The truth is we can actually take you completely off the grid with the right combination of Geo-Thermal, Solar, and Thermal Mass Construction panels. The geo-cell will provide the storage space for heat in the hot Summer months; the stone aggregate holds the heat in and reradiates it back into the structure when the outside temperatures begin to drop, a proportionate solar array will supply the heat for your hot water as well as supplying electricity for mechanical needs, and the thermal mass panels that will make up the housing structure will be the core of the heating and cooling system. The panels lined with radiant tubing will absorb and retain the heat while circulating pumps will transfer the warm air throughout the entire structure, keeping every inch at 70 degrees.

Can retro-fitting be done to existing homes using Thermal Mass Construction? The answer is YES. As long as the structure is supported we can retro-fit one panel at a time. If you want to do it in stages it is very easy to do one side of the structure at a time. Our structures do not require load bearing walls so adjusting the positioning of the panels prior to setting is easy.

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.

The Green Building Expo Online Event Series continued yesterday with a multi-hour event focused on Remodels and Retrofits. The event was a big success and started off with a round table discussion answering attendee questions live on everything from home performance tips to tax incentives for energy efficient construction. From there the event moved towards an individual presentation by Jean Carroon on sustainable preservation. It's amazing to think that our current building stock accounts for around 40% of total energy use and carbon emissions in this country.

Following Jean's presentation was a talk tailored towards home performance, and Lucas Johnson shared words of wisdom on the necessity for a home performance assessment. More states are making these necessary before a home or building is sold, but there is a lot of work left to do in this arena. Audience participation yesterday was very high, and I found myself running out of time posting questions to Jean. It seems that there is a large number of professionals out there interested in or already involved in the reuse market that are seeking guidance.

     Barr Real Estate out of Champaign, IL has refit the interior of a condo complex in Urbana, IL with Lamboo Design materials. Lamboo was used for the interior wall paneling, balcony sides and top, ceiling panel systems with recessed lighting, and to box in beams and columns throughout the building.

Matt Rader, Director of 179D and Cost Segregation for SourceCorp, will speak at the Green Data Center Conference in New York on October 20 and the Sustainable Buildings Conference in San Francisco on October 27. His focus at both conference will be on the 179D tax deduction. If you plan to attend either conference, or even if you don’t, submit questions or comments here. Responses will be posted on this blog as well as addressed during the conferences.

Both conferences are sponsored by the Global Strategic Management Institute. To register follow this link. http://events.gsmiweb.com/events.php#October.

We're working hard as ever to get the Online Event Series off to a great start this month. Green and Sustainable Schools is the name of the game and we've gathered some amazing speakers to shed light on this hot topic. Schools more than ever need to take a look at their operations and take note of where to improve things like indoor air quality and energy efficiency.

With that in mind, this month we have gathered a group of thought leaders to answer the toughest questions from attendees. What is the typical ROI of green building and design measures included in school construction? How can the use of daylighting impact my school's electricity bill? Is there any way for our existing buildings to be more sustainable and efficient?

Bamboo is a plant that’s origin dates back to prehistoric times. Many years and many uses later, bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. It is technically a grass found on nearly every continent; it can grow in the mountains, the tropics and even in the Southern United States. There are nearly 1600 different species of bamboo.

Bamboo, although at times resembles trees, differs from them in growth patterns and plant structure. Bamboo has two growth patterns; clumping and running root systems. These root systems create a natural bio filter for storm water runoff; while staying in natural clumped balls prevents soil erosion. Bamboo also produces 30% more oxygen than a like sized timber forest area. These differences allow bamboo to grow faster and straighter than any known tree species. Bamboo reaches the degree of its size in height and circumference in its 1st or 2nd year of life.

The holiday weekend is now over and the month of June is upon us. Pretty soon the summer season will officially start, and we can continue to focus our efforts on the landscape around us. The Green Building Journal this month will focus on sustainable landscape design, which goes along very well with the start of the Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES) Pilot Program.

This program first started as separate projects within the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and then in 2005 both groups joined together at a Sustainable Sites Summet in Austin Texas. By 2006 the United States Botanical Garden joined as a major player, and now over 11 other stakeholder groups are involved including the US Green Building Council. SITES is the first rating system for sustainable landscapes, and as I mentioned this month marks the start of the Pilot Program with over 175 projects involved. For the next two years a Super Bowl village, industrial park, and power plant among other locations will be participating in environmentally friendly land development.