Building
Front Loading Washers vs. Top Loading Washers: Battle Royale
We all want to be green these days. Helping to preserve the environment has become a top priority in the lives of many people. Becoming environmentally conscious can give you both peace of mind and extra money in the bank. It’s become quite well known that conserving energy and saving money go hand in hand; most environmentally aware changes that we make also result in reduced energy bills.
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Earthships are sustainable homes designed to interface with their environment. Traditionally, they are built in a circular or U shaped layout and constructed using recycled tires packed with dirt, which weigh about 350 pound each when packed properly. The idea of Earthship housing was created by Mike Reynolds, founder of Earthship Biotecture, in the 1970’s as a response to his desire to live off the grid and help the environment. For this to be possible he felt that his house had to do three things, first he had to provide a sustainable existence while using recycled building materials indigenous to the planet, secondly, he would have to generate his own utilities, and the last thing was to make sure the average person could duplicate his design without having prior construction knowledge.
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Building
Interface Carpets: Leading the Second Industrial RevolutionDid you know that nearly 5 million tons of carpet (about 1.9 billion square yards) was produced in the United States in 1999 using non-renewable petroleum based synthetic fibers, and in that same year 2.4 million tons of the same fibers were discarded into landfills (enough to carpet New York City,) and that it took on average 10.1 gallons of water to produce 1 square yard of carpet (ultimately becoming toxic waste.) These numbers would be staggering if 1999 represented an industry anomaly, but they don’t, they are a culmination of an industry that has always been determined to grow.
Green Communities
Greensburg, a Town RebornOn May 4, 2007 at 9:46pm, the town of Greensburg Kansas was devastated by an EF5 tornado (about 205mph.) The twister was almost 2 miles wide and travelled nearly 22 miles before dissipating. The next day the town of 1400 found 11 people dead and countless more injured; 90% of their town was leveled and the majority of business’ laid in ruins. So what does a town do when it’s been destroyed? Greensburg Kansas chose to become the first city in the U.S. to build green, with an eventual goal of becoming a sustainable community.
Everyday Life
Compact Fluorescent Lights – Are they Worth It?A Closer look at some of the concerns with CFLs: Mercury, Cost, Aesthetics, and Disposal