Posts Tagged ‘waste’

Last Chance for Free Scrap Lumber, Clean Sandy Soil or Chunks of Concrete!
by Robert on May 5th, 2011 3 Comments »

Unfortunately, one of the people in the neighborhood (you know who you are) is complaining to the city about our lumber pile.  Therefore we have to get a dumpster out to the site in the next week.  So, if you need any of the above for projects from furniture to
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New Video! How we diverted 97.5% of our demo waste from the landfill
by Robert on April 30th, 2011 No Comments »

The video clip is taken from the April 26th Hermosa Beach City Council meeting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sswh242BWTQ
Also, We’ve attached (SBESC Letter) a very kind letter from Jacki and Marilyn at the South bay Environmental Savings Center thanking us for speaking at the South Bay Cities Council of Governments meeting on
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How did we divert 97.5% of our demo waste from the landfill??
by Robert on April 26th, 2011 No Comments »

We will be briefing the Hermosa Beach City Council at their meeting at 7pm tonight!

Happy Earth Day! Beach Reporter Prints Article on GIH Progress
by Robert on April 22nd, 2011 No Comments »

Eric Michael Stitt very kindly marked our first big milestone: Owners save 97.5 percent of razed home
 

One Man’s Trash… Teaching Our Son about Win-Win Situations
by Robert on April 21st, 2011 No Comments »

A grandmotherly woman named Grace contacted us about the free clean sandy soil we advertized in the local press.  She came with her contractor and a pickup truck and took four giant loads of dirt off our hands.
Her city was making her take out some concrete and replace it with
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Foundational Problems
by Robert on April 18th, 2011 No Comments »

Wanting to save as much of the existing building as possible, we wrestled with skinning the stucco off the building; but in the end we are glad we did.  In 1959 the original builders poured the foundations too low.  Therefore the stucco was wicking moisture into the mudsills and rim
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Speaking at South Bay Cities Green Task Force Meeting Apr 21
by Robert on April 10th, 2011 No Comments »

The South Bay Environmental Services Center asked us to speak at the quarterly South Bay Cities Green Task Force Meeting to share information about our 97.5% landfill diversion milestone.  We will be complementing Lisa Coppedge’s presentation on Grades of Green’s incredible efforts to reduce trash and how that translates into
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Pouring (over) Concrete 2 – Fly Ash Doesn’t Fly at the GIH
by Robert on April 9th, 2011 2 Comments »

We got a number of responses to our post re concrete.  One of the most popular suggestions we got to reduce the harmful impacts of cement is to add fly ash to the mix.  This solution also gets you LEED and Build It Green points.
Fly ash is the leftover
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The Art of Deconstruction
by Robert on February 9th, 2011 2 Comments »

As the end of their useful life, most buildings in our area get demolished with a bulldozer and get scraped into a dumpster.  We certainly understand the logic.  It is currently cheaper and easier to do it that way.
Reuse and recycling is hard work.  Almost every architect and contractor we
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Green Moving Alternatives Makes Moving Day Easier
by Robert on February 2nd, 2011 1 Comment »

Moving is never easy and usually not green (e.g. cardboard boxes, diesel trucks…).  Thankfully we found some very good local companies with affordable products and services that are environmentally friendly – and made the process easier.
Rent a Green Box reinvented how we loaded up our stuff with recycled and recyclable
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The Stone Age Ends When You Run Out of Stones
by Robert on January 10th, 2011 No Comments »

Our friend Ewen, from Scotland, wanted to know if we were going to pack up our “tree” (see Christmas Rocks! post), put it in the attic and pull it out again next year.  We had other plans for it…
Our High Water post explained why we want to keep the storm
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Christmas Rocks!
by Robert on December 24th, 2010 No Comments »

The rubble in our front yard gave us a opportunity to build something while waiting for our building permits. In the spirit of the holidays it is titled   “Love, Joy and Peace(s)”
Seasons Greetings to everyone and all the best in the New Year!

