Man's best friends

A new study shows that current methods for producing pet food are worse for the environment than driving. This is devastating news for pet owners like me. Here's hoping this study will bring about sustainable pet food (that our pets will actually eat) so we can keep the furry friends, that we hold so dear, guilt-free!

Hopenhagen

Our chance to make our voices heard!

International Day of Climate Action

Today people around the world are standing up to support global action against climate change.

Here are a few snapshots of what is going on around the world today.

The entire world is ready for action against climate change.

What caused this? What can we do about it? Check out this short video.

Green Building Materials

In designing the perfect home for our household, I have been studying and exploring the different types of building materials available. Some are more eco-friendly than others.
I'll share my findings with you.

First, your house is going to need walls and insulation.
My top picks are:

SIP's "Structural Insulated Panels" - take care of the walls and the insulation in one step. SIP's can have an R-Value of up to 60 (1 foot thick.) Even at an inch of this insulation, you will be far better insulated than the "old pink fiberglass" style (about 11 R Value, if you are lucky enough to have it installed correctly.).


The walls work like I-beams and produce super strong structures- able to withstand hurricanes. They resemble foam core board and resist fire, insects, rodents, mold, and mildew, because of the compressed nature of the product. Some are made with straw in the foam mix. Generally pays for itself in savings in about 5 years.




Straw bale- A house built with straw bale will be comfortable year round. It has amazing R-Value of 30 when covered with stucco. Wider bales provide more insulation (and really really thick walls, but make neat window seats!) It is surprisingly fire resistant and rodents have a hard time getting into the straw if the stucco is done correctly. Water, however can pose a real problem for straw bale homes.

The building must be constructed when all of the bales are DRY. What makes this appealing to me is the price! Straw is a waste material and can be purchased locally, nearly everywhere, for cheap. Construction goes fast when the bales and workers are ready to get it done!





Rammed Earth- These walls may be too "earthy" for some folks, but if you are trying to heat and cool with passive solar, they make a great thermal mass to absorb the sun. They are constructed with local dirt and clay mixed, and are pounded into form pnuematically.


Homes made of rammed earth use about 1/3 the energy of conventional homes. It makes for a healthy environment in the home. The walls control humidity(by absorbing water), are fireproof, soundproof, and rodent proof. They even show "rings" like a tree from the layers as they are done.



Wood frame and log homes come with a host of problems ranging from termites to shrinkage and cost much more than alternatives.


The majority of logging used to get woods to us is not done sustainably. If you want to use wood be sure to check for the "FSC" stamp to show you the lumber comes from a provider dedicated to sustainable practices, i.e. they plant what they tear down. However, it takes quite a while to grow back to maturity.

If you want the LOOK of a log home but with less wood used, and better insulation, take a look at ELogs The most environmentally friendly way to have a log home.

There are more options out there. These are just a few of my favorites.

Sustainable Furniture

Cardboard.



Yes, that stuff we flatten and recycle. It really is a fascinating, completely recycled and recyclable material to work with.

Several years ago, when I was working for a company that dealt with many cardboard boxes every night (that had to be stacked for scanning to be sent out again) we used to get creative with the way we stacked them. Here is an example.




A couch, ottoman, lamp. We made other things with them as well over the long night shifts. That's me on the end- with the cup. We knew cardboard could also be furniture!

So tonight I was thumbing through all of the shows you can stream directly for Netflix for something interesting to watch and ran across Big Ideas for a Small Planet.
This show is GREAT!

These guys have taken a version of that cardboard idea and ran with it. I'll admit I was dubious at first about some of the designs, but some of them are just plain fantastic!!











I LOVE that spiral case!!

Cardboard is cheap, easy to ship, collapsible, a blank slate for decoration, and incredibly strong when built to be.

May not be suitable for homes with cats with claws. (Well maybe the spiral storage case. Don't think they can reach that!) Exhibit A:


These guys have made entire offices out of nothing but cardboard. Simply amazing! I may make this my new office, too.















