In German Suburb, Life Goes On Without Cars

A young development in Vauban illustrates a trend of planning communities to thrive without automobiles.

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Hospital Room Goes Green

Swanky and environmentally friendly, but this "green" room was not designed for a spa/wellness facility. Instead, this is a 400-square foot green patient lab designed for a hospital. The room features low flow faucets, flooring made with renewable materials, and a balcony to connect to nature and help with healing. While going green is the latest rage, will consumers (in this case-patients), in light of the current economy, look at such luxe as wasteful?

Designed by the architectural firm Anshen + Allen, International Facility Management Association and partnered with construction manager Skanska USA Building, the green patient lab was designed to demonstrate that green materials and technologies can be incorporated into hospital construction. The design team took some pointers from environmental psychology to design a room that can help patients and family feel more comfortable and in control, and without exorbitant costs.

limitations of of renewable energy

often we are too concerned in creating or purchasing renewable energies; however, renewable energies don't do anything to reduce energy consumption.  the key is to couple use of renewable energy sources with improvements in energy efficiency, otherwise it's like putting PV on a hummer

Following the Green Brick Road to Cancer Care

The new Oxford Cancer Centre, designed by Steffian Bradley Architects, opened its doors to its first patients on 16 March 2009.


The 35,000m2, £109 million unit includes extensive use of natural lighting as well as a geothermal heating/cooling system that is the largest built in the UK to date. The hospital also features rainwater collection, passive solar shading and extensive natural ventilation. Once fully up and running, the building will require 70% less energy and emit 60% less CO2 than a conventional hospital of the same size.

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Eco-friendly Disposable Plates and Utensils

my latest craze: environmentally friendly disposable food service products. although i generally prefer real dinnerware, there is time when disposable tableware is necessary. so for those time, why not consider the environmentally friendly alternatives?

bambu all occastion veneerware - sturdy, beautiful, incredibly chic, and environmentally-friendly. what more can you ask for? these products are made of 100% organically grown bamboo, are FDA approved food safe, and contain no bleaches or dyes. they are intended for single use, and they biodegrade in 4-6 months after disposal.

eco products - these products may not look as chic as the bamboo ware, but they will make you feel good using them. they are made from fibers of plants such as corn or sugar cane instead of oil, which means they are 100% biodegradable and compostable. they can be broken down into a commercial compst facility, and then the finished compost can help new plants to grow.

ecoware - natural looking, environmentally sensitive, disposable wooden cutlery. these products are made using replanted trees from farmed forests; and they contain no added chemical, toxins, or glazes. they are biodegradable, compostable, and serve as an excellent sustainable alternative. even case packaging is made with 100% recycled paper.

Earth Hour

Turn out. Take action.
Be part of this historic event.
28 March 2009, 8:30 pm - 9:30 pm, local time

World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions.

Renewable Energy - Compatibility with the National Power Grid

The national power grid was historically designed to hold more capacity around urban areas and less around rural areas. Makes sense, right? Urban areas use more energy so the power grid around urban areas should have capacity to hold more energy.

The problem: most renewable energy is generated in non-urban, rural areas.

This presents two obstacles. First, renewable energy must travel a lot further than energy generated from tradition sources (think: fossil fuels) to even make it to the national power grid. This translates into higher costs. Second, the power grid must have enough capacity to hold the renewable energy that does make it to the grid. Since the power grid was designed to hold less capacity around rural areas, this limits the amount of renewable energy that can go into the grid.

So how will the Obama-Biden comprehensive New Energy for America plan ensure that 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012? and 25 percent by 2025? Will a rehaul of the national energy grid be in order?