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Green Building Pro Blogs

Blogs from the Editors and Green Building community...
Tags >> alternative energy
Jul 28
2011

Think Local ~ Act Global (Green Jobs)

Posted by: Thermal Mass Construction INC

Thermal Mass Construction INC

In New York State we are fortunate to be surrounded by family farms, a beautiful landscape, and (some) thriving local communities. In the towns in and around the mountains and valleys of the Hudson Valley you will find communities that are supporting their neighborhood businesses, farms, and farm stands. Local produce, beef, chicken, duck, and pork are the rule in resident’s refrigerators, not the exception. Yet local economies in New York are struggling, like much of the rest of the country.
New jobs are needed, along with tax revenue. The fossil fuels industry has made billions upon billions for the elite upper class in this country while very little has seen its way into the betterment of the lives of residents in each town, village, hamlet, or city in this country. In fact, the drilling and mining exploits of big oil & gas has left many areas of the country devastated by environmental damage.  Centralized, globalized Multi-National Conglomerates are dominating and leaving little choice to be had for the average citizen.

The alternative energy industry has been marginalized ever since its inception, even though the possibilities for a renewable & sustainable energy economy are real and expanding as we speak. Thermal Mass Construction INC has developed a system that achieves energy independence for home owners by reducing or eliminating their reliance on fossil fuels for heat and electricity. The call to retrofit homes for energy efficiency is just beginning in New York, and the goal is to create jobs. We are hoping that the new 'Green Jobs Financing Law' will put real investment into helping residents substantially improve the efficiency of their homes and put money back in their pocket. The local contractors can have consistent work rebuilding their communities. Excavators, general contractors, finishers, trucking, and drilling will all get a major boost from this law if serious funds are implemented to make the transition from fossil fuels to alternative energy for home owners.

Working class citizens deserve a break. They are locked into the grid and completely reliant upon the fossil fuels industry for the necessities of life (running their home). Renewable energy used with our "Thermal Mass Concrete/Radiant Panels can break that reliance and generate local wealth for the local businesses that are innovating to harness it in the most beneficial and effective way.  By choosing to support Green Construction we are in turn supporting our neighbors, local economies, and the environment.  Once you build a TMC INC Green Home you no longer are tied to the price fluctuations of fossil fuels.  Once they no longer receive billions in government subsidies they will be unable to buy politicians with donations and job offers.  Their industry has caused countless environmental catastrophes and needs to be moved away from.

The cost to our environment is too much.  There are only so many mountain tops the coal industry can blow up, only so many water aquifers Natural Gas can pollute with fracking, and only so many lifeless, industrial swathes of land we can tolerate.  We see things degrading all around us in terms of quality of life; I say it’s time we did something about it.  The planet cannot sustain it, and our wallets cannot sustain it.  Let’s go Green NOW!




Jul 17
2011

Cost Effective Energy Efficiency

Posted by: Thermal Mass Construction INC

Thermal Mass Construction INC

As fuel electricity prices rise the average working class citizen is wondering how to keep up with the cost of living. Heating oil and gasoline prices have skyrocketed in the past decade due to speculation in the market, and wages have stagnated leaving the average workers reaching for lint their pockets.  Many economists believe the cost of food and fuel will cause another recession, and if the government allows the United States default on its debt we will suffer a hardship not many in this country are prepared for.  It makes us all wonder if there is something more we Americans can do to solve the energy crisis.  The short answer is, we need to empower ourselves, not industrial corporations.

The truth is alternative energy solutions exist all over the globe, but in America we have not done all we can to support and grow the industry. Oil & Gas companies are some of the most profitable corporations on the planet and are extremely influential in the political arena.  The fossil fuel industry is connected to nearly every quadrent of our economy, which is why there is valid hesitation concerning a transition to a sustainable~renewable energy economy. They have worked to suppress alternative energy to some degree on the local and national level, yet right here in New York State we have created a company that can build you a residential or commercial structure 100% off the grid for good.

Jul 15
2011

Thermal Mass Construction INC

Posted by: Thermal Mass Construction INC

Thermal Mass Construction INC

'Thermal Mass Construction INC' has developed a set of building materials and procedures that allow us to build residential or commercial structures 100% off the grid. With our “Thermal Mass Green Building System” we have a set of options for the level of efficiency a home buyer/owner can afford to achieve according to their budget including the amount of government subsidies and tax credits are available at the time. A client may have certain restrictions on the size and scope of a new build, or the amount of retrofitting they can do at a time.  Yet we are able to offer sustainable energy efficiency in varying degrees to our clients that can be built one phase at a time according to their needs and budget.

Using the materials and procedures developed by Thermal Mass Construction INC new construction for a client is priced at approximately $100 a square foot for the panels and assembly of the structure itself in terms of new construction, which leaves considerable room for profit by the local contractors. Our “Thermal Mass Green Building System” incorporates the heating & cooling system into the mass of the structure itself by way of thermal mass insulated concrete panels that have radiant loops embedded in them.  The system can gather heat from a solar array that is connected to a heating manifold, heating the water in the radiant system to 100+ degrees, or can work in concert with a geo thermal deep well recovery component.

Nov 01
2010

My Vote

Posted by: Jenica Egan

Jenica Egan

In less than 24 hours California voters will determine the election of a new governor, legalization of pot and proposition 23, a closely watched environmental election fight.  Passage of prop. 23 will suspend the golden states innovative global warming law of 2006, until the unemployment rate reaches %5.5 percent or lower for over a twelve month period.  This number is unobtainable and has been for decades.

Whether or not you believe in the science of global warming or support green innovation this is a ballot measure of significance.  Two of the largest proponents of this initiative are from two Texas oil companies; Valero and Tesoro Corp.  What they stand to gain from status quo is huge if they receive the voters support. 


What kills me is that these oil companies have such a vested interest in our economy, as they think that they have our best interest in mind.  Coincidently the brothers that own Tesoro also own Georgia Pacific, which is so called going “green”.   I’m curious as to why the are working to instill fear of green initiatives when they are the only ones to loose if we move forward and become competitive in a new world market.

Aug 23
2010

Green Job Training

Posted by: Mitchell Funk

Mitchell Funk

In these hard economic times, it's good to hear positive news about young men and women participating in green job training. One school highlighted recently in the news is Sierra College in Rocklin, CA. Officials there applied for a grant through the Center for Applied Competitive Technologies, and are now offering a course for California Conservation Corps members out of Auburn, CA.

This course, titled Technical Education in Energy Efficiency and Construction, will prepare students in topics such as weatherization, energy efficiency, and alternative energy. With the grant Sierra College put together this 128 hour course that will gain students entry-level employment in the Energy Efficiency Construction Industry. The hope is that this course will serve as a model for the rest of the state, and that job opportunities will be filled across the same area. According to a recent study, the Sacramento Region of the state is expected to have the highest rate of green job growth through 2012, introducing as many as 3,530 jobs!

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