With the release of the Apple iPad, everyone is buzzing about how being eco-friendly is the new black. Ever since the Kindle was released, e-readers have been growing in popularity, and Apple is noticing the new trend. The iPad is Apple’s way of going green, and needless to say, they have succeeded. Companies all over the world are offering accessories for the iPad to add to its eco-friendly allure. What better way to protect the iPad than with one of the new ‘green’ iPad cases.
There are many cases to choose from for the iPad, and deciding on which one to get is all about your own personal style. For those who have an eye for all things vintage, Blythe King has released an iPad case that is made from vintage wool plaid. These cases are extremely stylish, sporting an adorable vintage button on the flap. These cases fit the iPad perfectly, keeping it snug when you are not using it. The case was designed to protect your iPad from unexpected spills, in the most stylish way possible.
Another excellent eco friendly iPad case is the ColcaSac. These sturdy cases are made from tough materials that are kind to the environment. While the outside of the case is tough, the inside is soft and fluffy, designed to fit your iPad like a glove. The case will protect your iPad from scratched, bumps and spills. The ColcaSac comes in 4 different bright designs that will protect your iPad, and look good while doing it.
The Pakuma Eco-Cocoon is another iPad case that will keep your iPad snug and protected. Everything the case is made out of is 100% recycled. The Pakuma Eco-Cocoon is a durable case that was made to last. The inside is made out of a memory foam, invented by NASA, which is designed to hold your iPad in place and keep it from sliding around as you are traveling.
Also available for your iPad’s protection is the MarWare Eco-Vue case. This case is made out of very professional looking eco-leather so as to protect your iPad no matter where you go with it. The case opens like a book, and opens up to be a foldable display stand. Inside of the Eco-Vue, your iPad is protected with a clear-screen protector that will ward off all scratches.
Protecting your iPad with an eco-friendly case should be very important to you. Protecting your investment in a ‘green’ way will allow you to enjoy your iPad with out having to worry about any unforeseen occurrences.
Hi all, I need help please. I'm going to be making my own lime putty plaster for an exterior application over old painted "cinder blocks". It's a big project and I don't want to screw it up too badly (3 buildings worth min.) My main question is this: what are proportions for an application that could survive in new england? It is not a structural app, but I don't want it to wash off as my first attempt did. Can I add clay/dirt/ash for color? Secondarily, I'll also be working with half timbers cut from the property...how, if at all, can I get this plaster to "stick" to both the cinderblock and the timber. (I also have timber framed windows and had a B**** of a time repairing and filling gaps between the timber and the existing render. End all result was less than stellar and painfully time consuming (kept staining timber). Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks!
Saint Mary’s Medical Center in Huntington, West Virginia just got a makeover, thanks to Elemental LEDs. When the hospital asked their landscape design company, Oasis Landscaping, to create a permanaent up lighting installation for the front of the building, Oasis owner Edison Adkins immediately called Elemental LED. “I chose Elemental because I was impressed with their knowledge and willingness to help me and work with me a little bit. I’m a landscaper not a lighting expert, I didn’t know what type fixture would do the job but I knew the look the hospital wanted. Elemental was very good at helping me pick what we needed to get the job done. They sent me demos and let me try out the products until we got it exactly right,” says Adkins.
The product Adkins and Saint Mary’s ended up choosing is our LED Par 64 waterproof spotlight - 30 of them in total! The lights, which turn on and off thanks to dusk-to-dawn sensors, shine beautiful columns of blue light all the way up the face of the building, drawing attention to the hospital from near and far. The lights are being used primarily for aesthetics, but Adkins says that once the installation is permanent, the hospital will be able to change the color of the lights, therefore using them to market different occasions. “They can change the color to pink for breast cancer awareness month, or to University’s colors on game day, ” says Adkins.
The lighting installation will be permanent as of May 2010. “The lights are up now, but we just have to go back and anchor everything in,” says Adkins.
For our part here at Elemental, we’re very pleased with the results and had a blast working with both St. Mary’s and Oasis Landscaping. Thanks to everyone involved! Check out Adkins’ landscaping company, Oasis, here on their website!
From suburban home lot to the country seat, women have designed, cultivated and reshaped the American scene, moving from the "harbinger of a gentle heart" to women of power and influence.
So, present-day industries tend to forget that at the turn of the century, it was considered almost social suicide and distinctly matrimonial suicide, for a woman to enter a profession. Still, it did not deter the notable efforts of women such as Virginia Estelle Randolph, a pioneer educator and humanitarian who lived from 1874 to 1958. She opened the old Mountain Road School in 1892 and conducted the first Arbor Day program in Virginia.
