Living an eco-friendly lifestyle doesn’t always have to be a chore. Sometimes a few small steps can make a world of difference. Sometimes all you need is a little help. While there are obviously some steps that you need professional help with, there are also many simple steps you can take today to make your lifestyle more eco-friendly.

There are ten steps to leave a lighter carbon footprint, ten steps to take your green living to the next level and ten changes to make when you are really ready to make an eco-commitment explained in the article below.

Some of the steps to leave a lighter footprint include small actions that you have heard before, such as changing your light bulbs to LED lights, turning your car off instead of letting it idle or recycle everything you can. Some of the steps to take your eco-living to the next level are; replace your refrigerator, walk or bike to work once a month or use cloth bags when grocery shopping. Lastly, some steps mentioned for those who are ready for a real eco-commitment are; buy food grown in your own province, take a train instead of driving or flying, check that your attic is well ventilated and well insulated and invest in a new furnace.

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What you eat depends on what is available to you, right? But what is available to you depends on what you eat and what you purchase. Whether you are aware of it or not, your shopping decisions have a direct impact on what companies make and how they make it. If you want to have a green lifestyle and a cleaner environment it is time to start thinking twice about your purchasing decisions.

When is the last time you picked something up at a store and asked yourself, “Is this made of materials that can be sustainably grown and harvested?” Or put something back because the packaging wasn’t compostable or recyclable? Chances are you let these things go because you want that product. However the article below suggests that if you refuse to purchase items that don’t meet a set of minimum “green” standards you are doing your part to help encourage companies to change their methods to make more energy efficient, environmentally friendly products.

To download a “Green Check List” to take on your next shopping trip, click here. Or to read the list in an article format, click here.

Canada’s capital university, Carleton University, has been recognized for being the first post-secondary institute in the country to complete a major construction project that is backed by the current federal and provincial stimulus capital program.

The six-storey, 100,000-square-foot Canal Building, as the following article suggests, is the university’s greenest building and one of the most sustainable structures in Canada that will abode programs in biomedical, sustainable energy and environmental and aerospace engineering. At Planet Panels, we support green building and encourage everyone to start being more eco-conscious, and that is exactly what Carleton University has done. Its cutting-edge sustainable design features will become a part of the research executed at Carleton, and the school’s students will be actively involved in the testing and evaluation of green building standards.

(Article Source the Ottawa Citizen by Don Butler)

February 1st, that time of year when half of us have fallen out of our new year’s resolutions and the other half of us are thrilled that we managed to stick to it! Those who were able to stick to it may be slightly stronger willed, but they also may have set more realistic goals that could be measured or accomplished by writing them down and recording the results.

The link below allows users to download a “Green Home Check List,” this checklist can be used to help all of those who are eager to try and reduce their energy consumption in their home. Like any goals, having them written down typically gives more encouragement to accomplish them. This checklist gives suggestions to “green” your lifestyle in a checklist format. Try posting the list on your fridge or wall to remind yourself of the green changes you want to make this year.

Create your Green Home Check List today to start your new energy efficient lifestyle.

Who would have ever thought that the findings from garbage dumps and landfills would be the newest materials used to create sustainable, affordable housing?

Apparently the thought has been turned to reality, and it’s leaving quite the impression nationally.

As the following article suggests, a Texas home builder has taken the idea of traditional housing and construction, and incorporated green building concepts to create newer model housing designs that are made to be even more sustainable and energy-efficient. The recycled housing philosophy, which averts hundreds of tons of construction waste from landfills, saves individuals in cost and is being recognized, as similar warehouses are opening, practicing and promoting worldwide.

(Article Source the Calgary Herald by AFP)

Texas home builder Dan Phillips transforms trash into artful treasures, creating intricate floor mosaics with wood scraps, kitchen counters from ivory-colored bones and roofs out of licence plates.

The fantastical houses which spring from his imagination are made almost entirely with materials which would otherwise have ended up in a garbage dump.

“People have been doing this for hundreds of thousands of years: using whatever is available to build shelter,” Phillips said. “If you ponder what could be used, then building materials are everywhere.”

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Trying to save energy? The government is trying to help. Since the late 70’s Canada and other countries have implemented EnerGuide labels that are required to go on products, vehicles, and appliances that meet or exceed minimum standards of energy efficiency.

