The Active House Philosophy – A New Building Standard From Europe
A description of the Active House philosophy and its criteria.
Funky Tree tables from Nickadoo
Instead of turning felled trees into firewood, Nicole Belanger turns them into individual works of art. Her company, Nickadoo, is in gallery in the distillery district in Toronto and a workshop in Lac Brome, the Eastern Townships, Quebec. Nicole says, about her work,...All About Mythic Paint
I’m not sure if I mentioned it, but a few months ago we bought a house. We took possession at the beginning of June and have been getting it ready for our move-in date which is fast approaching. When I went looking for a house I had a few criteria (my real...
Recycled Granite Has Lots of Design Possiblities
Update: April 24, 2019 – Unfortunately, Greenstone Granite has closed down. In keeping with my theme of writing about products made from waste material, I was contacted by a company called Green Stone Granite, based in Guelph, Ontario. Green Stone Granite is a...Straw Bale SIP Walls by NatureBuilt
In green building circles it is generally acknowledged that prefab or modular homes are more environmentally friendly than traditional stick built on site homes. Walls are constructed inside a warehouse so the materials aren’t exposed to the elements, which...Aspera Recycling and Greentree Provide Carpet Recycling for the Maritimes
I’ve written about Aspera Recycling before. They already work with a few municipalities and retailers in Ontario to keep old carpet out of landfill. For those who live in the Maritimes, here is some good news about how to get rid of your old carpet! HALIFAX...The Modlet and SmartAC Thermostat
***Update, June 29, 2017: Sadly, Thinkeco and the Modlet seem to no longer exist. The website is dead. The CoolNY program has also been discontinued. *** It’s a beautiful day outside, sunny, 25C and no humidity. It is my favourite kind of day (let’s ignore...
New EcoLiving Calculator from Scotiabank and the Sustainable Housing Foundation
**Note: this program has been discontinued ** I’ve written a lot about energy efficiency and how to achieve it in a logical way. Now Scotiabank, in conjunction with the Sustainable Housing Foundation, has launched an Energy Calculator that tells you which energy...
Aspera Recycling and Rosedale Group launch Carpet Recycling Program in Ontario
When we renovated our house in 2002, we tore up many square yards of 1970s chocolate-brown carpet that had seen better days. In 2002, there was no other place for it but landfill. Carpet may not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of the waste stream, but...
Zerofootprint: Energy Efficiency through Software, Architectural Design and Human Behaviour
Last week I had the opportunity to sit down with Ron Dembo, CEO of Zerofootprint. We talked about the three different areas his company is working on right now and all are about achieving the same goal: reducing energy consumption, whether it’s through plug...The TalkingPlug by Zerofootprint
Zerofootprint provides the software for this genius device called the TalkingPlug. Currently still in development, this plug could be groundbreaking in terms of what it could do for helping consumers and commercial activities reduce energy consumption. Any...Urban Green Energy Provides Effective, Durable, Small Wind Vertical Turbines
I had a chance to speak with Nick Blitterswyk about his company, Urban Green Energy. Although he’s based out of New York City, he has a Canadian west coast pedigree. He grew up on Vancouver Island where his parents were caretakers of a provincial park. So, as...
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