House/Home

The World as Home

Author
Eleise Jones
Ruminator Review

Tips on Working with Your Landlord to Green Your Apartment

Author
AMY PICKETT and CHAD SKALLY
Skally Management
Too often when we talk about living green, we focus on homeowners rather than renters. At Skally Management, a family-owned and -operated real estate management company in St. Paul, we're changing that concept by finding innovative ways to practice Eco-Management: sustainable, responsible real estate management designed to have a positive impact on our local environment and community.

We encourage renters to see their landlords as partners in living green. Try to start a face-to-face discussion with them, rather than using

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Xcel Energy, xcelenergy.com

Eureka Recycling,
eurekarecycling.org

Neighborhood Energy Connection, thenec.org

Installing a Residential Geothermal Heat Pump: A FIRST-HAND ACCOUNT

Author
MARK SNYDER
Do it Green! Magazine
My journey toward geothermal climate control at my home in Minneapolis began some eight years ago, after my father installed a heat pump at his house in Andover, MN.

At the time, I'll admit I was a bit skeptical of the idea of actually being able to heat your home without burning some sort of fuel on-site such as natural gas, propane or even wood in a wood stove. This seemed especially unlikely in a climate like Minnesota's. I later visited my dad's house in the winter after his system was installed and found that it was actually quite comfortable.

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

How Geothermal Systems Work,
econar.com/howitworks.htm

Minnesota Homeowner Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency,
dsireusa.org/library/includes
/maphomeowner.cfm?State=MN

Read Up!

Geothermal Heat Pumps: A Guide for Planning and Installing, by Karl Ochsner and Robin Curtis, Earthscan Publications Ltd., 2007.

Act Locally!

Living Green Expo (sponsored by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency)
St. Paul, MN
651-296-6300 or 800-657-3864
livinggreen.org

Reducing the Impact of your Driveway

Author
EARTHWIZARDS.COM
Most homes have driveways. We use driveways for vehicle storage and to provide access to our homes and garages from the street. We use driveway surfaces that are sturdy enough to hold the weight of automobiles, to tolerate freezing weather and summer heat, and to stand up to snow removal.

Most driveways are made from asphalt, concrete, paving stones, or gravel. All of these are considered "impermeable" surfaces because they do not allow water to pass through them. That's right-standard pavers and standard

Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,
pca.state.mn.us/sustainability

Your Watershed District,
mnwatershed.govoffice.com

True Story of a Green Driveway Transformation,
frankejames.com/debate/?p=98

Read Up!

Making Paths and Driveways, by Claude H. Miller, Kessinger Publishing, 2007.

The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture, by Alanna Stang and Christopher Hawthorne, Princeton Architectural Press, 2005.

Act Locally!

Earthwizards, Inc.-
earthwise contracting and design
Minneapolis, MN
763-784-3833
earthwizards.com

 

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,
pca.state.mn.us/sustainability

Your Watershed District,
mnwatershed.govoffice.com

True Story of a Green Driveway Transformation,
frankejames.com/debate/?p=98

Read Up!

Making Paths and Driveways, by Claude H. Miller, Kessinger Publishing, 2007.

The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture, by Alanna Stang and Christopher Hawthorne, Princeton Architectural Press, 2005.

Act Locally!

Earthwizards, Inc.—
earthwise contracting and design
Minneapolis, MN
763-784-3833
earthwizards.com

We are Living in Individual Ecosystems

Author
ELEISE JONES
Do It Green! Magazine
A home is made up of many things: foundation, structure, function, and of greatest importance, the people within its walls. A healthy home is a beautiful thing, for it implies a clean, life-supporting environment. Your home may include a whole household, or your dwelling may be a small apartment. Either way, being responsible for a home provides us many opportunities to make world-conscious decisions about what comes in and what goes out of our space, and what happens in between.

GREEN HOMES: Standards, Certifications, and Options for You

Author
MICHAEL ANSCHEL
Verified Green, Inc.
Owning a home can be one of the great joys and challenges of life. Understanding the myriad systems that combined to make up your home can be mind boggling even for those of us who spend our lives studying, building, renovating, and repairing them. Until recently, few were aware of the role that their home played in contributing to climate change. Homes and buildings are, in fact, the primary consumers of both energy (43%) and electricity (76%). Our lifestyle choices are having a tremendous impact on our world, and perhaps most
Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Minnesota Sustainable Building Guidelines, msbg.umn.edu

MN GreenStar, mngreenstar.org

LEED for Homes, usgbc.org

Read Up!

