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Adobe-Sante Fe, New MexicoAdmittedly, I've always thought the Adobe floor was for houses that looked like this, somewhere in New Mexico. But come to find out, there are many reasons to choose an Adobe floor for your home. Adobe floors or Earthen floors as they are called, have a unique look, and feel. What's it made of? It's earth, 'compacted with straw and stabilized with various oils.

If you're wondering how it feels, the surface is actually spongy, making it soft and very comfortable to walk on. Waste from building an Earthen floor can be reincorporated into the landscape, making it 90% pollution free. Unlike vinyl, the Earthen floor is repairable, too. Although it may be difficult to find a contractor to pour you an Earthen floor, they are manageably done yourself.

Just looking at a photo of an Earthen floor it might look dull in appearance, but there is actually a polish on it that gives it a great finished look. This look is achieved with linseed oil and then a beeswax polish, some eco-favorites.

They are also, durable, and non-toxic, and potentially lower heat costs, as the floor functions to retain heat from the sun. But if that's not warm enough, you can install underfloor heating! These features certainly make the Adobe floor seem less pre-historic and very up to date.

Local governments now have a new, standardized framework to plan, track and document their environmental and sustainability work. The Star Community Index, a collaboration between the U.S. Green Building Council, the Center for American Progress and the ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability, builds upon the highly successful methodology established by LEED.

The Index aims to deliver a standardized formula for gauging a community's sustainability. Like LEED, it will include tiered levels with classification based on actions achieved consistent with a given goal.

The Star Index aims to do the following things: 1) drive integrity and rigor in actions cities are doing to reduce climate impacts 2) increase accountability in data and actions 3) facilitate prioritized and informed decision making 4) create a roadmap for cities to track and achieve sustainability goals 5) offer globally recognized green standards for cities 6) enable peer-to-peer learning among communities and citizen engagement 7) engage the public in supporting and advancing their city as a Star community.

Gauging a community's sustainability is a laudable and important goal. Will Star become as popular as LEED as become? Only time will tell.

There are elements in our modern casa ti SIP house kit that I envision like the old bridal tradition:
"Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue."

As much as I appreciate turnkey prefab, there's something in my farming Virginia soul that insists upon reusing items from the past, within our architectual structure.

Using the latest green building technology, merged with timeless passive solar design, I now begin to focus on the interior. In my mind, I meld industrial modern elements with nostalgic reused materials:

• the sophisticated strength of a poured, polished concrete floor (which also collects thermal mass, and with fly ash, reuses local byproducts!)
• juxtaposed with the natural embrace of sustainable pine walls
• deft, no nonsense modern lines of built-ins
• the faded tales told by old wooden doors through whom how many hands and lives passed through?
• And if we're lucky, a special, plain, reused farmhouse sink.

Strolling through research, I came across CoolStuffIsCoolStuff.com and other neat architectural salvage sites. I will be sticking closer to home and shopping locally at Caravati's, but did want to mention a special site, Second Chance.

There, not only do they repurpose materials and give old buildings new life, but they also give people another shot at opportunity and learning valuable skills.

From their web site, here's what they say:

"Job Training Second Chance is working with low-income residents of Baltimore to train them in a wide variety of skill sets, ranging from carpentry to craftsmanship. Our goal is to create skilled workers making a living wage with benefits for themselves and their families.

Through the use of public and private funds, we teach our workers to safely deconstruct a building without damaging its historic elements. They become self-supporting members of the community with new skill sets.

At Second Chance, we believe that second chances are not just for buildings, they are for people, too. "

Like the bridal saying, sometimes "something borrowed" might mean borrowing on the strength of community and pooled skills, and recognition that when community comes together to help others succeed, we all benefit.

Whether it be good friends helping out for a few weekend hours as we work on a house kit project together, helping my family but where the structure and land will be a benefit to all our friends, or craftsmen investing their time in training someone new to later help them on future projects and rely on them as part of their paid, skilled team.

Sometimes, pushing ahead with the advances of cutting-edge technology, what we also need is a good ole fashioned barn-raising.

