How does the nature we find in and around our city reflect who we are? There are two approaches, generally speaking, one can take when dealing with habitat conservation in urban areas. The first and most common is an attempt to return to the historical habitats that were found in the city long before it had …
Green building and eco-sensitive design is currently at the forefront of our modern ethos. What this means for the green builders, contractors and architects of NY, and the world, is a period of dramatic change and challenge is ahead if not already begun. A change in the way we think about new buildings and construction, …
The Living Building Challenge- Winner of the 2012 Buckminster-Fuller Challenge Read More »
In my early twenties I was a vegan for ethical reasons. It only lasted a year because I did not know how to eat a good vegan diet. But ever since then I have been a vegetarian who eats meat….Yes I know that makes no sense. Anyway, now as a New York green contractor I …
On June 7th, Van Alen Books hosted a panel discussion on architect David Bergman’s book Sustainable Design: A Critical Guide. Susan Szenasy, Editor-in-chief of Metropolitan Magazine, moderated the panel, which was made up of architect and professor David Bergman, Terreform ONE co-founder and Planetary ONE partner Mitchell Joachim, and NYC Department of Design and Construction …
Recap of Panel Discussion on Green Design as (Un)usual Read More »
Eco Brooklyn does not want Wal-Mart in New York because we feel Walmart’s business model is not conducive to the small neighborhood shopping experience that makes New York and Brooklyn so special. We posted our opinion in this blog post on our site. Recently somebody called Keith Blackwell tried to leave a comment to that post and it …
Finally, a way to pursue the “triple bottom line” (people, planet and profits) with legal backing! It is called the Benefit Corporation (as opposed to a normal C or S Corporation for example). Signed into NY legislation by Governor Cuomo the new law allows businesses to be recognized and filed a for more than their financial …
Benefit Corporations law signed and active in New York State! Read More »
Here is a MUST SEE event. It is an inspiring creative synergy of art spread over several evenings to raise momentum against the very serious threat of hydrofracking. The Irondale Arts Center in Fort Greene, Brooklyn is putting it on and it starts in a couple of weeks. The show’ll be different every night: it incorporates artwork, live music, …
Eco Brooklyn obsesses over energy. Our projects are built to minimize heat loss and optimize gain, while providing individual homeowners ways to generate their own energy through solar panels. We want to minimize homes’ reliance on energy generated through fossil fuels and nuclear power. Three Mile Island. Chernobyl. Fukushima Daiichi. These names instantly bring up …
Here is a short video we threw together of the Passive House renovation in Harlem. The video mostly discusses the budgeting of the project. Now that the construction is for the most part done I think that our initial budget of $175/sq.ft is not sustainable. Of course it is great for the client in the …
New York Contractor Builds Passive House out of Salvaged Materials Read More »
Carbon footprint. CO2 emissions. Low carbon. Carbon neutral. More and more, businesses eagerly attach themselves to buzzwords like these in order to present an environmentally-friendly face to today’s green-conscious market. I learned a new one the other day: “carbon offset.” What is it? Carbon offset providers, like carbonfund.org, offer companies and individuals the opportunity to …