Still, Susan Kappel of Creatrix Landscape Design has observed “the nursery, maintenance and installation sides of the Green Industry remain male dominated.” On the other hand, Jeff Miller, Executive Director for the VA Nursery and Landscape Association, has noticed “over the last 10 years plus that there are a lot more women owned and operated business in all phases of production, retail and landscaping.” Similarly, Leonard Morrow, Ph.D. former Program Head and Professor of Horticulture for J.S. Reynolds C.C. noticed a shift in the student population and in August 1992, sponsored the first informal meeting for professional women in the Green Industry.
In my book A Path Worn Smooth, I share stories of the influence of women who pride their selves in both ownership of and ‘hands-on’ working land in the form of agri as well as ornamental gardens, leaving behind a legacy of knowledge and heritage plants.
States and municipalities from coast to coast have stopped using crumb rubber as an infill for artificial lawns, even though the debate continues over the health risk posed by the used-tire granules.
The debate over the safety of crumb rubber is being waged among environmental groups, concerned-parent organizations, the rubber industry and some members of the synthetic grass industry. Although an increasing number of more environmentally conscious alternatives are now on the market, crumb-rubber granules continue to be the leading synthetic infill for fake grass installations.
Early studies of crumb rubber detected potentially toxic substances including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), semi- volatile organic compounds, phthalates, latex allergens, carbon disulfide, aluminum, arsenic, nickel, cobalt, zinc, selenium, cadmium, iron, manganese, and lead, according to an in-depth article in the Journal of the Society of Environmental Journalists.
In some cases, the calculated risk has been greater than the threshold often used by one agency or another, the journal reported. But in other cases, the conclusion has been that crumb rubber was no more hazardous than the ambient air in the areas where the synthetic grass had been installed.
New York City early last year ordered as a precautionary measure that crumb rubber infill no longer be used on artificial lawns in its parks and school yards. It has not ordered the removal of any fake grass installations because of the concern, however.
The Connecticut-based based advocacy group Environment and Human Health, Inc. has argued that the tire crumbs, which are two to three inches thick and can account for up to 90 percent of the weight of an installed fake grass surface, expose users to the same chemicals to which rubber workers are expose. But the EHHI also acknowledged that the actual risks to artificial turf field users remain largely unknown. Nonetheless, EHHI recommended a moratorium on use of crumb rubber infill until additional studies were done. The group argued that existing evidence shows a “technical possibility” exists that the tire crumbs could cause health effects such as irritation of the respiratory system, eyes, skin and mucous membranes, systemic effects on the liver and kidneys, neurotoxic responses, allergic reactions, cancers, and developmental damage.
On the other hand, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released results late last year of a very limited field study of artificial turf playing fields and playgrounds installed with recycled-tire crumb rubber. The “scoping study” from three sites in Raleigh, N.C., Athens, Ga., Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Washington, D.C. area found that the concentrations of materials that made up tire crumb were “below levels considered harmful,” the EPA said. But the agency also said the study was only a first step, was limited in scope and that it will use the results to determine possible next steps to address safety questions of crumb infill.
Industry groups generally say that the crumb-tire surface is safe to use, and that there is no evidence indicating that users face significant risk.The Synthetic Turf Council, the industry’s leading trade association, said in a June, 2009, statement that a follow-up report by the New York Dept. of Environmental Conservation supported the trade group’s claims of crumb rubber’s safety.
The better-safe-than-sorry position taken by New York City and other jurisdictions is meanwhile the stance that some artificial grass companies have taken.
“We’d rather err on the side of being responsible when it comes to public health,” said Greg Goehner, president of NewGrass, a leading manufacturer of synthetic grass.
NewGrass is among the synthetic lawn companies that encourage their distributors to opt for an environmentally friendly infill alternative that’s basically a form of silica and sand. There are in fact several alternatives to rubber infill for synthetic grass. Most are completely void of any kind of rubber granules. A few examples include infill materials made from:
• A combination of natural plant fibers and cork
• Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE), also known as styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR), a stabilizing and shock-absorbent material that has been developed specifically for synthetic turf.
• EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer), a cross-linked rubber compound, also referred to as “virgin material.” These infills are made of pure EPDM rubber and fillers whose composition varies (not used-tire rubber).
