The Healthy Home: A Virtual Walk-Through

West Coast Green Residential Green Building Conference & Expo
Sept. 25–27, San Jose, CA
The Healthy Home: A Virtual Walk-Through

Join a conversation between Mary Cordaro, environmental consultant and certified Bau-Biologist, and author Jennifer Roberts, as they take you on a virtual walk-through of Cordaro’s own healthy home. Using video clips, they will show her ongoing “lab,” a 1950s Southern Californian house that she has been renovating over the past 18 years using principles that integrate Bau-Biologie and building science. In the process, they will highlight fundamental strategies for identifying and remediating common home-health problems.

After the talk, Jennifer will be signing copies of her three books, Good Green Homes, Good Green Kitchens and Redux. Find out more on the Events page.

Radon from Granite Countertops?

The New York Times today published an article, “What’s Lurking in Your Countertop?,” about the possibility of radon emissions from granite countertops.

Here’s what I wrote about the issue in Good Green Kitchens:

Radon and Stone

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas derived from the natural decay of uranium in soil, rocks, and water. According to the U.S. Surgeon General, radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States.

Radon is virtually always present at very low levels in outside air; it’s really only considered a health problem if it accumulates at high levels inside buildings. Although it is more prevalent in some regions than others, the U.S. EPA recommends that all homes below the third floor be tested for radon.

Can granite counters or other natural-stone materials used inside buildings emit enough radon to cause concern?

National Geographic’s The Green Guide

I served on the advisory board for National Geographic’s recently published book, Green Guide: The Complete Reference for Consuming Wisely. It’s filled with practical advice about greener living, from healthy eating to green remodeling to eco-friendly travel. Check it out on Amazon.com.

Green Rehab Guide available

If you own or manage multifamily residential buildings, you’ll benefit from the new resource guide, Green Rehabilitation of Multifamily Rental Properties. It’s available to download for free from Bay Area Local Initiative Support Corp. (LISC), or you can buy a hard copy for $20.

I served as the editor of this Green Rehab guide. It’s filled with cost-effective tips and strategies for making multifamily rental buildings more energy efficient and healthy.

Once Is Not Enough

Salvaged wood helps protect endangered forests—and the quality and beauty often can’t be beat.

For your next home improvement project, rather than buying new wood, consider using wood that’s been around the block a few times. With half the planet’s original forests already gone and global consumption of wood expected to increase 50 percent by mid-century, using wood that’s reclaimed from deconstructed structures or other salvaged sources is a good green strategy.

This British Columbia home was built from Douglas fir reclaimed from a deconstructed warehouse. Architect: Don Gurney. Photo: Linda Svendsen for Good Green Homes.

Salvaged wood helps protect endangered forests—and the quality and beauty often can’t be beat.

Keep these pointers in mind when buying reclaimed wood:

Buy from distributors. Some green builders, such as South Mountain Company on Martha’s Vineyard, buy large quantities of salvaged wood directly from the source—whether it’s a brewery replacing its redwood tanks or a salvager hauling up logs from a river bottom. Those of us who don’t need or want to go to those lengths can still find gorgeous material at lumberyards, salvage yards or other retailers that specialize in reclaimed wood.

Remodel or Retrofit to Live Well — Petaluma, CA 5/12/07

May 12, 2007  Petaluma, CA  10am–2pm
Remodel or Retrofit to Live Well
Hosted by Daily Acts and the City of Petaluma. Info & reservations: daily-acts.org or (707) 789-9664.

A talk by Jennifer on green home remodeling will be followed by a tour of a 1940s Petaluma house that was remodeled to be super green and use zero net energy.

Your Green Team: How to Find and Hire Green Building Pros

When it comes to home improvement projects, if you have the motivation and skills to do it yourself, you have the ability to make it green. But not everyone has the DIY bug, and some projects are just too big or complicated for even the handiest amateurs. Fortunately, in many parts of the country it’s getting easier to find architects, builders and other professionals with green design and construction know-how.

Some pros have a good grasp of green fundamentals. They know effective methods and materials that are healthier, use natural resources wisely and don’t waste energy. In fact, many have been designing or building eco-friendly homes for years without necessarily calling them green.

On the flip side, anyone can put the word “green” on their business card or website. Let’s face it, green building has become big business and lots of folks are clamoring for a piece of the profits. It’s up to you to check the green credentials of anyone you hire. Here are tips for getting started:

National Building Museum — 11/18/2006

National Building Museum’s Greenovation: An Expo for the Home 

Nov. 18, 2006  10 am–5 pm
Washington, D.C.

A free event about eco-friendly home renovation, with seminars led by green design experts, vendor exhibits and product demonstrations. At 2:00 PM, Jennifer Roberts will be talking about how to create dream green kitchens. A book signing follows. Greenovation augments the National Building Museum’s exhibition, Greenhouse: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture and Design on view through June 3, 2007.

Info: nbm.org

 

Recommended: Making Better Concrete

Making Better Concrete: Guidelines to Using Fly Ash for Higher Quality, Eco-Friendly Structures, Bruce King, 2006. Everything you ever wanted to know about working with high fly ash concrete. A how-to manual for engineers, builders and architects, although green geeks of all types will find it a good read. greenbuildingpress.com

 

Act now to cut winter energy bills

“Energy, like money, is much more easily saved than generated.”
—Bill Mollison, cofounder of the permaculture design system

UltraTouch insulation is made from 85% post-industrial recycled denim and other cotton textiles (bondedlogic.com).

Now that the crazy days of summer are winding down, it’s a good time to plan for how to manage energy costs this fall and winter. While the escalating price of energy may be out of our control, the amount of energy we use is up to us. Small and large steps to cut energy consumption around the home make a difference not just to our wallets and comfort but to global security and sustainability.

Schedule energy tune-up tasks for a couple of weekend mornings or afternoons over the next few months, and come winter you, your home and your bank account will be better prepared to ride out the chill. If you live in a warm-winter climate, keep in mind that many of these steps will cut cooling or lighting costs year round.