Sustainability has become a key factor of production in recent times – with the intended effect is that whatever we do or build, do not have a detrimental effect on the health of the planet. In fact, sustainability is about using our resources in a healthy and respectful of the environment in order to meet long term needs of our community. sustainable housing construction has two main themes: the building with environmentally friendly materials and more efficient use of energy is possible.
Remember that there is much scope for greater sustainability in the construction of new housing where it is not just doing a green renovation of an existing home – but that does not mean that there are things none of us can do wherever we live. The purchase more energy efficient, showers with water storage, sink faucets with aerators and renewal of insulation are all available to all owners. All these measures will save money in the long term to reduce our energy and water, and because you are using less energy, but also measures to see that we are not too add to the stock of greenhouse gases on the planet.
Of course, if we are building a house from scratch then we took a lot more to ensure their sustainability. The two areas that a builder of the future must focus on building a sustainable home is energy efficient and sustainable use of ecological materials collected.
There are some key areas that can focus on when building an energy-efficient. The most abundant and cost free energy source we have is a good sunlight and passive solar design to ensure our house is to capture enough sunlight to be absorbed by the surrounding thermal mass, which then release heat in the room when the sun goes down. The usefulness of this project depends on having good insulation. The sun can also be used to generate a large part (if not all) of our need for electricity and heating. Putting solar panels on the roof you can convert sunlight into electricity to heat water and electrical appliances. Advances in solar technology are quickly seeing solar energy becomes more cost effective way to produce energy. All these measures will be completed to ensure that all your appliances use less energy.
You should also take account of how the water will be used at home. The availability of low-capacity toilets and showers limited water flow are practices that today are actually quite common. This topic can be expanded by diverting gray water from washing and bathing to watering plants, and capture rainwater from roofs for use inside the house. Focus your landscaping for native plants resistant to drought can also save an enormous amount of water.
A green builder will also ensure that he is building with sustainable materials – ideally those who have been certified as sustainable by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) – an independent, impartial third party rating agency that certifies materials as sustainable or not , and non-toxic paint and finishing products.
Archive for August, 2010
Sustainable Home Building – Constructing A Greener Environment
Thursday, August 26th, 2010Environmental Science: Towards a Sustainable Future
Sunday, August 15th, 2010
Product Description
Known for its currency and readability, this book focuses on enabling readers to critically evaluate the latest environmental issues and to apply that understanding to situations and events in their everyday lives. It explores the interactions of humans within the natural environment and probes issues thoroughly examining their scientific basis, their history, and society’s response. The authors discuss sustainable development and public policy in terms of how they … More >>
Buy Fresh, Buy Local: Director of Sustainable Living Systems in Corvallis Says Bitterroot?s Ready for New and Sustainable Food System
Monday, August 9th, 2010“Buy fresh, buy local” Director of sustainable living in Corvallis, said Bitterroot is ready for new and sustainable food system
By Brian D’Ambrosio
Jill Davies is the director of sustainable livelihoods, the nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching environmental approaches conducive to food production. It hopes to increase the enthusiasm for building a local food system new and vibrant. Creating a Community system of food safety that can support sustainable agriculture here in the Bitterroot, is something that aims to achieve through a combination of education and persuasion.
In general, “local food” is a principle of sustainability is based on consumption of locally produced food. Local food initiatives are part of the local purchasing concepts are based on the buying preferences of goods and services produced locally.
The concept is often associated with the slogan “Think globally, act locally” prevailing in green politics. Supporters of developing the local food economy, as Davies and the people of Corvallis-based sustainable systems of life, because they believe that food is essential for everyone, everywhere, every day, then a small change in how they will be producing and promoting a huge result for individual health and the global ecosystem.
Local food is often interpreted as organic, or produced by farmers who adopt sustainable practices and indulgent. Many local food advocates tend to equate food with local material produced by independent farmers in the community, while equating “non-local food, with food produced and processed food of great size.
“Fresh, organic foods are more nutritious,” says Davies. “Healthy food for a healthy soil creates healthy bodies and minds.”
Supporters say Davies purchasing decisions favoring local food consumption directly affect the welfare of the people, because local food is not processed and tastes better than food shipped long distances from other states or countries.
“When you have a local food system gives the exceptional taste and freshness,” says Davies.
Besides, he says, a local food system will improve the local economy, strengthen the network alternatives and food can be environmentally sustainable.
Strengthen the local economy, says Davies, is to buy local products as a way to keep your dollars circulating in the community. A reliable, honest and informed relationships with farmers who grow their expenditure is also a part of this development process.
The institutions, including schools, restaurants, nursing homes and hospitals, will play a key role in creating and promoting a local food system. Get these institutions are committed to buy at least a part of local products, even if all carrot or lettuce, is a pretty solid base. “Buy fresh, buy local” signs are a unique part of the information campaign, too.
“The assistance from these institutions is more important,” says Davies. “We want to educate the public to look for our signs, and we know that people who show these signs carry fresh produce from the region,” he says.
Davies has developed around the time of the transformation from agriculture to industrial agriculture, and on a vanished time when the Bitterroot Valley of Montana was a barn before.
“Until the 1950s, the Bitterroot produced most of the food from the state,” she says.
“Now, all the food consumed here is from afar – Albertson’s, Safeway and Super One are few producers of organic food here. Only a small percentage of the diet actually comes here. Most of it comes from renewable agriculture Industrial from a distance. ”
Davies studied biodynamic agriculture in England in early 1970. On the basis of a series of lectures in early 1920 by the Austrian philosopher Rudolf Steiner, biodynamic farming practices melts. But it goes a bit “deeper, trying to harmonize the work of the farmer with other materials, such as gravity, magnetism, and moon phases.
After working in the gardens of a city in France, then in a biodynamic farm trucks in Switzerland, returned to the United States. Davies went back to England in 1999, attending a course at Schumacher College in biotechnology in agriculture, and was immersed in this problem since then. Its agricultural and biological knowledge has been raised by the guru of agroecology Atthowe Helena, as certified organic vegetable and fruit farm is located east of Stevensville.
Davies is confident that our geographical region, once again serve as the main source of grain and produce, and a feeding site of the cooperative is located or constructed by next spring. “I hope we will have an open shop since. The cooperative is an important component of local food system”
For this to materialize the sale of food consumption, more scholarships should be in writing, more meetings, additional subscribers signed and obtain new loans. The remains Bozeman Food Co-op, which has 14,000 members and a network of community farmers and consumer cooperatives, small businesses and local producers, the model can be replicated.
Part of building a local sustainable food system that promotes the economic health of communities in the Bitterroot and farms, include, Davies said, which prohibits the proliferation of large stores like Wal-Mart. the world’s largest retailer and largest private employer (1. 3 million employees), Wal-Mart collected more than 312 billion U.S. $ in sales last year.
But recently, the company has drawn intense scrutiny of the Coalition of Bitterroot Good neighbors, for their negative economic impact, low wages, lack of affordable health coverage for their employees, and their resistance to unionization. “These centers of Wal-Mart is the number one super food retailers in the country. One of the first steps for the construction and development of local economy is to keep these places. Box stores do not buy locally produced products to sell in their stores. This leads to a decrease in the amount of cash flow that local changes hands. ”
Another objective is the development of Davies touts local food store, processing and distribution. Consumers subscribe to this reasoning may be able to buy food directly from local family farms or through other direct sales channels such as farmers markets, food cooperatives, such as the release scheduled Co-op stores and agricultural programs and supported by the community.
“The Bitterroot Valley is definitely ready for a good co-op program, planning for food self-sufficiency and a healthier food system.”