Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Eco-friendly Hotel Design

Editor's Note: The following is a repost from www.design-training.com/blog/eco-friendly-hotel-design/Many of these energy saving ideas can be translated into the residential market.  In addition, the more exposed clients are to these types of options in the public setting the more apt they are to seriously consider it in the private.

Written by:  Jamie Gibbs, the resident blogger for home insurance comparison site Confused.com.

It’s important for us to save and conserve energy wherever we can. With the focus on reducing our carbon footprint and becoming more energy conscious, designers and architects are quickly adapting to implement energy saving methods in their design. In particular, the building of new hotels and designing for refurbishment of existing hotels means that it pays to know where the biggest savings in energy can be made. These green hotels make use of eco-friendly systems to conserve energy, protect the environment, and dramatically lower overall costs. Let’s take a look into some of the major eco-friendly initiatives of modern hotel design.

Recognizing a green hotel
For consumers, being able to identify these green hotels can be difficult without doing a lot of research.  Fortunately, hotels can be certified as 'green' by initiatives such as the Eco Crown Hospitality Certification; a globally recognized certification that uses universal standards to rate hotels.  A hotel that has this certificate (Gold, Silver or Bronze) can boast low waste production, environmentally conscious design, and a high degree of energy efficiency.  Alternatively, consumers can look through the Green Hotels Association's list of members for a selection of suitable hotels.  While these hotels are not certified, they are part of a community that is dedicated to energy saving hotel design.

Motion detector lights
Lighting accounts for roughly 12 percent of the total energy consumption of hotels, so an energy saving here results in a much lower cost base.  There are some quick fixes in this area, such as switching to LED bulbs, or compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in areas where lights are usually left on 24/7.  However, a more efficient way is to introduce smart lighting into the hotel.  Guests and staff tend to leave lights on needlessly and let them run while they aren't in the room.  The introduction of motion detector lights in guest rooms, for example, will ensure that there will only be light when there is someone there.  Motion sensor lights are now a common sight in hotels, and any hotel built in the past year or so is likely to have them.

Dual flush toilets
Older toilet cisterns tend to use between 3.5 and 7 gallons of water per flush.  In a standard house, this equated to roughly 30 percent of all water usage for the home.  In a hotel, the numbers quickly multiply up to a lot of wasted water.  New buildings are being designed with this in mind and have introduced dual flush toilets systems to reduce water waste.  These systems give the option of a light or heavy flush depending on how much water is needed to clean the toilet, and use less than 1.5 gallons per flush.  A 40 percent savings in water usage is significant when that savings is multiplied throughout all the rooms of a hotel.  Dual flush toilets are becoming commonplace in hotels throughout the world but an example of a newly built eco-hotel that implements this feature is the Element Hotel in Frankfurt (scheduled to open in 2014).

Key card climate control
Heating guest rooms can total up to a third of the energy bills at any hotel.  In a similar vein to innovations for eco-lighting, there are also methods to control the excessive heating in hotel guest rooms.  New technology has two modes; "occupied" and "economy".  When a guest uses their card to enter the room, "occupied" mode is activated, allowing a HVAC control unit to heat or cool the room to the guest's requirements.  When they lock the door with their keycard after leaving, "economy" mode is activated, saving up to 40 percent of energy in this manner.  This system can be seen in the Orchard Garden Hotel, San Francisco, whose Green Boutique rooms give consumers control over their environment via their key card.

Greywater harvesting
An average bath can use between 28 and 36 gallons of water, while showers accumulate up to roughly seven gallons per minute.  A majority of this water is wasted, however new measures are being taken in order to recycle it.  Greywater usually comes from baths, showers and hand basins (so-called because of its cloudy, grey color after use) and when put through a greywater harvesting system it is filtered, disinfected, and reused to fill toilet cisterns throughout the hotel.  If a dual flush toilet only uses 1.5 gallons per flush, a bath of greywater could power at least 19  flushes, saving a considerable amount of water usage.  The Dead Sea Spa in Jordan utilizes this system to great effect in a climate where water is a scarce commodity.

