Our plug-in hybrid Ford C Max Energi! We're loving it so far. I had it almost a week before it needed a charge!
Dream Home, Green Home
Exploring eco options for every dream home
Monday, October 09, 2017
Saturday, September 30, 2017
Friday, September 22, 2017
Solar Home Tour!
Greetings Readers,
We just wanted to announce that our home will once again be featured on the American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour - also sponsored by Green Energy Ohio. Our home will be open for tours from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, September 30, 2017.
Come join us to learn about our nearly net zero passive solar design, solar electricity, solar hot water heating, and many other green building features in our Energy Star 5+ rated home.
You can learn more about the tour here: http://www.greenenergyoh.org/2017-geo-fall-tour-southwest-ohio-tour-sites/
Feel free to contact me with any questions at nuttergreenhome@yahoo.com
We just wanted to announce that our home will once again be featured on the American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour - also sponsored by Green Energy Ohio. Our home will be open for tours from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, September 30, 2017.
Come join us to learn about our nearly net zero passive solar design, solar electricity, solar hot water heating, and many other green building features in our Energy Star 5+ rated home.
You can learn more about the tour here: http://www.greenenergyoh.org/2017-geo-fall-tour-southwest-ohio-tour-sites/
Feel free to contact me with any questions at nuttergreenhome@yahoo.com
Friday, June 16, 2017
Eco RV-ing: Can Recreational Vehicles Be Green?
According to the 2017 North American Camping Report
conducted by Kampgrounds of America (KOA), 75 million American households are
active campers, and there is an increased percentage of American campers who are
younger and more diverse. An older 2011
University of Michigan study identified 8.9 million American households as
Recreational Vehicle owners, with the largest growing age group of RV owners
being the 35 to 54 age group who
now own more RVs than any other age group.
The Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) estimates that 8% to
9% of American households own an RV – with around 9 million RVs on the road in
2016 (and steadily growing).
With the increase in the percentage of younger campers, an
additional surging trend that can currently be seen in the RV industry is the
amount of owners and consumers who are searching for, and requesting
information on “green RVs.” Most people
assume that given the large, boxy nature of these homes on wheels, that they
certainly can’t be green or environmentally sensitive. However, for the past several years, RV
shoppers have seen the emergence of a program called Certified Green by TRA
Certification, Inc. If you’ve been on an
RV lot lately, you’ve likely seen the Certified Green stickers or signage on
some models. Certified Green is a third party
inspection program that evaluates RVs in terms of Resource Efficiency, Water
Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, and Indoor Air Quality.
I recently contacted Mandy Leazenby, a representative from
TRA Certifications to discuss exactly what they do and what their Certified
Green label means.
KN: How old is
TRA Certification, Inc (TRA)? When was
it founded or when did they start doing certifications?
ML: TRA
Certification was founded in 1992. We
are 15 years old.
KN: What about the parent company, T.R. Arnold
& Associates? How old are they and
what do they do?
ML: Our parent
company was founded in 1968. They are 49
years old. They have been in the third
party certification and inspection business focused on building code
compliance, building materials, energy efficiency, electrical, plumbing,
mechanical, and fire safety. They have a
Building Code Regulatory focus.
KN: What served
as the catalyst for the creation of Certified Green? Was there a certain group or market segment
that pushed for eco-conscious RVs or was it conceived by one particular person?
(Essentially, what’s the history of the TRA?)
ML: This focus is
natural for all of the folks here at TRA.
We have been evaluating the code compliance of insulation and energy
requirements for many years. It is a
natural evolution for us. As the
Building Codes became more demanding for efficiency, our interests have grown
and we’ve become focused in that direction.
KN: Does TRA
receive feedback mostly from consumers or manufacturers or another
stakeholder? In what ways? How is that feedback incorporated into what
TRA does?
ML: Today, the
major feedback comes from the RV manufacturers and consumers. We get a lot of calls from RV “Users” about
their interest in the Green Ratings their units have. Also, consumers use our rating to make their
decisions regarding which RVs to purchase.
