Many thanks to Gary Klein for sharing his genius with us yesterday. In two hours Gary took us through all the water related systems that are so crucial for us in hitting our net zero energy goals.
Gary is great at debunking myths about things like tankless water heaters and solar
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Gary Klein, one of the country’s leading experts in hot water technologies, will be visiting the construction site and leading a group discussion. We have invited officials from the city, other experts in the field and manufacturers and contractors who could benefit from the wealth of Gary’s expertise. The tour
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AOL’s Patch Press service published an article on the Green Idea House this morning: http://hermosabeach.patch.com/articles/hermosas-greenest-house-of-them-all Eric Farrell, the Hermosa Beach Patch reporter, did a very nice job summarizing the conversation we had last week.
On a related note, we will be giving one of our periodic construction updates to City Council
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Watching Bill McDonough’s expanded version of his TED talk at the Dwell conference Friday night was extraordinary. He is one of the key sources of inspiration for the Green Idea House.
Ed took the stage Sunday afternoon with a vigor and clarity that was masked in the nature of his “living
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Many thanks to the Easy Reader reporter Rebecca Zisser for a great article. During the tour she was very engaged, asked great questions and ultimately turned in a wonderful report. Thank you for your interest in spreading the word.
P.S. One small correction: “Fortunato first became interested in green technology
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We really appreciated the opportunity to be in the Water and Energy Expo in the morning and on the EPN Green and Solar house tour circuit in the afternoon.
We were impressed by the interested and engaged group that showed up. Thanks to all our friends (old and new) that
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We have been invited to talk about the Green Idea House during two events on Saturday the 21st:
1. Our partners West Basin Water District and So Cal Edison are putting on a Water and Energy Smart Expo. They have set up a booth for us to explain the Green Idea
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Congratulations, Hermosa Beach
You are Southern California’s Greenest City this Earth Month!
Hermosa Beach, led by Mayor Peter Tucker, has won the title of Southern California’s greenest city for Earth Month. Hermosa Beach fended off strong challenges from Redondo Beach, Gardena, Long Beach, Villa Park, Agoura
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We hired a contractor to replace the rotted mudsills and rim joists (see Foundational Problems). The contractor normally uses green (in color) pressure treated lumber for that application. Unfortunately, the green stuff contains arsenic and chromium that gets airborne when cut or drilled and can also leach into your soil
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April 1, 2011 was the start of the Wyland Clean Water Pledge. Mayors across Southern California are squaring off to see whose city is the greenest. Our Mayor, Pete Tucker, has our support on this initiative: www.mywaterpledge.com
Hermosa Beach is hosting an event on Jan 26th. Find one near you. http://www.sbesc.com/programs/residential
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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We all know fresh water is a precious commodity in So. California. Hearing what the TreePeople are doing to harvest rainwater and manage the overflow on site to replenish the aquifer sounds like a good idea. This benefits the ocean water quality by keeping that storm from running into the
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Last week we hosted a meeting with Leigh Jerrard from Greywater Corps who is doing innovative, yet simple and affordable things in the water conservation arena. Leigh led six of us through a very informative dialogue on making the reuse of laundry and shower water for irrigation easy, practical and
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Systems for Reclaiming Water
Approximately 19% of California’s electricity is consumed in getting water to Southern California.
Being mindful of water usage and the energy it takes to bring water to our homes just makes good sense. Especially when we have had only 15% of the average rainfall and the
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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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Green Idea House is finding new homes for its drought tolerant succulents. We have given away minivans full to friends and neighbors to keep them out of the landfill.
We started the project with a system of interdependent objectives that acts as a map and a compass. No project is perfect and this one won’t be either; but being mindful of these objectives keeps us on track when making decisions. We have found that it is particularly
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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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Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden (MBBG) is a non-profit, volunteer-run organization dedicated to promoting Earth-friendly landscape techniques, encouraging the use of climate appropriate water-wise plants, including California natives whenever possible, and conserving our natural resources.
We promote Earth-friendly gardening for the conservation of water, wildlife and the well-being of our community via
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Deep Roots Garden Center & Florist is the South Bay’s premier destination for drought-tolerant and native plants, rare and unique items, succulents, indoor plants, herbs and veggies, fruit trees, and outstanding floral arrangements for any occasion. We also offer landscape design and installation. Our talented team will help you every
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EcoDrain™ high-performance shower heat exchanger saves money and energy every time you shower.
Showering is likely your most energy-intensive daily household activity. And yet an enormous amount of that energy goes straight down the drain.
The EcoDrain™ is a small, easy-to-install device with no moving parts which transfers heat from hot shower waste
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EnviroMeasures is committed to being a resource for living
Healthy & Environmentally Aware, acknowledging our
connection to all things (no matter how small or large) and how
our everyday choices affect the Health of the Earth and it’s
inhabitants. We feel one of the most important things we can do for ourselves and future generations
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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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Norwesco, Inc. is North America’s leading manufacturer of proprietary rotationally molded polyethylene tanks for agricultural, water, closed-top industrial and below ground septic and cistern applications.
We attribute our success to our commitment to the highest levels of product quality and customer service. Our objective is to continue
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Green Idea House is donating succulents (that will otherwise end up in the trash during construction) to the Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden. Attend a free MBBG talk given by Patrick Moore on May 15, 10-11 am, about the care of water friendly succulents….. the easiest plants you will ever grow.
The
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The Fortunato family assisted in the installation of a water infiltration device in Culver City. This system prevents polluted storm water from going to the ocean. This demonstration was sponsored by the Surfrider Foundation and G3. We loved it!!
Today Monica attended an Ocean Friendly Garden Workshop. Our oceans are heavily polluted by urban run off. That’s right! Water washing off our homes and yards picks up pollutants that quickly end up in the ocean. The Green Idea House will be employing many systems to prevent storm run off.
The
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