All of these individual innovations synergize their efforts to save considerable amounts of energy.  Sooner than later, eco-friendly industrial design will be a major requirement for all buildings, so the early adopters of these systems can see major benefits as they stay ahead of the game.  Teaching consumers about these initiatives can also have a major impact as public knowledge increases global awareness and support for future initiatives.
________________________________
Additional Sources:
The Franklin Institute - What's the cost of not conserving?
http://fi.edu/guide/schutte/howmuch.html
Waterwise - Indoors. http://www.waterwise.org.uk/pages/indoors.html
Entergize - Key Card Technology. http//www.entergize.com/keycardsystems.html
Leonardo Energy - Energy Efficiency in Hotels.
www.leonardo-energy.org/hotels
 


Monday, August 5, 2013

ZeroLandfill


You too can be part of the solution!  See below for the details of Zerolandifll. 
Drop offs are THIS FRIDAY. 
ZeroLandfill™ is an award winning upcycling program held seasonally that supports the supply needs of local artists, teachers and non-profits while reducing pressure on local landfill capacity.  Since 2006, the ZeroLandfill™ project team has partnered with the architectural and interior design community in identifying, diverting from local landfills and re-purposing back into the community over 1 million pounds of expired specification samples that hold value for other audiences.  

The architectural and interior design community will collect expired samples from their libraries and drop them off at the collection area for sorting and redistribution to the art community.
Pick up/Drop Off Friday August 9 8:30-4:30

Where: “Sources” San Diego A&D Research Liabrary  9889 Willow Creek Rd., CA 92131
www.zerolandfill.net

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

A Case For Why Green Design Must Be Beautiful

Editors’ note: The following is a repost from fastcodesign.com

Written By: Lance Hosey
Excerpt from THE SHAPE OF GREEN: AESTHETICS, ECOLOGY, AND DESIGN (Island Press).

Design is shape with purpose.

In recent years, industry has begun to reconsider its purposes. Can products be better for people? Can buildings be better for the planet? Can companies be environmentally responsible and still turn a profit? Addressing these questions is causing dramatic changes in every area of work and life. Yet, as we seek answers to questions about purpose, questions about shape remain. Of the traditional criteria for judging design--cost, performance, and aesthetics--the agenda known as sustainable design is redefining the first two by expanding old standards of value. But what about aesthetics? Does sustainability change the face of design or only its content?
 
Many designers show little interest in this question, and some dismiss it altogether. “[The term] ‘green’ and sustainability have nothing to do with architecture,” architect Peter Eisenman said in a 2009 interview. Designers care about image, and the green movement, like it or not, has a reputation for being all substance and no style. In 2010, design critic Alice Rawsthorn sized up the Leaf, Nissan’s celebrated electric car: “It is as dull in style as most gas-guzzling clunkers.” Many believe sustainability deals exclusively with energy efficiency, carbon emissions, and material chemistry--issues that belong in a technical manual, not on a napkin sketch. Nuts and bolts are not exactly the stuff of every designer’s dreams. As a result, many consider great design and green design to be separate pursuits, and in fact much of what is touted as “green” is not easy on the eyes. The ugly truth about sustainable design is that much of it is ugly.
Conventional wisdom portrays green as not just occasionally but inevitably unattractive, as if beauty and sustainability were incompatible. “Sustainability and aesthetics in one building?” asked the San Francisco Chronicle in 2007. “Is ‘well-designed green architecture’ an oxymoron?” mused the American Prospect in 2009. The previous year, famed journalist Germaine Greer declared, “The first person to design a gracious zero carbon home will have to be a genius at least as innovative and epoch-making as Brunelleschi,” referring to the Italian Renaissance architect who engineered the magnificent dome of Florence’s Duomo. Green lacks grace, say the critics.

The eco-design movement began with an implied mantra: If it’s not sustainable, it’s not beautiful. Waste spoils taste. Even now, the battle cry continues.
THE UGLY TRUTH ABOUT SUSTAINABLE DESIGN IS THAT MUCH OF IT IS UGLY.

