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Take the best in efficient, affordable home construction, figure in the latest in home automation and add in a cache of green-friendly brainstorms and you’ll get an idea of what the Museum of Science and Industry’s new “Smart Home: Green + Wired” exhibit is all about.

The exhibit, which opened this week and celebrates the museum’s 75th anniversary, is a freestanding, fully functioning home — called the mkSolaire — with 2,500 square feet of living space, running water, electricity and heating and cooling systems. To call it a house of the future might be an overstatement, since nearly all of the technologies displayed in this contemporary three-story home are available to consumers right now.

As expected, there are some interesting gadgets on display: a home automation system that tunes into the weather and learns the behavior of the occupant; a security system that lets you view who’s ringing your doorbell while you’re away (you can even let someone in); a plant-watering system that sends a text message from the plant saying “I’m thirsty”; a smart umbrella with a color ring that changes to blue if it’s going to rain and a kitchen countertop compost machine.

Some of the other cool features are: long strips of linoleum-like photovoltaic film (they cost about one-third less than traditional glass solar panels) that are applied to the roof with Velcro; shower tile made of recycled Chardonnay bottles; master bath vanity tops made of old toilets; a dual-flush toilet that regulates the amount of water used by measuring solid and liquid waste; and a rooftop garden. And, as expected, all the walls are painted with low VOC paint.

The home also puts the spotlight on how stormwater runoff can be collected to water the garden and landscaping; how toilets can be equipped to use waste water from the shower and bath; how spray-in foam insulation can completely seal a building and provide better air quality, sound reduction and reduced energy costs; and how strategically placed windows can reduce electricity and heating bills. A survey by Kouba-Cavallo Associates concluded that the Smart Home costs $837 per year to heat and $125 for cooling. (In comparison, it costs roughly $2,021 per year to heat a Chicago bungalow.)

The contemporary, loft-style home showcases the ways people can make eco-friendly living a part of their lives, said Anne Rasford, director of temporary exhibits for the museum.

“The exhibit is about choices and options [for consumers]. We were very deliberate in the choices that we made and wanted to be sure there were interesting stories for each of the products in the exhibit,” she said. “People will be able to see the new innovations in renewable resources, smart energy consumption, and clean, healthy-living environments in a functioning home.”

With the help of experts from Wired magazine, the home became “smart” with technologies that include a full-home automation system that allows homeowners to control heat, window coverings, lighting, security sensors and cameras. A touch screen tracks electricity and water consumption in the home on a real-time basis.

“We’ll have a guide available that goes floor by floor through all the room choices made for the home,” said Rasford. “It’ll also be available online.”

The interior architecture is designed to demonstrate the use of natural light with open spaces and energy-efficient building components. All of the materials in the home, from the windows and lighting fixtures to the counters and floors — tell a story of sustainable engineering and eco-friendly design, Rasford said.

Also, all of the furniture in the home is renewable or reused.

“Some of the furniture is from the Salvation Army. The dining room table is a slice of a fallen ash tree from Michigan,” Rasford said. “The two lighting fixtures above the table are called the Thomas Edison Twins. They’re made by a local artisan, Ted Harris, and are 16-inch wide globes filled with used light bulbs in all colors and sizes. We also have hemp bean bag chairs and are using FLOR carpet tiles in some areas instead of wall-to-wall carpeting. These tiles can be easily removed and washed.”

A team from the University of Illinois Extension Horticulture, Environmental and Green Educators and a landscape architect created the landscaping that surrounds the house. Some of the highlights include a sustainable vegetable garden and rain gardens.

Tags: 75th anniversary, brainstorms, compost, dining room table, doorbell, dual flush toilet, energy costs, heating and cooling systems, home automation system, landscape, landscape architect, Landscaping, liquid waste, museum of science, museum of science and industry, quality sound, running water, showcase, shower tile, smart home, square feet, tiles, vegetable garden, water consumption, water use
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Mr Carter opened the $4.3 million building that features rooftop solar panels, underfloor heating, electronic locking with monitoring and a north orientation to make the most of daylight hours.
As the previous conservation minister, Mr Carter said this sort of sustainability in schools was something %26quot;very close to his heart%26quot; and provided for a high standard of learning in the classroom.
%26quot;When it comes to education, its important to give the very best that we can afford,%26quot; he said. %26quot;It is a great investment for our country.%26quot; He added that his hope for the new school was that it would remain as the centre of the community.
Clutha District Mayor Juno Hayes said that just like the Mainland cheese slogan, %26quot;good things take time%26quot;.
%26quot;This is the end of a long, sometimes tense term of planning and negotiation,%26quot; he said.
%26quot;Building a school of such outstanding quality takes a great leap of faith.
%26quot;This high-tech school will provide a wonderful education for young people. It is an absolute major asset and will serve this district well for many years to come.%26quot; The impressive building has six classrooms, three pods and a multipurpose room and has a compact design to maximise sunlight and reduce energy costs, low flush and plumbing fixtures and a wood pellet centralised boiler.
Pupils said they were impressed with the cushy carpet, %26quot;flash toilets%26quot; and a sandpit twice as big as the previous one.

