Brown houses are the new green

Humans have three basic needs: food, shelter and clothing. Once these needs are met a person begins to flourish. Sadly, nowadays, shelter, our second greatest need, is becoming a valuable commodity. Housing is expensive both financially and environmentally as lumber and metal are de rigor in modern housing projects. We all know that these resources won’t last forever, but not many of us seek out alternatives to those classic building materials. Today, with a larger global population along with dwindling forests and mines, a 5000-year-old approach to home construction is taking off again. Exit cheap and fast modern housing materials, rammed earth buildings may be the solution to the world’s housing dilemma, as it has been reincarnated in a new and modern way.
 
Dating back to China’s Longshan culture, which resided along the yellow river five thousand years ago, rammed earth buildings are made up of the Earth’s most sustainable resource �?earth. Mixed with sand, clay, gravel and, nowadays, concrete for extra strength, rammed earth buildings are constructed by erecting a wooden frame into which the mix is placed, and then compressed to at least half its height by a hand or pneumatic tamper. The walls being compressed from the above force and the side pressure from the frames becomes as solid as rock and are able to bear heavy loads. Rains a lot in your neighbourhood? That’s not a problem; in wetter climates a sealant is applied to protect the walls from water damage and the elements.
 
So, how “green�?are those brown houses, anyway? Earth is always readily available, so transportation fees or waste generated from construction are minimal, while wooden or metal frames used in the construction process can be reused or recycled, dropping dramatically the impact on these resources as well. And don’t worry about agriculture. These buildings use subsoil in their construction, which leaves behind the nutrient-rich topsoil for agricultural use.
 
All good reasons to love those eco-friendly houses. Right?
 
Here’s one more asset that is as good for Mother Earth as it is for your wallet: their extremely high thermal mass. What this means is that due to both the density and thickness of the compressed earth buildings �?average wall thickness is 12 to 14 inches �?it takes a half day for either the heat or cold to penetrate the building, which keeps heating and cooling costs down. The thickness also greatly helps humidity and noise control and allows the air to be purified through the earthen walls.
 
The United States Department of Agriculture has observed that rammed earth buildings can last indefinitely and cost no more than two thirds of a house of equivalent size. That is also good for your wallet.
 
Now, would rammed earth buildings be the answer to so many problems that plague the modern world? Maybe not. But they would offset deforestation in what is left of our precious forests and save us from using up our metal resources as they encourage recycling of older metal buildings. The only thing stopping us is the lack of awareness of this construction method and the personal apprehensions of homeowners wondering if their earthen building will fit in with the white picket fences.

By Cody Larocque, Alternative Channel

From:   [http://green.sympatico.msn.ca/article.aspx?cp-documentid=601561]

Green home design is easier than ever
 
Gill Deaco

Green design is such a hot trend in home renovation that doing a green makeover for a room has never been easier.
 
Sifting through all the new choices can be a little intimidating. But you needn’t get too bogged down by worrying about whether you know enough or can afford the greenest options, says Gill Deacon, the former host of the Gill Deacon show on CBC.
 
It’s better to make choices based on long-term effectiveness, said Deacon, whose book Green for Life was published by Penguin Canada in February. You get the best value for your money and have the smallest impact on the environment by doing unglamorous and invisible things such as installing insulation and high-efficiency furnaces, she said.
 
“Maybe I can't afford recycled glass countertops because I spent that money on a tankless hot water heater,�?said Deacon, whose book includes chapters on green renovation and design. “But I’m doing my best.�?BR> 
Green on any budget
 
While it is important to understand the principles behind what makes products green, there are a lot of factors to weigh and everyone has a different budget to work with, Deacon noted.
 
Using reclaimed wood for flooring may be ideal, for example, but it’s expensive and not everyone can afford it.  You might be able to afford bamboo or cork flooring, however, both of which can be grown and replenished quickly. Using locally grown maple could also be justifiable, since less fuel was needed to bring it to your local store.
 
And everyone can use nails instead of glue when installing carpeting -- so there’s no off-gassing from solvents in glue, Deacon said.
 
In carpets, you can look for wool, unbleached cotton or carpeting made from recycled materials such as pop bottles.
 
Ideally, design and renovation materials should be:

•non-toxic,
•produced in a sustainable way,
•recycled or recyclable,
•energy efficient,
•transported as short a distance as possible and
•made to last.
 

Choosing eco-friendly paint an easy way to start
 
The easiest and least expensive thing for most people is to choose a latex paint that cleans up with soap and water and has a low volatile organic compound (VOC) rating, said Deacon.  A low-VOC paint can even save money. A gallon of low-VOC paint can cost up to $30, while a can of low-VOC paint made from recycled paint can be as low as $15.
 
Why?
 
“We don’t have to pay for the raw materials,�?explained Steve Blasiak, a sales representative for Boomerang Paint, one of the companies that recycles old paint into new paint products.
 
Vintage furnishings could be one of the greenest items in your makeover budget.
But if used furniture doesn’t suit your project, look for furniture made from natural materials. Always ask if a low-VOC stain or finish was used on wood furniture and how far it had to be shipped to reach the store.
 
It’s also important to ask about the VOC rating on finishes used on flooring, even on materials such as bamboo.
 
Off-gassing is equally a concern when buying kitchen cabinets and medium-density fibre (MDF) board. Ask for MDF products that don’t use glues such as urea formaldehyde that will emit toxic gases into your home.
 
Other things to look for

•Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification. This ensures that wood was harvested through sustainable forestry, not clear-cutting or other unsustainable practices.

•LEED ® Canada Green Building Rating. The Canada Green Building Council has adapted the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ratings used in the United States to create a LEED ® Canada Green Building Rating that gives points to new construction based on how well it meets environmental guidelines.

By Liz Metcalfe 

From:   [http://green.sympatico.msn.ca/article.aspx?cp-documentid=479694]