home

You should see our walls.

Every now and then I really, really look at them.
Maybe I'll be sitting in a sunbeam on the floor, enjoying the day, and then suddenly get a full eye-view glimpse of what we've wreaked over the year:

• The sippy cups dashed to the floor... wow, who knew milk flew that far and high?
• The grime from husband's latest "Oh I'm just gonna sand this piece o' furniture... in the bedroom."
• The detailed ink pen drawings of a 3 year old... the crayon, the marker, the pencil...
• And, I admit: the red wine stains flung and spattered from a too good party... they *always* trip over that dag-goned rug!

And then I read:
Self Cleaning Paint.

Dag.

Give it here, prof, I have a great test lab fer ya.

From http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2008/2008-04-27-093.asp

"Self-cleaning Paint Uses Light to Cleanse Walls

CORAL GABLES, Florida, April 27, 2008 (ENS) - It sounds like something out of a householder's fantasy - walls covered with self-cleaning paint that repels dirt and grime.

But this new kind of paint is a reality now being tested on the walls of research lab at the University of Miami College of Engineering. The experimental initiative is designed to fit into the university’s commitment towards environmental sustainability on campus.

Dr. James Giancaspro, an assistant professor at the department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering has applied the innovative product on the walls of his lab, where undergraduate and graduate students work. The self-cleaning paint is an ecologically friendly product, Giancaspro says, which has the ability to keep walls clean and maintenance free by repelling dirt, smog, bacteria, algae and fungus that normally accumulates on surfaces, eliminating toxic odors at the same time. "

Read more here!
http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2008/2008-04-27-093.asp

...Later...

Sorry, guys, I survived the tornado.

So if you *thought* you saw a pink haired lady riding a shed through the sky cackling wildly… well, you shoulda just waved!

Any-hoo, I will avoid my usual, well-known gushing on Finland but thought I'd share this article from...
2005...

http://www.finnfacts.com/english/main/actualities/kemira_nano.html

Kemira's nano products
Clean wall, fresh air
8.6.2005

"The photocatalytic paints and plasters that have just come onto the market include nanocrystalline material thanks to which the consumer sees a cleaner wall and breathes fresher air," say Visa Vehmanen, a researcher at Kemira Oy.

Kemira Oy produces photocatalytically active nanocrystalline titanium dioxide that can be used as a raw material in self-cleaning paints and plasters that also clean the air.

Photocatalytically active titanium dioxide can decompose organic substances into carbon dioxide when it absorbs light. A photoactive paint surface decomposes dirt from its surface and harmful substances, like nicotine, from the air," Vehmanen explains.

Old becomes better

The opaque titanium dioxide crystal traditionally used in paints is more than 200 nanometres in size. The photocatalytically active titanium dioxide crystal is about 20 nanometres. The smaller size makes greater photocatalytic activity possible.

"With research methods based on nanotechnology we have a better understanding than before of what happens in the production process of titanium dioxide. When we understand the process thoroughly, we can affect the properties of products on a nanometre scale and make better products."

Nanotechnology is, according to Vehmanen, a means of obtaining better products from old ones. On the other hand, nanotechnology makes it possible to develop completely new applications.

"Nanotechnology is one part of the rapid technological development. From the consumers' perspective the most important thing is how the product works. Whether there is a new property in a product thanks to nanotechnology or not is of hardly any significance to the consumer," Vehmanen states. "Users of photocatalytic paints and plasters are still few in number, but usage is growing all the time."

www.kemira.com

The 'Sonoma House' is a gorgeous, barn-style, 1200sqft granny home with a modern interior that is healthier, more energy efficient, and better for the environement! Additional environmental products featured with the home are: reclaimed local wood installed for floors, PV solar system, rainwater catchment system, built in recycling system, ICF foundation forms, smart vents, cool metal roof (as seen in example photo), lime plaster, and more! In 2002, Nichoel Farris founded American Home Sales, a local prefab home design company specializing in factory built custom homes and cottages. Because of the lack of affordable green building options available to the average family, she worked with the EPA's Energy Star New Homes program to design and develop the first Green Manufactured Model Home. The Sonoma House will be open daily for tour at the Spring Auburn Home Show. May 16- - May 18 For more info or to tour the other Green Model Homes on display: American Home Sales 530.885.4555. Custom Home Design Services and Full Construction Available Serving California and some neighboring states.

2008 is fast approaching, and the team at GetWithGreen.com is stopping now to recognize a few of our favorite eco-friendly home improvement products for 2007. These products are assembled together under one roof: GetWithGreen.com’s 10 Best Green Home Remodeling Products for 2007.

GetWithGreen.com’s 10 Best Green Home Remodeling Products for 2007 consists of manufacturers (or categories) who deliver eco-friendly products, which make our planet a greener place. These products help us conserve, help us reuse, help us recycle, or help us become less reliant on existing harmful resources. We also looked heavily at the popularity of these products with you, our readers.

Let’s give a GetWithGreen.com Thumbs up to our 10 Best Green Home Remodeling Products for 2007:

1) Cyber-Rain – “The smartest, greenest, and easiest irrigation system on the planet.”

sprinkler cyberrainThe Cyber-Rain XCI System caused quite a bit of stir at GetWithGreen.com in 2007. It was one of the most widely read stories, and for good reason. Resetting the sprinkler timer at every change of season, or for un-seasonal weather changes, just isn’t practical – and we don’t do it! Instead we just let our sprinklers turn on when it is not necessary, and we waste our most precious resource. The Cyber-Rain XCI System made it to our list because it automatically adjusts our sprinklers depending on the weather forecast, thus greatly reducing water usage, and...