Recently, my 92 year old Grandma was told by an electrician not to turn on the lights to her bathroom. Grandma has vanity style lighting around the mirror from 1952, when things were built to last! These days things quit on you usually before the 15 year mark, but even if your old fridge or washing machine is still operating, it can be difficult to tell when to up-grade your appliances for reasons other than aesthetics.

Old appliances such as old refrigerators waste a lot of energy, and can emit carbon dioxide. But if your old refrigerator still works, is it really better to replace it? As a general rule, buying any new product means an old product will end up in a land fill, and that is bad news. However, The EPA has stated that any appliance over 15 years old is good to get the heave-ho. If it is over 15 years old, it probably is an energy waster, and replacing it can save you 10% to 50% on a year's worth of energy costs.

But who is going to pick up the old fridge for recycling? Typically, the place you are buying the new one from will, or check out your state or local government recycling program. Reselling an old appliance yourself just means it will be active once again as an energy waster in our environment. So even if it ends up in a landfill, it's better off. In a landfill, where a large appliance take up space, the parts will get picked over and recycled. EnergyStar will show you ideal replacements for your old appliances.

compost crock, lakeland.co.ukCollecting scraps from the kitchen makes for a nutrient rich addition to the backyard compost bin. You can collect scraps in the kitchen and put them in old yogurt containers under the sink, or you can purchase an attractive composting crock that sits right on the countertop. Compost crocks, as they are called, fit in with the kitchen decor.

They are odorless, attractive, and provide more room than an old yogurt container for storing scraps. The crocks come with either a carbon filter or charcoal in the lid to eliminate odors. Gardeners.com has crocks in cobalt blue and white. They also have ceramic stoneware compost crocks that look like cookie jars! If stoneware is not for you, there are copper pails and stainless steel available, designed for countertop composting. Vat19.com sells their compost pail for 35.95.

If you visit Gardeners.com, check out the liners available in biodegradable cornstarch plastic. Liners make it easy to lift your composting scraps right out of the container without making a mess. Remember, never put cooked food, fish, dairy, meat, or bones into your compost bin.

As we know, carpet, vinyl, ceramic, insulation all common building materials that give off harmful chemicals causing indoor air pollution. While we're in the process of getting rid of these things and replacing them with their eco-friendly counterparts, the indoor house plant has been tested and found to purify indoor air pollution at the rate of 15 plants per 1800 square feet. A study done by NASA and the ALCA, tested twelve types of indoor plants against trichloroethylene, (adhesives, paints, inks) benzene, (detergents, inks, plastic) and formaldehyde, ( foam insulation, pressed wood, grocery bags, waxed paper, facial tissue, paper towels).

The results were very specific from plant to chemical. www.humeseeds.com

THE RESULTS, FIVE TOP (in order) EFFECTIVE IN REMOVING TRICHLOROETHYLENE CONCENTRATIONS FROM THE AIR Gerbera daisy, Dracaena Marginata, Peace Lily Dracaeena 'JANET CRAIG' Bamboo Palm REMOVAL OF BENZENE CONCENTRATIONS: Gerbera Daisy Pot Mum Peace Lily Bamboo Palm Dracaena Warneckei English Ivy Mother-in-law's tongue REMOVAL OF FORMALDEHYDE Bamboo Palm Dracaena 'Janet Craig' Mother-In-Law's Tongue Dracaena Marginata, Peace Lily Green Spider Plant Golden Pathos

Other studies show great results from indoor plants citing their efficiency for increasing humidity levels and decreasing dust. This alone reduced fatigue and sore throats in people by 30 percent. For more purifying plant choices, check out 'How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home by B.C. Wolverton, at Amazon.com.

