Let’s convert New York State’s energy infrastructure into something more sustainable. It’s a simple concept, with a multitude of benefits. Converting to renewable energy will stabilize costs of energy and produce jobs while reducing health and climate damage and overall improving the quality of life. A recent study by Mark Z. Jacobson et al. finds […]
Renewable Energy Plan for New York Read More »
Temperature has assuredly become a hot topic in offices throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan during the recent heat wave. Eco Brooklyn’s office is no exception to the heat. However, we have a unique approach to the problem. Passive housing has been a cornerstone of environmental design since the ancient Greeks and Romans (check out this article
Exterior Shades – The Anti-Heat Wave of the Future Read More »
Eco Brooklyn was visited today by Klearwall Industries. Klearwall is a certified Passive House windows company. Originally based in Ireland, Klearwall is looking to make its mark in the US market. They offer triple-paned windows and doors for domestic and commercial needs, ranging from single-window installation to entire buildings. Their windows are billed as eco-clad,
Klearwall Windows and Doors Read More »
Bangladesh Building Collapse Kills at Least 70 Texas Fertilizer Explosion Kills at Least 16 Boston Bombing Kills 3 All three of these events happened this week. Most people see the third as very different from the first two. I don’t. To me they are all part of the massive hidden cost of cheap stuff produced by the
The Real Cost of Cheap Stuff Read More »
When people buy a home the bank usually requires an independent appraisal. Unfortunately the current appraisers don’t take into consideration green building. A classic example in Brooklyn is a back yard with concrete is valued the same as a back yard with extensive landscaping. Obviously the one with extensive landscaping is more valuable to most people, but
In 2012 Eco Brooklyn Inc. made a conscious choice to NOT grow. As a for profit corporation this may seem a bad business choice. But ironically we see this as thinking BIG. Peoples’ obsession with growth is such a massive part of us and it is illogical and suicidal. Especially in speed crazed NY is
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 »
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 »
Eco Brooklyn recently obtained a copy of McGraw Hill’s Green Building: Square Foot Costbook 2012. Construction cost data books are intended for use by planners and builders who would like to get a quick, rough idea of how much a job might cost. I think it’s pretty cool that green building is at a point where resources like this
Who Can Afford to Build Green? Read More »
I attended last Saturday’s Occupy Wall Street march to Times Square because as a New York green contractor I feel alligned with many of the issues brought up in the Occupy Wall street movement. There was a big crowd and for the first time in my life I saw more New Yorkers than tourists in
Elmo Joins the Revolution Read More »
