CasaSugar

Casa Quickie: Eco-Color Theory

CasaSugar — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:00:09 -0700

Ever remember burning your bare feet on a black top in the Summer as a kid? The black color of the paved surface absorbs the light particles that it hits, exciting the pavement's particles, making the black surface warmer because its particles are moving faster. Contrarily, white surfaces reflect light, so they are cooler. So for those of you living in a warm climate, think about painting your home light colors, which will absorb less light, meaning less need for turning on that a/c. And, those of you living in a cold climate should think about painting your home darker colors, which will absorb the light, meaning less need for turning on your heater! Maybe Orlando Bloom should consider repainting his black house, and I should alter my poll to read "Chicken or the Egg or the Climate"?
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Casa Verde: Designing For Climate Change

CasaSugar — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 05:30:14 -0700

Architect Vincent Callebaut has designed a city that floats on the ocean and can house 50,000 people. Why? Given the projections for rising ocean levels due to melting ice caps, a lot of land, especially coastlines, will be under water in the 21st century. As Callebaut explains,

According to the less alarming forecasts of the GIEC (intergovernmental group on the evolution of the climate), the ocean level should rise from 20 to 90 cm during the 21st century with a status quo by 50 cm (versus 10 cm in the 20th century). The international scientific scene assesses that a temperature elevation of 1°C will lead to a water rising of 1 meter. This increase of 1 m would bring ground losses emerged of approximately 0.05 percent in Uruguay, 1 percent in Egypt, 6 percent in the Netherlands, 17.5 percent in Bangladesh, and up to 80 percent approximately in the atoll Majuro in Oceania (Marshall and Kiribati islands and step by step the Maldives islands).

To combat this loss of livable terrain, Callebaut proposes building his rather brilliant floating cities, called Lilypads. Each Lilypad can support up to 50,000 residents, and relies on a type of design called biomimicry, which uses shapes found in nature (such as the nautilus) and then imitates these designs and processes to solve human problems. In this case, the Lilypad design is inspired by the shape of the water lily. It is half terrestrial and half aquatic, and includes features such as lagoons that purify rainwater. The city relies on renewal technologies such as solar and wind power, and is designed to float on gulf coasts. Even cooler? The city's tiatium dioxide "skin" is designed to process CO₂ in the atmosphere, thus helping to reduce climate change.

While this city is still in the very hypothetical stage, I find it reassuring that there are architects diligently working on ways to deal with these possible issues. It's especially heartening when such a beautiful design is presented.

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This Just In: Al Gore Wins Nobel Prize

CasaSugar — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 09:47:04 -0700

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded today to Al Gore, the former U.S. vice president, and to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change for their work in educating the world about the dangers of climate change. I'm so proud of Al and the U.N. for their work on this issue!

If you're wondering what climate change has to do with Casa (and your casa), consider this: Commercial and residential buildings contribute 38% of the U.S.'s carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide is the main cause of climate change, which is already causing some pretty un-fun side effects in our lives, including wonky weather patterns and increased fires.

I know: depressing, huh? But I've always believed that dealing with a problem directly is better than letting it fester and grow into a mammoth, uncontrollable beast.That's why we should all try some small, simple ways to deal with curbing climate change in your home, such as replacing incandescent bulbs with CFLs and insulating our homes better.

And just to prove to you that energy efficiency and greening our homes isn't all doom and gloom, check out this inspirational Treehugger video about a green urban home.

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Metropolitan Home Folds

CasaSugar — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 11:56:46 -0800

Another one bites the dust. Hachette Filipacchi Media announced today that it will fold Metropolitan Home with its December issue. The company plans to focus its efforts on its other shelter glossy, Elle Decor. HFMUS President and CEO Alain Lemarchand said, "We believe the best strategy in the upscale shelter segment is to boldly focus our resources and investment on Elle Decor, which is the ad-page leader within the US market. Despite the downturn in ad pages that has affected all magazines, the Elle Decor brand has multiple opportunities for growth across all platforms.” Met's longtime Editor in Chief Donna Warner and her staff will leave the company.

This closure follows a long string of folds in the shelter world, including HFMUS's own Home, House & Garden, Blueprint, O at Home, Cottage Living, and, of course, Domino. So while it's not a shocker considering the economic climate, it is still sad news indeed. But at least this glossy went out with a bang, wowing us with the Metropolitan Home Showtime House and the exquisite Modern by Design Showhouse this year.

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Love It or Hate It? Global Warming Rug

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:00:46 -0800

While I think that the NEL Global Warming Rug (inquire for price) makes an important statement, I can't imagine displaying it in my home every day - it would just be too depressing. However, maybe products like this are the necessary kick in the pants we need to start being more proactive about climate change.

