Worldwide, environmentally friendly living is practiced by individuals to differing degrees. Endeavours, which all signify, can be as simple as using eco-conscious cleaning products to transforming an entire home or workplace into a green space. This encourages the healthiest life possible.

When a person or group of individuals is considering green living, it is something that should not only be taken into account on a global level, but a personal level as well. As the below article suggests, individuals who dwell in the city and are close to environments where green space is devoted are experiencing better health and fewer attacks of depression.

(Article Source the Calgary Herald by AFP)

City dwellers residing near parks and greenery enjoy better health and fewer bouts of depression than those living in enclaves of concrete and asphalt, according to a study released on Thursday.

A dense concentration of trees, shrubs and flowers close to home had the greatest impact, according to the study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the official journal of Britain’s Society for Social Medicine.

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Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) are high performance thermal efficient panels, composed of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) insulation and Oriented Strand Board (OSB) or plywood, for walls, roofs and floors in new residential and commercial buildings. The use of SIPs in the construction industry brings a number of benefits to building companies and the individuals investing, including improved quality, durability and energy performance of Canadian homes. Compared to a conventional framed home or building, a well-built space that uses SIPs will provide a tighter building envelope and higher insulating properties.

Below is a quick look at what SIPs are and what builders should know when working with them.

(Article Source greenbuilding.com)

We discussed in a previous blog that large organizations are slowly taking action to become green. Similarly, individuals are also taking steps to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Now it’s time for small business to adapt their practices to also become greener.

What can you do in a small business to make your office more environmentally friendly? You can start by using recycled paper and having online meetings. These two actions will dramatically reduce your company’s impact on the environment. Because you are more control in a small business you may also want to look into providing incentives for your employees or customers to encourage green behaviour actions.

The article below points about 17 more tips to make your small business green.

(Article Source: 20 Green Tips for Small Businesses.By Randall Davidson)

Want to build a new green home? The idea sounds perfect, but sometimes the planning of building green can be time consuming and overwhelming. There is a lot to consider when building a new green home.

While Planet Panels makes it as easy as possible for you, there are some things that you need to keep in mind when you start your initial planning. Firstly, you should take great care in choosing the lot you are building on. Choose a lot that will allow you to benefit from the wind, sun and soil. These are things that you cannot change but can help you in reducing your environmental footprint. Obviously, another big consideration is your homebuilder. Planet Panels uses a fully panelized system that not only ensures perfect fitting and sizing to eliminate wasted materials but our homes are also developed with a “no draft” system that is extremely energy efficient.

What else should you keep in mind? Be sure to install hard surface flooring to control the indoor air quality of your home, use energy star rated appliances, and use LED lighting throughout the house. Also when landscaping your yard, plant trees and shrubs so they can be used for wind protection, shade, cooling and privacy. More ideas to consider are listed in the article below.

(Article Source: Green Affordable Housing Coalition)

While individuals with eco-conscious minds differ greatly, and their needs diverge widely, recent studies are showing that individuals who live near more “green spaces” are more inclined to have lower rates of health conditions. Researchers, as the following article suggests, have found that green space has a valuable effect on a person’s health and is “more than just a luxury good”, noting that the rapport between green space and health was predominantly strong among the youth and lower-income groups.

While people with environmental sensitivities differ greatly, and their needs vary widely, recent studies find that those living near more “green spaces” tend to have lower rates of up to 15 health conditions. Researchers, as the following article suggests, are observing that green space has a positive effect on health and is “more than just a luxury good”, as the relationship between green space and health was particularly strong among children and lower-income groups.

(Article Source the Calgary Herald by Amy Norton)

People who live in green environs may be less likely than those surrounded by concrete to suffer a range of health problems, particularly depression and anxiety, according to a new study.

Researchers found that among more than 300,000 Dutch adults and children, those living near more “green spaces” tended to have lower rates of 15 different health conditions.

