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Archive for March, 2009

Everything is green

Filed Under : Greenwashing by Greenlanta

Mar.30,2009

Now nothing is green

Joe (from Greenprints) kindly pointed out that if we are all green, then none of us are green. I get what he is saying. It seems like everyone has their green angle to a quasi green story. I wish that the products and processes that were truly green would be the only ones with the green marketing, but that is not the case so BUYER BEWARE!

I was at Costco over the weekend and noticed an air purifier in a prime location as I walked into the store with my family. The packaging stated that it was green. As I read further it green claim was based on energy efficiency. What? Paraphrased-”If you use this device then you can turn off our HVAC and save $$” I really hope that no one actually turns off the HVAC when they buy this device, especially in the South. While the stand alone purifier can clean up the air in one room, what about the humidity? Turn of your HVAC in the summer and let your purifier run and you will grow mold on your walls because you have not addressed the humidity.

Just because you saved energy doesn’t make you green, especially if you sacrifice one of the other tenents of green living such as Indoor Air Quality.

It is not easy to be through these kinds of claims unless you are an expert in building science, however you can trust 3rd part product certification such as ENERGY STAR, Greenguard, and Greenseal to test and research products that have their label on them.

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Tags : energy, Energy Efficiency, energy star, green, greenprints, Greenseal, Indoor Air Quality

Kudzu is still green

Filed Under : Green Business by Greenlanta

Mar.29,2009

One of our friends was reading an article on Kudzu a few weeks ago about green jobs. At the end of the article there was a link to a great site that was a good example of a good green business. When he clicked on it- TheHootsGroup.com site showed up on his screen.

The article did have a pretty good thesis to it (not just because we got a plug). Basically, they point out that businesses that have green credentials should talk about them to give themselves more credibility. While I do believe that the truly green businesses (like us) should do this, but those who do not have a “dark green” story should try a little harder to green themselves us before they start to tout their green points. If we are all green, then none of us are green.

Here is the original article from kudzu.com Read More…

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Tags : Atlanta, Green Business, kudzu, Recycling, TheHootsGroup, water saving devices

Green Event in Decatur GA

Filed Under : Green Events by Greenlanta

Mar.28,2009

I do my best to post green events here in GA that I think would be useful to my readers. Here is one that just came across my desk:

Clean Energy, Green Economy Town Hall
With Congressman Hank Johnson

When: Thursday, April 16, 2009
Time: 7-8:30pm
Where: Decatur Public Library Auditorium
215 Sycamore St
Decatur, GA 30030

Join us for a discussion about a cooler, cleaner and cheaper energy future for Georgia with Congressman Johnson and leaders in energy efficiency and renewable power. Learn how you and your home can support cleaner energy and a greener economy!

For Questions and to RSVP Contact:
Emily Thomas
404-892-3573
Emily@environmentgeorgia.org

Hosted by Environment Georgia, the Sierra Club, and Mothers & Others for Clean Air

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Tags : energy, GA, green

SUV’s are the solution…

Filed Under : Green Events by Greenlanta

I was at a sustainable conference here in Atlanta (Greenprints) last week and one of the speakers told the audience that we should ‘use oil up as quickly as possible [in our SUV's] so their is nothing left to fight about.’ All of the “greenies”- held their breath in disbelief for about 5 seconds until he finally said- ‘Just Kidding.’

Joseph Lstiburek- was the master speaker that was entertaining us while educating the crowd. I have quite a few other “gems” that came from him that I will be sharing in future posts.

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Tags : Atlanta, conference, greenprints, Joseph Lstiburek-, Lstiburek, sustainable

Young ICA&CA

Filed Under : Uncategorized by Greenlanta

Mar.25,2009

The Young ICA is “Going Green”
March 24, 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: Fado Irish Pub – Buckhead

Join us for a presentation by Matt Hoots of The Hoots Group on ways to save money through sustainable building practices.

Hi Matt-

Thanks for agreeing to speak at our upcoming young ICA event on March 24th – I am really looking forward to it.