• Granules made from polyolefin, a thermoplastic polymer produced from a single monomer and which is environmentally friendly in its composition and completely recyclable. Some makers use a combination of post-consumer recycled resilient granules and sub-angular sand.
“In addition to the jury still being out on crumb rubber infill,” NewGrass's Goehner said, “we believe artificial grass is an eco-friendly and environmentally sound alternative to turf grass for many reasons, from saving water to not needing fertilizers. Getting rid of used-tire granules in our installations is part of acting on that belief.”
In these lean economic times reusing building components can help save money and the environment but there are a few things to think about first. Has your desire to recycle and reuse caused you to sacrifice some of your end results of the construction? Will any savings of your reuse recycle efforts be offset by having to protect, augment or remove and reset those components. Who will be responsible for warrantying those reused items? Reusing and recycling components is on the face of it a good thing. However if you’re a building owner that is trying to update your building to find higher end tenants, chances are there will be very little that should not be upgraded. If the original components don’t lend themselves to the design then by all means recycle them by donating to Habitat for Humanity or other building material recycling companies. However don’t let your desire to reuse force you to settle for less. Many times when an item is designated in a construction project to be saved and reused that item becomes one of the most expensive pieces of the project. This is usually because the fixture or whatever it may be needs to be taken down during construction, stored, reinstalled and in some cases augmented to work in its new environment. With extra handling comes more opportunities for damage to the item. It always makes sense to look at the costs of reusing something before making that decision. Another pit fall of reuse is that if for example you wish to reuse the toilets in your building, and after they are re installed a leak develops flooding the the bathroom and the causing some damage who’s responsible? Assuming the toilet was installed properly, there is nobody to warranty the problem and the owner is left with cleaning up the mess. In the same example if the plumber had supplied new toilets, the plumber would be responsible for cleaning up the mess and correcting the problem. This is not to say arrangements can’t be worked out to clearly define who warranties what in a situation of reuse but that would of course need to happen at the beginning of the project. I believe reuse to be something everyone should try to do when renovating an existing building. However it’s not as cut and dry as it may sound. Making sure you are not sacrificing your design, paying attention to the possible added costs for reuse and determining the level of warranties for reused items need to be taken into account. If it can’t be reused on your site it surely it will be valuable in another project and can find its way there through the companies that recycle building materials. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kyle Keever eats, breathes and blogs about custom general contracting in Seattle, Wa... Seattle, Custom Contractors
It's been a while since I posted a blog on here. So Just to update everyone on our progress. Everything is moving along and we hope to be in our building by this fall. Everyone check out our new website at http://www.celticquestcafe.com . There you will find links to our Facebook, Myspace and Youtube pages. Not only that but you can browse our menu, see pics of where our location will be and 3D images of what the interior of the cafe will look like. Sign up in our guest book and say hi, or to leave us comments and or suggestion. Sincerely, Chip Hartleroad Celtic Quest Cafe Bloomington's only Eco Friendly Irish Coffee Shop
Energy Audit #1, today's energy audit of the prefab modern house, is as we're at the "This is the modern house kit + cladding + the homeowner sealing around the windows stage", the second will be once we're "done, finished, kaput, as in done, done, done, done, don't ever want to think about anything construction related for at least another week DONE."
Our mission is to create tight, energy efficient, gorgeous passive solar house kits. I admire rated, certified, even more stringent approaches, like Passive House standards, maybe we'll do this in the future, but we achieve what we want in an energy efficient home while incorporating great modern design on an average, reasonable budget.
Some highly energy efficient homes incorporate two door chambers to prevent temperature loss.
I picture the way I live, and it is just too chaotic and messy to make such an entrance successful. Can you imagine a couple struggling with the stroller, dogs still on the leash, juggling a bag of groceries and a baby on one hip, getting the key in the door lock then screaming to the spouse...
"Quick honey, seal the chamber, we're losing LEED points!"
Obviously if you live in a severe climate, it makes sense. But we're in Normal Rest-o'-Tha-World here.
We're a muddy, raggedy bunch here... why do ya think we're bandits?
You can increase the thickness of the house kit panels, choose even more efficient doors and windows (our casa ti prefab green home is spec'd for Jeld-Wen and our, SIPs house kit with two stories, The R1 Residential, is spec'd for Marvin Integrity), seal it up even tighter... but my focus is on affordable energy efficiency in our prefab green homes, so we chose great solutions that fit within a moderate budget.
The average quote for the casa ti windows is currently about $9,000-$10,500. If you would like to spend more on windows to make 'em nano-crazy-efficient, go for it, we can adjust the shop drawings. But expect the added cost.
