastating for the environment. The process used is called hydrolic fracking, and it pollutes groundwater. It’s also not regulated, at all, by the government. The reason is because of “Halliburton’s Loophole“, which was put into the 2005 Clean Water Act by, you guessed it, Dick Cheney.

This loophole allows gas regulars to escape any kind of oversight or regulation on the water they’re using to pump out the natural gas. This polluted water goes right back into our streams, lakes and rivers. Drillers also don’t have to report their toxic emissions to the EPA. Ever.

Last Word…

Natural gas might burn clean. But getting it out the ground so we can use it is definitely not clean.

What we need is some kind of government oversight to hold drilling companies accountable for their wastewater runoff and the chemicals they’re pumping into the ground. If you’d like to get involved, head over to Food and Water Watch; there’s a petition going to convince Senators and Congressional Reps to close Halliburton’s Loophole so that they can be held accountable for their drilling practices, and the harm they’re causing to the environement.

Last Decade Warmest On Record…So Far

According to the annual “State of the Climate” report, released Wednesday, the past decade has been the warmest on record. And, things are continuing to get worse.

The report, states MSNBC, is compiled by over 300 scientists in 48 countries. And they’re all saying the same thing: global warming is real.

The amount of temperature increase is fairly small: only 1/5 of a degree each decade. But, it adds up.

Over the past 50 years we’ve increased our average mean temperature by one degree. And look what’s happening: glaciers are melting, heat waves are becoming longer and hotter, storms are increasing intensity…

It’s not good.

The scientists also report that this past June was the warmest on record. And so far, July is shaping up to be the same.

What We Can Do to Slow Climate Change

I know this kind of news can leave us feeling a bit hopeless. After all, a problem this big seems insurmountable at times.

Here is one easy way we can make a big difference:

Switch to Renewable Energy

If you can make the transition to wind, solar or hydro power, then make this a first priority.

But if you can’t, there’s still something you can do to make the switch.

Many power companies now offer a “green” option for their customers. For instance, my own power company out of Detroit has a program called Green Currents. For a small fee (based on how many kWh I use per month) I can pay to get my power from a local wind farm.

I signed up last year. So far, I pay about $7 extra per month to be a part of this program.

What good is this doing?

Well, it means I’m using clean energy, not energy that comes from our local coal-fired power plant. This means that my home power use is not contributing greenhouses gases to the atmosphere.

Check with your energy provider to see if they offer a green program like this. You might be surprised at just how many companies are moving in this direction!

Want to Get Off Oil? Start Making Biodiesel…

I don’t know about you, but I’ve sure been grumbling about my oil consumption since the Gulf Spill occurred. Every time I fill up my tank, I truly feel like I’m part of the problem.

I’ve made efforts to curtain my oil consumption, but I live in a rural town. This means no public transportation, and any foray into a civilized town with good restaurants means a half hour drive.

Which is why I’m about to buy a new car so I can start making my own biodiesel.

Transitioning to Biodiesel

I know on the surface buying a new car has nothing to do with curtailing my oil consumption.

But, I drive a little Honda Civic. Which means, gas only. If I want to get off oil, I have to have a car that burns diesel.

Right now I’m considering the VW Jetta TDI Wagon.  Take a look…

The VW TDI Sportwagon uses Clean Diesel. Which means I could convert it to handle biodiesel and/or cooking oil blends.

Another bonus? Car and Driver reported that they were able to coax 50 mpg out of this car when they were testing it. That’s 20 more mpg than my Civic gets.

Is It Hard to Make Biodiesel?

Well since I don’t have my diesel car I haven’t made any yet. But my husband has researched the heck out of this subject, and he’s convinced we can easily do this in our garage.

There are several benefits to running your car off biodiesel.

1. Biodiesel uses vegetable oil. This means if you source your oil from restaurants (like McDonald’s), you’re reusing a waste product. This is called WVO, or Waste Vegetable Oil. It’s cheap, or even free to use.

2. Biodiesel reduces emissions from your car, which cuts down on greenhouse gasses.

3. Depending on what kind of biodiesel blend you use, you could save significantly on fuel costs. Some experts estimate that biodiesel homebrewers are making fuel for around 50 cents per gallon in their home.

Modifying Your Car

So, do you have to modify your car to use biodiesel?

Well, yes and no. The level of modification depends largely on the fuel you’re putting into your car.

If you’re going to be buying “traditional” biodiesel (which is usually 10% vegetable/90% diesel) you won’t have to make any conversion at all. The disadvantage to this is that you’re still using  a lot of fossil fuel, and you’ll be paying for it just like you would with gas.

If you’re going to use SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil), then you’re going to have to make some adjustments to your car’s engine.

More Resources

There are tons of free tutorials online for making your own biodiesel.

The one I’ve been using is put out by Journey To Forever. They have a comprehensive list of instructions for making biodiesel.

Yeah, It’s Hot. And It’s Going to Get Hotter.

