Green Building News of the Day

Read the rest of 7 Ways Super Bowl XLVI is Going Green!

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Post tags: "wind power", 7 ways the superbowl is going green, composting, eco superbowl, football, green super bowl, green superbowl, indianapolis, news, nfl, recycling, Sports, super bowl, superbowl, superbowl 2012, superbowl going green, superbowl recycling, superbowl xlvi, sustainable superbowl

There are two types of coffee lovers in the world: commercial café frequenters and coffee connoisseurs. If you fall into the latter category, or simply appreciate the alluring aroma of an excellent cup of Joe, this unique opportunity will surely get you percolating. Peet’s Coffee is offering a sweepstakes that will award three grand-prize winners an all-expenses-paid trip to Brazil with a guest, to get a true behind-the-scenes coffee experience at a working coffee estate. Bi-weekly prizes, including a Peet’s Tasting Journal or Peet’s Tumbler, will also be awarded beginning on January 23.

Read the rest of A Contest is Brewing: Win a Trip To Brazil!

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Post tags: Brazil, brazil giveaway, brazilian coffee, coffee contest, eco coffee, free trip to brazil, monte alegre, peet's coffee, peets brazilian coffee, peets sweepstake, sustainable coffee

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Post tags: Chili Recipe, Eggplant sliders, Homemade Tortilla Chips, Hummus pinwheels, Hummus Recipe, Lowfat dip, Mediterranean Salsa, Organic party food, Super Bowl Party, Super Bowl XLVI

If you’re even thinking about having kids, the 2008 documentary The Business of Being Born is a must-see. The film explores the present childbirth and maternity care system, providing different perspectives on the various interventions that happen in hospitals during labor and delivery. The film’s producers have just released a new 4-part series, More Business of Being Born, taking a closer look at doulas, midwives, birthing options and VBACs. For a chance to win a Business of Being Born prize pack worth $109, head over to our sister site Inhabitots.

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Post tags: Abby Epstein, Alanis Morisette, Business of Being Born, Cindy Crawford, documentaries, Film, gisele bundchen, maternity, Melissa Joan Hart, More Business of being born, parenting, Ricki Lake

What if generating solar energy at home required little more than mixing some grass clippings with inexpensive chemicals? That’s exactly what MIT researcher Andreas Mershin has found to be the case. The scientist says creating a solar cell could be as easy as mixing any green organic material (grass clippings, agricultural waste) with a bag of custom chemicals and painting the mixture on a roof. Once the efficiency of Mershin’s system is improved, this type of solar technology could make cheap energy available in rural places and developing countries where people don’t have access to affordable energy. Read on to see a video of Mershin’s findings.

Read the rest of MIT Researchers Find a Way To Make Solar Panels from Grass Clippings

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Post tags: "clean energy", "solar energy", Andreas Mershin, biophotovoltaic, biophotovoltaics, green tech, massachusetts institute of technology, MIT, photovoltaic, renewable energy, Solar Power, solar power gro grass clippings, Technology

Though the matchup between the Patriots and the Giants might be drawing a lot of football fans, many people will be tuning into the Super Bowl just for the commercials! GM knows this too and this year, they’ve decided to enlist some alien actors for their funny Chevy Volt advert in order to help customers understand the technology behind their latest street-worthy innovation. From the looks of the commercial, it seems a lot of potential Volt buyers are confused about just how the vehicle gets itself around and with the millions of people watching the Super Bowl this weekend this ad will surely help educate some of them.

Read the rest of GM Hires A Team of Aliens For Their Chevy Volt Super Bowl Commercial

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Post tags: chevrolet, chevy, chevy volt, chevy volt commercial, chevy volt engine, chevy volt technology, general motors, GM, superbowl, superbowl 2012, superbowl commercial, superbowl commercials, superbowl xlvi

What’s the most money you’ve ever spent on a t-shirt?  We’re guessing it’s no where near the £256,500 ($405,000) price-tag on this diamond-encrusted number.  Although there doesn’t seem to be a charitable reason for the exorbitant price, the organic-cotton, “one-of-a-kind luxury product” was made using only renewable energy sources such as wind and solar.  Click ahead to learn more about the most expensive t-shirt in the world.