Below I have pasted the web links and a little more information about the ICA&CA:

Our chapter website:

http://www.classicist-se.org/

The national ICA website:

http://www.classicist.org/

CONTACT:

http://www.classicist-se.org/

YoungICA@gmail.com
On Facebook: Young ICA&CA

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The Young ICA is “Going Green!”

Filed Under : Green Events by Greenlanta

Mar.20,2009

Giving presentations on what is takes to go green and save is fun, however presenting at an Irish Pub will be even more fun! Irish beer is green on St Patrick’s Day. Next week I will be talking to a group of architects with a historical focus on design about the green technologies that save money and get rebates and tax credits.

FYI- The ICA stands for the Institute of Classical Architecture .

Here is a description of the event off of their site:

The Young ICA is “Going Green!”

Why it Pays to Go Green..

Where – Fado Irish Pub in Buckhead

When – Tuesday, March 24th, 6:30pm – 8:30pm

What – We will be hosting a belated St. Patrick’s Day happy hour presentation by Matt Hoots of The Hoots Group on ways to save money by “Going Green.” Matt will speak about how green building practices save on the operational costs of projects and about applicable rebates. There are also many tax incentives that are now available for using sustainable building methods. Matt will be available to answer questions after the presentation.

We hope you can join us!

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Home Performance Band

Filed Under : Energy Efficiency by Greenlanta

Mar.19,2009

We have some pretty hip people on our staff, however the home performance world of professionals might have a few more pocket protectors per capita than the the rest of the population. A friend of mine forwarded me this link to a Utube video of this band that did a video about home performance auditors. For those of you that have had an energy audit from our team will think that this is a Hoot! We are now legit now that we have a music video about our profession.

Try not to laugh too hard!

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Tags : energy, energy audit, home performance

Fee fi {Faux} fum

Filed Under : Design/ Build Solutions,Green Business by Greenlanta

Mar.18,2009

faux-copy

All I can say is Wow! I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of design professionals last night on green design from IFDA and got to meet some great individuals at the same time.

One of them was Kass Wilson a faux finisher. I just went to her site looking for the faux finishes and all I saw was stone and wood. I zoomed in and all that I saw was stone and wood. That is how amazing the details was! What is great about faux finishing is that you can add life to an older piece by refinishing it! She uses all healthy finishes in the process as well so you have an amazing art piece that does not affect your indoor air quality. Life cycle extension and IAQ are both green and blog worthy!

To see more of her work visit Kass Wilson / Wallstreat

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Tags : design professionals, faux finisher, green, Indoor Air Quality

From Congress to Greenprints!

Filed Under : Green Events,Green programs and policy by Greenlanta

Mar.16,2009

Last weeks headline for the architect of the 2030 plan:

Senate Committee Calls on Edward Mazria to Testify on Building Energy Efficiency

Next weeks headline for the architect of the 2030 plan:

Edward Mazria, Architect of the 203o plan is keynote speaker at Greenprints!

While you cannot get a good seat in congress with out millions of dollars to get you there- you can get a good deal on a seat at Greenprints to hear the same speech!

Why am I promoting Greenprints so heavily?

Now is the time for sustainable change. These live green forums are key to sustainable thought and spreading the message that we have to change our wasteful ways and think about future generations. It’s bad enough that we are leaving our kids with a huge deficit, so at least we can give them cleaner air to breath and energy independence while they have to work harder to pay off our generation’s debt.

He will be speaking on Wed the 25 from 12:30 to 1:15.

More on what Ed is currently working on…. Read More…

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Tags : building, edward mazria, energy, Energy Efficiency, energy independence, green, greenprints, reducing energy, sustainable

Atlanta Home Show- free adminssion Friday!

Filed Under : Green Events by Greenlanta

Mar.15,2009

The sponsors of the Atlanta Home Show asked for me to post this message:

Member of the Housing Trade,

The 31st Annual Spring Atlanta Home Show is coming to its new location, the Cobb Galleria Centre, for three days only – March 20-22, 2009. On Friday, March 20, 2009, show your business card to the ticket taker at the front door and receive complimentary admission to the 31st Annual Spring Atlanta Home Show! This is Georgia’s longest running, largest and most highly attended consumer home improvement event.

