When this whole things started I didn’t know if I was pro or con the Gowanus Superfund designation. I now know that my uncertainty was due to very well funded PR information that almost managed to pull me away from my common sense that immediately thought a superfund designation for Gowanus would be a good …
Gowanus Canal and Super Fund – Don’t Believe the Hype Read More »
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 …
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 …
I have a love hate relationship with the local Brooklyn green building supply stores. I love that they sell green stuff, I hate that they want to sell as much of it as they can. Most people would scratch their head at that comment. “Of course they want you to buy it, what wrong with …
From a chat list: FSC is a fraud. Unreliable at best, false and fraudulent at worst. Don’t take my word for it–just ask some of the FSC-certified timber corporations–Tembec, Precious Woods, et al. Go to the Rainforest Foundation UK web site. There are a host of environmental non-profits fighting the FSC–even Rainforest Action Network, who …
I was checking out some cool plant pottery at this site PedlersWaggon.com. The pottery holds water and lets it out slowly, keeping the plants fresh during times of no rain. Very cool. And then I noticed on the shopping cart page a little note that said: “We ask that wherever you may live to refrain …
Word on the street is that the Gowanus Canal is going to be designated a Superfund site. The canal is two blocks from the Brooklyn green show house so it is dear to our heart and very clearly part of our ecosystem. The Gowanus is definitely a good candidate for a superfund designation. It is …
Green building is all about energy efficiency, saving precious resources, green roofs and recycled cellulose insulation, right? I would actually say that those things are secondary and that there is a larger philosophy behind green building. Those things are some of the focused methods we carry out the philosophy perhaps but the overall philosophy is …
Dear USGBC Constituents: In recent weeks, a wave of fear and pessimism propagated by the world financial crisis has stolen the headlines, gripped the nation, and challenged our movement. In conversation after conversation, people are asking what will happen to the green building movement if our community is plunged into a recession. And I have …
Letter from Rick Fedrizzi – CEO, President and Founding Chair, USGBC Read More »
