Rainy Days

Rainy days are perfect for musing about home improvement projects. Sitting by the window with a strong cup of tea and a notepad, I've begun sketching out my plans for spring improvements. New screening shrubs along the west side, a deciduous shade tree strategically located for future shade, and an expanded kitchen garden. Before too long I'll be getting seeds started using one of those handy plastic kits with the tray and clear cover, available at most local hardware stores. My neighbor stopped by yesterday- the rain has reminded her that she could use a drainage system in her yard, and wanted to discuss a design contract.

Glancing over my shoulder, my fiancee reminds me that there are plenty of things we could work on inside the house, well before the ground begins to dry out. New low-VOC paint for the back bedroom, cork flooring in the office, and of course the new sustainable kitchen cabinets she's been wanting. She even has a book of color swatches that she borrowed from Green Sacramento. After discussing for a few minutes we decide to take care of the painting and the floor now, and wait until the spring for the cabinets since we can start cooking more on the barbecue while the cabinets are being installed.

She joins me for another cup of tea, and we stand at the window looking out at the rain. I'm looking forward to this year- new beginnings and finally taking care of projects we've been putting off for a while. Here's to a rainy day, and plans for the future.

-Ed Chandler is the owner of Loftgardens Landscape Architecture, co-located in the Green Living Center, 919 20th Street in Midtown Sacramento.

Decade Past/Future of Green Building

Green Sacramento opened five years ago when green building was still a fringe movement. There were a handful of green building stores around the country at that time focused in cities like Seattle, Portland, Boulder, Austin and San Rafael, all politically progressive hotbeds. I would go to events and many people in the Sacramento area thought that we were crazy for opening our store. A few people got the idea, but they were definitely the minority. Then Al Gore came out with his movie An Inconvenient Truth and everything changed, not radically, but there was definitely a shift in the dialogue. The green or sustainability conversation changed from why to why not. Even if people didn’t agree with the concepts of climate change they began to think that it wouldn’t hurt to try to reduce our consumption of materials and energy.

Green Sacramento and the green movement quickly went from fringe to fashionable with a trend that I don’t see going away any time soon. Concepts of sustainability and conservation are going to continue to grow. The economic and social arguments have become more persuasive. Green is a great long-term investment that continues to give back. From the perspective of innovation and job growth they sky is the limit as long as we have leadership that sees that potential and helps facilitate the social and economic changes that are required to foster that development. The Obama administration is currently showing that foresight and leadership by putting more investment and incentive in green building and other green tech industries. In the next year I am confident that we will see very strong incentives from Federal, state and local governments to make our homes more energy efficient and green.

So these last several years have been about creating a buzz and finding some direction. In the next ten years I am predicting that we will see many of those plans begin coming to fruition creating a much strong and greener economy. I really hope my predictions come through… and I hope the Green Sacramento and the other members of The Green Living Center can help facilitate that growth in our neighborhood and region.

Cheers!

Josh Daniels

Green Sacramento

We’re Number 1!

Why Sacramento Looks Like The Place To Be For Green Jobs.

2 recent reports in the December 9th edition of the Sacramento Business Journal highlight the rise of Green Jobs in an otherwise stagnant economy.
Sacramento leads state in green job growth
http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2009/12/07/daily35.html
Report: Green jobs booming in California
http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/stories/2009/12/07/daily33.html?q=sacramento%20green%20jobs

So how do you go about getting one of those “Green Jobs”?
Here’s the E3 NorCal Semi-Complete & Somewhat-Inclusive, Beginners Guide to Green Job Training:

PG&E Training Center:
http://www.pge.com/stocktonclasses/

SMUD Calendar of Classes: (nothing currently posted)
http://gfx5.smud.2424k.net/about/calendar/class.html

CACTUS- Community Alliance for Career Training and Utility Solutions:
http://greencactus.org/temp/index.html

Los Rios Community College GreenForce Initiative:
http://www.losrios.edu/downloads/GreenForce_12-01-09.pdf

Saturn Online Energy Auditor Training:
http://srmi.biz/bpt/

HERS Rater Training:
http://www.sierrabuildingscience.com/

Making your holidays as Green as you want to be...

However we celebrate and enjoy this time of year, it's good to make an effort to lesson the impact of the season for the environment when and where we can.

Here are a couple of web pages with some ideas -- some that can help save money as well as the earth -- a double win.

Enjoy!

http://www.nrdc.org/thisgreenlife/

http://greenholidaygiftguide.inhabitat.com/

http://earth911.com/blog/2009/11/25/green-holiday-basics/


Matthew Piner
Pinerworks Architecture & Building Group

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside”: The DIY versus the Professional Home Energy Audit

Snow on the streets of Sacramento?

An afternoon high of 44 degrees and a low in the 20's?

Brrrr......

Winter doesn't even officially start for another 2 weeks but like Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan sing “Baby, it's cold outside.”

Too often our initial instinct is just to set the thermostat a little higher and hope the bill doesn't bankrupt us. But,there are simple things you things you can do to “weatherize” your house and literally stop the money from flowing out. Even small improvements can improve your comfort and lower your bill. What are these small improvements? Air Sealing and Weatherstripping combined with good old fashioned Elbow Grease are at the core of every home energy efficiency makeover.