31st Spring Atlanta Home Show
March 20-22, 2009
Cobb Galleria Centre
Two Galleria Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30339
www.AtlantaHomeShow.com

Find out more about us here, check out our videos, and become a fan of us on Facebook!

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Tags : Atlanta, atlanta ga, atlantahomeshow, cobb galleria centre, complimentary admission, GA, Georgia

Price or Value?

Filed Under : Business management,Green Building by Greenlanta

It is tough out there in the marketplace right now and I see many people getting confused about the difference between price and value. Since we are a green contractor we face these challenges quite often. Since we are not the most expensive or the least expensive in price we are able to make our homeowners feel like they are being treated fairly.

So what is this value term that we keep hearing about?

Is it possible to be a higher price and the low cost provider? Yes!

That is where value comes into play. We typically are not going to be the lowest price since we are typically providing more items than other contractors. Can you see the difference in the proposal or contracts? Sometimes, but not all of the time. Here are some key things to look for that may cost a little more but provide a greater value:

Energy Efficiency- this is the low hanging fruit and is easy to sell. By adding a small amount to the budget to make your home or building more efficient you are able to save money on your utilities. If you are financing the project for 15 years or more than you should be cash flow positive immediately. That is VALUE!

Durability- I love the phrase- “You get what you pay for” My wife and I were having a chat this morning about this very subject. She made the comment that most people go for the cheapest price thinking that they are getting a better deal. Well- we did just that a few years ago. We got a dishwasher that was a couple hundred bucks less than the what I should have purchased. We have paid hundreds in repair fees just to get the dishwasher to a mediocre performance. WAS A CHEAPER PRICE, BUT NOT A GOOD VALUE! It cost us more over 5 years than then higher initial price of the better dishwasher.

This does not take into account the mental anxiety that we both have had to go through when we unload the dishwasher and out dishes are not clean. So we have to wash them again- not resource efficient. I finally had enough about a month ago and have ordered a new dishwasher. Last week I got an e-mail letting me know that they just got ENERGY STAR partner of the Year! My clients have used this dishwasher and have been very pleased with the results.

HIGHER PRICE, BUT A BETTER VALUE! It also comes with a good warranty. This is something that we offer to our clients as well that our competition does not. All of our renovation come with a 3 year warranty where our competition stays with a 1 year one. How can we afford to do this? We use better products and install them with good craftsmen. This lowers that amount that we have to fix and pay for! THAT IS A GREAT VALUE!

The brand that I chose to go with for my house was a Bosch dishwasher. Here is the press release that I just received that added even more value to what I just purchased.

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Tags : Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings, energy star, environmental impact, environmental protection agency, GA, LEED, rebates, reduce, renovation, sustainable, water

Chip off of the old block

Filed Under : Green products by Greenlanta

Mar.14,2009

dads-wood-bowl-copy1 Some say that I am a ‘chip off of the old block’, however that is actually describing what my father is doing with his time now. He turns wood bowls. It started out as a hobby while he was in the corporate world, but now his hobby has “turned” into a living.

This is a green blog- so how is his business green? I do remember him collecting old pallets, deconstructing them and making furniture out of them when we were growing up. Now he takes fallen trees, scraps of woods, glues them together to make segmented woods bowls.

Here is an expert from an interview with him:

Matt: “So dad, I want to write about your work on my blog- what is green about what you do?”

Matt’s dad: “Most all of my solid work is from storm damaged or recovered wood. This could be due to disease, new construction etc. None is just cut for the sake of turning.”

Matt: “What about the wood that you buy? Not all of it is from fallen trees.”

Matt’s dad: “The domestic segmented pieces come from several sources.

I have a lot that was cut and air dried by locals who had trees downed and had a portable mill come in and cut the lumber.

When I can get my hands on it, it is spalted and is generally a waste product. The tree is already dead or down when I try to get good maple but has already started to decay, hence the spalting.

Some domestics come from a local mill that has its own tree farms and picks up logs as they come available through local landowners. Again, not specifically cut for timber, but taken advantage of .”

Matt: “I noticed that some of your wood is exotic- how do you know if it is endangered or not”

Matt’s dad: “I can’t say it is 100% ” green” but I do try to deal with reputable sources.