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Post tags: bizarre eco-fashion, consumerism, eco-fashion, Ethical Fashion, green fashion, materialism, organic cotton, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable style

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Post tags: Altius Architecture, Altius Architecture lindal prefab, and The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, and The Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture lindal prefab, Eco Architecture, economical home, factory made homes, flat pack architecture, getting the most from your building site, green architecture, green guide to prefab, history of modernism, history of prefab design, history of prefab homes, history of prefabricated housing, homes on wheels, Lindal Cedar Homes, lindal collaborative architects program, lindal homes, marmol radziner, Marmol Radziner lindal prefab, Mates Masi + Architects, Mates Masi + Architects lindal prefab, michael harris, mobil homes, modern family homes, modern home, modernism, non-volumetric homes, portable homes, prefab architecture, prefab building for mainstream buyers, Prefab Homes, prefab industry, prefabricated architecture, prefabricated homes, siting your home, The Lindal Architects Collaborative, trailer homes, volumetric homes

Completed by interior designers Burdifilek for oil specialists Ta-Ze, the original black floating frame highlight of olive oils as precious objects. The environment is a clean, modern and tranquil space which evokes at once the history of the brand and the purity of the product.

The impressive floor to ceiling glass facade showcases products on a simple hanging display system. A welcoming arch of sand-blasted dark solid pine lifts the viewer’s eye toward the illuminated signage, and draws them into the store. The customer steps out of the busy concourse corridor and into an elegant clean space where they are surrounded by beautiful and gracefully merchandised products. Light green walls are subtly layered with an olive branch vinyl deco. On the foreground, matte black powder-coated frames effortlessly float, showcasing the olive-oil, olives and vinegars.

Clear glass cabinets double as storage space and feature wall. The cabinets hold premium olive oil and are located at the back of the store, inviting the customer to explore the entire depth of the space. Two marble countertops serve as a display and a tasting bar, allowing the customer to experience the brand while a sales consultant details the product’s quality and unique characteristics.

*This article originally appeared at our sister publication, the Green Real Estate Law Journal.

There’s quite a bit of value in LEED consulting these days; take Thornton-Tomasetti’s recent acquisition of Portland, Maine-based green building consultants Fore Solutions, for example. But a recent lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of California’s Central Division in San Diego paints a darker underbelly of the green building consulting business. For participants in the booming LEED certification market, the suit emphasizes the importance of diligently managing business risks, particularly in a doggedly soft economy.

The plaintiff in Drew George & Partners, Inc. v. Farmer et al. (Case No. 37-2011-00101909) has filed an 8-count complaint againts two of its former employees and their new green building consultancy for, among other things, unfair competition and breach of contract. DGP is a LEED consulting and commissioning firm, and the allegations in its complaint are relatively straightforward: it claims that two former employees diverted business opportunities to their new company while still in DGP’s employ.

Of particular interest, the complaint also alleges that the defendants misappropriated the plaintiff’s proprietary “LEED Scorecard:” an “approximately twenty-page document that DGP, at substantial time and expense, created in order to manage all technical aspects of LEED consulting assignments” which “consolidates the information typically included in meeting minutes and/or status reports into one project status tracking tool.” While still employed by DGP, the defendants allegedly “devised a plan to set up a competing LEED consulting firm and to rapidly acquire new business by raiding [the plaintiff's] current and prospective clients.”

The suit was filed on December 2, 2011; no additional details appear presently available but we’ll follow up if anything else of interest arises in connection with the matter. A copy of the complaint is available upon request.

Update includes tight integration with the Cisco EnergyWise facilities management platform.