Solar Heart: Keeping you warm in colder climates
The Solar Heart by Colorado’s Cool Energy Inc is a special generator that creates a lot of electricity in a very creative way. Using a special chambered system that creates energy when Hydrogen is heated and cooled. The system needs the controller (the brain), low heat solar panels on your roof or yard, and the SolarHeart engine in the house. Designed to work best in northern climates like Alaska and Canada, the SolarHeart can generate 80% of the electricity needed by a household, as well as 60% of the heat needed. All of this with ZERO emissions! The SolarHeart could drastically reduce the need for fossil fueled electricity and heat for the homes that need it the most. See more at Inhabitat.
Filed Under: Eco Ideas, Green Energy, Green Home, Solar Power | Tagged:
Green Sprouts Organic Baby Fest Sept. 26
Calling all parents (and parents-to-be)! Get informed and entertained at Green Sprouts Baby Fest, set for Saturday, September 26 at Peninsula Park. This gathering features over 90 non-profits and green businesses vetted by the ubiquitous Re-Direct Guide. Find a pre-natal yoga instructor, a midwife, and a daycare co-op in one fell swoop. Get the scoop on non-toxic nurseries, organic clothing, safe toys, and more. In addition to exhibitors, Green Sprouts also offers a variety of seminars and interactive events for the whole family, including sing-a-longs, a kids clothes/books/toys swap, and even a baby sling fashion show! Follow Green Sprouts on Twitter for the latest.
Attendees are encouraged to take public transit as the MAX Yellow Line drops you off just blocks away at North Rosa Parks Way. Organizers aim for the event to be zero-waste, so leave the organic handi-snacks at home, folks.
$3 suggested donation to benefit Sustainable Oregon Schools Initiative.
Location: Peninsula Park
Time: 10 am to 5 pm
Filed Under: Eco Ideas, Education, Green Home, Portland, Sustainable | Tagged:
Green Horizon emergency housing pre-fab
This is one of the most amazing ideas to come along in a while. These 100% recycled material prefab homes are specifically meant for FEMA and disaster relief housing. Each home is LEED platinum certified as well as modular, and can fit into a single standard shipping container for easy shipping and assembly. The home slides open to become large enough for a family of four, as well as self sustainable for weeks with its own drinking water and recycled grey water management. Each of these homes can connect easily up to others of its kind to make quick mini communities with several homes around each other. They also have prefabricated medical units and a few other emergency management aid. I for one hope that this company makes it in a big way, this would have saved countless people and dollars after hurricane Katrina. See more at Jetson Green
Filed Under: Eco Ideas, Green Home, LEED | Tagged:
The 20 on Hawthorne
SE 20th and Hawthorne is now host to “The 20 on Hawthorne” a 51 unit complex of LEED silver certified homes. The homes feature energy efficient lighting and heating, low VOC paints and surfacing, and Energy Star appliances. The complex also boasts Portlands first (and the nations largest) puzzle lift parking garage (See the video here). A large eco-roof with drought resistant indigenous plants tops the whole complex off reducing rainwater runoff and further insulating the building. See more on this complex at Seeing Green.
Filed Under: Green Home, LEED, News, Portland | Tagged:
Solarize Portland
Solarize Portland is a new take on San Francisco’s 1 Block off the Grid project that helps entire neighborhoods band together to buy solar parts, planning, and installing solar panels in bulk. The residents of Mt. Tabor are going to have the opportunity to attend several planning meetings where the Energy Trust of Oregon will give homeowners the opportunity to have their home estimated for a solar panel installation. The obligation free estimate and site survey and planning information will give the opportunity to see if a solar installation is possible for their budget. Though the homeowner has to cover the entire installation out of their own pocket, up to 80% of the money will be refunded using solar rebates from the local and federal government funds. See more at Neighborhood Notes.
… Read the full story »Filed Under: Green Energy, Green Government, Green Home, Portland, Solar Power | Tagged:
Nena Baker, author of The Body Toxic, To Speak at Powells Thurs, 8/20
Investigative journalist Nena Baker, author of The Body Toxic: How the Hazardous Chemistry of Everyday Things Threatens Our Health and Wellbeing, will be speaking at the downtown Powells this Thursday, August 20 (two days from now!) at 7:30 pm. Her work reveals a disturbing underside to many of the modern items we take for granted. What are flame retardents and waterproofers and other wonders of modernity actually doing to our endocrine systems? If you think there’s already someone regulating these complex chemicals, think again. Baker’s work provides a much-needed and slightly disturbing (though not alarmist), reality check for consumers.
Read the book, meet the author!
Location: 1005 W Burnside St, 97209
Time: Thursday, August 20th, 7:30 pm
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Amazing mini habitat for your home
Brick Habitats change a vertical wall of your home into the perfect habitat for both plants and animals. Birds can rest, bathe, eat, and nest in the specially designed bricks that can be placed onto your home. Different styles have different purposes, like nesting for different species of birds, or a different shape to host the perfect environment for planting a climbing vine. Its like having a mini condo complex for birds and a garden right on your home.
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“The Sage” LEED home in Eugene, OR
US Green Buildings Council founder David Gottfried (the makers of the LEED certification) had his own LEED certified home built in Eugene, OR by Arbor South Architecture called “The Sage“. The LEED platinum home received a record 110 points on the LEED scale. The 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom beauty is situated on a low maintenance drought resistant landscaped property. Active solar water heating and PV solar panels are installed on the roof to provide most of the electricity needed for the home and cleverly planned window placement give natural lighting to the entire home. The $450,000 home is about $60,000 greater than an average home in the area because of all of the environmental features. Check out more on the Tour of Homes.
Filed Under: Green Home, LEED, Northwest, Solar Power | Tagged:
New Washing Machine uses 90% less water!
Normally a super energy/water efficient appliance is not really news or worthy of a blog post. However, this particular article really grabbed my attention. This new prototype washing machine designed by Professor Stephen Burkinshaw from the University of Leeds uses 90% less water. The concept comes from nylon beads that roll around and tumble with the clothing, all while cleaning and removing dirt and stains. Here is the best part, it is a washer and dryer combined into one, and the drying cycle is even energy efficient eliminating the need for a tumble cycle. If everyone in America had one of these washers instead of the current set we all have now, that would be like removing 5 million cars from the road and 17 million swimming pools worth of water saved each year. Now the next logical step is a washing machine that folds the laundry as well……..maybe even puts it away for you? Check out more on Inhabitat.
Filed Under: Eco Ideas, Green Home, Water Conservation | Tagged: washing machine
Shift House - The Passivhaus standard comes to Portland
The Shift House is a $300,000 home being built right here in Portland using the German Passivhaus standard. The Passivhaus standard saves 90% of heating/cooling energy use by having an airtight house with no unwanted heat gain or loss. The triple layered triple sealed windows and walls make it so that you can heat the whole house with only a standard blow dryer. Though if not done properly, the Passivhaus homes can get too warm for comfort on the inside. In order to prevent overheating the house, or air stagnation, there are several fresh air exchangers around the house that keep fresh air coming in from outside without any energy loss. Passivhaus standards are often used right alongside the LEED standard, although LEED only strives for 15% improvement on energy efficiency while Passivhaus aims for 90% improvement. The greatest part about having a Passivhaus is the lack of a furnace, you heard that right, no furnace at all in the entire place. Passivhaus homes are not that popular in the US yet (only 7 have been built), and is much more common in Germany right now. For a 10-15% increase in the cost of building the home, you can reduce 90% of its heating and cooling needs forever. This is a great step towards having a carbon zero home. Read more about the Shift House at Willamette Weekly.