My manager Jack and I were talking about the direction of Eco Brooklyn today and we were trying to put into words the concept of Eco Brooklyn’s services. Jack came up with a genius term: Urban Off Grid. That is exactly what Eco Brooklyn does. We create urban off grid houses. This does not mean …
American Clay is a great company that is reviving a millenia old building technique of applying clay to building walls. They have a strong local culture and associate themselves strongly with their Santa Fe roots. But to grow as a company they also ship anywhere. They are very helpful with advice too. Shaylor at American …
Here is my take on green building in Brooklyn over the next 5-10 years. It is actually a lot wider than Brooklyn, but that is my focus. Rising fuel costs will drive people back into the city, this means there will be an influx of people into Brooklyn. This will keep housing prices more elevated …
Lighting can account for 15-20% of your monthly electric bill. With recent advances in LED technology we are able to reproduce the same level of brightness for 1/5- 1/10th the power. This is a huge savings. If we all work together we can reduce this country’s electrical draw by 10%! That equates to a lot …
Green Home NYC brought a tour to the Brooklyn Show House the other day and did a great writeup on the visit. It talks about our company’s concept of “Build It Forward”.
There is this great Zen saying: “Before Enlightenment, fetch water, chop wood. After Enlightenment, fetch water, chop wood.” From the Zen perspective it is an acknowledgment of the “isness” of being, meaning that with enlightenment you see life as it is, free of expectation or judgment. You and life are simply “being” perfectly and the …
Here is a useful page showing the various sound tests on interior walls. The whole web site actually has a lot of great info. It is by the Green Glue Company, supplier of the best soundproofing materials IMO. Conclusion: Doubling up drywall doesn’t do much for stopping sound. Resilient channels are pretty cheap but it …
Ever wondered who coined the definition of sustainable building? Many people had a good idea what it was but it really became official with the publication of the Brundtland Report. The Report by the Brundtland Commission, titled “Our Common Future”, was published by Oxford University Press in 1987 and laid the definition for sustainable development …
Here is a great collection of words organized in a powerful way. If you are doing something green then you need to realize you are part of the largest single movement the world has ever seen. This is BIG. The quote that caught my attention the most was: “We can either create assets for the …
The concept of “Conservation and Efficiency Before Renewables” is an important green building practice. Lets break it down. Green Building Conservation The greenest building is to NOT build in the first place. In any green building it is important to constantly ask, “Is this building step necessary? Do we really need to buy this product? …
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