It isn’t easy being green, but thanks to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), there is a framework for practical, green building design, construction, operations and maintenance. The tools are in place, but it takes dedication, persistence and hard work to make sustainable building a reality. Achieving [...]

The decisions you make at the earliest stages of your project are the most critical. It is your building project, and you don’t want to leave your schedule, cost or quality to chance. Setting priorities early on will be the best way to get a finished project you deserve.
Your project may require unique expertise. For [...]

Going into the new year, I’m naturally in a reflective mood. What can I do to impact the greater world as we head into the unknown promise and potential of a new year? Sharing ideas which matter is a place to start!
What if more Zero Energy Homes became more prevalent in the coming year? “What’s [...]

Have you ever wondered - I mean seriously thought about why we are not as advanced a society as we thought we would be as we enter 2010?   Why do you think that is so?  Have we been too satisfied with the status quo?  When the economy turns around, are we going to go back [...]

When I was in graduate school in the the early 1990’s, sustainable design was just getting off of the ground in the way we know it now. (I know it’s been around since Mesa Verde, but I’m referring to the current generation of thinking)
I wish programs such as the Solar Decathalon, held each year in [...]

Love That New House Smell?
Today’s new-home construction materials contain an excessive amount of chemicals that evaporate and off-gas into VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds.  Kitchen and bathroom cabinets, moulding and paneling, drywall, flooring and roofing materials are manufactured using toxic chemicals such as Urea-Formaldehyde and phenolic resins.  Paints, stains and sealants are used extensively in just [...]