“Look at the architecture of the last 15 years,” architect James Wines complained in 2009. “It’s been more flamboyant and more wasteful than it’s ever been before. To build any of these buildings by Frank Gehry [the architect famous for sculptural structures of crumpled metal], it takes . . . 60 to 80 percent more metal and steel and construction than it would to enclose that space in a normal way . . . Mind-boggling waste.” Wines suggests that the work of Gehry, the most renowned architect of our time, isn’t great design because it’s negligent.
Yet the opposing view insists that focusing exclusively on environmental stewardship is just as irresponsible. “Some of the worst buildings I have seen are done by sustainable architects,” Eisenman said in the aforementioned interview. “‘Sustainable architecture,’” wrote critic Aaron Betsky in 2010, “justifies itself by claiming to be pursuing a higher truth--in this case that of saving the planet. The goal justifies many design crimes, from the relatively minor ones of the production of phenomenally ugly buildings . . . to the creation of spaces and forms that are not particularly good for either the inhabitants or their surroundings.”

In the apparent tug-of-war between sustainability and beauty, which should win? Contract magazine’s 2008 interiors awards jury remarked that the Haworth furniture showroom in Washington, DC, “shows you can create something that’s environmentally sensitive but doesn’t look like it.” In other words, looking green looks bad, so hide it, dress it up. The online design magazine Inhabitat proclaims that designer Yves Béhar’s projects “have always exhibited a deft balance between stunning aesthetics and sustainable design.” Beauty and sustainability need to be balanced, as if designing green requires a compromise or trade-off with looking good. Another Web site refers to “the constant battle between aesthetics and sustainability,” as if the two unavoidably conflict. “A sophisticated building in an environmental sense is not ipso facto a sophisticated building in a design sense,” says architect Eric Owen Moss. “I wouldn’t mix the two.” Environmental sophistication and design sophistication don’t blend well.

Recent surveys confirm how widespread this impression is. In 2010, Vanity Fair asked ninety leading architects to pick the “greatest buildings of the past 30 years.”

SUSTAINABILITY, IT SEEMS, IS NOT MUCH ON THE MINDS OF THE ARCHITECTURAL ELITE.

Fifty-two people responded, and among the twelve picks with more than a few votes each was a glaring lack of exemplary green projects. (The winner, with nearly three times the number of votes of the second-place choice, was Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain--the epitome of what Wines calls “mind-boggling waste.”) Sustainability, it seems, is not much on the minds of the architectural elite.
To test this theory, I conducted my own poll. For my column in Architectmagazine, I asked 150 experts to pick the most important examples of sustainable design from the same period; to be consistent, we published the first fifty-two replies. The differences were dramatic. Not one building from the Vanity Fair list recurred in the top twenty results of my survey, and not a single American architect appeared in both sets of winners. (Of the two architects who did--Italian Renzo Piano and Briton Norman Foster--Vanity Fair featured their older, less environmentally ambitious work.) In fact, none of the winners of the first poll appear anywhere on the entire list of 122 projects in the second. Clearly, standards of design excellence and of environmental performance don’t match, for the “greatest” buildings of our time are far from the “greenest,” and vice versa.

No surprise there. Originally, the concept of sustainability promised to broaden the purpose of contemporary design, specifically by adding ethics to aesthetics, but instead it has virtually replaced aesthetics with ethics by providing clear and compelling standards for one and not the other. The most widely accepted measures for environmental performance exclude basic considerations about image, shape, and form. Even the most ambitious sustainable design can be unattractive because attractiveness isn’t considered essential to sustainability.

But this will change. “It may be true that one has to choose between ethics and aesthetics,” wrote the film director Jean-Luc Godard, “but whichever one chooses, one will always find the other at the end of the road.”

“SUSTAINABILITY HAS, OR SHOULD HAVE, NO RELATIONSHIP TO STYLE,” INSISTS ARCHITECT RAFAEL VIÑOLY.