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As an individual it’s important to try and make your lifestyle more energy efficient and green, this we know. In previous blogs we have discussed many ways you can do this. It can often be accomplished with small everyday actions and lifestyle changes. However, if you’re making these personal changes to do your part you might be wondering what actions large corporations and organizations are taking…

While every small change helps, big changes by large corporations will help even more. Greenpeace has been working on a green campaign to help encourage Facebook to reduce its environmental footprint. Greenpeace has set Earth Day as the deadline for Facebook to stop their coal usage and switch to renewable energy sources.

Facebook plans to use more sustainable and renewable sources in the future and is excited to partner with Greenpeace for this initiative. Currently there is a Facebook group lead by Greenpeace to encourage this green transition. Facebook has already showcased some green initiatives and appears to be accepting the challenge of Greenpeace to go green.

(Article Source: Greenpeace Campaign to “green” Facebook by 22 April. By: Carmel Doyle)

If you knew that cleaning and organizing your home would help save the environment, would you be more inclined to clean and organize? There are many items in your home that may have a damaging effect not only on your home and your health but also on the environment.

To clean out your own life and to contribute to a cleaner earth, try getting rid of some of the harsher products you have stored. For example, did you know that vinegar works as a cleaning aid that can replace the use of ammonia? Or that bleach can be replaced with hydrogen peroxide? There are many chemicals that are unnecessary and only cause harm on you, your family and the earth. But be sure to get rid of these chemicals in an environmentally friendly way. Do not simply pour them down the drain!

To read the nine other tips on how to clean and green your home, click here.

In its efforts to apply technology, design thinking and risk management to the “massive reduction of environmental footprint” worldwide, an environmentally responsible organization based in Canada is honouring the most constructive, holistic building retrofitting developments of 2010.

Are you or someone you know a potential nominee for Zerofootrpint’s 2011 Re-Skinning Awards?

(Article Source World Interior Design Network)

Zerofootprint has launched the 2011 version of this competition in association with its partner the John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design, University of Toronto.

The Zerofootprint Re-Skinning Awards invites the best minds in architecture, design, building, and engineering to submit green building projects that display the innovative use of energy retrofitting technologies. Retrofitting and re-skinning involve the use of design solutions to significantly reduce the environmental footprint of older, energy-inefficient buildings.

According to Zerofootprint, most buildings are inefficient by today’s green standards due to outdated insulation, heating, and cooling systems. In Toronto, office buildings, shopping centres, and urban dwellings account for 63% of the city’s emissions, and in other major cities worldwide buildings account for 60% to 80% of emissions with 60% in London, 72% in Hong Kong, and a massive 79% in New York.

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The amount of “garbage” we throw out doesn’t have to be predetermined for us. There are some easy things we can do to lighten our environmental impact as well as reducing the amount we contribute to landfills every year. While some basic garbage items are unavoidable, many are not.

Items with minimal packaging can easily replace similar items with an abundance of packaging. Not only are you making a positive environmental choice but choosing the environmentally friendly packaging may also encourage the competition to change their packaging. Other steps that are just as easy are; use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins, use cloth grocery bags instead of plastic bags, utilize your community compost program, compost food and have a garage sale.

(Article Source: 6 Easy Ways to Lighten Your Trash Can. By Alison Finey)

While many people have the conception that our water supply is endless, this is far from true. In fact, at home particularly, bathrooms are one of the biggest consumers of water and make up for more than one half of a family’s indoor water use, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Canada, our dollar isn’t the only thing that’s close to par with the US, so are our indoor water use numbers…

As the following article suggests, the use of indoor water adds up, and the numerous aquifers and tonnes of waste-water that go into sewer and septic systems very damaging to the environment and overall quality of health worldwide. Below is a list of water saving tips to help home builders, homeowners, tenants and renters design or retrofit a bathroom that is eco-conscious and reduces the amount of water used, and money owed.

(Article Source the Calgary Herald by Carie Madren)