Finding a Green Contractor

Considering an eco-friendly home renovation, new kitchen or roof but don’t know where to look for contractors or architects? Shop around at the sites below and remember to always ask for several references.

Your first (and maybe only) stop is the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) website. It lists building professionals accredited by the USGBC for having “demonstrated a thorough understanding of green building practices and principles and familiarity with LEED requirements, resources and processes.” To find LEED accredited professionals in your city and state, see www.usgbc.org.

Non-profit Co-op America’s Green pages also lists architects and designers that have been screened for a commitment to social and environmental responsibility. See www.coopamerica.org.

Also, many green businesses are members of local chapters of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE), a network established to ensure “that economic power resides locally, sustaining healthy community life and natural life.” To find local members, see www.livingeconomies.org.

Finding a Green Contractor

Google To Invest $10 Million In Green Startups

"Google will be investing up to $10 million in “green” startups, the company said today. Specifically, they are looking to invest $500k - $2 million in multiple for-profit startups that are focusing on electric/hybrid transportation. Details are here.

But startups don’t have much time to fine tune their pitches - proposals requesting funding must be submitted to Google by October 22 2007."

Google To Invest $10 Million In Green Startups

7 BIG ways to reduce your carbon footprint

"[We’re] going to be taking a look at the big things that you can do. The things that may take a bit more effort, that may even take a complete shift in lifestyle. But things that will make the biggest impact in reducing your impact. Do you want to have a tiny little carbon footprint and live as if we only have one planet between all 6,602,224,175 of us? You do? Read on."

7 BIG ways to reduce your carbon footprint at EcoStreet - Raising Green Consciousness since 2002

Windspire : Wind power in your backyard

Don't know how economical it is in the long run--they claim it pays for itself in about 20 years--or what percentage of your daily energy needs this can replace. In any case, it's a good feeling when you can switch to a renewable energy source in your own backyard.

"Windspire is a low-cost, easy-to-install wind power appliance that provides a safe and attractive method for harnessing power from the wind. At only 30 feet tall and 2 feet wide, Windspire is safe for birds and people, and is distinguished by its sleek propeller-free design, silent operation, rugged construction, simple installation and affordable pricing. Designed for operation where we live and work, it sells for $3,995.00 and comes complete with the inverter, poles, and an installation kit."

Mariah Power - Windspire Overview

Big Steps in Building

Do we need these monstrous mega-mac-mansions, filled with stuff that we hardly use? Wouldn't it be better to live small with just the things we need and use? My vote is for the latter.

"The average post-war 1950’s house was 983 square feet; by 1970 it was 1500 SF; last year it was 2350. Encouraging smaller homes, like smaller cars, would save a lot of energy, but codes applies the same standard across the board. Just as conservation is a resource, everything we use in housing has embodied energy, a carbon footprint and an operating cost; we have to treat them all as resources where we can mine savings of energy and greenhouse gases."

Big Steps in Building: Change our Building Codes from Relative to Absolute (TreeHugger)

Shipping-Container Homes from Lot-ek

Love this idea of reusing shipping containers to build pre-fab homes.

Visit these links for more info:
LOT-EK Container Home Kit (CHK) and LOT-EK

Texas startup says it has batteries beat

This seems too good to be true, but I'm hoping it is true.

"An Austin-based startup called EEStor promised 'technologies for replacement of electrochemical batteries,' meaning a motorist could plug in a car for five minutes and drive 500 miles roundtrip between Dallas and Houston without gasoline."

Texas startup says it has batteries beat - Yahoo! News