Building Green
| Non-Toxic Homes: | |
|---|---|
www.hud.gov |
Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development operates a grant program for state and local governments, conducts research and outreach, enforces the lead hazard disclosure law, and develops lead-based paint regulations and policies. |
www.afhh.org |
Alliance for Healthy Homes is a national, nonprofit, public interest organization working to prevent and eliminate hazards in our homes that can harm the health of children, families, and other residents. These hazards include lead, mold, carbon monoxide, radon, pests, and pesticides. |
www.epa.gov |
Environmental Protection Agency's Indoor Air, Green Indoor Environments Page. Green Building for new homes, offices, institutional buildings and schools. |
www.epa.gov |
Environmental Protection Agency's Organic Gases- Volatile Organic Compounds - VOCs Page. |
www.healthhouse.org |
Health House. Building a house according to American Lung Association's Health House builder guidelines helps ensure a healthy, durable, and energy efficient home. Identify Home Pollutants, tips, more. |
www.cdc.gov |
Healthy Homes Initiative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Info, Resources, Reports. |
| Passive Homes: | |
www.passivehouse.us |
Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) is a consulting and research firm working to further the implementation of Passive House standards and techniques nationwide. |
www.passiv.de |
Passivhaus Institut is an independent research institution. It employs physicists, mathematicians and civil, mechanical and environmental engineers, performing research and development on highly efficient energy use. |
www.passivehouse.us |
New York Times Graphic explaining the different parts of a passive house, April 30, 2009. *** |
www.nytimes.com |
"No Furnaces but Heat A plenty in ‘Passive Houses’" NY Times Article. December 26, 2008. Compact design, sealed doors and windows, majority of windows facing south, R-60 walls, ventilation system, heated by appliances and human occupants... |
| ''The energy services required by residential, commercial, and industrial buildings produce approximately 43 percent of U.S. carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.'' www.pewclimate.org/docUploads/Buildings_FINAL.pdf |
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Recent Issues Blog Posts
Microplastic remnants from washing clothes are polluting our waters. A polyester garment can release more than 1,900 fibres per garment, per wash, and that ends up in fish, and then us, if we eat the fish. What goes around, comes around.
Walmart’s the largest grocery store in the U.S., the largest retailer in the world, the leader in global corporate revenue and the largest employer in existence.
Please sign the petitions recommending the EPA ban atrazine -- deadline is coming soon. Learn more...
Flame Retardants are blowing in the wind. PDBEs are so easily made airborne that they vaporize and are breathed in, or settle on items (such as food) and are consumed. They also bio-accumulate and are lipophilic. No wonder they are found in 97% of Americans and in most animals as well.
Recent Building Blog Posts
Walk a forest with your building design in mind and select individual trees to harvest for your home. Each tree is chosen both for its structural and design integrity and for the effect that its removal will have on the forest left standing around it. Often the selection will be based as much on thinning an overcrowded stand or managing an invasive species as it will on that tree being the nearest with a 10 inch diameter trunk.
Recent Art Blog Posts
Recycled Glass Bottle Inspiration. Much of the glass we throw out is not recycled, because different glass has different melting points, and recyclers only melt the most common containers. To reuse your old glass, all you need is access to a kiln and some glass bottles.
Recent Movies Blog Posts
Magic, fantasy, and Celtic mythology come together in a riot of color and detail that dazzle the eyes...
essay that compares the challenges of big mountain skiing to the challenges of global climate change.
A lightbulb in the Livermore, California firehouse celebrated its 100 year birthday in 2002 and it is still burning bright.