Environmental Articles

Six Myths about Green Building

The sustainable construction industry and green living initiative has really progressed over the past few years, however, some common myths still remain, deterring some homeowners from choosing to build a green home.  Here are a few of the most common residential green building myths.

Green Building Costs Too Much

The idea that green building is too expensive is one of the most common misconceptions about the industry. This myth has been contested may times in the past with proof that green building is cost effective and affordable, however, many homeowners still call on this excuse to decline building a green home. One of the reasons this myth is still around is because a lot of the high-profile builders who get attention for Green Building are very high-end, promoting the idea that green building is more expensive. Of course, there are many affordable green builders, such as Olde Heritage Builders, who can work within a budget to create a home that sustains green building practices while remaining within a family’s price range.

Green Building is Only about Materials

When individuals think about green building, some of the first items that come to mind are green materials, like materials made out of recycled content, low embodied energy materials, no VOC’s, and more. However, although these green building materials are a part of the job, they aren’t the entire job. Green building includes more than just green materials, drawing in decisions like energy performance, site selection, and construction processes.

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Green Building Products Don’t Work as Well

We admit that there are some “green” products that have given the industry a bad reputation, such as low-flow toilets and fiberglass insulation, however, the idea that these products don’t work as well as traditional construction products comes from comparison from outdated technologies. Next time anyone mentions how 1.6 gallon-per-flush toilets don’t work, let them know that they were mandated in all new construction over ten years ago. The truth is that green products work just as well, if not better than traditional construction materials.

Green Products are hard to Find

This too, is an outdated myth. In the past, green products were more difficult to purchase in some parts of the country, but over the past decade, the industry has grown exponentially, making green products readably available nationwide. It may be as simple as asking for a green alternative, or using resources like green directories and finding the right product for the job.

Green Homes look “Weird”

You don’t have to build a geodesic dome in order to have an energy efficient and sustainably built home. These days, green homes can be indistinguishable from any other home. For proof of this, check out the portfolio on OldeHeritage.com. Olde Heritage builds beautiful homes and communities that don’t visually advertise their “green” aspects, but do promote a quality built home with a focus on environmentally friendly construction.

Building a Green Home is Too Complicated

Home owners often think that building a green home is far too complicated to be considered. The truth lies in the fact that sustainability makes sense and many of the decisions in building a green home are fundamental. Building a green home isn’t a difficult or invasive problem, instead should be considered as a way to go back to the basics on home design and construction.

Check out ShieldsofGreen.com, a Raleigh Metropolitan Area green building directory that connects several green initiatives in the area, including OldeHeritage Builders, Ray Family Farms, NC Energy Savers, and Build Trust Contractors.

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Stop Global Warming

More frequently we are being given reminders that we are living on a fragile and volatile planet. Many of our natural resources have been processed to near depletion. As the world population grows more land and resources are being used to cope with the increase in demands and deforestation, this in turn has a by product, Pollution and Global Warming. Global Warming is a “Global” issue and is not particular to one event or action, although one event or action repeated round the world by millions of us could make a big difference.

Because the effects of Global Warming are created by many different actions it is hard to put a “Cover All” solution into place. A “Cover All” solution is equally hard as it would have to be established as part of an international policy, a policy that would need every country to sign up to, but that’s politics and will be covered in a separate article. This article is aimed on focusing the individual actions.

What can one person do?

Alone, not a lot but imagine if millions of others just like you done the same thing round the world! That would make a big difference on a Global scale, now imagine this happened with various different products at the same time!

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The biggest pollutant in most of our lives is our beloved Car, for most of us the car is an integral part of our lives. Without taking the drastic measures of not having a car and hampering our lifestyles there are still a few tricks left to reducing the motor vehicle carbon emissions. Car sharing work journeys, lower c02 emission cars, hybrid cars, cutting out short journeys that can be done on foot, and public transport.

Having now looked at the ways to reduce global warming in regards to your traveling attention can now turn to the management of household waste products like old bottles, newspapers, excess paper, tins, unwanted toys, food and other such items. Many of these items can be recycled or disposed of without being put into a general land fill. All it requires is a few vital minuets to separate and sort it and it’s done.

For instance you can make compost for your garden from food stuff like onion peelings, tea leaves, spoiled vegetables and fruit can be turned into compost. The items like tins, old bottles, papers and newspapers can be taken to recycling centres where they will be eventually taken for recycling.

You can take your old clothes, toys and other goods to charity shops so that someone else will have the chance of using them. This way you can prevent the many garbage dumps from becoming too full. This is another way to reduce the effects of global warming that rarely crosses our minds.

As you can see, while the large industries and companies work to reduce global warming on a large scale, the small scale reduction is down to the individual. For those of us who are looking at the ways to stop global warming our homes, the way we travel and our lifestyles can be looked at with this goal in mind. In the end it is all of our collective efforts to stop global warming which will help us to live a better and cleaner life. You may only be ably to change one element of the above at a time, but can you imaging the impact if everybody done just ONE thing?

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Consult Expert Designers for a Beautiful Home

When you intend to build a new home there is a lot of research work that you need to undertake. There are many design plans that you can find online. You choose the best among them for your new home design. The internet is a host to different architectural designs and drawings. You can make a list of all your needs and then consult an architect. Your requirements will be clear and while talking with the architect you will be able to explain things in a better manner. This will help the architect to do a better job and deliver the custom home you have always desired. Estimating a budget well in advance will also help keep your expenses low.