Recycled Christmas Tree Cycles Back
by Robert on December 22nd, 2010 No Comments »

Our son Carter is very happy to see his old friend from last year (see photo), thanks to Scotty Claus and his elves at The Living Christmas Company.  This is an amazing group that helps cut carbon – not trees.  Their innovative business makes it easy to support a forest. 
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Build It Green
by Robert on April 27th, 2010 1 Comment »

The GreenPoint Rated label is the mark of quality for green home construction. It is a recognizable, independent seal of approval that verifies a home has been built or remodeled according to proven green standards. To make sure that every GreenPoint Rated home is healthy and efficient from the inside
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Energy Upgrade CA
by Robert on April 26th, 2010 1 Comment »

On February 1, Energy Champions, Leadership Hermosa Beach and USGBC-LA, joined forces to bring together the co-hosted Upgrade In Action event  for the Green Idea House. These two Energy Champions were a part of the planning of this successful event reaching over 200 people. During the event community members toured
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The ReUse People of America
by Robert on April 24th, 2010 No Comments »

By consistently focusing on its mission, TRP has diverted over 260,000 tons of used building materials from landfills, trained dozens of contractors and provided full-time employment to hundreds of people.
Through our efforts, 75 to 80 percent of a building can be kept out of the landfill – in fact, on
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Merlex Stucco
by Robert on April 24th, 2010 No Comments »

Merlex Stucco is continually improving its product line of natural stucco products to add products offering (1) energy efficiency; (2) recycled content; (3) local sourcing; and (4) reduced embodied energy.  Products to be included on the Green Idea House include 33% Recycled Stucco (based on recycled concrete aggregate), and Vero
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Cleveland Art
by Robert on April 24th, 2010 No Comments »

Cleveland Art was founded in 1994 by Jason Wein. While working at the family salvage yard as a young man he saw the potential of industrial machinery and surplus being repurposed and recycled as functional design for the home, office and retail setting. For well over a decade now, Cleveland
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WeatherBond Roofing
by Robert on April 24th, 2010 No Comments »

WeatherBond PRO PAS TPO is a heat-weldable, thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) membrane that provides extreme durability and weathering capabilities.  With pre-applied adhesive technology, this membrane combines the energy efficiency and durability of TPO with the easiest and most consistent TPO installation technology in the industry.
When combined with a full line of heat-weldable accessories,
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W.F. Taylor Co., Inc.
by Robert on April 24th, 2010 No Comments »

Taylor Meta-tec® MS-Plus Advance™ Wood Flooring Adhesive with Meta-tec® technology, is a one component 100% solids, cross linking, MS polymer-based Greengaurd® certified adhesive formulated for the interior installation of virtually all wood flooring. MS-Plus Advance™ also has good concrete moisture inhibition capability as well as good sound reduction properties that
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StonePeak Ceramics
by Robert on April 24th, 2010 No Comments »

Nestled in the hills of Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, StonePeak prides itself as a company with a uniquely American character that honors the time-proven tradition of fine Italian porcelain ceramics. Respecting and protecting nature is a vital part of our philosophy, so we were honored when the
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Grundfos
by Robert on April 24th, 2010 No Comments »

Powered by the Impossible website – poweredby.grundfos.com
With an annual production of more than 16 million pump units, Grundfos is one of the world’s leading pump manufacturers, specializing in circulator pumps for heating and air conditioning as well as other centrifugal pumps for industrial applications, water supply,
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Stepstone Inc.
by Robert on April 24th, 2010 No Comments »

Stepstone Inc. has produced high strength, precast concrete products for over 30 years. Today’s hardscape designs demand paving options that are versatile, enduring and have minimal environmental impact.  Stepstone, Inc. is pleased to expand the design community’s permeable paving options by offering our new Pervious Pedestrian Pavers. Combined with our
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BLUE RIDGE™ FIBERBOARD
by Robert on April 24th, 2010 No Comments »

CELOTEX® PREMIUM INSULATING SHEATHING, as manufactured by BLUE RIDGE™ FIBERBOARD (http://www.blueridgefiberboard.com/pages/green-building.php) is a key component of a superior exterior building envelope design.  An R-value of 1.3 per ½” provides superior insulating qualities in comparison to standard O.S.B. and plywood sheathing, thus providing an excellent thermal break. The indoor air quality
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Oceanside Glasstile
by Robert on April 23rd, 2010 No Comments »

Our mantra “From Curbside to Oceanside” describes our dedication to transforming glass into expressive design materials that would otherwise end up in landfills. Moreover, our efforts to be a sustainable organization extend far beyond this fundamental product attribute. We have measurable goals that target improvements in energy reduction, elimination of
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Waste Management
by Robert on April 22nd, 2010 No Comments »

WM’s partnership with the Green Idea House is example of our commitment to zero waste and ability to the meet and exceed sustainability and service objectives of our clients. To assist with the project, WM donated  temporary recycling bins  and consultative services to ensure the project planners met their diversion
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3V Signs & Graphics
by Robert on April 19th, 2010 No Comments »

3V Signs & Graphics is proud to support the Green Idea House!  Their efforts to renovate a residence and strive toward a “0 carbon footprint” is a commendable endeavor.  To contribute to their efforts we supplied their banner made of recyclable materials.  As a result of our interaction with Robert
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