Wall 1 BeforeCooperation

In a previous post I posted some pics of one of our Green Living(TM) Wall projects growing at Cal Poly San Luis Obisbo..... These walls have become more then additional food for homeless people, we experienced something only Hollywood can dream of......Let me recall the latest post so you don’t have to re-read, this project was a collaborative effort between Urban Farming (Urbanfarming.org) and Green Living Technologies...specifically know as "Urban Farming Food Chain", with the help of many, in fact too many to name all, the vision was to install the Green Living Wall system using our 4" stainless standard 2'x2' panels pre-vegetated with tomatoes, leeks, cucumbers, strawberries and much more, into 4 locations in and around San Julian Street bka ground zero / skid row. These panels were to help provide supplemental fresh fruit and vegetables. The plan was to utilize local volunteers to help install the green wall panels, I would teach and lecture for 15-20 minutes on the green wall, have our volunteers install and then rely on master gardeners to help maintain the wall.....that’s not how it went down......I have a degree in education and one of the things I love about our business is that it gives me a chance to teach. On Monday morning the panels were delivered in a refrigerated truck and with the help of volunteers they were unloaded. It was Tue at the first location we met with CNN and the local news etc...There was lots of excitement since this was the first pilot project of its kind anywhere in the world. The apt. complex we installed the first wall at was literally in the heart of skid row and acted as a transition from being homeless to rehabilitating back to society. The complex has an infant garden club that was willing to help install the wall. The 15 min lecture actually developed into a 6 hour class on installing our green wall, how to plant them, maintain them etc....what developed was an overflow of positive energy through cooperation, teamwork, pride, ownership and joy among these community members who where known to not always get along too well socially. The green wall brought an entire community together developing a very strong bond between the wall and the people involved. We ended up working with a small group of 4 men who truly took a leadership position. It was mutual they wanted to learn and continue to work with us on Wed, then Thur and all day Friday........From what was planned as a 20 min lecture at 4 sites ended up working with these 4, formally homeless, people from sun up to sundown everyday teaching them multiple skills involved to install our green wall. Some of the skills included operating a drill, something we take for granted, irrigation, communication, problem solving, gardening and more. By the time Friday came it was our students who took the lead and installed the final wall, including irrigation, from start to finish without our assistance. The culminating press event on Friday, right in front of the last wall, included key speakers such as Richard Lewis and Ed Bagley, upon my turn to take the podium it was no longer about the food and how cool it was that it was hanging off the wall. This was a journey about a company and strangers coming together to overcome social indifferences, working together to create a micro society, living and working in harmony, learning to work in a collaborative manner, setting aside differences for a common goal. In addition by the time the week was over it was my announcement at the podium that we now have created 4 new green jobs in Los Angeles through the use of our green wall, helping others pick themselves up, learn new skills and transition back into society.

Our company is based on 3 key values :

• Environmentally based products...this is obvious
• Social Responsibility, giving back to society in such a way the impact is felt with the entire community. I urge our organization to go beyond writing checks as a "Giving"technique...really giving back is to go out and do....do something beyond a monetary value, although cash is good......get out there and do....teach, shake hands, dig, trust me its appreciated, sadly and ashamed we underestimated the population we were working with, little did we know we were coming to skid row not to install garden walls we were coming to change lives and provide opportunities.
• Economic responsibility: We strive to train and teach new installers and maintenance techs in every community we work........the idea is to contribute to the local economies by keeping the money in the communities we work, this also means not importing outside products and materials......we are 100% manufactured here in the USA and we export our systems vs. us importing.....

This experience has opened my eyes in a new light and I find myself seeing deeper into a persons individual ability. I also have re-newed faith that communities can come together, live in harmony and become one. Personally my feeling is that we all live in the same world just different real estate......Oh by the way did you know that there are fruit and vegetables on these walls.....I seem to forget too.......www.agreenroof.com, 800-631-8001......contact us if you are interested in creating a garden wall for your community, school or church! Become part of the "Urban Farming Food Chain"

Cooperation

Summer in the city means a rise in pollution from the 'urban heat island'. Cities remain warmer than suburbs from the lack of evaporation and vegetation but implementing landscaping on roof tops is providing relief. By building green roofs, landscaping the roof tops with sedum and other vegetation, negative environmental impacts from the urban heat island are greatly reduced-- see more here

Energy savings on the operation of power generating plants show a reduction of carbon dioxide. More days at the beach also result from the reduction in storm water runoff. Less pollution, less erosion and reduction of green house gasses, all from combined efforts of landscaped rooftops. Green roofs also provide opportunities for local food production. These landscaped roof tops are beautiful and practical, lasting up to twice as long as regular roofs. Urban ecology has far ranging consequences and green roofs are providing a new eco-friendly direction.