I don’t know about where you are, but it’s sure been hot this summer here in Michigan. My circa-1900 home doesn’t have air conditioning, a fact that, even in this heat, I’m continually thankful for.

But, not everyone feels that way. Power grids have been strained to the max this June and July, as temperatures topped 100 degrees for days over much of the country.

According to a new study just released by Stanford University, however, we might just have to get used to it.

Scientists Noah Diffenbaugh and Moetasm Ashfaq have concluded that extremely long, hot heat waves will become fairly common over the next 30 years. In Deffenbaugh’s words, as reported by the Standford News:

“In the next 30 years, we could see an increase in heat waves like the one now occurring in the eastern United States or the kind that swept across Europe in 2003 that caused tens of thousands of fatalities,” said Diffenbaugh, a center fellow at Stanford’s Woods Institute for the Environment. “Those kinds of severe heat events also put enormous stress on major crops like corn, soybean, cotton and wine grapes, causing a significant reduction in yields.”

Diffenbaugh and Ashfaq’s study was conducted over a two-year period, and used over two dozen climate models to predict future climate fluctuations.

The scientists discovered that the United States is likely to see 3-5 intense heat waves in the years to come. And the West and Southwest will be even worse; that area is forecast to see 7 or more. They also discovered that we’re increasingly going to see our “hottest daily temperature” met more regularly the closer we get to 2030.

What We Can Do to Help

So, ok, yes this is a bit dispiriting. Especially if you live in Phoenix or Santa Fe.

What we can do about it?

1. We have to start by reducing our greenhouse gasses. Drive less, buy less stuff, use less electricity, turn down the A/C…these are all easy ways we can reduce our footprint.

2. We also need to insulate our homes as best we can. The better our homes are insulated, the less work our heat and air conditioning units have to do. This translates into less energy used, and less greenhouse gasses that are put out into the atmosphere.

3. We can grow our own fruits and vegetables. Many of us buy fruits and vegetables that have been trucked, or flown, hundreds or thousands of miles to our store. All this travel adds more carbon into our atmosphere. Growing our own food, and buying locally grown food, eliminates our hand in this. And the more people that do this, the less food has to travel.

I know those may seem like small steps, but those little things add up. Especially when thousands or millions of people start doing them. But, it all starts with us!

Electric Hybrids Aren’t THAT Green…

I know there’s been a lot of hype about electric hybrids lately. After all, when these cars are on the road they’re practically a zero-emission vehicle. And, they get great gas mileage.

So what’s not to love?

Well, there are some aspects to these cars that make them less eco-friendly than car manufacturers would like you to believe.

We’re talking about what happens to the car at night. You know, when it’s sucking down electricity in your garage.

Scientific American just put out an amazing interactive web feature titled “The Dirty Truth About Plug-In Hybrids”.  This in-depth tool gives us a close look at hybrids, and why they’re not as green as we think.

What we learn is that the “greeness” of your electric car or hybrid depends on where you live.

Think about it: when you plug in your hybrid at night, you’re sucking power from your local power plant in order to “fuel” your car.

Well, if you live in Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana or several other states, then you’re probably getting your power from a coal-fired plant. In this case, a 100% electric car will actually be 27% more polluting than a hybrid.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest (OR, WA, NV, MT, etc.) then you’re golden. 84% of the power plants out here use natural gas, which is much cleaner than coal. So, you can drive your electric or hybrid with confidence, knowing that your power is much cleaner than your friends on the east coast.

The feature, which you can see here, is a real eye opener. If you’re interested in seeing the dirty truth of YOUR power, then I highly recommend it. It just might make you think twice before buying a hybrid.

Just How Toxic Is Corexit?

It’s the million dollar (or million barrel, for that matter) question. Just how toxic is Corexit, the chemical that’s being used to break apart the oil in the Gulf?

No one seems to be able to give a straightforward answer. And that, to me, is the frightening part.

According to the EPA, as reported by CNN, Corexit is less toxic than other dispersants. They say there’s no evidence that the chemical is staying in the water over time, or that it’s settling at the bottom of the ocean. And, laboratory tests confirm that Corexit is doing the least harm to shrimp and small fish, compared to other chemicals.

But.

As of today, 1.5 million gallons of Corexit have been dumped on the Gulf. No one, ever, has used that much of this substance. And there is a serious lack of scientific data about long-term effects of this product.

For instance, here’s what the New York Times reports about Corexit, which was used in the cleanup efforts for the Valdez Oil Spill:

The chemical 2-butoxyethanol, found in Corexit 9527, was identified as having caused lasting health problems in workers involved in the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

The truth is that what we don’t know far outweighs what we do know about Corexit, and the potential harm it could be doing to the environmental, marine life, and us. There is a good reason why this chemical is banned in Europe. And yet, we’re dumping it by the plane-ful into the Gulf. Not good.

So what’s the solution? Well, if I knew that I’d be hero of the year. My feeling is that later on, we’re going to discover some unpleasant side effects of this chemical, that it’s impacting us and the environment in ways we simply can’t imagine right now.

Next Page »