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WASHINGTON Green roofs are increasingly fashionable, but they’re nothing new. Elaborate roof plantings were used in Rome and Mesopotamia 2,500 to 3,000 years ago. The best known were probably the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Simpler green roofs have also been used for millennia by Scandinavians and Kurds. Homes were made of mud; weeds grew on the mud and created sod that helped keep the home warm or cool.

More recently and closer to home for Coloradans, the Denver Botanic Gardens has a publicly accessible green roof on top of the gift shop. “The Gardens is taking the lead in researching the most effective green roof plant material for the Rocky Mountain region,” said Mark Fusco, senior horticulturalist and green roof designer, in a prepared statement.

Going green on your roof at home will improve visual impact, and can prolong the roof’s life. It reduces heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer, and can reduce water runoff by as much as 50 percent while putting to good use an otherwise unused space, providing habitat for birds and butterflies. Using the rooftop expands living space for activities such as dining, recreation and enjoying city views.

The benefits of gardening on the roof are so many that the Environmental Protection Agency is encouraging cities to start roof garden programs. The EPA’s goal is decreasing the heat-island effect found in cities, which raises temperatures in urban and suburban areas by several degrees. The agency estimates that increasing an urban area’s acreage of planted space by just a few percentage points can lower temperatures several degrees, significantly reducing smog and saving millions of dollars in energy costs.

In the 19th century, flat roofs with gardens became popular in Europe and North America. In “Planting Green Roofs and Living Walls” (Timber Press, 2004), Nigel Dunnett and Noel Kingsbury refer to extensive green roofs as being naturalistic in appearance, like a meadow, and able to The new green roof above the gift shop at the Denver Botanic Gardens is the city’s first publicly accessible green roof. Officials at the Gardens say it is a highly-visible demonstration of the many benefits of going greens. (Denver Botanic Gardens)be planted over a thinner growth medium.

Dunnett and Kingsbury say that the 1868 World Exhibition in Paris included a planted concrete “nature roof,” the first of several in Western Europe. In 1914, architect Frank Lloyd Wright used a roof garden for a Chicago restaurant.

The roof of the conference center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Salt Lake City is green on a monumental scale, with fountains, prairie, alpine meadow and woodland, including conifers and aspens. It is a landscape design on ground, vertical and overhead planes.

Some gardens at the J. Paul Getty Museum of Art in Los Angeles are green roofs, too. There’s a lush garden on the roof of Chicago’s City Hall. Green roofs dot the tops of offices and residences in New York, Philadelphia, Boston and San Francisco.

In Christian Werthmann’s “Green Roof: A Case Study” (Princeton Architectural Press, 2007), readers are taken through each step of installing the green roof at the landscape architects‘ building. Every step of the installation for the rooftop and terrace gardens is clearly explained. This book has excellent graphics and color photographs. It is an up-to-date how-to volume that shows that it is possible anywhere, with the proper planning, to install a rooftop garden.

Greening your roof requires study and planning. Structural integrity, grading, waterproofing, drainage, growth medium and plants are all important.

In addition to considerations that help in the development of the foundation of the garden (hardscape), the planted environment (softscape) is the ultimate goal of a green roof.

Not everyone with a roof can have a roof garden. Not all roofs are flat enough or can handle the weight. Some aren’t easy to reach. But if you have the right slope, a sturdy enough structure and way to get there, then with a little imagination you can have a roof garden.

If you don’t own the space, find out whether you are allowed to build on it. Whether you own it or not, you also need to know whether the structure is sturdy enough to support the weight. Get an opinion from a structural engineer or architect. Ask what, if anything, you should do to the roof to make sure you’re not going to encourage any leaks.

There are many ways to protect a roof there’s membrane sheeting just for this purpose. If you’re going to use turf you may need a system of under layers, including plastic foam or gravel, as a foundation.

Once you’ve determined that your roof will support a garden, begin thinking about plants and water. Roofs are not the most hospitable sites, and plants will have to contend with heat, cold, wind and air pollution. “Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting Guide,” by Edmund C. Snodgrass and Lucie L. Snodgrass (Timber Press, 2006) offers a thorough explanation of plants, including color photographs; that have performed well on roofs. Use fences, screens, and trellises to mitigate the effects of sun and wind. Tough plants that withstand local conditions are good choices.

To learn more about how to build a green roof, go to www.greenroofs.org, and click on the link About Green Roofs.