Is this topic green building? Maybe not, unless you consider building green encompassing your local community and materials chosen in daily life... and as such, then I do. It's not just our choice of building material but the materials our schools and community use, every day, that make a difference. Any-hoo...

Sigh...
This fall (sniffle) I will have a child in kindergarten. (Eep!)
With the arrival of August, suddenly I realize "I'd better get on it!" and research exactly what it is we are supposed to send on with a child entering school. My husband is German, so we will have a proper "send off" on the first day with school supplies and candy packed in a Schultüte.
(Fear not, as much of a dork as I am, I won't send him to school with it and therefore brand him forever as a complete weirdo in the USA, much less the south. I know better. It's bad enough they have me as their mom.)

Fortunately, Grist and other green bloggers have walked this road before- I am not the first mom to attempt the "greening" of the school supply list; thankfully I do not have to re-invent the wheel. So if you are on a similar quest, just Google "eco-friendly backpack" or "eco-friendly school supplies." But finding affordable green alternatives to the school supply list can be daunting. Really, anything you can reuse that you already own is economical and eco-friendly.

This year, I learned my lesson with the 4 year old: Annually I would shop 80% off sales to stock up for clothes economically a year ahead. But I did not consider the young'un's adamant, individual taste in fashion. Who knew practical, striped dresses with nice, comfortable leggings would be ignored for a ribbon-bedecked frilly hand-me-down "princess dress"? That she wore over, and over, and over? (And often wore ALL her favorite dresses at the same time, thickly layered, to her teacher's amusement?)

Fortunately we pass on the clothes that survive the first wearing to others, so it was not wasteful, but I really could have saved time and money if I had known...

So, this time, wiser, I sat the future kindergarten-er down to allow him the choice of picking out his backpack, his lunch box, for his own personal style of responsible gear.

This is what we had for our school supply list, and then, in bold, what we chose:
(Items with an asterisk are supposedly required to purchase that brand)

1 standard-size backpack without wheels
Easy enough to find eco-friendly options. But affordable? Maybe I'll just head over to the thrift store. But finding a non-vinyl backpack? Hmmmm. Back to research.

I did run into stylish, recycled English Retreads, but er, um, not for a boy in kindergarten. ; ) But I finally found this interesting post, and from there ended up on SierraClub.org- who is, for a limited time, having a GREAT offer of a rucksack as part of their membership drive! What better way & opportunity to explain this organization to your child?

1 marble composition book
Regarding paper, what you need to remember is to look for high content recycled paper (PCW) and processed chlorine free (PCF) , which avoids the dioxin and mercury used in bleaching the paper.
1 box large *Crayola washable markers
1 * Fiskar scissors-blunt, metal blades
Looking for higher recycled-content scissors.
1 box 16 crayons
1 plastic supply box (8 1/2" x 2 1/2") I Googled the dimensions and added "eco-friendly" to the query and discovered recycledproducts.org. From there I was able to purchase the scissors, crayons, glue, and much more... except, sigh, a supply box.
Plastic Mat-* Kindermat, plastic, quad fold, blue/red about 1" thick (available at Wal-Mart, Ben Franklin, etc)
Although I could easily find a way to purchase Kindermats, I surprisingly could not find a manufacturer link. The only descriptions of the product was on retail sites, and then they used words like "vinyl" and "plastic"...
Er, I will not be sending Kindermats with my child.
(And think how many Kindermats end up in landfills a year?!?)
Not to mention avoiding any PVC, whether it be in mats, backpacks, shoes, or clothes.

