Or is it? There is a lot in the news lately about whether this whole Green Movement is based on a hoax or not.  My take on that as far as Green Building goes is, “What does it matter?”  Sustainable development makes sense all the time, not just because it’s a fad or that its popularity has resulted from government policies and concern about Climate Change.

Building more energy efficient housing saves consumers money through lower utility bills and extends existing energy supplies.  Using re-manufactured products or products from forests with sustainable replenishment policies also extends the life of valuable resources.

Reducing product waste helps extend the life of existing landfills in population centers with growing communities.

So building Green saves money, is smart and contrary to what Kermit says, “It is easy being Green”

Blog Written by:Wesley Scott
wes@archwaysandceilings.com
www.archwaysandceilings.com

VIDEO: Practical Affordable Green Building & Renovation

Check out this video of a Brooklyn, NY based green contractor (ECO-BROOKLYN). They have a very practical approach to renovating brownstones in the Brooklyn area.

Their goal is to provide inexpensive practical green solutions to the middle class, which obviously would have the biggest footprint of usage throughout our country. ECO-BROOKLYN’S mantra is that “the city will provide”. They salvage many of their materials out of dumpsters and dumps and in their words they are “reversing the tide to the dump”. They typically try to use reclaimed material on everything except HVAC, cabinets and appliances. For the appliances and HVAC the trade off is too great not to take advantage of the energy savings of new equipment.

These guys demonstrate  how you can creatively renovate with green technologies and not break the bank. it is vitally important that with projects like this you have a plan way in advance, because due to the nature of this kind of building, it will take longer anyways and you do not want to slow down even more due to poor planning, or something that could of been avoided. So, enjoy the video. CL

As a new member of the Dallas Green Building Alliance, I was picked to start off our weekly blogs for the month of February. Sunday morning rolled around and my blog was due Tuesday, so I was starting to sweat it! Well as I was sitting at my breakfast table, drinking a cup of coffee sifting my way through the World Wide Web, an idea dawned on me. “That’s it!” I said to myself. My first blog has to be about a green system that will put some cash back into the consumer’s wallet. Instantly, net metering came to mind.

What is Net Metering? It is a provision that allows consumers to connect their alternative energy source (like wind or solar power) to the electrical grid. The consumer will first use the energy they have created before consuming energy from the electrical grid. This will ultimately reduce your energy bills dramatically and relieve some of the stress on the electrical grid, especially in peak hours. The Ultimate goal with net metering is to generate enough renewable energy to self-sustain your own energy consumption. If you are supplying more than is needed, than the excess energy is fed back through your meter to the electrical grid, and you are given credit. Not to mention, to help get your started, Uncle Sam issues a tax credit of up to 30% of the total cost of the system, so you will be receiving a savings instantly!

Check out this Video on Net Metering!

Written By:

Wesley Scott

Archways & Ceilings Made Easy

www.archwaysandceilings.com

(Resources: Photos from isolarpowerforhomes.com & solar-panel-homes.net)

DGBA Video Series: A Garden in the sky….

This week I decided to post a video blog on a “Awesome Product.” I found it saves Builders, Framers, And Drywall Companies a lot of Material cost, as well as labor that wasn’t needed. This Product is a one of a kind, and I wish all builders would use this product in place of “Traditional Methods.”  It makes the Drywall Contractors job, much easier when “Archways and Ceilings,” product is installed. I have also looked into the “Green,” aspects of this product.

You can click on the picture above for a link to video blog:

or

Click direct link below to see ”Video,” Below:

Greener Framing Practices

After you have seen Video go to This website to see more information on this product.

Link to Archways and Ceilings website: Must Cut and Paste Link

www.archwaysandceilings.com

The NAHB Green Building Program explained. Take a few minutes to find out why your next home should be "certified" green.