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NEW YORK: A bag from Hermes,

Jimmy Choo shoes and a T-shirt from… Target. That’s the shopping

strategy that well-to-do female shoppers may adopt in 2008 and beyond, according

to a panel at the National Retail Federation conference on

Tuesday.

Economic troubles such as high energy costs have crept into

the lives of women with an annual household income of over $100,000 and their

confidence in the US economy’s health plunged to a two-year low in

December, according to a survey by market research firm BIGresearch released at

the conference.

So women are making changes in the way they shop.

They are going to stores closer to home and making fewer trips. And they are

turning into serious bargain hunters. Even those with a love for luxury brands

are not hesitating to buy items on sale or are ‘trading down’ and

shopping at discount stores like Target.

“They will pay for

something if they really want it,” said Robin Lewis, head of Retail

Vertical at Goldman Sachs’ subsidiary Vantage Marketplace. “But they

won’t pay a penny more than what they can see it is

worth.”

To that end, almost a third of women who shopped at

Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus or Saks in the last three months also shopped at

Target, while 11.6% of them went to Wal-Mart Stores, the survey

found.

About 71.1% of women with household incomes of over $150,000

who were surveyed, felt that price does not make a brand. That means women, who

normally dream of buying a Chanel or Christian Dior product, would not hesitate

to buy an item at a discount retailer if the quality and variety appealed to

them. “It’s all about the product,” said Janet Carr, vice

president of Strategy and Consumer Insights at Coach.

Nearly 41% of

women surveyed said they have become more practical and realistic about their

purchases over the past six months. In that period, several US retailers took

hits to sales as higher food and energy costs, a slow housing market and credit

issues cornered consumers into spending less.

Luxury retailers have

also begun showing signs of stress. Last week, jeweler Tiffany said its US

same-store sales fell 2%, citing a cutback in consumer spending. That data

spooked investors and raised fresh doubts about luxury sector’s

resilience.

Still, high-end retailers have plenty of opportunity for

growth and polishing their online presence could be one, the panelists said.

“It is a great way to market to (women),” Coach’s Carr said.

“You can bring her into the store. Bringing her into the store means you

have a chance to sell something. Now you’ve got her.”

Tags: bergdorf goodman, consumer spending, energy costs, target
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WASHINGTON %26mdash; New Year’s resolutions are opportunities to do something you have always wanted to do, often for self-improvement. In the spirit of the season, here are some that will help you improve the environment, too.

Resolve to:

Recycle. A mature tree will produce just 14 newspapers. The energy saved by recycling one aluminum container will run a television for three hours. Recycling one glass bottle will save enough energy to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours.

Cut air-conditioning use by planting trees around your house. One estimate is that three mature trees around a house can cut air-conditioning needs by 10 to 50 percent. If 100 million trees were planted around homes and businesses, the nonprofit conservation group American Forests estimates, $4 billion would be saved in energy costs.

Planting trees anywhere will also help remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to offset the damage from burning fossil fuels.

Help trees establish a balance with their growing medium. Drastic changes to the root system of a tree will severely stunt its growth or kill it. Don’t change the grade over roots of trees, not even by an inch, and don’t drive over roots with tractors or trucks.

Just one time can crush enough absorption roots to hinder a tree’s ability to renew.

Save mature trees. They remove particulate pollution and, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, increase property value. Trees can boost a property’s value 10 to 20 percent, depending on the siting and variety, the government says. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that in 50 years, one tree generates $30,000 in oxygen, recycles $35,000 in water and removes $60,000 worth of air pollution.

Consider the soil’s needs before planting. One of the most difficult ingredients to retain in soil is organic material. In a natural world, trees drop leaves. Smaller plants, grasses and wildflowers die, providing stems and leaves that decay and leave a rich layer of humus. Most plants depend on humus or compost-rich soil for air, moisture and nutrients.

Compost your landscape debris.Replenish the mantle of topsoil with compost. Disappearing original prairie and woodland topsoil is at a premium. It takes about 1,000 years for nature to make just an inch with the precisely right mix of minerals and organic materials. But we can make that in a day.

Test your soil pH and correct as needed for more acid or alkaline conditions. Amend earth with 3 to 4 inches of compost on the surface, and more dug into the top 10 to 12 inches of soil. Lay 2 inches of compost over trees’ root systems, and let gravity do the rest.

Consider every plant’s longevity. Install trees far enough apart that they can mature into specimens in 12 to 15 years. Design perennials to enhance areas and encourage healthy biodiversity.

Use less pesticide. Start with safe alternatives, and use the more toxic material only if absolutely necessary.

Design native plants into gardens. Indigenous wildlife depends on them for food and shelter.

Ensure that plant roots get oxygen, from air space in earth that has been deeply dug and amended with compost, facilitating drainage and air circulation. Install plants in moist, well-drained soil.