These folks below have a lot of great ideas. Like shelves, seating, tables, kid kits, and more. And this is the kind of furniture that would be fun to put together. No tools!












Here are cardboard file cabinets, shelves, and even a cardboard bed (without mattress)


This is a great way to build for the future.

Smarter not "disposable."

When I was in a sculpture class in college we were told to make things out of "found objects." We, went, as a class to a local "dumping ground" and found odds and ends to make five sculptures, each. It was one of the most fun projects I've done. I may delve into this once again, when I have workshop space. It's messy!

This guy started a family business to build lamps out of Junk. They literally find the junk they need, from the places that have to dispose of it. He takes a lot of ordinary things and turns them into extraordinary pieces of furniture. I'd love to have one of these lamps!


The carbon footprint of the furniture industry is gigantic. It is estimated Americans buy 70% of their furniture from over seas. That's a lot of oil down the drain.

Can't we work out more sustainable furniture solutions, like these guys have?

For the Hohm

I ran across a Beta Test of a wonderful *FREE* program by Microsoft. It is called "Microsoft Hohm." Not only does it give you great tips that can reduce your power bills, but, by inputting your "history" with the gas and electric utilities, it generates charts and shows you how much you are spending each month/year/etc. on these bills.

Have you ever really sat down and looked at the power and gas bills as they come in? Do you just write a check and move on to next bill?

For example:
My roomate and I- living in an 800 sq ft apartment- kept track of the statements from 3 years ago to present. By inputting the historical data, we can see how much we really are paying for these "utility privileges".

Yearly electric $983
Yearly gas $320
=
Yearly power bill of $1303

Ouch! We've spent almost $10,000 in power bills since we moved into this apartment 7 years ago.

What was surprising to me was how much we pay for gas services on months we don't even use it. In my example the only thing, in the home, that uses gas is the furnace.

We have to pay a fee year-round for "Distribution and Service Charges"- even for a service we don't need 5 months out of the year.

Ex:
For the months with 0 gas usage in 2008 we paid $7.37 (5 months out of the year) = $36.85

For the months with 0 gas usage in 2009 we pay $14.67 (5 months out of the year) = $73.35

That is $110.20 we spent over 2 years-
for a service we didn't even use.

*And that is just the gas bill*


On to the electricity........

The bill tells us "Price to compare: in order for you to save money, a new supplier must offer you a price lower than *Our service provider*'s price of $47.08, or 7.8 cents per kWh, for the same usage that appears on this bill. You may contact *them* for a written explanation of the price-to-compare message."

It states our electricity usage as 604 kWh.
Our Total Account Balance is= $74.45 for the month.

If we are paying 7.8 cents per kWh for 604 kWh the charge should be= $47.11

Yet our bill is $74.45. That is a difference of = $27.34 on this one bill ALONE.

Evidently we are also paying
-- A Customer Charge of $4.25/mo. To be a customer?!?
-- A Distribution Charge of $19.29
-- Transmission Related Charges of $4.70
-- And a Generation Rider of $3.83...........Every MONTH!

--That adds up to about $384.84 you pay in FEES to the Electric company each year.

Your actual kWh (when you account for all the fees) is = 12.3 cents per kWh

What they say you pay ---> 7.8 cents
What you actually pay ---> 12.3 cents

My point is READ YOUR BILL. Figure it out, and see how much you are spending just for the right to get electric and gas to your home. Better yet plug it all in to Microsoft Hohm and let the them show you what is really going on.

We also figured up- that the money we put into rent and utilities -now- would be more than the payment we'd make to buy a piece of land, build a small energy efficient home with daylighting, and power it with renewable energy..At today's interest rate (4.5% fixed) and a 15 year mortgage- we would still pay over $100 LESS each month and we'd have it paid off in 15 years.


Rent (no value to me), +power bill, +gas bill

Or

Own our own home, on our property, that provides its own energy and retire in 15 years?

At that- the quest for the perfect piece of land commences.

Good luck to you and feel free to update me with your results!!!

