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House Tour: A Net-Zero Energy Home in Vermont
I recently visited beautiful northern Vermont, and the South Farm Homes development in Hinesburg. This six-home development aims for "net-zero" status, meaning that the homes will generate as much power as they use over the course of a year. Environmental features include active PV solar panels integrated into the metal roofing of each home and significant southern glass, which provide solar gain (as well as lovely views of the surrounding valley).
Get the Look: Spring Fresh Living Room
This room just shouts Spring, don't you think? From the lemony yellow wall to that uplifting lime green in the sofa pillows, it's just gorgeously seasonal. Even with a woodstove and cord wood in the corner, there's absolutely no Winter in this photo.
How-To: Live Green Like Jessica Alba
InStyle currently has a great feature on celebrity interior designer Kari Whitman and her eco-friendly ideas for Jessica Alba's home. Whitman is known for her creative use of salvaged artifacts (like the vintage chandeliers shown here) that she finds by scouring antique shops, flea markets, and her clients' homes. For example, she says, "For Jessica Alba's house we bought almost every piece used."
Check Out West Coast Green!
Earlier today, I told you that I'm hanging out at West Coast Green, a green building conference in San Jose, CA, which explores ways to make all structures more sustainable. If you live in the Bay Area you should certainly get your butt over to the San Jose Convention Center and learn all you can about sustainable home construction and design, as the conference ends Saturday. But, whether or not you're in the 'hood, you can still hear about what's going on thanks to this video from Day 1: For more information, check out the West Coast Green website.Roundup: My Turf
I just returned from a little midday break in the park nearby, where I basked in the sun and gave my eyes a well-deserved break by staring at some gorgeous greenery. Back in my quiet, sterile office, I've still got turf on my mind so I decided to round up home décor items with a grass motif. Soon when it's Winter, the real stuff will all wither and hide under layers of leaves and snow.
In the News: Green Architecture Has a Ways to Go
Interested in getting the lowdown about green architecture? Then I suggest you read the Newsweek article, "The Bad News About Green Architecture." For a good while now, the reporting of green architecture practices has been nothing less than greenwashed, and I've been waiting for a mainstream publication to address our country's problem with its perception and definition of "green" architecture.
Casa Verde: Creative Coffins
I hate to be macabre, and I know the last thing on your mind this summer is where you'll be laying "when I lay me down to sleep" for good. But for those of you who want to be green-to-the-grave, I thought I'd let you know that there's an environmentally-friendly coffin alternative out there for you. Creative Coffins are made from cartonboard produced from unbleached pulp.
Casa Verde: Listed Green
Interested in buying a green home? Then try searching through Listed Green, the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) exclusively for green, energy-efficient, sustainable homes and housing developments for sale worldwide. Committed to reducing global warming by promoting sustainable, energy-efficient, healthy-building design, the service helps to elevate the market value of new green homes and eco-friendly residential developments.
Home Library: Eco-Chic Weddings
What better book to review during June, when our theme is focused on eco chic living, than Emily Anderson's wonderful guide Eco-Chic Weddings? Since I'm trying to plan my wedding as DIY and green as possible, I knew that Anderson's book was a must-read for my planning. With simple, quick, and often economic ideas for making your ceremony and reception more eco-friendly, Eco-Chic Weddings was just the thing I needed to both inspire new ideas and reinforce other plans I'd already made.
Casa Quickie: Reuse When You Move
Moving? Though it may be nice to support a local business by buying new boxes when you move, it's far from eco chic, and it ain't cheap either. When I've moved in the past, I've taken a day to drive around to local businesses like grocery and liquor stores to pick up used cardboard boxes.
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