Thursday, December 30, 2010
Home Energy Score finally a reality!
http://greenhabbing101.com/video-home-energy-score/ - this video explains the new home energy score rating process.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Good news for contractors regarding the new Lead based paint law.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
www.nahb.org
NAHB Applauds EPA'S Decision to Delay Lead Paint Certification Enforcement
WASHINGTON, June 21--The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to delay enforcement of the new Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule will provide much-needed time to get more remodelers and other contractors trained - and for EPA to get the word out to consumers about the importance of hiring a certified remodeler, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
"EPA listened to our concerns and did the right thing," said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
In revised guidance released on Friday, EPA acknowledged that remodelers in many parts of the country have been unable to obtain the required training to comply with the rule - a problem that NAHB has urged the agency to solve since the rule was announced two years ago.
The issue came to a head in May after floods devastated parts of Tennessee and there weren't enough certified remodelers to complete much-needed home repairs. NAHB and its state home builders association proposed a delay in enforcing the rule -- a decision EPA consented to in its letter on Friday.
While remodelers, electricians, heating and air conditioning technicians and other contractors must adhere to lead-safe work practices, including special equipment filters and a ban on open flames, EPA will not take enforcement action against firms that have been unable to obtain certification until Oct. 1 of this year.
Individual contractors must apply to enroll in a training class by Sept. 30 and complete the training by Dec. 31, 2010.
"This rule potentially affects about 79 million homeowners. That's how many homes were built before 1978, when lead paint was banned," Jones said. "We need significantly more contractors certified than the 300,000 who have taken the training course, and we also need to make sure that affected homeowners understand the importance of hiring a certified contractor."
Homeowners can find a certified firm at this link. Remodelers can search for an EPA-approved training provider at this link or contact their local home builders association here to find Certified Renovator training sessions.
ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 175,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. NAHB is affiliated with more than 800 state and local home builders associations around the country.
www.nahb.org
NAHB Applauds EPA'S Decision to Delay Lead Paint Certification Enforcement
WASHINGTON, June 21--The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decision to delay enforcement of the new Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting rule will provide much-needed time to get more remodelers and other contractors trained - and for EPA to get the word out to consumers about the importance of hiring a certified remodeler, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
"EPA listened to our concerns and did the right thing," said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a builder and developer in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
In revised guidance released on Friday, EPA acknowledged that remodelers in many parts of the country have been unable to obtain the required training to comply with the rule - a problem that NAHB has urged the agency to solve since the rule was announced two years ago.
The issue came to a head in May after floods devastated parts of Tennessee and there weren't enough certified remodelers to complete much-needed home repairs. NAHB and its state home builders association proposed a delay in enforcing the rule -- a decision EPA consented to in its letter on Friday.
While remodelers, electricians, heating and air conditioning technicians and other contractors must adhere to lead-safe work practices, including special equipment filters and a ban on open flames, EPA will not take enforcement action against firms that have been unable to obtain certification until Oct. 1 of this year.
Individual contractors must apply to enroll in a training class by Sept. 30 and complete the training by Dec. 31, 2010.
"This rule potentially affects about 79 million homeowners. That's how many homes were built before 1978, when lead paint was banned," Jones said. "We need significantly more contractors certified than the 300,000 who have taken the training course, and we also need to make sure that affected homeowners understand the importance of hiring a certified contractor."
Homeowners can find a certified firm at this link. Remodelers can search for an EPA-approved training provider at this link or contact their local home builders association here to find Certified Renovator training sessions.
ABOUT NAHB: The National Association of Home Builders is a Washington-based trade association representing more than 175,000 members involved in home building, remodeling, multifamily construction, property management, subcontracting, design, housing finance, building product manufacturing and other aspects of residential and light commercial construction. NAHB is affiliated with more than 800 state and local home builders associations around the country.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Summer is here - do we think about indoor air quality?
Of course, any season and all seasons are the time to think about indoor air quality. In the summer, we often keep our a/c on a lot (please don't!) and the home sealed tightly to keep the cool air in.
Here's a few tips for improving your indoor air quality:
• get a really great air filter
• keep windows/doors open as much as possible to let the outside air in
• use non-toxic cleaning products and low or no v.o.c. paints
• have plenty of green plants around - natures air filters!