As the green agenda becomes more popular, more designers are realizing that, as Béhar has put it, “virtuous products don’t have to equate with indifferent design.” Over the past handful of years, plenty of striking examples of eco-design have appeared, and suddenly sustainability is sexy. Yet, what makes these designs look good usually has nothing to do with what makes them green. “Sustainability has, or should have, no relationship to style,” insists architect Rafael Viñoly. Fundamental decisions about appearance often are decided by the personal taste of the designers, so when it comes to aesthetics, sustainable design is business as usual.
What if we created a different approach to aesthetics, one based on intelligence and not intuition? Can we be as smart about how things look as we are about how they work? Typical sustainable design strategies stem from painstaking research and time-tested evidence, and this approach can guide both technical choices and aesthetic choices. For every study demonstrating the benefits hidden inside particular materials and production methods, there are other studies showing how certain shapes, patterns, images, colors, or textures can create environmental, social, and economic value. Why aren’t they more familiar to designers?

Although green techniques often seem complicated, actually they could be divided into two simple categories: those you see and those you don’t. INVISIBLE green--considerations such as embodied energy, material sources, chemical content, and so forth--has become a more familiar agenda, partly because these factors are easier to regulate and measure (and possibly because they don’t threaten artistic freedom). Many designers restrict environmental performance to these factors alone; in the words of architect Cesar Pelli, “Sustainability doesn’t necessarily photograph.” But VISIBLE green--form, shape, and image--can have an even greater impact on both conservation and comfort. How a building is shaped can have an enormous effect on how it performs, and some sources estimate that up to 90 percent of a product’s environmental impact is determined during the early design phases, prior to decisions about technical details. In other words, elementary decisions about shape--the “look and feel” of a design--are essential to sustainability.

LOVE IT OR LOSE IT


Aesthetics, or sensory appeal, are not just icing on the cake. In both nature and culture, shape and appearance can directly affect success and survival. From a single cell to the entire planet, much of nature can be explained in terms of geometry alone. The filled donut of a blood cell is perfectly streamlined for fluid dynamics. The slight angle of the earth on its axis creates the four seasons, which have helped shape nearly every living creature. And many of these creatures thrive on being attractive--feathers are colorful, flowers are scented, fruit tastes sweet. Life is alluring, and pleasure drives evolution.
The same applies to design--form affects performance, image influences endurance. A square wheel won’t work, regardless of how well it’s engineered. And even with the most sophisticated mechanical system, a building facing west is going to get hot. So shape affects efficiency but also longevity, which can depend almost completely on visual and emotional appeal. How long will something last if it fails to excite the spirit and stir the imagination? Picture two objects. One uses energy conservatively but is dull, unsightly, or uncomfortable. The other is gorgeous but a glutton for fossil fuels. Which is more likely to endure--the responsible one or the ravishing one?

In The Botany of Desire, Michael Pollan shows that domesticated plants and animals have thrived because they have an important survival advantage over their competitors in the wild: we like them.

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING TO LAST, MAKE IT AS LOVABLE AS A LABRADOR.

Pollan writes: “Human desires form a part of natural history in the same way the hummingbird’s love of red does, or the ant’s taste for the aphid’s honeydew. I think of them as the human equivalent of nectar.” The fate of many things depends on whether they please people. Wolves might seem heartier than dogs, but there are 50 million dogs in the world and only ten thousand wolves. Which has adapted better? This view of nature may give you pause--should other species exist just to please us? But as a principle for design, it is essential. If you want something to last, make it as lovable as a Labrador.
Because, as studies show, we form positive associations with things we consider beautiful, we are more likely to become emotionally attached, giving them pet names, for instance. We personalize things we care about. Experiments in interaction design also reveal that people generally consider attractive products more functional than they do unsightly ones and therefore are more apt to use them. We prefer using things that look better, even if they aren’t inherently easier to use. Consider the ramifications--if an object is more likely to be used, it’s more likely to continue being used. Who throws out a thing they find functional, beautiful, and valuable all at once? A more attractive design discourages us from abandoning it: if we want it, we won’t waste it.

Long-term value is impossible without sensory appeal, because if design doesn’t inspire, it’s destined to be discarded. “In the end,” writes Senegalese poet Baba Dioum, “we conserve only what we love.” We don’t love something because it’s nontoxic and biodegradable--we love it because it moves the head and the heart. If people don’t want something, it will not last, no matter how thrifty it is. And when our designs end up as litter or landfill, how prudent have we been? “The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us,” wrote Rachel Carson half a century ago, “the less taste we shall have for destruction.” When we treasure something, we’re less prone to kill it, so desire fuels preservation. Love it or lose it. In this sense, the old mantra could be replaced by a new one: If it’s not beautiful, it’s not sustainable. Aesthetic attraction is not a superficial concern--it’s an environmental imperative. Beauty could save the planet.

