Green Talk

Green Talk has been nominated by me as a blog making a difference to help people live a greener lifestyle. As many of you know, green building is my passion. For two years, I ate, slept, and talked about building products as I built my house. Who better to report about products than someone who used them and understands them?

I admit it. It is shameless promotion, but I do believe this little blog has made a difference from the comments of my readers, the companies that have sent me their products to review, to simply my green blogger friends who have encouraged me, listened to my whining, and have been invaluable to helping me grow this blog.

Why the contest? What are the categories? What is this all about? The press release below sums up the who/what/where and why that we learned in school:

” The fate of the planet hangs in the balance. So one of the world’s most organic home builders is sending out a clarion call to action. Vote for the best of healthy, sustainable products for the home and the most useful tips and ideas for green living. Cast your ballot for countertops made from things like paper and glassware, or home insulation made from the blue jeans you wear. The GREEN LOG Home and Lifestyle Awards have arrived just in time to drive home the message: the time to think green, know green and go green is now!

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Photo by permission of Tru-Stile’s MDF door with 3form® Fossil resin.

In the last year, there have been numerous articles about greening your home using bamboo flooring, low flow toilets, and energy star appliances. You never hear a peep about using environmentally friendly materials for your exterior and interior doors. Besides your windows, doors are one of the largest architectural features in your home.

Since 1995, Tru-Stile has been manufacturing eco-friendly medium density fiberboard (MDF) interior doors. With 350 door design choices and the ability to build any custom design, green designers no longer have to sacrifice design or break the bank in order to specify green doors.

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Recently, I was alerted by the director of NJ’s Community Green, a terrific green organization, about this wonderful green building exhibit at my local museum. I just could not fathom a green building exhibit in my hometown. Sure enough The Morris Museum in Morristown, New Jersey was the host of the National Building Museum’s Green Building exhibit (“NBM”) from February 11 through May 4, 2008. At first, I thought why do I need to go to an exhibit to see green building products? I lived, breathed, and ate green building products for two years when I built my house. I arrogantly thought, what possibly could I learn there that I already did not know?

The minute I walked into the room I realized I was in the company of some of the most incredible architectural displays of contemporary green buildings. My arrogance turned to humility then to awe as I perused the 21 different contemporary residential and mix use exhibits that contained scaled models of the buildings and large boards of their notable features.  Some of my favorites were as follows:

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An Unsucessful cleaning of my new Envirobrush

I am a complete sucker for any product that includes the word, “Enviro,” in its name. Even if it is pure green marketing, the product definitely has my attention. Well, I had an “enviro” moment recently in all places, the hardware store.

I needed to buy a paint brush, and started to scan the aisles looking at all the interesting hardware items. (Yes, I find hardware stores fascinating, and could be an avid DIY’er if I wasn’t such a klutz.)

Minding my own business, admiring all the supplies, I was suddenly distracted by a full 50-piece band with baton twirlers coming down the aisle with a float pulled by gleaming white horses. And there she was! Queen of the parade. Beautiful and partly green wearing the enviro-tiara. The Envirobrush, an environmental paint brush. I was breathless. (And the marketing gods knew they hooked me. Check 1 for them.) The story gets better if you can believe it.

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One of my geothermal units.

One of my readers (Brian) asked the following question on the article, “Icynene-the Ultimate Barrier to High Energy Bills”:

“You mentioned geothermal in the Northeast and I am curious to see how it works in this area. I am building a house in Mass and interested in geothermal, solar, and Icynene. I know this is a discussion on Icynene, but I have some questions about Geothermal. How much did it cost to install? How big is your house? Did you run into any issues (IE Blasting ledge) and last but certainly not least, how long have you had it and have you had any maintenance issues?”

I wanted to check with my new service company (Perfection Contracting in NJ) before I wrote this post, but Brian asked in another later post, if I could respond to him as quickly as I can since he is breaking ground this week. So, on Sunday evening I am trying to answer his questions without the benefit of checking my answers with my geothermal company. If any installers have anything to add, please do since I am not an installer, but simply a homeowner who drove my installers crazy asking questions.

