Most people would agree that green building is a desirable thing. But sometimes it isn’t so clear. Ethics, even with something as virtuous as green building, can get murky fast. Join us this Tuesday May 13, 2014 for a USGBC Urban Green talk by Gennaro Brooks-Church where he will discuss these topics.
Is Green Building Ethical? Read More »
I once heard a study of two groups of animals, one group were in barren cages, the other group were in the wild. Guess which group had more developed brains: the wild animals. Guess which group lived longer: the caged animals. This confirms the old saying, if it doesn’t kill you it makes you stronger.
Let Children Play With Fire Read More »
If you are new to green building and wondering where to get started here is a simple primer on the basic elements of what makes a building green, and what you can do to help. Check it out here.
Green Building Basics Read More »
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 »
Eco Brooklyn would like to recognize the efforts and accomplishments of a fellow green advocate located in Brooklyn. InsideClimate News is a rising nonprofit news website that focuses chiefly on environmental issues. Their objectives include providing scientific and objective investigations and news stories to inform the public and our officials living in these times of serious energy
InsideClimate News – Brooklyn Read More »
As a New York green builder I get a lot of interns eager to learn about building a better world. They are young, eager and often impatient. After six months on a job site they think they should become manager. This is a big mistake. It is not that they are not capable of moving
How to become a green builder (aka aware human) Read More »
Eco Brooklyn recently completed a number of jobs in a building where there were children living. We renovated three children’s bedrooms, two bathrooms where they bathe, and two play areas. Doing this increased our focus on using non-toxic materials and building in a manner that created no dust. A toxin free green building process should
Building for Children Read More »
Brooklyn prides itself in its historic buildings, but these same sites pose an often unknown toxicity risk to inhabitants. Although the use of lead products was outlawed decades ago – lead-based paints were taken off the market in 1978 and leaded gasoline was banned in 1989 – lead’s legacy continues to taint Brooklyn’ s soils.
Alternative solutions to lead contamination Read More »
When I first started mentoring interns one of the first things I told them was that they always had to leave their work area cleaner than when they came to it. Over time this metaphor became the most powerful thing I think I can teach them. Leave your surroundings cleaner than when you arrived….. If
Leave Your Surroundings Cleaner Than When You Arrived Read More »
The growth in sustainable and green living has given rise to a movement of eco-tourism in a variety of forms across the country. Specifically the use of salvaged materials is making a breakthrough in the realm of practical and/ or novel green construction. Across the country salvaged building trends and communities are blossoming and their
Fun Built with Salvaged Material Read More »
