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Why I Don't Use Cellulose or Blue-Jean Insulation
41 commentsJust because it’s recycled doesn’t mean it’s green. Let me explain why I won't use cellulose or blue-jean insulation. . .
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A New 'Cottage' Industry
Tiny houses offer more environmentally friendly building possibilities.
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Spray foam for the eco-conscious
26 commentsIdentifying the “greenest” foam isn't so easy. But, it helps to know what its made of.
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Marketing Green: How to sell homeowners on the benefits, not the features
2 commentsGreen isn’t an upgrade, it’s the way quality builders build houses, but builders who are trying to move toward building greener, more sustainable homes often say that they hit a lot of resistance with their customers. Selling green, they say, is tough because it costs more. . .
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"Dumb as we wanna be" about energy?
11 commentsIn this NEWSWEEK Q&A, New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman criticizes America's passive attitude towards energy, how we got lazy about change, and why we're "dumb" for thinking that switching to compact fluorescent bulbs will solve the problem.
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What do the tax credits for energy efficiency and renewable energy mean for you?
5 commentsSeveral provisions in the economic stimulus bill that are relevant to energy saving improvements made by homeowners, remodelers, and builders.
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A Modest (Green) Proposal
9 commentsAmericans can get to work fixing our own home weatherization problems without government handouts if we just give them a chance. We can put Americans to work fixing America’s problems, we already have most of the systems in place, we just need to get started.
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Is the U.S. ready for the passive house?
9 commentsA front-page article in The New York Times recently introduced the German Passivhaus concept to the American public. The article, “No Furnaces But Heat Aplenty in Passive Houses,” described the movement to build houses that keep occupants warm and safe even without heating systems. The Passivhaus movement got its start in Germany, but there are now at least 15,000 homes built to this extraordinarily tight standard throughout Europe, mostly in German-speaking and Scandinavian countries.
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Where are you getting your green building-product information?
2 commentsIt is our job as competent, trustworthy green builders to do our homework. Builders should look closely at sources of product information. Does it come from a book, an article, a credible Web site? Is it the manufacturer? The source may well be trustworthy, but it couldn't hurt to corroborate their information.
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About this blog
Rick Arnold knows his stuff. During his tenure as a contributing editor for Fine Homebuilding, Rick has written several dozen articles related to framing and roofing, and he's also one of our most trusted tool reviewers. For this blog, Rick is going to let readers know what it's like transforming a historic home into a modern, green structure.
Rob Moody began his building career in 2000 by renovating a historic home. He is a nationally known speaker, consultant and instructor in sustainability and green building. Currently, he works with his wife, Lindsay, at Organic Think Inc, a green consultation and education firm and
is a partner in the National Center for Sustainability.