It is important that you choose the right location for your home as there are some new home design plans that are designed only for certain neighborhoods. No two custom homes are alike. You could go in for a custom home that is completely different from the ones you have ever seen. There are many expert designers who will guide you through the steps that are to be taken in order to have a perfect home. Your home can have a distinctive look of its own. They can also help you achieve a balance between you getting your dream house and adhering to your budget at the same time.

Everyone knows the benefits that solar energy can provide. You must have learnt about the importance of solar energy while you were in school. Owning solar lighting systems and other solar products could be your way of conserving energy. There are a number of people who own solar homes. It helps reduce the carbon emissions and keeps the neighborhood free of pollution as well. If you are building a new home design then a solar residence is an option that you may consider. You can derive plenty of benefits by simply owning a solar home. Green homes are a great way to save money and do your bit to conserve energy at the same time. Solar power and standard energy efficient features can be quite useful for your home.

There are a number of building companies that you can consult with in order to get your new home design. However, make sure that the one you hire is professional and well-experienced in this domain. He should be someone who must have a good track record of constructing the best home design plans. An experienced architect can build affordable homes, in case you are in a shoe string budget. You may also utilize plans that have already been used somewhere else. Ultimately, your new home must look exactly the way you want it to be. Everyone wants to boast the best house in town. If you too are planning for a new house soon, then a little effort from your side can avoid a lot of costly mistakes. All you need to do is simply visit the web world and find a company that offers satisfactory services.

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Solar Power Alternative Energy Process System

To tell the truth the topic Solar Power Alternative Energy we are going to speak about is very interesting and has many advantages while its using. I would like to share with you about all the necessary information you would like to know about it.All over the world people already use solar energy and it is able to bring them only positive results.

Let’s start talking about the advantages of Solar Power Alternative Energy. First of all I would like to mention that it is a reducible natural source of energy, its absolutely free and clean from all toxic substances, its supplying costs almost nothing, nowadays it is used in many spheres of life in the world, for example while using water, coal.

Saying by common words what is solar power in itself – its transformation of simple sun radiation in constant energy that can be used by a person. This transformation of energy maybe used with lighting or heating. Both of the are the synthesis of the sun energy, which is expressed by radiation. The radiation temperature is about six thousand C’ which is very cold in comparison with the sun temperature that is higher in million degrees.

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Solar Power Alternative energy work as the principle of accumulation. This way it can easily and constantly run into your house. For example nowadays heating of water from he sun energy is a very usual and simple thing, the sun supports the heat that is generated by gas or water systems in our homes.Next step how it runs is through the pipes that are created in solar panels, through them can move for example water and any other liquids.

Do you know such an interesting detail about using mirrors and sun energy together? If no In here to share with you about it. A big amount of mirrors can be actually used to bring the sun rays at one place and it means the same way sun energy, moreover it is possible by this way to heat the slight to a very high temperature like thirty three thousands degrees. Then the sun energy is transformed  in a stove and create a fallow that goes in a turbine and create there electricity.

Nowadays not that much per cents are transformed from sun energy into electricity.But the way out here to increase its per cent is,as I mentioned above,usage of large quantity of mirrors. Here is another convenient way of supplying sun energy and transformation of it into a heated air in any building. For example high towers, they are tall and the air heated there cam spread very fast all over the whole building.

Usage of solar alternative energy has such advantages as cleanness and it is very free to use, it can be also used from far away places, simple supplying. But it has either some of its disadvantages it cant be used at cloudy weather conditions and at night time, it is necessary to have a sunny climate in your country.

Global Warming Facts

The term global warming means what it says. Global warming is where the overall temperature of the entire planet, or globe, rises. This rising temperature, even it if is only about one or two degrees, can cause dramatic changes in the planet’s climate. This major climate changes can be so severe that entire species can become extinct due to their inability to cope with the changes to their climates. Why does this concern people? It should concern people because it is human activity that is causing the rapid rise in the overall average temperature of the planet. What makes the situation worse is that many people laugh it all and say it is a myth. Here are four facts about global warming that might help to wake up some of those individuals.

Fact one: The world’s leading scientists have said that global warming is real and have proof backing up their belief that human activity is causing the average temperature to rise. Specifically, the human activity that is causing this rise are the methods of transportation the majority of humans use, as well as the factories and industries that pump toxins into the air. The main culprit is carbon, and this is caused by the burning of fossil fuels by vehicles, factories, and the use of energy that is used for electricity and heat. The proof is in the world around us, such as the melting polar caps as well as the many species being pushed onto the endangered list as a result of losing food and recognizable habitat.

Fact two: in order to slow down global warming, countries from all over the world need to reduce the carbon they put into the air, or find alternatives that don’t release carbon into the air. Planting trees and finding natural alternatives to creating the energy they need is probably the best way to start helping fight global warming.

Fact three: The global warming Earth is experiencing right now is not normal. It is an accelerated global warming that is being caused by humans burning fossil fuels and pumping carbon into the air. The abnormally high levels of carbon in the atmosphere are trapping in the heat, causing the average temperature of the Earth to rise. Scientists have ruled out other possible contributors to the greenhouse gases, but have found that humans are, in fact, the major contributor.

Fact four: Global warming is a completely different problem that the hole in the ozone layer. The hole in the ozone layer is what has been caused by synthetic chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Global warming is caused by the buildup of carbon in the atmosphere.

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