Category: Sustainability
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Why I Bought an SUV
Technically, I didn’t purchase my new SUV. It’s a work vehicle. But I did get to choose the make and model, and I’m still slightly surprised as to why I selected an SUV. How did my search for the best electric vehicle come to this? I’d always considered ‘sport utility vehicles’ as the worst environmental…
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Eco Designer Advisor Conference 2017
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in Blog, Design, Draughts, Health, Heating, Housing, Industry, Insulation, Prefab, Renovating, Society, Sustainability, VentilationPrefabrication, high performance homes, indoor air quality, Homestar, sustainable concrete and airtightness are just some of the topics presented at this year’s Eco Design Advisor (EDA) Conference in Wellington, May 1st – 2nd. Some fortuitous free time allowed me to attend this small conference once again. And once again, I was impressed. Eco Design Advisors…
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Earth Day 2017
April 22nd is Earth Day and Earth Day 2017 seems like a very appropriate day to start writing on Home Style Green again. I’ve been away from writing and podcasting for a little while. I’ve been working full time in the construction and building industry, and the experience of the commercial realities of traditional business has…
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Sustainable Building Against Climate Change
Stemming the Tide – Sustainable Building Against Climate Change Sustainable building is the key to ensuring that America’s cities are prepared for the future. In an article on the top climate change news of 2016, The New York Times stated that this year was following the trends of previous years. The world was getting warmer…
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164: Nook Low Energy Homes
I love it when I find new companies that are looking at the design and building process a bit differently and who want to provide healthy, energy efficient homes. That’s what Nook is all about – low energy homes. I caught up with their designer, Warren Clarke recently and asked him why he does what…
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159: Darryl Sang Certified Passive House Designer
Why Architecture? Darryl originally chose engineering as his profession, but seeking to combine his creativity with his analytical skills, he eventually followed his father’s footsteps into architecture. Why Passive House? A growing number of Darryl’s clients have been wanting to invest more in their properties in order to use fewer resources and have a truely comfortable…
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158: Why should we be watching China?
One of the most surprising aspects of the recent 20th International Passive House Conference in Darmstadt, was the Chinese presence. Elrond Burrell estimates that nearly 200 of the 1,000 delegates were from China. Why the sudden uptake of Passive House in Asia, and what does this mean for the rest of us? Elrond Burrell Elrond…
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157: Sustainable Landscapes with Hitesh Mehta
Hitesh Mehta I originally contacted Hitesh Mehta to talk about sustainable landscape architecture, but he offers a lot more than that. Hitesh has travelled the world advising and helping designers of ecolodges. He enjoys all aspects of architecture as well as photography, environmental planning and writing. To find out more about his recent work, visit…
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153: Simple is the New Smart Home
What makes a ‘smart home’? Paul Dowsett and his team at Sustainable.To are dedicate to creating affordable, healthy and energy efficient homes, because that’s what Paul believes is ‘the right thing to do’. I think that a pretty good definition for a ‘smart home’. And the best way to achieve it? Keep it simple. Simple…
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150: Energy Efficient Homes in Canterbury
Glenn Harley is a builder of energy efficient homes in Canterbury. After being attracted to the natural, healthy feel of strawbale construction, Glenn now produces high performance homes with lots of insulation and airtight envelopes. Among his recent achievements is building Christchurch’s first Passive House. The Cost of Building Glenn points to the cost of…