• Change your furnace or HVAC filters every quarter minimum - this is probably the best and most important thing to do.
Here's a few tips for improving your indoor air quality:
• get a really great air filter
• keep windows/doors open as much as possible to let the outside air in
• use non-toxic cleaning products and low or no v.o.c. paints
• have plenty of green plants around - natures air filters!
• Change your furnace or HVAC filters every quarter minimum - this is probably the best and most important thing to do.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Can we be Zero Waste ourselves and when building our homes?
One of the things that differentiates green homes from traditionally built homes is that the builder strives to build the home without having any or a lot of waste materials left at the end of the job. This week I attended a zero waste seminar sponsored by the Orange County Board of Realtors and presented by Stephanie Barger of Earth Resource Foundation and Evan Little of Surterre Properties. Although I knew most of the information presented, it was a great refresher.
Earth Resources educates people of Re-useing, Re-ducing and THEN Re-cycling anything you come across in life. One should always strive to reduce first. Do you know the average amount of trash each person produces every day is 4.6 pounds? However, in Orange County it is a whopping 6.7 pounds! - we love our pre-packaged foods and Starbucks here, I guess. Yes, packaging creates the most waste in our daily lives and also in construction projects. One lumber company reduced the packaging on their palettes of wood and saved the company overall millions of dollars. You may have heard of the Ricoh success story of getting the company to zero waste to landfills, which they achieved Feb 2001, saving the company millions in hauling and dump fees for both Ricoh and their clients, as well as gaining great reputation for their company as concerned for the environment.
So, back to green home building.
Pre-fabricated homes (such as livinghomes.net), container homes (such as: http://www.nikiomahe.com/ ) and manufactured homes (http://www.mhcenter.com/) create the least amount of left over waste at the end of construction compared to traditional construction practices but of course, the winner is the Earthship, as most of the construction materials are from the recycling center to start with! http://www.earthship.net/
I have connections to great green contractors as well as of course lots of lots for sale in the Southern California area if you want to build one!
Monday, April 19, 2010
The 3 little Pigs are Safe in a Staw Bale Home!
California Green All this week on PBS California Green, Heul Howser's show, is focusing on Earth Day. Last night: Straw Bale Homes, This week's programming includes: Native Plant Tour, Solar Fest, Recycled Paint & Carpet and more www.cagold.com/green/ It's on at 7:30 on KCET.
The straw bale house episode was great, it was amusing watching Heul being so amazed by straw bale homes. The cool part if he visited my fav nursery, Tree of Life, and taped live construction of their 3rd or 4th straw bale building and interviewed the staff, who love working in their straw bale office. Go to http://www.thelaststraw.org/ for more info on straw bale homes. You can go anytime to Tree of Life nursery and see these for yourself. http://www.caliifornianativeplants.com/
I remember 18 years ago touring a straw bale home in San Felipe and wanting to build one on my land down there. I ended up selling the land when I moved to Ca, cause it was farther away to go to San Felipe from Ca than it was from Phoenix, but I always planned on building one someday. How neat to use an item that is natural, in abundance and insulates incredibly to build your walls! And infil homes, which are post an beam construction, can be easily built to code in California. They are such cool looking homes, too, with that adobe character and feel and incredible strength. I can't help thinking of the wolf and how he would huf and he would puff, but never be able to blow down a straw bale home! Did you ever think of that Brother's Grimm?
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Spring "Greening" Tips
It's finally springtime, and spring cleaning time. How about turning it into spring greening? First, the laundry. Wash only full loads, use cold water whenever possible, hand your clothes and they will be so fresh!
Second, use Hydrogen Peroxide to clean most things instead of bleach and save your lungs and the oceans.
- Soak your toothbrushes in peroxide to keep them free from germs, use it as teeth whitening - way cheaper than other methods!
- Clean your counter tops with it, kills germs and bacteria - same with your cutting board, keep some in a spray bottle.
- Soak any infections or fungus on your body in it
- A cup of peroxide in laundry keeps it white and bright
- It cleans mirrors streak free!
Third, plant your garden with organic seeds and soil, and plant food. You can follow my son Jesse Grimes' adventures in his garden in Dana Point. He calls it the Trailer Trash Gardener at: http://jessebythesea.blogspot.com/ He is planting an organic garden in his yard at his mobile home, proving you can reap lots of food in a tiny space.
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