Green Flooring

How to Choose Green Flooring
Two of the most common flooring materials -- carpet and vinyl -- pose risks to ­the health of the environment and your home.

Bamboo flooring: Looking good for the environment
Bamboo flooring has come a long way in a short time. Once only available in lighter natural shades and hard to come by, it is now a hot new choice for flooring in new homes and remodels.

A House for the Future, Now
Camela and Wes Speer’s new house in Lorton will be environmentally friendly, energy efficient and unlike anything else around. It will also be one of the most carbon-neutral homes in Virginia.

Sustainable Materials For Your Home And For You

Smart and Sustainable
When it comes to redesigning or updating a kitchen or bathroom, recycled has finally arrived. There are as many options as there are wants and needs; price points for unlimited and limited budgets; and energy-efficient fixtures and appliances to make us all feel like good stewards of the environment.

Carpet & Sustainability… A LEED AP’s Perspective
Smartstrand Sorona PTT fiber is here.

Green Your Wardrobe: Sustainable Materials
There's nothing more in style right now than flaunting that you’re good to the earth. Freshening up your wardrobe for spring? This week’s green fashion tips will help you keep up with what’s hip.

Going Green Helping Homeowners Achieve Energy Sustainability & Health

Living in the 21st century, many cities are adapting to the new green paradigm, updating old homes and buildings to suit the needs of a healthier environment and home. A catalyst for homes, industries, schools, universities and business, the incredible diversity of enterprises is driven by a common bound to move to a green lifestyle.

While we all use energy to power us through our daily lives, many people take renewable and sustainable methods for granted. In the world of home ownership and real estate, there are many things that should be taken into consideration. The implementation of Eco-construction and sustainable energy solutions will play an important role in the transformation to a healthier and sustainable world.

Recently, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act into law. Included in this act were extensions to the tax incentives placed for energy efficiency in 2005, as well as new credits for homeowners who remodel or build using Eco-sustainable methods. Existing homes are eligible for a series of efficiency measures that pertain to the home shell (Insulation, Windows, Sealing) worth 30% of the installed cost (materials only, labor is not included in the credit basis).

Some of the measures that are eligible for tax credits include added insulation to walls, ceilings, or other part of the building envelope that meets the 2009 IECC specifications, sealing cracks in the building shell and ducts to reduce heat loss. Storm doors paired with U-factored rated wood doors are also eligible. These “green” home modifications will help save on energy costs and provide tax credits, but some of them may even be better for your health.

Asbestos that is well maintained causes no risk. Most experts suggest leaving it un-disturbed, as this can allow its fibers to become airborne. Sometimes the best action is no action at all in regards to asbestos.

Long term exposure to airborne asbestos fibers can potentially lead to the development of mesothelioma, a lung ailment caused only through asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma treatment has varied effects on victims. The age of diagnosis and latency period typically have a direct impact on patients. Due to the fact many mesothelioma symptoms are similar to less serious ailments, Diagnosis of mesothelioma is one of the more difficult tasks physicians encounter.

Everyone strives for clean air to breathe and clean water to drink. Unfortunately, many modern conveniences increase pollution and health problems. Green alternatives to asbestos include the use of lcynene foam, cotton fiber and cellulose. The United Nations Environmental Program states that the use of recycled building materials such as cotton fiber insulation can reduce energy use by 25 percent.

In 2001, Israeli researchers at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology began production of a thermal ceramic insulator becomes a safe and economical substitute for asbestos and other harmful substances. The foam is made of aluminum oxide, a high temperature ceramic noted for great insulating powers from its tiny air bubbles.

There is no need for any products used in construction to be made from asbestos, yet over 3,000 work and home-based materials still contain this toxin. Many locations throughout the United States are swiftly changing their construction practices to suit the environment and the health of human beings.

(Source: Mesothelioma Cancer Center)

Sustainable Materials

Green Materials Proving To Be Economically Sustainable
This is but one example of the outright growth in the marketplace for sustainable materials. While difficult to quantify, anecdotally it appears that the recession has not stopped professionals working in design and construction from specifying green materials, which as a group are still perceived to cost more than their conventional counterparts.

Ecollect - Discover Sustainable Materials
An online database of eco-friendly and sustainable materials.

Sustainable Materials & Construction
The creation and use of sustainable building materials and construction help conserve natural resources and protect the environment for present and future generations. There is no shortage of creativity in this area as companies and private firms are constantly striving to develop and market alternatives to conventional building; such as, I-joists, 24-inch on-center framing, alternative decking materials made from recycled plastics, sustainably harvested wood, insulation made from recycled newspaper, and countless more.

Distant Village: Sustainable, Eco-Friendly Packaging

Ecodesign