We also receive a lot of consumer calls regarding indoor air
quality. That seems to be the most
important “green” quality of an RV.
KN: Are there certain areas of the country where
the demand for TRA Certified RVs is higher?
If so, where?
ML: No, the
demand is universal. We are getting a
lot of feedback from younger buyers who are interested in the environment. Older buyers are more interested in the
indoor air quality of their units. In
fact, most consumer calls we receive are in regards to indoor air quality. This is an opportunity for us and for the
industry to pay even more attention to what goes into an RV.
KN: TRA certification guidelines look familiar –
similar to LEED Guidelines. Is TRA
affiliated in any way with the US GBC / LEED or did the founders of TRA use
LEED as inspiration for the TRA guidelines?
ML: Certainly the USGBC work and the LEED efforts
have been a good guide. We are involved
with various venues such as the RESNET Programs for energy ratings of new
homes. Some of this effort also involves
modular homes and manufactured (mobile) homes.
KN: What’s in the future for TRA? What can we expect in the RV industry in
terms of eco-friendly coaches?
ML: Our program naturally evolves as does the
industry. We plan on introducing an
indoor air quality program that is separate from the “green” program but can be
complimentary. We have the equipment to
test sample units at either the manufacturer or the dealer location
KN: Are more manufacturers looking to get TRA
Certification?
ML: Absolutely!!
They are knocking our door down !!
Really, we think there is a growing demand once the marketing people take
notice. We are certifying new companies
on a regular basis. We are also adding
new models for some manufacturers
who are already under our program.
More and more new RV manufacturers, especially ones that produce “tiny
houses” and lightweight towables are interested in how they perform in our
green program.
KN: Is there any plan for TRA Certification to
address fuel economy of motorhome RVs? What about wind-tunnel testing for
aerodynamic information/ratings – have they considered that type of testing?
ML: These issues have been considered but they
are very complex and variable from one model or configuration to another. Analysis is very detailed and costly.
While my conversation with Mandy was interesting, I really
wanted to find some insight about how eco-friendly RVs can be, from people who
had first hand information. So once
again, I sought out the Wynns. Nikki and
Jason Wynn, the RVing and sailing couple of internet and video-blogging fame (found
here at Gone With the Wynns) did
a piece titled “Can an RV Be
Green or Eco-Friendly” In that article, they made several key points:
·
Especially for people who are living in an RV
full time – it’s very eco-friendly.
Consider the much smaller square footage for heating and cooling
compared to a full size apartment or home!
Resource consumption will be much less.
·
If you tow an eco-friendly car and drive it when
your RV is parked, you can offset the lower fuel economy you get in the RV when
traveling between destinations.
·
Boondocking or dry-camping allows you to
conserve even more resources. Parking in
shady sites that don’t require you to run the AC can go a long way in reducing
resource consumption.
The article also gives several tips on how to make an
existing RV more eco-friendly, so be sure to check it out! They also have a complete Green RV series of
articles and videos on various eco-RV-ing topics – including installing a
composting toilet in an RV. Imagine no
more black tank dumping!
The GoRVing.com website also offers a few ideas about why RV vacations are greener
than other types of vacations. Consider
the fuel and resource consumption of air travel and staying in hotels in
comparison to an RV trip. In addition,
advancements in manufacturing mean that RVs are smaller, lighter, tighter, more
aerodynamic, and use green materials such as textiles and other interior
components that contribute to improved indoor air quality. New diesel chassis also increase fuel economy
so much so, that some smaller motorhomes attain fuel economy that almost
reaches that of typical SUVs. Additional
tips for “going green” on your next RV trip can also be found on the website.