Blogging about the climate

Today was a global initiative to blog about the climate change. I do a little bit of that each post on this blog. Here is a place you can go to check out more!

Want to determine your ecological footprint?

Want to find out how your lifestyle is measuring up?

Are there more things you can do to lead a sustainable life?

Find out at this nifty interactive quiz site and learn what else you can do to improve.

Some facts you may not be aware of:

Though the U.S. accounts for only 5% of the world's population,
Americans consume 26% of the world's energy.

U.S. residents consume almost 9 times more electricity
per person than the average consumption for the rest of the world.

Fossil fuels (such as coal) are depleted at a rate
that is 100,000 times faster than they are formed.

Residential appliances, including heating and cooling equipment and water heaters,
consume 90% of all residential energy in the USA.

Worldwide 2 billion people currently live without electricity.

It is the time to focus on what we, as fellow stewards of our planet, need from it!

Can an iphone teach you?

I ran across a list of iphone apps today that help you live a "greener life."
Some of them are even free.
I'm excited to see so many things you can do in the palm of your hand. It seems so efficient.
I will get to play around with one soon, I hope.

As to the Ohio Sustainable Community? Plans are coming along. I will also be providing as a representative of solar and day-lighting equipment in Ohio.

We hope to work with local contractors to provide energy efficient products and solar panel systems-as well as education and jobs to the community.

I have found out many interesting things lately and can't wait to share them here but I'm catching up on work, and settling into the new environment Ohio offers.

A better choice to Light the way

How much money have you spent in light bulbs?

How many light bulbs have you changed in your life?

Hundreds? How many watts did you typically use? 60W 90W? 120W?

Meet the bulb that uses 6 Watts of energy to produce the same amount of light as a traditional 60 Watt bulb!!
Not only does it use significantly less energy, it also fits standard sized light fixtures, can be dimmed, keeps bulb temperature low, and is made of recyclable materials.

This LED bulb is the most environmentally safe option; using no lead, mercury,or toxic chemicals found in CFL's, and lasts up to 6 times LONGER than CFL's.



The Lemnis Lighting company states: if every American household switched just one traditional 60W light bulb to a Pharox light, $1.4 Billion in electricity costs and 9 billion kilowatt hours would be saved annually. This would equate to a carbon emissions reduction of 5.2 billion kg annually.


That is staggering! Imagine if all NEW construction used only LED bulbs and Solatube lighting. The cost of energy would be instantly reduced and people will get a lot more performance out of solar and wind generation! Help light the way!

How big does your house NEED to be?

It is my hope to help introduce people into a new way of living. The way we do things now will not sustain our planet. The good news is there are better ways of doing things. I hope to touch on more of these areas soon.

Today I want to talk about size of residence.
How much space do you really need?

The average American house size has more than doubled since the 1950s; it now stands at 2,349 square feet. Whether it's a McMansion or a bigger, cheaper house in the exurbs, the move toward ever large homes has been accelerating for years. Unfortunately so has the population- of the earth!


Are there spaces in your home that never get used? Places just for "show" or because your house is supposed to have a family room, great room, game room, whatever the case may be?
I would like to propose a different viewpoint. That part of your home you aren't using is costing you energy to heat, cool, power, and clean, not to mention furnish.


So much less space is actually required for us to function. I, for one, am a big fan of multi-purpose spaces. Your "living room" can easily be an office, den, bar, guest bedroom, and center of the home.

Kitchens? Lets just say I'm not much of a cook. There are a few things I can make but I have realized that there are many other people out there, just like me, who are running a full size old fridge to house 1 pitcher of tea, mustard, and one empty ice tray in the freezer. Appliances and kitchens for people that barely use them can be very small.



There are even more appliances available to furnish homes like these, and power them for a lot less!

It is the smallest priority for me personally in a home. I see a lot of space that could be used for
other things.





Need a huge bedroom?