We hired energy rater Guy DuBois, of No Energy Loss, to come out and inspect the modern prefab house kit.
These are the notes I jotted down during his cell phone call to me en route from the land. Mr. DuBois will guest blog later this week with more real data, but here are his initial verbal impressions of the still-under-construction, still-not-completely-sealed house kit:
"Well, we certainly smoked up your house quite a bit, there was nowhere for it to go!"
(Copeland's note: Ummmm, I assume he means it was some kind of smoke air test thingy? I hope he didn't mean he smoked in mah house?!?)
Ok, on to Mr. DuBois:
"Those windows - they are worth the money, they were very well sealed."
Copeland's note: Handsome Husband also sealed around the frames... OK FINE I will just stop commenting and just TYPE what he said!
"Your husband did a good job of sealing around the windows... there are two areas he also could look at if he wanted to seal further- along the south eave and that back door threshold.
It is surprisingly tight. I don't know why I say surprising, but I guess I didn't expect it to be so tight, even though I should have."
[Copeland's note: Um, yeah, thanks Mr. DuBois... ; ) OK, OK I'll stop commenting!]
"I'll go back at completion and run more tests. This was a good time to go out there because if there were problems you could address them before everything was closed up.
As you know, it's so tight you really must have mechanical ventilation, which you will be installing (HRV), which is critical in these energy efficient homes. Most homes, most traditionally-built homes, leak willy-nilly so you don't ever have to worry about air quality, but in energy efficient homes like these they're so air-tight that air-exchange is imperative.
I saw very little air leakage... there is some thermal bridging you can address if you want but you certainly won't have a problem heating and maintaining good energy efficiency, that's for sure. How does it compare to a "normal" house? Superior!"
To continue to seal even further, concentrate on the areas where there is lumber vs. SIP (structural insulated panels)- the doorway header, add insulation around wooden framing, and if you're in really severe climates, you could add an exterior seal.
Mr. DuBois makes a good point:
"But you have to consider the climate- maybe if you're in Alaska or really south Florida you would want to consider that, but... we're in Virginia, how much gain will you really get by doing all that?!? You already know that with your off grid systems, comfort will never be an issue.
I will be punching in everything I did today and coming back with some data next week... you're not trying to get this house certified, so this is just more FYI info, but it will be cool to compare today with when you're done at the end of the project."
He also said that the amount of leakage currently (we're still not done sealing) in the prefab SIPs passive solar home is equivalent to about 6 x 6 inches, smaller than a basketball. Handsome Husband is chasing that number, with sealant in hand.
Later, Handsome Husband arrived home, and I had all these pictures and video to look at... and share with you now.
HOUSE KIT ENERGY AUDIT VIDEOS:
Mr. DuBois sets up...
They start do to the smoke test and pressurize the modern house kit. SUDDENLY, a clerestory window pops wide open! It had looked closed, but hadn't been closed totally, which certainly that had also contributed to our loss of temperature this winter at night! It is securely locked now... : )
And then....they freakin' fill mah house up with SMOKE!
Note the comment about the south edge- later they discovered that when the door was installed they didn't put any sealant under that south door. You as a home owner can seal that more if you live in a severe climate area. I knew the windows worked really well for our budget, but am pleased with how impressed he is! : )
NOTE:The next week Handsome Husband discovered they hadn't sealed pipes inside for the audit + we haven't added the foam *around* the foundation, contributing to temperature drop / leakage. Stay tuned for Energy Audit #2!
Check out what it looks like when they crack the door (and how hard it was to open because of the pressurization - because the house kit was so tight!).
"This wraps up the initial test of the house kit. We now know what simple steps we have left to optimize the envelope of the SIPs house, and we look forward to the final testing after construction is (finally) completed. The general goal and idea of the casa ti has passed Mr. DuBois's testing with flying colors, as we already suspected in the prefab house kit's performance over the last few weekends where the design and structure were able to give us relative comfort in a hostile climate.
The great thing about the delays in this project is that we're able to thoroughly test the house kit without further improvements, this allows us to confirm the performance a passive solar house kit built with SIPs."
Green Education Foundation (GEF) is mobilizing two million children to participate in environmental educational programs during National Green Week 2010 (Feb. 1-5, 2010). The objective is to empower students to become environmental stewards within the context of their own lives.What are you doing to promote 2010 Green Week Feb 1-5? The Wright Scoop is promoting gardening green -
Whether experienced landscape professionals or novice homeowners, all are challenged to create landscapes from a sustainable point of view, seeking to reduce their carbon footprint as well as feed their families pesticide free produce. For any style garden should not simply illustrate traditional design but be the result of the right plant, installed in the right place at the right (optimal) planting season - creating a legacy of green, healthier urban/suburban communities.