Drough-tolerant plants, such as catmint, lamb’s ears, dianthus and some evergreen hybrids of holly and boxwood, must have well- drained, moist but not soggy conditions. Plants will suffocate in perpetually wet soil.

Conserve natural resources. Use drip irrigation for trees, shrubs and flowers. For lawns, a low spray in early morning on a day without wind is best. Collect rain and the water from your dehumidifier for indoor and outdoor plants. Irrigate with bath and dishwashing water as long as there are no phosphates in it.

Joel M. Lerner is president of Environmental Design in Capitol View Park, Md. E-mail or contact him through his website, gardenlerner.com.

Tags: compost, drastic change, energy costs, grass, grasses, irrigation, landscape, lawns, native plants, perennials, plants, shrub, shrubs, soil
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It may be on its way to becoming the first certified “green” building in the city, but most Naperville Park District officials say they’re most excited about how the new south maintenance facility will improve services to residents.

“One of the really nice things is we’re finally able to offer some administrative functions on this side of town, like registration for programs, that we’ve never been able to do before,” said Jennifer Hendricks, a district project manager.

The new $4.5 million building opened for business last week and will mainly serve as a hub for maintenance vehicles and equipment. But it also will save the city’s large southern population copious amounts of time they might normally spend driving to the downtown administrative offices.

The district received a $100,000 grant from the Illinois Clean Energy Community Foundation for energy-efficient design. The efficiencies include a reflective roof, increased insulation, drought-tolerant landscaping, lighting controls, natural lighting, sun shades and window glazing.

“Every day at 5 p.m., the lights go off automatically,” said Laura Rudow, superintendent of parks, whose new office is in the building. “We’ve got sensors in the rooms, so even if the lights are turned on and no one is around, they’ll turn off automatically. No one’s going to leave the lights on by accident.”

The district is still in the process of getting certified for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. The designation is the standard of measurement for so-called “green” buildings that are environmentally friendly.

It could be several months before the district knows whether they will receive the designation.

Initially the 16,400-square-foot building at Book Road and Conan Doyle Drive was going to feature a number of advanced eco-friendly designs, but Hendricks said cost increases in brick-and-mortar construction aspects forced district officials to scrub most of the “green” amenities.

Hendricks said officials will monitor the operating costs of the building to make sure they are realizing the projected savings from the energy-efficient design. The information also will be used to determine design elements for future buildings and possibly retrofitting existing structures.

The district is expected to save 20 percent on energy costs because of the design and equipment efficiencies.

“It’s very hard to predict what we’re going to be using,” she said. “We are monitoring everything for budgeting purposes.”

The building is open from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, but hours may shift depending on public use and need. There is meeting space available, but district officials haven’t worked out a scheduling protocol to open it up for public use yet, Rudow said.

Tags: amenities, design elements, drought, energy costs, Landscaping, minis, rta, Services, sun shade
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A $70 million office and hotel complex planned for the site of the former Federal Reserve building could be downtown%26#39;s first multitenant %26quot;green%26quot; redevelopment project.

Savannah-based Melaver Inc., the developer of the project, believes Birmingham, with its sophisticated financial industry and its natural resources, has the potential to garner national attention for green building.

Melaver chief operating officer Colin Coyne said the idea is not lost on the local business community, conservation enthusiasts or city government, but it requires greater cohesiveness and communication from all those parties.

%26quot;We have a chance to make a difference if we have a cohesive vision,%26quot; he said.

Plans call for a 125,000-square-foot office building and four-star hotel at the corner of Fifth Avenue North and 18th Street.

Melaver plans to seek the U.S. Green Building Council%26#39;s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) designation.

Coyne, who lives and works in Birmingham, said he has been busy courting and encouraging businesses to partner and participate in the project and hopes to have some big announcements in the near future.

Green, or sustainable, design has leapt into the development, construction and design industries in recent years as a more environment-friendly and economically viable option of building and redeveloping.

Some aspects of the project%26#39;s sustainable design, Coyne said, will include high-efficiency HVAC systems for lower energy costs and healthier employees, and a storm water management system, which will incorporate porous cement and indigenous landscaping.

Coyne said Birmingham%26#39;s Brasfield %26amp; Gorrie LLC has been tapped to serve as general contractor on the project, and he has been discussing interior design with the local firm KPS Group Inc. Kansas City, Mo.%26#39;s, Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell Architects is designing the exterior.

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Hillside Landscaping means modifying or arranging the features of the grounds around a home to improve the property from the standpoint of aesthetic ideas and/or practical usage Hillside Landscaping. Landscaping enhances your home, not only by improving its appearance and creating useful outdoor spaces, Hillside Landscaping but also by helping to maintain easy and comfortable indoor living spaces. (more…)

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