 

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

The Eco Choice Award Winner Is....

By The Eco Committee

In March we noted that the following post would announce the winner of the Eco Choice Award from the IP Expo.  Without further ado we would like to congratulate Sherwin-Williams!  They are so dedicated to sustainability that they have instituted EcoVision, a company-wide commitment to develop and implement ways to reduce their impact on the environment through conservation, innovation, accountability, respect and responsibility.  Here are a few specifics worthy of recognition.

  • Most Comprehensive line of coatings that comply with LEED, CARD, OTC, SCAQMD, CHPS, NAHB, GGHC and other green guidelines and regulations.

  • As a member of the Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Leaders Program, Sherwin-Williams has adopted a multi-site, corporate ISO 14001 certification program at major manufacturing and distribution sites to ensure they meet International Environmental Standards.

  • Many Sherwin-Williams facilities are undergoing a lighting upgrade designed to reduce carbon emissions by over 14,000 tons per year.

  • An EcoMet database at each of their major facilities tracks five major sustainability metrics- production, energy, natural resources, waste and recycling- and provides a clear and consistent process for measuring sustainable practices.

  • For greater efficiency in plant operations, they're implementing manufacturing procedures that focus on waste reduction, recycling and zero discharge processes.

  • Their new energy efficient manufacturing facilities include maintenance-free landscaping, UV reflecting glazing on windows, heat reflective roofing and maximized natural lighting.

  • To reduce the carbon footprint of their vast fleet of trucks, they have experimented with biodiesel fuels and noise-reducing auxiliary power units.  They have implemented sophisticated software that allows them to plan delivery routes for maximum efficiency.

  • They are investing in research and development of advanced coatings that use sustainable raw materials such as soybeans and sunflower oils.

  • They are increasing the use of sustainable plastic paint containers, recycled labels and biodegradable shopping bags.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

IP Expo: Lot’s of Eco Friendly Options

By The Eco Committee

Last week the Del Mar Marriott saw the arrival of a number of the San Diego chapter’s IPs and Designers for the annual IP Expo.  It was a great turn out and happily the vast majority of the vendors had an ecologically friendly story to tell -from sustainable or recycled products to their environmentally conscious office practices.  Next month we will be featuring the winner of the “Eco Choice Award”.  But for this month we thought that we would share some of the interesting products/practices we learned about at the exhibition.
The innovation in products using recycled content has come so far.  Lutron which was shown by Western Light Source, has shades made of recycled content.  Vero’s line of Rialto lime plasters contain 50-65% post industrial recycled content.   Benchmark Custom Welding uses recycled metal.    These are just a small example of the options out there but the message is clear - recycled content is now an available option in most products.  Even those that may not have recycled material in their finished products are finding ways to use it elsewhere.   Toto is a good example as their damaged china is crushed and recycled into roadbed construction. 

In addition, many companies have adopted green practices in their daily business.  Plants are obviously green but Good Earth plant company has also installed a Green Roof Demonstration Garden at  their corporate office in Kearny Mesa.  According to their preliminary data this has saved approximately 23% on their energy usage and has absorbed 75% of the rain fall on their building.  Toto stores and reuses grey water generated during their manufacturing.   Sherman Williams uses bio diesel trucks in their transportation.   Personnel at Nature’s Designs try to refrain from printing whenever possible.