As the recipient of the 2008 ‘Turn America from Eco-weak to Eco-chic’ award sponsored by Project Evergreen and Hines Horticulture – I encourage consumers to garden green, create sustainable urban/suburban landscapes.
The 2010 Difference –
Historically, earth-friendly strategies are defined in terms of reduce, reuse and recycle but eco-chic takes this definition a step further. “Eco-chic spaces are not just the result of lifestyle choices but a reflection of how we feel about the environment. While keeping it simple (as in simple living) is the name of the game, there is a more important underlying factor – a commitment to ultimate greening: providing for the present without sacrificing the future.”
A hands-on landscape gardener, I participate in nation-wide regional plant testing. As a result, I've gained familiarity with programs such as the ‘Southern Living Plant Collection’, ‘Proven Winners’, ‘Plants that Work’ and many more. During 2009, I advocated the idea that consumers take the concept of sustainability a step further, not simply a use of plants that works-well in their region but those that contribute to regional economic sustainability: developed, grown and distributed within their community.
To me, as a Central Virginia gardener, my advocacy means the support and use of a newly released plant introduction program, Beautiful Gardens®, www.beautifulgardens.org .
From Eco-weak to Eco-chic: landscape green
Nationally recognized as a contributing writer and communications specialist, I launched a book, From Eco-weak to Eco-chic: landscape green. Combining workshop style assignments with research and ‘hands-on’ experience, I share strategies that respect existing vistas, preserving and enhancing environmental health. Readers describe my book as
“Sylvia’s eco-chic advocacy embodies every aspect of the consumer education campaign we hoped to inspire,” said Den Gardner, executive director of Project EverGreen, www.projectevergreen.com. “The judges were impressed with her ongoing effort to teach eco-green. For, our vision is to be a global organization that empowers people within communities to change society through the responsible creation and preservation of sustainable green spaces, such that the ever-increasing impacts of global warming in the world are measurably reduced; because Green Matters!”
“Wright’s writing is thrilling, to tell the truth. She really nails it. I’ve laughed and loved her articles and columns. Her words remind me why I love to work in the earth in the first place.” -- Gigi Amateau, author of the acclaimed young adult novel Claiming Georgia Tate
“Sneed’s commitment to organics, the community and the environment,” says designer Jenny Jenkins-Rash of Sneed’s Nursery & Garden Center located in Richmond Virginia “are echoed in Wright’s book: the challenge for the present-day homeowner is to create a garden from an eco-chic point of view, a ‘waste not, and want not’ ecological commitment: be a caretaker for the environmental community. We support Wright’s advocacy through hosting book signings and having her book on site for sale.”
To review or acquire a copy, link to www.TheWrightScoop.com Sylvia's Store. Or, acquire a copy by visiting Sneed’s Nursery & Garden Center, www.sneedsnursery.com, located in Richmond VA on 8756 Huguenot Road.
Career History –
Somewhat jokingly, I refer to the history of my present-day title, eco-chic landscape gardener. Initially, media referred to my strategies as the by-product of a naturalist. Then, when I contributed to state-wide Virginia media publications, I became known as eco-wise. After speaking and publishing in the DC area, my work was referred to as eco- savvy. It was through participating in the annual Green Festival held in DC that I picked up the label, eco-chic. Nevertheless, regardless of the eco-title as long as people hear my message – strive to achieve ‘ultimate green’, I’m happy.
Details of my activities are available on web site www.TheWrightScoop.com. Join me in an effort to inspire 'garden green'!
I am a Green Mortgage lender. I specialize in financing energy efficient properties. We offer loan programs that provide better rates and lower closing costs for buyers purchasing energy efficient homes. My website, which is listed below, will give you a brief overview of what we do. Please give me a call when you have a chance to chat, I would love to discuss our cutting edge loan programs with you.
With the release of the Apple iPad, everyone is buzzing about how being eco-friendly is the new black. Ever since the Kindle was released, e-readers have been growing in popularity, and Apple is noticing the new trend. The iPad is Apple’s way of going green, and needless to say, they have succeeded. Companies all over the world are offering accessories for the iPad to add to its eco-friendly allure. What better way to protect the iPad than with one of the new ‘green’ iPad cases. 
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