Construction is conventionally a carbon-intensive industry – especially in a place like Brooklyn where most medium buildings are built primarily with concrete, mortar, brick and stone. Some degree of greenhouse gas emission is inherent in the production of all construction materials, but none more so than the cement which makes up our foundations and holds our […]
Recycling Salvaged Cement Reduces our Carbon Footprint Read More »
The book, How To Build An Underground House, by Malcolm Wells is yet another quirky yet powerful book by my favorite author and architect. He guides you through every step, both physical and factual, of how to build an underground house. His prose is witty and insightful. His advice is practical and far reaching. Even
How To Build An Underground House Read More »
Here is a great recipe for making milk paint from locally bought materials (as in your local supermarket and hardware store). Milk Paint is an amazing alternative to store bought paint. It is much lower in energy since the ingredients require much less processing. It is also pretty much free of any harmful toxins. We
Here is an interesting article from OilPrice.com. It outlines the best way to live in a world without oil, something most people foresee in the next 30 years or so (we are all really guessing but that is one number). Preparing for a world without oil is a little like preparing for the end of
Living Without Oil Dependency and Green Building Read More »
We all know there is a lot of green washing when it comes to green building materials. Below is a great definition of green building materials by the recycling department of California. It should help you determine for yourself whether something is green or not. —————- Introduction The concept of sustainable building incorporates and integrates
Green Building Materials Defined Read More »
I am a property owner and builder in the NY area who is involved in and interested in how the city develops. I greatly appreciate the community feel of different NY neighborhoods. I think the Walmart business model is a complete antithesis of neighborhood community development in NY. A Walmart has proven time and again
No To Walmart in NYC Read More »
The year has ended and a new one has begun. I have prepared a state of the union statement for where Eco Brooklyn has been and where it is going. Here goes…. 2010 was a turning point for Eco Brooklyn: we became too successful for our size. Up until last year our love for green
Eco Brooklyn 2010-2011 Annual Report Read More »
Here is a photo essay of an earthen floor installation we recently did. The earthen floor was for a Harlem client whose oak floor had been damaged by termites and leaks. We stripped the moldy walls, ripped out the floor and fixed the leaks. We then lay ruble on the floor to act as a
New York Earthen Floor Installation Read More »
We have a gray water system installed in our Brooklyn green show house. Unfortunately we were using the Brac system, which sucks. We were having so many problems with it that we took it out and made the house conventional until we design our own system. Until then all waste water goes down the drain
New York Gray Water Cost Savings Read More »
We just wrapped up a green roof job in East New York. Here is a photo essay from start to finish. We planted late in the year and the nights were already freezing. But we trusted the hardiness of sedum and so far they have shown to be very happy on the new roof. The
New York Green Roof Installation Read More »