The exotics are anyone’s guess. Some like olive trees downed after they no longer produce fruit, and are replanted. Some of the South American woods are due to deforestation for farming etc. Most of the woods like purpleheart used to be put into piles and burnt. They were considered trash woods by the locals. I am sure there is a percentage that is ” poached” as many of the burl woods are.”

Matt: “So by you using this wood for a more durable purpose is better than them just burning it or letting it rot even though it is not certified?”

Matt’s dad: “We have to remember that less than 1% of deforested wood end up in the hands of someone who makes something lasting out of it. Most is burned or turned into paper products. Yeah, remember the rain forest next time you flush. More is used that way that by woodworkers.”

To see more of his work visit: MatMar Woodworks

If you are in the Atlanta area he will be at the Decatur Arts Festival in May

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Tags : Atlanta, furniture, green, new construction, pallets, tree farms, wood bowls

Greenprints 2009

Filed Under : Uncategorized by Greenlanta

Mar.13,2009

Last year, I had the privilege of speaking at Greenprints, a green conference here in Atlanta, GA. The audience was very diverse and was very receptive to my presentation on sustainable renovations. This year Greenprints is focusing their attention on green cities. This is especially useful since Atlanta has adopted a green building ordinance. Here is an expert from their website:

The Greenprints Conference and Tradeshow, a leading southeastern green building symposium, returns in 2009. Join green building professionals, policy makers and industry experts as they come together at Greenprints to share trends, strategies and the latest environmental technologies in a stimulating and interdisciplinary environment. Learn how Atlanta measures up as a sustainable city and explore smarter ways to “green” your city. Plan now to attend the region’s most acclaimed event of its kind, the Greenprints Conference and Tradeshow, hosted by the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority and Southface, in Atlanta on March 25-26, 2009.

To register for Greenprints click here

PS- check us out at the Waterfurnace booth

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Q. What Insulates, Air Seals and Does not Shrink?

Filed Under : Energy Efficiency,Insulation by Greenlanta

Mar.12,2009

home-performance-insulated-roofline

Here is a shot of an spray foam insulated roof line on one of my client's houses. Now it is semi conditioned storage space that is not subject to extreme temperatures.

The Answer- Spray Foam Insulation.

We choose several years ago to abandon all other types on insulation in most cases and just use spray foam insulation for very reasons stated in the question. Most insulation just insulates, however if it does not have an effective air seal it is useless. Spray foam insulation (We use Icynene) insulates, air seals and it maintains it’s composition over time which is what you need to keep a consistent R-Value.

We are the only EarthCraft Builder, Renovator and Home Performance contractor that uses Icynene as the standard insulation on all of our projects in the Atlanta area. PS- Our clients do not mind since the extra cost is far outweighed by the additional comfort and energy savings. Oh- I forgot to mention that most of our clients are eligible for up to 1900 in rebates from GA Power and tax credit of up to 1500 from the Feds on their tax returns. So the cost is not even noticed then.

Here is a great video that show how spray foam insulation is superior to other types. Spray foam demonstration video

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Tags : Atlanta, atlanta area, EarthCraft, Energy Savings, GA, home performance, Icynene, Insulation, rebates, spray foam insulation

Not so big remodeling

Filed Under : Design/ Build Solutions by Greenlanta

Mar.11,2009

not-so-big Our very own architect – Jimmy Carrion had one of his projects featured in Sarah Susanka’s latest book not so big remodeling. We both worked on it back when I was a project manager at our renovation division- SawHorse, Inc. Located in the VA Highlands in Atlanta, GA- it takes an attic addition and squeezes out some more space for a couple more bedrooms. Not only was the renovation worthy of Susanks’s book, it was certified as an EarthCraft House renovation because of it’s focus on energy efficiency.

To see some more of Jimmy’s work featured visit The Hoots Group and SawHorse websites to see our additions, kitchens and baths. Most of them were designed by Jimmy.

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Tags : additions, architect, Atlanta, EarthCraft, Energy Efficiency, renovation, sarah susanka, The Hoots Group