From Grist:

"...soft vinyl contains plasticizers called phthalates, many of which affect reproductive health and sexual development, according to animal experiments. And di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate, which is widely added to soft vinyl products, is considered a probable carcinogen by the U.S. National Toxicology Program. In some studies, phthalates have been shown to migrate out of soft PVC products, so they can be inhaled or ingested. Tests by Greenpeace have also found the toxic heavy metals lead and cadmium in vinyl backpacks and raincoats. Clearly, PVC deserves not only a failing grade but expulsion from the planet."

So an eco-friendly version? That took me awhile... In fact, it took me *more* than awhile, and I was surprised and irritated by the lack of immediate options to Kindermat. Ironically I found children's yoga mats and lots of pet mats but no practical, simple, cheap eco rest mats (a nice organic cotton yoga mat I thought might work turned out to be $200!).

Finally, in frustration I turned to Etsy.com, thinking, "Well heck if I can't find it maybe someone there can *make* it." (I am not crafty with a needle & thread)

I found one gal who had a bunch of creative, fun prints and emailed her. Another gal, who I will call Gal #2, also replied to my inquiry:

Good afternoon and thank you so much for your question. The covers for the nap mats are made out of 100% cotton with velcro. I use the Vinyl Kindermat that the schools require due to health regulations. That is the only style I offer. Thanks again for your question.

(Obviously gal #2 doesn't read Grist! ; ) I sent her information on the bad health effects of vinyl.)

Gal #1 responded favorably, we discussed the issue, and she's agreed to offer a trial product of rest mats. I chose mine in a tattoo fabric, kinda boyish but not baby-boy or too stereotypical.

So if you're looking for something similar, hurry and visit to purchase the mat now!!!! The bonus is we can also offer our mat later to friends' children when camping on our land / spending the night in our zero energy house, so it will be used for years to come.

6 #2 standard sharpened pencils: Recycled content pencils are easy to find at Office Max / Office Depot / Staples.
16 glue sticks
1 *Elmer's School Glue, 7.6 oz. bottle
Hmmmm. Just for kicks I researched "vegetarian glue" since most glue is made out of animal by-products (no I am not vegetarian so don't call me a hypocrite when I talk about my meat!). I found this, which I found fascinating, debating whether Elmer's is environmentally friendly, which compelled me to seek a non oil by-product glue... and I stumbled across MagiGlue. If you have time, visit the manufacturers page, whose story is interesting, as well as the product's site.
(white glue only)
1 family-size box of anti-viral tissues
1 container of baby wipes--new
1 bottle instant hand sanitizer Pretty easy to find eco-friendly options, I liked All Terrain's mission statement.

Girls:
1 box Ziploc baggies (snack size)
1 box Ziploc baggies (quart size)
Boys:
1 box Ziploc bags (gallon size)
1 pkg. brown lunch bags
First of all, I'm curious as to why they separate it out by gender. Secondly, hellz no I'm not sending plastic bags to class! (Snort!) Who do ya think I am?!? I don't see why sending a few recycled tote bags can't hold any crafts & stuff to bring home daily... and for smaller stuff? How about folding it neatly into a cloth napkin? That's what we did with towels & our bathing suits/goggles/etc. at camp!

Oh, Geeeeeez Louise: Fine, here's how ya do it: Lie the napkin on a table. Or the floor. Or ground. Put whatever in it (picture a bead necklace or whatever the heck it is they make in kindergarden- recycled popsicle stick art, anyone?) in the middle. Fold the left side over, covering 2/3... fold the right side over, covering 2/3... kinda like a burrito... and then roll, from top to bottom, or bottom to top, whatever floats yer boat. Place in recycled tote bag. Taaaa daaaa! Now that didn't hurt, did it?

So, sitting down wit my chile', we picked out a lunchbox at ReusableBags.com:

He chose the plain bento box, with a stainless steel thermos, because he "wanted to look like an adult." We also picked up some Wrap-n-Mats for sandwiches, which also then turn into a "plate" for his lunch.

Wrap-N-Mat®

I eyed the cute reusable bamboo utensils but opted to reuse flatware from home. And of course we'll be packing cloth napkins for his use; this household certainly does not have paper napkins or towels!

If you have any good, affordable links for kindergarten supplies, I'd love to hear more! Just comment below, people will appreciate them.