Please contact your IPs and request more information regarding their eco friendly products and procedures.  The list is so extensive that these days you can easily support this green movement in whatever design attributes you are looking for.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Cover Those Windows

By Amy Ramirez, Eco Committee Member
ReSource Floors, ASID Industry Partner
Windows offer a home some wonderful attributes.  They provide a peek into the outdoors while allowing for natural light to fill the space.  However, they also act as a weak link when it comes to energy containment.  Heat is attracted to cold so in the winter months, indoor heating moves towards and escapes through windows to the outdoors, while in the summer the outside heat flows into a home through these same windows.  As much as 50% of a home’s heating and cooling energy is lost through its windows.  5% of all energy consumed in the U.S. passes through the windows of residential homes. 
One way that this energy loss can be combated is through energy efficient window coverings.  Most window coverings will offer some protection however there are products that are designed to increase this energy efficiency exponentially.   Hunter Douglas released their Duette honeycomb shades in 1985 in response to the energy crisis of the late 1970s.  This product has pockets of air inside the honeycomb that offers insulation.  Recently they introduced the Duette Architella honeycomb shades which offer superior energy efficiency thanks to their patented honeycomb-within-a-honeycomb construction.     
 
This product can reduce solar heat gain through windows up to 80%.
So you may be thinking, “Great but what if a honeycomb shade won’t fit the design for my client?”   Hunter Douglas has also released Vignette Tiered Architella Shades.  These window coverings feature a rear fabric air pocket that traps air and creates an extra layer of insulation while the look is like a roman shade.
 

 
 

You don’t have to have those windows covered all the time.  By all means enjoy the beauty of the outside.  But having the right window covering product at your finger tips will let you contain the comfort of the inside all the more efficiently.   

Special thanks to Hunter Douglas.
www.hunterdouglas.com

Friday, January 11, 2013

Strand Bamboo

By Amy Ramirez, Eco Committee Member
ReSource Floors, ASID Industry Partner

Bamboo became a popular flooring choice many years ago.  It is wonderfully sustainable, growing quickly and able to be harvested in approximately 5 years.    But then because of poor product quality from the variety of companies popping up all over selling this material it began to get a bad reputation.  In addition, when the only bamboo options were natural or carbonized many designers felt restricted in their vision and opted not to use bamboo even though it was a great ecological option.
These days bamboo comes in a wide array of colors and textures and if purchased from a reliable manufacturer offers a wonderfully durable floor.  One of the most interesting additions to bamboo flooring options is strand bamboo.  Instead of cutting the bamboo reeds horizontally or vertically, the bamboo is ripped down into strands and then compressed with an adhesive mixture into a cohesive unit.   Because of this construction, strand bamboo is remarkably hard, often between 2500 – 3500 on the Janka scale.   

In addition, the texture of this material is very different from its horizontal and vertical cousins in that the bamboo knuckles are not so obvious.  It offers a very interesting texture to the floor. 

It is still very important however to purchase this material from a reputable company.  Because strand bamboo has made its mark on the market we are again seeing it from every corner and for a variety of prices.  The harvesting, the adhesives used, the compression and curing of this material is very important to its overall performance so make sure that you talk to the experts before directing your clients.  In addition, because of the density of strand bamboo it acts much like a solid hardwood floor and attention to moisture and time for acclimation must be considered.
Amy Ramirez is the Design Center Manager at ReSource Floors and has been in the flooring business for ten years. ReSource Floors has provided the premier full service flooring experience since 1989. We promote sustainable business practices throughout our organization by taking a holistic approach to the environment and our goal of sustainability. We are proud to say that we recycle most of the carpet and pad we demo from job sites, we have two LEED accredited professionals on staff to assist our customers in eco projects and we offer a wide array of environmentally friendly products in our showroom.

ReSource Floors Inc.
http://www.resourcefloors.com/
"Service with Purpose"

Thursday, December 13, 2012

GETTING TRASHY

By Claire DeWan, ASID Allied, Eco Committee Board member
KW Designs

As current trends shift toward environmentally-friendly, many products are marketed to showcase their low impact on landfills post-use. But how many products can take this a step further and turn actual trash into treasure? But wait- I’m not talking dumpster diving! Here are a few new high-end, innovative products that bring new meaning to ‘waste’!

Giovanni Barbieri takes a backwards approach with a new collection for his handcrafted Italian tile line, which are created from the dust of travertine and marble cutting. Through a laboratory process, Barbieri creates beautiful 3D hexagon reliefs, suitable for both indoors and out.
 