Plan B 3.0, by Lester Brown,
W. W. Norton, 2008.

Green Home, by Wayne Grady, Diane Publishing Company, 1993.

Green Remodeling: Changing the world one room at a time, by David Johnston & Kim Masters, New Society Publishers, 2004.

Green Remodeling Products... Don’t Stop There!

Author
BOB ALF CONSTRUCTION
Green home improvement products are everywhere! These products are helpful and fun to use for a green home remodeling project, but they are not the solution to making your home as efficient and sustainable as possible. For example, how sustainable is it to pay a premium for recycled wall tiles for your new kitchen if your home is hemorrhaging heated air all winter long?  We present here a strategy called The Sequencing Strategy, a method to making your home as sustainable and green as possible. Rather than promoting specific green products, this strategy offers
Footnotes/Endnotes

ON THE WEB!

Center for Energy and Environment, mncee.org

Navien: Tankless water heaters,
navienamerica.com

Read Up!

Natural Capitalism, by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins, & L. Hunter Lovins, Little, Brown and Company, 1999.

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way we Make Things, by William McDonough & Michael Braungart, North Point Press, 2002.

Act Locally!

Bob Alf Construction (remodeling/construction coaching)
St. Paul, MN
651-206-1937
bobalfconstruction.com

Blaylock Plumbing (energy efficient water heaters)
Richfield, MN
612-869-7531
blaylockplumbing.com

Green Laundry Tips

Author
BRITT CARLSON
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
Use cold water to wash. 90 percent of the energy used by a washer is for heating water.

Wash only when dirty. Most pants and some shirts can be worn two to three times before washing.

Line dry clothes year round. A large drying rack will make this easy and convenient. The U.S. Department of Energy rates clothes dryers as the second biggest user of household energy.

Buy concentrated laundry detergent in refillable containers. This cuts down on shipping weight and garbage.

Footnotes/Endnotes

On the web!

Planet Green’s Guide to Green Laundry, planetgreen.discovery.com
/go-green/green-laundry

Energy Star, your resource for Energy Efficient Washing Machines and More, energystar.gov

Green Roof

Author
Corrie Zoll
Green Institute

A green rooftop is a rooftop that incorporates plants as part of a building’s roofing system. Properly designed, green roofs are stable, living ecosystems that replicate many of the processes found in nature. Green rooftops can provide multiple ecological benefits including stormwater management, water quality improvements, reductions in energy use, air quality improvement and increased wildlife habitat.

Footnotes/Endnotes

Resources:

Available at www.greenroofs.com:

  • Green Roof Plants: A Resource and Planting Guide, by Edmund C. Snodgrass and Lucie L. Snodgrass, 2006.
  • Roof Gardens: History, Design, and Construction by Theodore Osmundson.
  • The Green Institute
  • 612-278-7100


Live green roof web cam:

  • www.greeninstitute.org
  • Green Roofs for Healthy Cities, 5th Annual North American Conference. Held in the Twin Cities, May 2007.

Cloth Diapering

Author
Gabrielle Hagelstrom
Think Cloth Company

As a mother, I am often questioned about the choices I make in raising my children. Every time I leave the house with my 5 month old I am bombarded with unsolicited advice about all aspects of his well-being ranging from his attire to his diet. Nothing has brought on more comments, though, than my decision to use cloth diapers.

Footnotes/Endnotes

Resources:

  • Diaper Pin
    www.diaperpin.com
  • Cut of Cloth: A Diaper Pin Site
    www.cutofcloth.com
    Diapers in the waste stream by Carl Lehrburger 1989.
    Whitewash by Liz Armstrong and Adrienne Scott, Harpercollins 1993.
  • SoftBums Organic Diapers www.softbums.com
    Interested in cloth diapers?  Email us
    for a FREE Softbums Cloth Diapering Book filled with tons of info and
    pictures.
  •  

    Local Stores that carry cloth diapers:


  • Think Cloth
    612-220-1146
    www.thinkcloth.com
  • Peapods
    251 Snelling Ave S
    St. Paul, MN
    651-695-5559


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