First, before we go any further, watch this video which explains how a geothermal system is installed and how it works:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AprORaUFwiQ&feature=related[/youtube]

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Photo by Dee Teal by permission.

Would your feet look like the above picture if you took off your socks and shoes in your house? Better yet, does your body feel like the picture? Are you cold, unable to stay warm, and tired of giving away your money to the utility companies? Sometimes, you think they should be considered a charity since you seem to donate to them so often.

Just to recap, I have given your several tips in both my posts, “Look to Your Attic To Lower Your Energy Bills” and “Is Your Living Area too Leaky?” I know, winterizing you house is really sexy. Are you biting at the bit for more tips? So, here are the next 8, starting with lucky number 7! After I am done, arm yourself with your handy caulk gun and go to work so that you can be snug as a bug in your warm house.

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[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSKTWc9Lq-c&NR=1[/youtube]

(Readers receive discounts for Battic Door purchases. See below.)

Do you feel like Goldilocks in your home? Either it is too hot or too cold. It is never just right? Could your house be suffering from leaky home syndrome??? Is it curable?

I am living proof, having lived in a leaky house, that you can plug up those leaks. Many of these tips for your living area, I actually used to make my prior home more comfortable. For tips to reduce your energy needs due to leaks from your living area into your attic, see my article, “Look to Your Attic to Lower Your Energy Bills.”

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Photo courtesy of Energy Star

You know the verse, “oh, the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful?” ¹ Perhaps it should be changed to “oh the weather outside is frightful, our natural gas bills are not so delightful.” With the expected increase in natural gas prices, it is time to start looking at how to winterize our homes. “Air leakage and improperly installed insulation can waste 20 percent or more of the energy you pay to heat and cool your home. Typical homes have so many leaks, it’s like having a window open all the time, winter and summer.”²

As a veteran of having to plugs holes in a drafty house, I thought an article about winterizing your house would be appropriate for this time of year. After I wrote the fifth page and was still writing, I decided to break the article down into two different posts. This post is dedicated to winterizing your attic, and the next post will be about winterizing your living area.

The attic is getting special attention because heat rises. Guess where it rises to, along with your money?

So, take off those ear muffs and tune in:

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Photo with permission by Patty O’Hearn Kickham

Every spring do you curse Mother Nature for her horrid treatment of your wood deck? Doesn’t it seem like the weather has taken on the persona of a teenager? You don’t know what you are getting every day and it can never make up its mind? And oh, the mood swing– droughts, harsh winter, cool summer, and rain that never stops? How do you think your deck feels? Tired, Dried out, and needing a make-over? Is there a Doctor 90210 just for decks?

Everyone wants their Mama’s love and decks are no different.  So, how do we work with Mother Nature to keep our decks looking beautiful with products that are kind to the Earth as well? Weather-Bos™ has the antidote to make your decks radiate with Mother Nature’s love, and help cure the deck blahs.

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Photo by permission of the LR6 by LED Lighting Fixture, Inc,

At Lightfair 2007 in New York City, there were so many promising CFL and LED fixtures. One that caught my eye was LED Lighting Fixture, Inc.’s LR6. This LED looked like it was wearing a metal hat and simply screwed into a typical 6” recessed lighting can, as demonstrated by one of the salespersons. The light rendering seemed excellent. Remember, I was in a huge convention hall with its own lights with aging 40 plus year old eyes.   It seemed too good to be true, a LED light that could provide general illumination. 

 This month I received an email about the launch of LLF’s new website.  Their email brought back memories about how impressed I was with their LED.  I still wondered could this product render full room illumination whereas many other LED products can only provide directional lighting.  What about the heat that is generated from a LED bulb which will eventually shorten its life?  More importantly, is it worth its cost? 

 The LR6 is basically a screw-in-device lighting module for either new construction or retrofit that installs in most standard six inch recessed cans.    It can be installed in both IC or non-IC rated recessed cans.

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