Posts Tagged ‘Zero Carbon’

GIH Event Makes the Papers!
by Robert on February 17th, 2012 No Comments »

Eric Michael Stitt, a journalist for The Beach Reporter, very kindly featured our house tours event in the Hermosa Beach section of the paper this week:  http://www.tbrnews.com/articles/2012/02/16/hermosa_beach_news/news09.prt
We also wanted to make sure the other key sponsors of the event, the U.S. Green Building Council/South Bay Branch and Energy Upgrade California,
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Record Crowds Gather for Construction Tours of the Green Idea House!
by Robert on February 14th, 2012 No Comments »

We want to express our sincere appreciation to all of you for making Saturday a huge success. The event was booked solid a week in advance and over 200 people came out for tours and the educational expo. We had to turn people away to ensure the safety of everyone
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Tours Sold Out Fast!
by Robert on February 9th, 2012 6 Comments »

We would like everyone to know that all four tours (of 35 people ea) on Saturday have sold out!  You are still welcome to come and see the energy upgrade displays and get your name on the stand-by list for the tours.
If there are no openings on Saturday’s tours and
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Green Idea House Speaks out on behalf of Electric Vehicles Today
by Robert on February 7th, 2012 No Comments »

We had a great experience during our four month trial of a 100% electric Local Use Vehicle (LUV) loaned to us by the South Bay Cities Council of Governments.  We are honored that they have asked us to say a few words at an event this morning at 11am.
You are
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Register for FREE today while there are still spots available!
by Robert on February 2nd, 2012 No Comments »

The U.S. Green Building Council, Energy Upgrade CA and Leadership Hermosa Beach have asked us to give a series of construction tours on February 11th.  The tours will showcase the innovative technologies that make the Green Idea House net zero energy, zero carbon and responsive to the environment in terms
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The Green Idea House Unwrapped from its Scaffolding
by Robert on January 29th, 2012 No Comments »

It is not nearly done; but what do you think?

Save the Date for a USGBC Construction Tour the GIH!
by Robert on January 23rd, 2012 No Comments »

The U.S. Green Building Council, Energy Upgrade CA and Leadership Hermosa Beach have asked us to give a series of construction tours on February 11th.  The tours will start at noon, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm and will be followed by a networking/ green networking event at one of the local
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GIH Holiday Lights are Now Carbon Neutral!
by Robert on December 31st, 2011 No Comments »

We were given permission to turn on our 6.5kw solar array this week.  That means that our LED holiday lights (adorned with ornaments that we made from the scrap metal leftovers from our stucco contractor) and the electric power tools that we are using on site are now offset by
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In Hot Water Yesterday
by Robert on December 7th, 2011 2 Comments »

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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In Hot Water Today
by Robert on December 6th, 2011 No Comments »

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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Getting Ready to Deliver the Thermal Envelope – Step One: The Sheathing
by Robert on December 5th, 2011 No Comments »

The thermal envelope of our building is what separates the interior from the exterior in terms of moisture, air, heat and cold.  It is critical to the overall performance of the building and getting us to our net zero goals.  It also ensures that the building is comfortable and is
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City Council GIH Update Tonight at 7pm
by Robert on November 8th, 2011 No Comments »

We will be giving one of our periodic construction updates to City Council this evening.  The meeting starts at 7pm and we should be presenting shortly thereafter.  You can also view the meeting on Verizon Fios Ch. 31, Warner Cable Ch.8, and online at www.hermosabch.org under Agendas/Minutes/Video.
During
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SolarWorld Sends Ogilvy Advertising Pros for a Video Shoot!
by Robert on November 4th, 2011 No Comments »

On Wednesday, a video production crew from Ogilvy Advertising came to interview us re our choice to use SolarWorld PV panels on the GIH.  Their Marketing Manager, Minnie Dimesa and the Ogilvy team made the whole thing fun.  We look forward to seeing what they make of it!