Pictured below, from the Engineered Marble Carved Tiles collection, more styles created from marble dust. Appropriate for indoors and out, with the exception of extreme weather conditions.
All tiles available through www.giovannibarbieri.com.

GREENTASTIC
This year 3Form released ‘100%,’ a new collection of countertop material made entirely from post-consumer recycled HDPE. HDPE- (something I had to look up the definition for), “high-density polyethylene,” is a polyethylene thermaplastic made from petroleum. Phew! No wonder I majored in Art! The breakdown is that the product is made entirely of post-consumer plastic. Hooray! Visit www.3-form.com for more information.
 
 
Less plastic in landfills and the ocean leads to a happier Earth. I’d love to share this video that I watched earlier this year that highly affected my view on our ‘throwaway’ culture.
 
 
Sometimes even recycling isn’t enough… but it’s better than nothing! So let’s keep with using those smart, earth-friendly products as much as we can!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Going Green During the Holidays

Granted this may seem early, however if you have been in any major retailers you have noticed that the Christmas decor has been up since two weeks before Halloween.  So with Thanksgiving around the corner we thought this reprint of a post from 11/10 would be relevant.  Enjoy! - Eco Committee

by Phillip Dockery
ASID Student Member. Design Institute San Diego

In today’s eco-conscious society, many of us struggle with how to be good stewards to the planet while still maintaining our quality of life. This dilemma can be especially apparent during the holiday season. Let’s face it; many of our most cherished traditions can wreak havoc on the environment. A great example of this is the use of Christmas trees. Most San Diegans who take part in this tradition are familiar with two options: they can display an artificial tree that might be made of PVC, contain lead and be imported from China, or they can choose a live, fresh-cut tree that could be imported from Oregon and will decompose and produce off-gassing. Now I will confess that these are extreme worst case scenarios, and that each of these choices does have environmentally-conscious options, but I would like to take this opportunity to shine an Energy Star compact fluorescent light on the third, less-known option of live potted trees.


A live potted tree is exactly what it sounds like. It is a tree with a completely intact root system, allowing you to transplant the tree into the ground once the holiday has passed to be admired for generations to come. Not only would the tree add aesthetic value, but trees in general offer advantages such as producing oxygen, removing Carbon dioxide from the air, fighting soil erosion, and cooling by offering shade.

For those who live in an apartment or condo, please don’t be deterred. If you don’t have a place to plant your trees once the holidays are over, you still have options. Trees make a wonderful gift. You can give your tree to a friend, church, school or to one of our numerous parks located throughout the County. Christine McDonnell, owner of Adopt A Christmas Tree, says that for the price of the tree her company will not only have two singing elves deliver the tree, but will have it picked up after the Holiday and donated to a needy organization if you do not have means or want to plant it yourself.

Other great local businesses which offer living potted Christmas trees are the Family Christmas Tree Farm located in El Cajon, and Pine Tree Acres located in Ramona. Each of these three businesses offer a variety of native California species at a variety of sizes and prices, making it easy for you and your family to start a new holiday tradition that will add as much beauty to the world after the holidays as it did to your home during them.

Editor's Note: It appears that the Family Christmas Tree Farm and Pine Tree Acres links are no longer valid.

Monday, October 15, 2012

SmartStrand: Performance From an Environmentally Friendlier Choice

By Amy Ramirez, Eco Committee Member
ReSource Floors, ASID Industry Partner

Happily environmentally conscious products have become big business.  The market has demanded that these options become attainable to the average consumer.  No more are we stuck with ecologically friendly products that are more expensive, less durable or design challenged. 

One new product is making a big wave in the carpet industry, SmartStrand by Mohawk.  Dupont, the company that gave us nylon in the 1930’s now makes the Sorona fiber which is sold under Mohawk’s name, SmartStrand.
So why is SmartStrand featured on an eco blog?  Because it is made in part with renewable material – corn.  37% of this fiber is made from renewable resources as opposed to petroleum ingredients.  In addition, in comparison with the production of nylon 6 yarn, this fiber uses 30% less energy to produce and emits 63% less CO2.  Production of seven square yards of 40 ounce SmartStrand carpet saves enough energy to equal one gallon of gasoline.