Think of your house as a jacket. Theoretically; a jacket covers you, it keeps you warm and it keeps you dry. Now imagine that jacket is unzipped or it has a hole in it – every time the wind blows it fills with cold air and you shiver. Common sense tells you to zip it up or patch the hole.... in the energy auditing world we call this “Sealing the Envelope” with the “envelope” being your house. Air Infiltration is the culprit and can account for up to 35% of the heat loss in your home. I won't bore you with the math, but just remember this one fact: FOR EVERY CUBIC FOOT OF AIR THAT ENTERS YOUR HOUSE A CUBIC FOOT OF AIR LEAVES YOUR HOUSE. And the air that is leaving is taking the money you spent to heat it up with it. A typical well-insulated house can still have a complete change of it's ENTIRE volume of air as often as every half-hour because insulation alone is not an air barrier. To extend our envelope analogy- there are two components to aneffective jacket; the windbreaker and the insulation. Your house needs both. (An Example: we tested one old Victorian in Sacramento that had a complete air-change 7 times an hour, which helped to explain the $800 heating bills)

There are many on-line resources available to do-it-yourselfers and I have posted some of my favorite links:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hm_improvement_audits

http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/energy_audits/index.cfm/mytopic=11160

http://www.pge.com/includes/docs/pdfs/shared/saveenergymoney/rebates/weatherization.pdf

When you want to take it to the next level that's where we at E3 NorCal step in. Think of it as putting your house on a treadmill. We bring in $20,000 worth of state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, hunt down the energy wasters in your home and give you a 20+ page report detailing our findings, making cost effective recommendations and a full payback analysis.

If you have any energy related questions please call us at the Green Living Center, it would be our pleasure to work with you.

Tommy Young
E3 NorCal

FOR a GREEN HALLOWEEN

Staying green during the holidays may seem like a daunting task but It doesn’t have to be. This Halloween try some of these ideas to lighten your impact:

Costume: Look in your closet for costume ideas you may already have something that would make a great costume for your self or your kids…use an old bed sheet as a toga or a cape. Get creative! Or set up a stitch switch, some of your friends may have some wonderful funky old clothes or costumes for you to use. Rent your costume, this is a great way to reuse a commercial costume over and over with out being the same thing year after year. Try your local thrift store (this could also be a good location to find decorations as well!) When you’re done you can re-donate your costume.

Pumpkins: Purchase your pumpkin from a local pumpkin patch instead of a grocery store. Better yet, if you have the resources grow your own pumpkins! This is a great learning opportunity for young children as well. Use the pumpkin “guts” in a recipe (Soup, Pie, Bread…) and cook up the seeds. This makes great party food! Don’t forget to compost the pumpkin shell after Halloween!

Parties: Send party invites online to save paper…there are plenty of fun E-cards out there to choose from. Serve local and seasonal party food from a local farmers market. There are farmer’s markets all over Sacramento almost every day of the week. Use reusable, recyclable or compostable party utensils and decorations. Black or Orange CFLs and themed LED holiday lights as well as reusable decorations are available online. Use apples, corn on the cob, pumpkins etc can be used as natural decorations.

Trick or Treats: Healthy Trick or Treat treats that you may not have thought of include Honey Sticks, Fruit Leather, Organic Juice Boxes, and Dark Chocolate. Get creative with reusable trick or treat bags. For example a Witch could use a caldron and a Pirate could use a mini treasure chest to collect the goodies. Give out little treasures instead of treats, kids love toys! For more ideas and information go to: http://www.greenhalloween.org/ Have a Happy and Safe Halloween!

Green Sacramento

WE ARE ALL MOVED INTO OUR NEW BUILDING!!!!! 919 H Street Sac 95811

Green Sacramento has moved to it's new location 919 H Street Sacramento CA 95811 (just 2 blocks down the street)

Green Sacramento moved to midtown just under two years ago with high hopes and great partnerships. But then the economy faltered and the building industry began to fall apart. 2009 has been a very challenging year for us full of trials and tribulations as the building industry in Sacramento continued to worsen and many of our partners began closing up shop. But we have been able to survive and find new partnerships that will make Green Sacramento and the opportunities for green building in Sacramento better than ever.

We moved to a new location at 919 20th Street, less than two blocks from our current location. Moving is very difficult for a retail store and confusing for customers, but this move was necessary for our survival and allows us much better opportunities for prosperity.

With this move to 919 20th Street we are partnering up with several small businesses to create The Green Living Center, a hub for green building in Sacramento. Along with Green Sacramento and Green Sacramento Construction, our partners in the building include PinerWorks Architecture, E3 / Norcal energy efficiency consultants and Claire Blocker Interior Design. Plus we will have more partners joining us in the coming weeks and months. Moving into a building with all these business allows for our customers to find a full range of products and services for creating healthier and more sustainable homes and businesses in one place and at one time. The people in all of these businesses are highly motivated by the social, ethical and sustainability opportunities addressed by green building and Iím honored to be associated with this group.

I want to apologize for the chaos and confusion of moving again, but thank all of our great customers for their understanding and support. So come visit us on October at our new location on 919 20th Street and enjoy 10% discounts on all countertop purchases.

Cheers!

Josh Daniels