The bottom line is that many RV owners and consumers are
seeking out ways to be more eco-conscious in their RVing lifestyle – whether it’s
full-time living or just for occasional recreation. Manufacturers are starting to come around,
and are even offering RVs with solar panels or that are prepped for solar. Others have tankless or on-demand water
heaters, and are increasing the energy efficiency of the outer walls through
increased insulation and dual pane windows.
Manufacturers are now beginning to see the value in offering
eco-friendly RVs and partaking in third party green certification programs to
help achieve that goal. We need more RV
designers and builders to continue to offer these options and even develop new
green RV features for buyers who demand them.
Thursday, May 04, 2017
Green Towers to Address Air Pollution in China
I’m sure most people can recall the 2008 Summer Olympic Games
in Beijing, China, but beyond Michael Phelps’ historic performance in the
aquatic center, there is another significant thing I remember about those
games. I remember in the months and
weeks leading up to the games, there was international concern over the air
quality in and around Beijing. The evening
news featured videos showing smog and haze engulfing the major Chinese cities –
especially Beijing – and showed people wearing masks over their mouths and
noses as they walked their daily commute.
With China’s huge population, it is a country that has long been
concerned with issues of sustainability, conservation, energy efficiency, and
pollution. As early as the mid-1990’s
the Chinese government was working with architects and urban planners to
develop a strategy for sustainable growth.
Despite previous failed projects (like this one), leaders in China continue to seek
out the world’s brightest design-minds and sustainability experts to address
the country’s growth, conservation, and sustainability issues.
![]() |
Malmö, Sweden and Turning Torso building. Photo – Krista Nutter 2010 |
A decade after the first prominent
eco-village plans for China’s rural countryside, international architects are
looking back into cities to implement the next “eco-revolution.” Sustainable urban revitalization projects
from the United States (Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati), Brazil, Sweden, and China have been
featured in recent news. (Zajechowski,
2016) In fact, I’ve experienced the
urban revitalization in coastal Sweden’s city of Malmö firsthand – walking through parks of
native plants and visiting buildings with green roofs and living walls. I also visited an eco-village neighborhood
there in the shadow of Santiago Calatrava’s Turning Torso high-rise residential
building. Many sustainability experts feel that to
fully address global sustainability issues, we cannot ignore urban cities.
![]() |
Figure 1
http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=14972
|
It appears that China’s next attempt at
sustainable greatness has them pairing up with Italian architect and urban
planner, Stefano Boeri. Boeri is the
creator of the “vertical forest” concept of urban eco-design, first unveiled in
Milan, Italy (Frearson
2014) and now underway in Nanjing, China (Mairs
2017). Boeri’s vertical forest designs
mix high-density, multi-unit residential or mixed-use designs with bio-habitat
installations featuring trees, shrubs, and plants on the terraces and façades
of the buildings. The plantings will
then remove dust, particulates, and carbon dioxide from the air while providing
oxygen to “de-pollute” the cities.
Visually, the towers provide interesting vertical green-space to the
cityscape. The affect is not unlike the
many urban living walls that can be found in many cities across the United
States, like this one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Boeri’s vertical forests increase
biodiversity in urban areas – drawing a variety of birds, bees, butterflies,
and other pollinators to the area. This
is good news for urban gardeners. The
strategy also creates shaded, cooler and acoustically quieter interior
spaces. The designs were created with
the help of a botanist and horticultural experts to assure that the correct
selection of trees and plants were made for each different façade of the
building. Boeri’s Milan vertical forest
project has received numerous awards, despite skeptics of the overall sustainability of the
project due to increased structural requirements. (A true assessment of the project’s success
from the standpoint of a resident post-occupancy evaluation would be valuable;
however one could not be located.)
In terms of indoor air quality, I can’t help but
think back to a product I ran into a few years ago. Back in 2014, I wrote an article on a new product in development – a
hardwood flooring product that purified the air. Lauzon Pure Genius flooring is still
available overseas, but I’ve yet to be able to find it here in the U.S. It seems to be the perfect companion to the
vertical forest and living wall projects happening across the world!
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