Patch Article Today and Presentation to City Council Tomorrow
by Robert on October 10th, 2011 No Comments »

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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Denmark: Inspiration for the Perspiration
by Robert on September 28th, 2011 No Comments »

Robert just returned from a week of lecturing at the international innovation school in Denmark, Kaos Pilot.  The students and faculty there know of his interest in all things sustainable and Denmark is a haven for all things sustainable.  Therefore, every time he goes to visit they take him on
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Get a Free Test Loaner and Clear the Air re Electric Vehicles
by Robert on August 25th, 2011 1 Comment »

Some of you may have noticed us driving a funny little car lately (see photo).  It is a fully electric local use vehicle (LUV) and was lent to us by one of our partners, the South Bay Environmental Services Center.  You can find out more about the benefits of these
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Southern California Edison Tour Yields an Article in the Daily Breeze!
by Robert on July 12th, 2011 No Comments »

Yesterday about 20 Southern California Edison Energy Efficiency Interns came to the GIH for a construction site tour.  They were very interested and asked great questions.  Doug Morino and Robert Casillas from the Daily Breeze also joined the group and got their piece published in today’s paper: http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_18457632

Dwelling on William McDonough and Ed Begley Jr’s Keynotes
by Robert on June 25th, 2011 No Comments »

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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Create your own Green Idea House with a $6K boost from Uncle Sam
by Robert on June 5th, 2011 No Comments »

Read about it in Eric Michael Stitt’s Beach Reporter article published this week.

Easy Reader Covers GIH Participation in the EPN Solar and Green Homes Tour!
by Robert on May 28th, 2011 No Comments »

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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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
 

Will You Support the Mayor’s Challenge?
by Robert on April 5th, 2011 No Comments »

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

Passing (on) Gas
by Robert on February 9th, 2011 No Comments »

Everyone knows that burning natural gas is less harmful than other fossil fuels, but the process of shale gas drilling is certainly not natural and certainly not less harmful.  Watch this 60 minutes piece to understand how the push to extract it from the ground is contaminating drinking water and
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Get up to $4,500 to make your house more comfortable, healthy and reduce your bills!
by Robert on January 21st, 2011 No Comments »

Hermosa Beach is hosting an event on Jan 26th.  Find one near you.  http://www.sbesc.com/programs/residential

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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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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GIH Overcomes Concrete Thinking
by Robert on November 9th, 2010 No Comments »

We are tackling the site work on our project while we wait for our plan set revisions from the city to go back through our engineers and draftsman.  The site work includes undergrounding the utilities.  By code we have to underground the electrical, cable and phone to
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CBS News and Local Press Cover the Groundbreaking Ceremony of GIH!
by Robert on October 7th, 2010 1 Comment »

The groundbreaking ceremony of the Green Idea House was covered by CBS news and the local press and can be seen at the following links:
CBS News a 6:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFfsYUiaWyc
CBS News at 11:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jt660JF3R1A
Easy Reader:
http://www.easyreadernews.com/2010/10/news/hermosa-beach/ground-broken-innovative-house
The Daily Breeze”
http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/ci_16260936
Hermosa Beach Patch:
http://hermosabeach.patch.com/articles/green-idea-house-is-now-shovel-ready

Breaking New Ground with All of You!
by Robert on October 7th, 2010 No Comments »

Our ground breaking ceremony on Tuesday could not have gone better.  Thank you all for your support which made that possible.  With well over 100 people attending or stopping by, it was great seeing old friends and meeting new.  Everyone from our Mayor, city council members, planning commissioners, key members
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You are Invited to the Ground Breaking Ceremony!
by Robert on September 24th, 2010 No Comments »

You are invited to the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Green Idea House on Tuesday, October 5th, 8:45 am at 1556 Prospect Avenue, Hermosa Beach.
The ceremony will be done by 9:30 am; but information about the Green Idea House and the Southern California Edison Mobile Energy Unit (MEU) and demonstration
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