Im a journalist makin a story on green builders. Do you have any question to ask the green builders?
‘Green buildings’ or ‘green constructions’ is an emerging concept today. The idea is of great importance with the increasing global environmental crisis. But the concept is not clearly expressed and has not reached the general public, even if it is reached it has not been as provoking as it should be which is the need of the hour. So if you want to know anything about such construction, please let me know. It would be a privilege for me to bridge the gap between the green construction oriented companies and the general public.
hello yes I can help you. me. alan. maxalan44c@yahoo.com.mx Iam a inventer in green technology. I can produce energy.
How does one of those ground heat pumps work?
i want to know more about the machines used to build these green buildings. Diesel in old machines is very inefficient, but they still use these old machines at construction sites.
How does it feel to be a self-appointed propagandist?
When designing a "Green Building", should live plants with a small garden be included in the construction inside the building to clean the air?
I’m just wondering how many are aware of "NASA’s Clean Air Plant Study" completed several years ago?
"Common indoor plants may provide a valuable weapon in the fight against rising levels of indoor air pollution. Those plants in your office or home are not only decorative, but NASA scientists are finding them to be surprisingly useful in absorbing potentially harmful gases and cleaning the air inside modern buildings."
"NASA research has consistently shown that living, green and flowering plants can remove several toxic chemicals from the air in building interiors. You can use plants in your home or office to improve the quality of the air to make it a more pleasant place to live and work – where people feel better, perform better, and enjoy life more."
TOP 10 plants most effective in removing: formaldehyde, benzene, and carbon monoxide from the air.
Common Name – Scientific Name
Bamboo Palm – Chamaedorea Seifritzii
Chinese Evergreen – Aglaonema Modestum
English Ivy – Hedera Helix
Gerbera Daisy – Gerbera Jamesonii
Janet Craig – Dracaena "Janet Craig"
Marginata – Dracaena Marginata
Mass cane/Corn Plant – Dracaena Massangeana
Mother-in-Law’s Tongue – Sansevieria Laurentii
Pot Mum – Chrysantheium morifolium
Peace Lily – Spathiphyllum "Mauna Loa"
Warneckii – Dracaena "Warneckii"
What data do you have for the cost of building a green home compared to the traditional home in terms of energy costs over a 20 year period?
When do you anticipate the cost on the solar panels will come down to the point where is can more commonly be used to reduce our dependence on coal or oil products?
will you be using eco-concrete?
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg19726405.700-hopes-build-for-ecoconcrete.html
I went on Newscloud (an internet news channel) November 2008, and found a whole series of adverts for Green Buildings, with photos. I noted all of those were not what I would call "Green."
For example: The use of concrete. "(The making of) concrete accounts for one eighth of carbon emissions."
(Hemp makes bio "concrete"…)
Many of the designs used timber – perhaps 16 – 25 trees to make one house!
IF "from sustainable forests" that means: Timber companies chop indigenous trees and often replant eucalyptus – meantime there is destruction suffered by forest dwellers, loss of habitat for wildlife, and loss of oxygen producing greenery. With pollution rising everyday as the numbers of vehicles on roads increase, the quality of our free oxygen supply diminishes. I therefore believe we cannot afford to lose any established trees.
Use of Heavy weight building materials: The cost and energy to transport – using fossil-fuel + the amount of energy required to build
is NOT Green, or sustainable. Look at any building site and what do you see? Trucks galore! Lorries deliverying daily. Power tools a plenty – electrical gadgets for every job. That is NOT Green.
I believe the word "Green" has been hijacked to (falsely) advertise buildings to sell those to unsuspecting (ill-informed / non-thinking) consumers.
And that really annoys me because instead of making progress, we are not progressing at all, when we should be, because we really need to be prepared for the future.
Here is a link to an article: "Greening The Ghetto: Can a remedy serve for both global warming and poverty?"
http://www.newscloud.com/read/The_Political_Scene_Greening_the_Ghetto_Reporting_amp_Essays_The_New_Yorker
I didn’t enjoy reading that article for it is a load of waffle, but, the title says it all.
I hope your article focuses the construction industry’s attention on this worrisome aspect, and that this serious criticism helps builders to actually create the Green homes people need.
What kind of Green new homes are needed?
Truly low-cost. The word "Affordable" has also been hijacked to the point where "affordable" has almost become meaningless…
Incorporating a wise combination of alternative energy devices…
100% recyclable (everything!)
Low maintenance.
Excellent thermal qualities.
(a long list…)
And How Should new Green Homes Be Sited?
here are some places to check out for information
http://www.cagbc.org/
http://www.usgbc.org/
http://sabmagazine.com/home.html
That should give you a good basis on some of the technique constiderd by the U.S and Canadian Green Building Associations and sustainable architecture magazine.
http://www.greenglobes.com/
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=behind_the_walls.btw_landing
Those are some other sites of organization for green construction.
I see you’re looking for information to ask gree builders, I think this is Great. Finally more and more people are starting to come on board. I actually own such a company (Agua-Luna at Agua-Luna.com). We would like to help you out in your search for information in order to conduct your interviews. If we can be of ANY assistance, or provide you with any material from our website or 10 years of our profesional field background, I’d like to offer you at this time our services.
You can contact me personally.