Casa Verde: The Svalbard Global Seed Vault Opens

CasaSugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:00:16 -0800

Today in Norway, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault opened its doors to the first deposits of what will eventually be 100 million seeds from over 100 countries. Seeds such as maize, rice, wheat, cowpea, eggplant, lettuce, barley, and potato were some of the first deposits in the seed vault. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault contains the most diverse and comprehensive collection of food crop seeds in the world.

Located on the island of Spitsbergen in the Arctic Circle, the vault was built 130 meters deep inside a frozen mountain. Its purpose is to serve as a library for food crop species that may become endangered or extinct due to climate change. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault has been built to ensure the safe storage of hundreds of millions of seeds for several centuries or more. Even if the worst-case scenarios of global warming prove to be true, the vault will remain naturally frozen for up to 200 years, thanks to its location in the Arctic Circle.

To find out what happened at the opening ceremony, and for a video about Svalbard, read more.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, along with the African Nobel Peace Prize-winning environmentalist Wangari Maathai, together placed the first seeds in the vault. European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, along with numerous dignitaries and agriculture experts, also deposited seeds during the ceremony, while music was provided by Norwegian musicians and choirs. Prime Minister Stoltenberg commented that, "With climate change and other forces threatening the diversity of life that sustains our planet, Norway is proud to be playing a central role in creating a facility capable of protecting what are not just seeds, but the fundamental building blocks of human civilization."

For more information on this important project, read more at Crop Trust.

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Midday Muse: Flooded London

CasaSugar — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:00:44 -0700

Some climate change models indicate that many of the planet's coastal regions will be underwater in the next 50 to 100 years. Deciding to put a positive spin on this rather dreary prediction, media production company Squint/Opera used a combination of photography and digital modeling and manipulation to create an altogether surprising vision of the future.

The company's images, which were presented as part of London Festival of Architecture 2008, show Londoners fishing from parking structures, playing near submerged sidewalks, and completing high dives from St. Paul's Cathedral. What's your take on these images?

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Study Rates Norway Best Place to Live

CasaSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 11:00:02 -0700

According to an annual report by the United Nations, Norway is the most desirable country in the world in which to live, followed by Australia and Iceland. The United States ranks 13th in the study, while the UK ranks 21st. The worst places in the world to live are Niger, Afghanistan, and Sierra Leone.

The study based its findings on criteria including literacy rates, school enrollment, country economies, and life expectancy. Norway's high rank is thanks in part to the discovery of offshore oil and gas deposits in the late 1960s.

What country do you live in? Do you think that your country is a great place to live? What makes it that way? If you live in the United States, what's so great about your state or city? I have to say that the efficient public transit, moderate climate, and sense of community really makes the Bay Area a great place to live, while the high property tax rates, rental rates, and overall cost of living make it less affordable, and desirable, than some other cities.

Tell me: what makes your country, state, or city, a great place to live?

Source: Flickr User photojenni

Casa Verde: Keep Your Energy Bills Low When on Holiday

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:00:00 -0700

If you're planning on vacationing this August, you know that you don't need to use as much energy at home while you're away as you would normally. But, I thought I'd give you a few reminders about how to cut back your energy use while you're off hitting the beach.

Most people like to leave some lights on to be safe, so you appear to be home even when you're not. If you live in a city or neighborhood where that's necessary, just put a couple of your lights (facing the street) on timers to go on at night so your house doesn't appear vacant, but isn't hogging energy all day long.
Aside from your refrigerator and freezer, you can turn off and unplug all of your major and smaller appliances. But, if you'll be gone for an extended period, consider emptying your fridge and freezer all together and unplugging them as well.

There's more where these came from, so read more.

You won't be needing hot water, so you can turn your electric water heater off, too, or if you have a gas water heater, turn it to the pilot setting.
If you live in a moderate climate, you can turn your air conditioner off as well, but otherwise, set it at 85 degrees.
If you're lucky enough to have a pool, turn off your pool heater as well — Wow, they're pricey! — and reduce the amount of times that your pump filter operates. But, then again, if you can take a dip in your backyard, why take a vacation?

Etsy Find: Janet Hill Studios Paintings

CasaSugar — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 08:00:00 -0700

For those of us who daydream over shelter magazine spreads and redecorate in our heads, the paintings of Stratford artist Janet Hill are tempting eye candy. On her Etsy site, she notes, "As a result of living in a cold climate for six months of the year, I've developed a strong interest in the beauty of interiors. My inspiration lies in interior, furniture, and fashion design, as well as films. I love the glamour and beauty of interior surroundings."

Perhaps my favorite print of Janet's is this Zucchini Blossoms Print ($11). The open shelving in the center of this photo features elegant dishes, and the cool, green cabinetry and countertops overflow with a Summer garden's bounty. Janet certainly has a talent for portraying a home's beauty. Check out her Etsy site for more paintings or preview some of my favorites when you read more.

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