The article below describes these labels and how to understand them. The most important fact from the article is that if you see the EnerGuide or Energy Star label the item that you are using meets or exceeds the minimum standards of energy efficiency. Read the whole article below. (more…)

Over the years there have been many trends and fads that have come and gone. The question is what makes them trends that pass and what makes them changes that stay? While you may regret wearing your neon spandex to the gym in the 80’s, chances are you won’t regret recycling your plastics or saving money by properly sealing the windows and doors in your home.

The US Department of Energy is working to ensure that living a green and clean life doesn’t get pushed to the back to the closet like the other fads. Although the “fad” is definitely more of a lifestyle change than anything, there is always the fear that people will stop caring and resort back to their old careless ways. To read the concepts used to continually encourage green lifestyles last year, read the story below. (more…)

Green Building Systems Growing Abroad

As the environment, economy and human health continues to see a great impact by the built world, a number of private and public institutes are employing green building programs, which focus on reducing such things as energy consumption, maintenance and capital costs, as well as environmental impact and increasing occupant comfort and health. Worldwide there are a number of green building programs found that incorporate these human aspects, the economy and the environment into the design and structure of a building or home, as they slowly emerge across the U.S. and Western Europe.

When implementing green building programs, it can be a challenge knowing what it takes (and is being done) to increase environmental awareness and, as the following article suggests, could be worth familiarizing yourself, and others, with information on the world’s established national green building programs.

(Article Source thetyee.ca by Monte Paulsen)

Today’s Tyee presents a Cole’s Notes-style guide to green building certification systems in Canada . But there are even more systems operating in China, Japan and beyond. If the British Columbia wood products industry aspires to evolve beyond exporting raw logs and cheap 2x4s, it might be worth knowing more about these international green building programs.

BREEAM — The BRE Environmental Assessment Method was launched in 1990 in the United Kingdom, and served as the inspiration for LEED and many other systems. BREEM has certified more than more than 115,000 buildings, most of which are in the UK.

THREE STAR — China is on it’s way to becoming the largest construction market in the world, and China’s government has set ambitious targets and guidelines for green building. The Green Building Evaluation Standard, also referred to as the Three Star System, was introduced in 2006 and is administered by the China Green Building Council. The standard complements BREEAM and LEED, which presently are used in China for office buildings for multinational companies or upscale apartments.

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We are having one of those weeks, the chinook has hit, the snow is melting and we can finally go outside without a fear of severe frostbite. But like every Canadian, especially Calgarians, we know that this is short lived and winter is going to be coming back soon. What can we do to prepare our homes for a few more months of winter?

There are five easy and cost effective ways to lower your heating costs this winter outlined below. These steps are straightforward and not hard to do, steps like properly sealing your windows and doors can reduce your energy loss by up to 40 percent. Other steps such as properly sealing your heating ducts can also have a postive impact on your heating costs this winter. To read the article explaining all five tips, click here, or continue reading.

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Remember when you were little, and your parents would tell you not to believe everything you read, see or are told? While being able to separate fact from fiction may seem easy enough, is it really?

Since its evolution, green building has gained reputations nationwide, both positive and negative and, as the following article suggests, has come a long way over the past couple of years, yet is continuously being challenged by myths indicating it is ‘complicated’ processes and ‘absurdly’ expensive costs.

Green building, complicated? Expensive? More like myth #1.

(Article Source The Tyee by Monte Paulsen)

Green buildings have earned a reputation for being large, complicated and absurdly expensive. This is particularly true in Vancouver, where taxpayers are still forking out millions of dollars a month in interest payments on the world’s first LEED Platinum neighbourhood — the 2010 Olympic Village.

But this reputation is increasingly at odds with the next-generation of green homes, schools and workplaces. These green buildings — most of which are certified by organizations such as the Canada Green Building Council or Built Green — tend to be small, simple, and surprisingly affordable.

What’s more, these green buildings represent the fastest growing sector within the North American construction industry, one that McGraw-Hill Construction estimated to be worth $60 billion last year.

During the next several weeks, The Tyee Solutions Society will explore trends within green building — call it Green Building 2.0 — with an eye for ideas that could pay off by helping create sustainable jobs in British Columbia, lower energy bills and make a real dent in emissions causing costly climate change.

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