Why? As long as you have sufficient storage space, you really need a space for your bed and a few comforts. Face it, your bedroom is for the BED. Why not create spaces that you really love elsewhere in the home, or outside of the home, for that matter to enjoy and relax in? Remember the family on Little House and the Prairie? The kids slept in a loft above the main rooms. It worked fine for them and many other families as well. I really love this idea for a kid's room.

There is an entire movement of people who believe in living in smaller homes, and sustainable movements as well. I hope to help merge the two.


www.tinyhouseblog.com

www.thistinyhouse.com

www.greenandsustainablehomes.org

Living in this way- I hope to show that a community center, that houses many of the not often used elements of the home, will reduce the size and footprint of each individual home and create a sense of community.


Questions? Comments?

Back to the Blog!

Your Sustainable Station blogger is back, and short one faithful reader-(my mother Cecilia Price), but the time to move forward has come. She supported my dreams and hopes for making sustainable communities become reality, so the work must begin.

There are several key topics when it comes to the sustainable housing I want to build.

The community will:

• Use planet friendly building products
• Be affordable
  
• Handicap accessible plans
  
• Renewable energy utilized
• Rainwater collection and gray water systems used
• Garden and greenhouse space available
  
• Community center for multiple use spaces
  
• Bike friendly
• On-site recycling and composting for minimal waste.

I will address each item in turn and keep you updated on our community as it forms.

Thanks for your patience!

A car that runs on Air?

I Stumble!(d) across this article on the AIRpod car today. It was too cool not to share! Imagine the possibilities of having transportation that runs on Air?! If they incorporated solar energy to run the heating and cooling like the new Prius will, these could be the wave of the future. The article is worth a browse.

Also, since I mentioned it, if you haven't tried StumbleUpon yet, try it! It is a way to channel surf the internet for things that you are specifically interested in. It also allows you a place to save the pages and share with other people. I've really enjoyed it so far! It even has a handy toolbar to access its features. Happy browsing to you! If you want to see what I've been checking out add Tawanda19.

Station Break

We interrupt this blog to bring you an important message.

Robin is currently unavailable to write due to a sudden serious illness in the family. Please stay tuned for sustainable news updates as she will be writing when she gets a chance.

Flat roof options?

Lately I have been pondering how to work the roofs on my sustainable home designs. Originally I had just planned on the standard slanted roof model but am now considering the benefits of flat roofs. You can just do so much more with them.



Aside from adding usable space to the interior of a small space, you can use the space above as well. A deck can be built on top of the structure, or if you have it in a stationary location- a green roof is a wonderful option!


With appropriate waterproofing and gutters in place for run-off this roof will absorb the sun and keep temperatures low in the home, help digest excess co2 floating around, and can even provide you with a spice and/or vegetable garden for home-grown flavors! As for the grass? I think I'd rather have a roof I didn't have to mow. But if I did-I'd use one of these

If you would like, you could also opt for a solar panel roof covering that would allow in light through the day for interior day-lighting as well as power production! Like the Sanyo Hit Double panels that absorb light from both sides of the panel! They also allow 15% sunlight to shine through. What a wonderful product. You can find out more about it at Tiger Green Power, LLC under the featured product!

There are just so many options...I can't wait to start putting the designs into practice!

Windmills that produce water

Dr. Max Whisson has found a way to extract vapor from the air to turn it into water, while powering the operation by wind. This could be invaluable to developing nations that trudge untold miles just to bring water to their homes for use. I'm excited to see what comes next with so many people putting ideas into action!

Plastic Bag Fallout

Ever wonder what happens to those plastic bags after they float out of our lives? They float into the lives of the sea creatures.


Take a moment to look at this short slide show to learn more about the dangers they produce.


Have you tried to use cloth bags instead? Many stores offer them for just $1.oo

We can make a difference. One person at a time!

Corporate Responsibility

Would you like to start your company on the track to be environmentally responsible? Do you have ways to recycle in your workplace?




Don't know where to start? This site is an excellent resource!

These guys have a program for recycling options for corporations: MyGreenElectronics as well as other ways to help your company lessen its impact.