Salvaged Building Materials are Catching On In 1976, Dr. Dan Knapp quit his teaching job and started hanging around the dump in Lane County, Oregon. On a mission to rescue reusable items, he rooted through tons of trash, undaunted by the landfill's “No Salvage” signs. “I thought that [prohibition] was kind of silly,” he says, […]
When Mary and Howard Maynard were building a new home in Connecticut, the design included an 18-foot high wall of glass that spanned nearly the entire east side of the structure. Wood framing would not have been effective. “That vast space had a number of tricky structural implications,” says Howard Maynard, adding that the engineer […]
Commercial carpeting can off-gas lots of chemicals so buyer beware. Luckily there are starting to be more and more healthy options that are also easier on the environment out there.
The author makes his backyard friendly to wildlife and children alike by avoiding pesticides and creating a natural environment.
Mold spores float around inside & out but usually don’t cause problems for us — except when they settle into our homes & expand…
In a development that makes a mockery of its own declaration that the U.S. is experiencing an energy crisis, the Bush Administration recently proposed drastic 30 percent cuts in federal programs that promote energy-efficient buildings and encourage businesses and homeowners to invest in solar and wind power.
Give Your Swimming Pool–and Your Utility Bills–an Energy-Smart Makeover Six million American homes have swimming pools, which provide a cool alternative to the blazing heat of summer months and a refreshing excuse to put off that lawn work just a little bit longer. Unfortunately, the effort it takes to blow up those rafts isn't the […]
In sizing up a prospective house, more and more homebuyers are asking themselves how the property rates on the green scale…
To lower stress, many physicians recommend a relaxing hobby like gardening. But cultivating plants indoors may also lower the risk of asthma, allergies and “sick building syndrome.” The Environmental Protection Agency cites indoor air pollution as one of the top five public health threats in America, and the main culprit in the 60 percent rise […]
Lighting accounts for 20 to 25 percent of all electricity sold in the U.S., according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). With Americans paying eight cents per kilowatt hour, energy-efficient lighting is starting to look very appealing to consumers. And because energy costs can also add up quickly from frequently-used appliances, small changes can equal big-time savings.