So one would imagine that you give up durability and stain resistance in order to reduce the environmental impact.  It is the exact opposite.  SmartStrand has the resiliency of nylon with the stain resistance and color fastness of polyester.  It legitimately wears beautifully.  In fact, Mohawk felt so confident in the performance that they invited Ricko the rhinoceros to live on it at this home in the Birmingham Zoo in 2009 for two weeks.  Because of the molecular structure of this fiber the stain and soil protection is built right in during manufacturing so it won’t wash, wear or walk off.  It also has wonderful colorfast properties that resist fading from sunlight exposure or UV light and ozone.
Obviously this is still a man made product however it is refreshing to see that technology in some cases can help our cause while still offering beauty and function.

Amy Ramirez is the Design Center Manager at ReSource Floors and has been in the flooring business for ten years. ReSource Floors has provided the premier full service flooring experience since 1989. We promote sustainable business practices throughout our organization by taking a holistic approach to the environment and our goal of sustainability. We are proud to say that we recycle most of the carpet and pad we demo from job sites, we have two LEED accredited professionals on staff to assist our customers in eco projects and we offer a wide array of environmentally friendly products in our showroom.

ReSource Floors Inc.
http://www.resourcefloors.com/
"Service with Purpose"

Monday, September 17, 2012

Ceramic, Glass, Porcelain & Quartz: The True Green Manufacturers


by Kelly Gray
BDG Design Group, ASID Industry Partner

If you are considering remodeling your home, there are many options when it comes to recycled products.  These products can be used for flooring, countertops and wall tiles with beautiful finish options such as ceramic, glass, metal and porcelain.  Below are a few manufactures which focus on recycled products and take it a step further in the manufacturing process to reduce their footprint on this earth.

Ceramic:

Sonoma Tilemakers:
  All clay is consciously excavated in the USA and Sonoma utilizes every bit of it.  Wet “scrap” clay is reconstituted back into usable wet clay.  All rejected tiles are crushed and donated to asphalt companies to be used as road and foundation base (replacing quarried stone).
  All glazes are 100% lead-free and non-toxic.
  Factory has 180 solar panels on the roof top.

Porcelain and Ceramic:

Royal Mosa:
  99% of their products are Cradle-to-Cradle Silver certified.  The products do not release any harmful compounds during their life and do not damage the environment should they be dumped after use. 
  Mosa tiles contain all raw natural materials and can be recycled.
  The water used in their factories is purified in-house and reused in the production process. 
  Mosa has modernized its entire factory which has resulted in a 91% reduction of particulate emissions to virtually zero as well as the drastic reduction of C02 emissions.

Ergon:
  Their Green Tech collection is made with 40% post-industrial recycled materials and can help projects quality for 2 LEED points.
  Their factories recycle all water used in the production process, drastically reducing consumption.
  They use completely recycled materials for packing from the paper for the carton boxes, to the plastic wrappings and up to the wooden pallets for shipping.


Glass Tile:
 
 
Oceanside Glasstile:
  The leader in recycled glass, Oceanside Glasstile uses two million pounds of bottle glass from curbside recycling programs
  Their packaging is made up of 60% recycled materials.

UltraGlas:
·   UltraGlas-E is a new product by UltraGlas that is made from salvaged glass diverted from landfills.

Quartz:

Silestone by Cosentino:
  Their Stellar Series contains 35% post-consumer recycled glass (we have Stellar Fire installed in our kitchen).
  Eco by Cosentino is made of 75% recycled content composed of post-industrial materials and is bound by environmentally friendly resin.

Recycled Glass Counter Tops

Vetrazzo:
  Their counter tops are comprised to 100% recycled glass (550 pounds used in each counter top).  The glass comes from traffic lights, windshields and beverage bottles.  Often times this is waste that cannot be recycled elsewhere.
  Their factory operates on a closed-loop water filtration system, saving approximately 150,000 gallons of water per month.

Setting Materials:
It is also very important to consider Green setting materials.  Mapei is a leader in green setting products.

Please call or visit the BDG showroom to find out more about the Eco-Friendly products that we carry.  You can also go to www.bdgdesigngroup.com for more information.