Read the other winners at www.GetWithGreen.com

I just had so much fun. David Day and I went to the Paint Studio he is building with SIPs and had a hands on demonstration on how (and why) we will be building our kit homes with SIPs.

It was so great, in fact, that I thought I'd lug out a video camera next week and post it for other contractors or enthusiasts to see.

So,
-let me know if this is something you want, and
-throw out some questions if you have any here, and I will ask them for you!

In the meantime, have a great weekend! : )

Just three weeks ago, we told you about the sluggish general housing market and how it hasn't been affecting the green building industry one bit. Thanks to a new article from the Los Angeles Times, more info has come to light, proving that solar panels and other green features are preferred by most home buyers.

With foreclosures rising and home prices diving, there is a bright spot in California's residential real estate market: Solar-powered homes are starting to outsell traditionally electrified new homes in several markets, and developers are stepping up their use of the technology.

State and national discounts make it more affordable that ever to had a solar system to your home, whether you plan on selling in the near future or not. In less than five years, the system will pay itself off and continue to save you money for many years to come.

"The last time we saw interest in solar that was anything close to this was back in the 1980s, the first time there were federal tax credits for solar energy," said Julia Judd Hamm, executive director of the Solar Electric Power Assn. and co-chair of the Solar Power 2007 conference underway at the Long Beach Convention Center. "But the numbers then aren't even comparable to what we're seeing now."

How much of a priority would you put on green home features? Would you sacrifice other elements that you find important, such as: neighborhood, schools, commute ... etc.?

[via The Daily Green]

Hoping to embrace the natural energies of the earth but avoiding installing solar panels (for whatever reason)? Well, how about your own personal wind turbine?

In one of Atlanta, Georgia's oldest neighborhood, the area's first small-scale wind turbine was installed in Christine and Curt Mann's backyard. Though not all of their neighbors were as amped about the new energy saver as the Mann's were, the turbine will generate enough power to run the entire home and "eliminate as much CO2 from the atmosphere as an acre of mature, healthy trees."

This particular model was designed especially for residental customers that tap into an traditional power grid. "The blades are curved and shaped for quiet operation. It is the first backyard-sized wind turbine that includes a built-in inverter and requires no external components."

When asked about installation of the wind turbine in this urban setting with relatively low wind speeds, Roger Cone, founder of Southern Energy Solutions, said, “We all went into this project knowing that this was not an ideal placement of the Skystream. Our target markets for the Skystream wind turbine are those areas of Georgia with greater average wind speeds, such as the mountains of north Georgia and the coastal areas of southeast Georgia.”

It's clear that solar panels are still the most logical choice for most homeowners and builders, this new residental turbine is more proof that Americans are ready to take the health of the planet into their own hands. Will the Mann's neighbors install their own turbines in the near future? Probably not, but this could be a big development for those living in coastal (and more breezy) areas.

[via ENN]

Cross-posted from our site:

This week we are releasing the final SlowHomeTV interview with Dr. Ted Kesik. We are also featuring several projects by the New York based architecture firm Made.

Click To Play

Cross-posted from our site:

This week we talk about working with existing buildings rather than against them. We feature an interview with Brian Messana and Toby O'Rorke in which they speak about the Ten Broek Cottage project and the challenges of building within an existing structure.

Click To Play

One Monday. Cyber-Rain announced their new wireless sprinkler control system for your present and future yard...and, just because it says “wireless”, doesn’t mean it’s only for techies.

This $299 sprinkler control system can save consumers 30-70% on watering bills says the company. While most sprinkler control systems on the market today rely on timers to regulate watering schedules, the Cyber-Rain system automatically adjusts watering levels based on YOUR local weather forecast, saving money, water and reducing pollution-causing runoff by stopping sprinkler systems on rainy days, automatically decreasing the watering schedule on cold or humid days, and increasing it on hot and dry days!

Question: How does the Cyber-Rain XCI do this?
Answer: Via your family PC!

The Cyber-Rain sprinkler control system and your computer speak directly to each other wirelessly, and Cyber-Rain talks to the Internet via your computer to get the weather forecast. You don’t need to have wireless in your home, and there is no complicated...Read the complete story at www.GetWithGreen.com

Years ago, an episode of the Oprah show featured a woman who described how she had turned her household chores into pleasurable rituals: she burned candles in the laundry room, and folded her family's clothes with a sense of mindfulness, using the time to think about the people the clothes belonged to. That image stuck with us to this day, as a prime example of what we'll call emotional sustainability. It's about bringing passion and attention to bear on the littlest details of how you live.

What got us thinking about such things? An excellent article by NaturalPath, posted on the Alternative Consumer blog, about what you can get out of the experience of shopping for your food at a farmer's market instead of a supermarket. Which in turn reminded us that hanging clothes on a clothesline to dry can also be a wonderfully meditative exercise in sun worship.

What other ways can you think of to turn your daily chores into art? For starters, no aspiring gourmet housekeeper should be without a copy of Cheryl Mendelson's Home Comforts, subtitled "the Art and Science of Keeping House." Mendelson's book is a beautifully written encyclopedia that brings intelligence, wit and passion to a much-neglected topic.

Have any ideas or inspirations to share? Contribute to our Share section! And to learn more about how you can design your home for sustainable living, check out our friends at Slow Home.