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green

Sustainable Construction Services

by eOffice on February 18, 2010

Sustainable Construction Services specialises in working with clients and design teams to deliver sustainable buildings and construction projects.

We are committed to providing a high quality service which is value for money while making a positive difference to the environment. Our projects are spread across the country from South Wales and the South West through to London and the North and We are skilled in areas such as BREEAM, Code for Sustainable Homes, pre-assessments, Part L analysis, EPCs, sustainability strategies and statements (e.g. for planning applications), renewables and ecology.

Matthew Edis leads our team and he is one of the UK’s leading sustainability experts. For over ten years, he has successfully designed or supported sustainable building projects and two of his recent projects have been named amongst the 20 greenest building in Britain by Property Magazine.

Find out more about us at: www.sustainable-construction-services.co.uk

 

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Apple goes green?

by Levi of eOffice News on September 26, 2009

Macworld has spotted a new page over on Apple’s website highlighting their dedication to making their products as environmentally healthy as possible. We’ve seen this pitch from Apple within the past few years — they’ve recently slimmed down their packaging and started using recyclable materials in making their computers. It’s pretty interesting to see them making such a push on this issue, but then again it not only helps them sell computers (assuming they don’t have to raise prices too high due to the new policies), but of course helps the culture and the Earth at large in terms of making sure our environmental footprints are as small as possible. The new site includes information about the impact of Apple’s products both during manufacture and during usage, as well as reports on product performance, as well as a blog on what they’re doing lately. They also have a link to their recycling program so that when you’re done with whatever Apple products you’re using, you can make sure that those recyclable products are actually recycled.

Tuaw

 

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10 Great, Cheap, Green Office Supplies

by Levi of eOffice News on July 3, 2009

In the past I’ve written about how you can save money by reducing the amount of paper you use and the 7 basics of green procurement (which includes defining office supplies standards). Now, let’s talk about basic office supplies that are great, green and cheap. It’s easier to buy green office products than ever before. The three largest office supply retailers, Staples, Office Depot and Office Max each carry thousands of reasonably priced products with recycled content and other environmental attributes.

Some even innovate. Take Office Max, they were one of the first national retailers to carry TerraCycle products and they now sell a range of their products from notebooks made from used potato chip bags to juice pouch pencil cases. There are also a number of green office suppliers online such as Green Line Paper.com, TheGreenOffice.com or Green Apple School Supply that offer thousands of eco-friendly products. And green promotional item companies like John Simonetta’s ProformaGreen.com and EcoPromotionsOnline.com are also good places to find green office supplies. I found ten awesome green office supply products under $10 because no matter how small every single purchase has an impact on the environment. Whether you’re buying copy paper or forklifts, that purchasing decision is an environmental decision. So, if you want to start with some small stuff, basic office supplies are a great place to start. Here are my favorite cheap, green office supplies:

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Driving the airless Air Car could be a better experience

by Levi of eOffice News on July 2, 2009

Last December, Green Car Advisor’s Nick Kurczewski was able to snag a ride in MDI’s AIRPod. Now, the lucky punk journalist has taken a turn behind the wheel. The short version of his review: this could be the car of the future and it feels like an amusement park ride, but it’s no Millennium Falcon. Seriously.

As we know, the Air Car uses compressed air to power a small two-cylinder engine. The 180cc poweplant produces 5.4 horsepower, but MDI is working on a upgraded AIRPod GT will have 8 hp. Kurczewski says the AIRPod’s joystick steering is modified from the original design, which would have seen the speed and deceleration controlled by the stick as well as direction. That complicated-sounding mess has been scrapped in favor of more traditional pedals + joystick.

Check out all the details – including why driving a bubble car with no openable windows in June is not a good idea and how MDI plans to bring dozens of AIRPods to airports and universities and other locations around the world – over at Inside Line. Thanks to throwback for the tip!

Edmunds

 

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The Naked Binder: Recycled, Recyclable Folders For the Green Office

by Levi of eOffice News on June 16, 2009

Made from 100 percent recycled board (97 percent post-consumer waste) and completely recyclable, The Naked Binder’s range of no-frills ring binders are designed to last forever—well OK, 10 years, but for office supplies, it might as well be an eternity. The folders’ durability was confirmed by an independent lab that subjected the hinges to flex tests of more than 50,000 openings and closings, with no discernible change, according to the company.

Available in four styles—Naked, Wrapped (graphite-gray boards), Project (colored spines), and Architect (landscape format)—the binders contain no vinyl, plastic, or toxic chemicals, so you can keep your home sweet home office pristine—and hopefully, better organized. Prices range from $8 to $15.

The Naked Binder is a member of 1% For the Planet and donates a portion of its profits to protecting wild spaces.

TreeHugger

 

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Recycled Airstream RV is Now Earthy and Green

by Levi of eOffice News on June 12, 2009

RVs are hardly the greenest of vehicles with their heavy carbon footprint — most have mileage under 9 miles to the gallon on the highway. They are surely prime targets for redemption in their afterlife.

And here’s one that in retirement from highway driving has been greened up to the most eco-conscious levels and recycled into a dwelling that is positively earthy…

Not only does Jim Gooley plan to take the Airstream entirely off-grid; producing all its own energy with solar power, but Gooley has partnered with Livingreen to detail the Airstream’s interior with all sorts of eco-conscious products:

* American Clay earth plaster walls;
* Bamboo counters and cabinets;
* Cork floor tiles throughout;
* Energy efficient LED lighting; and
* Eco-friendly fabrics and organic bed.

The renovated trailer was on display at Altbuild last weekend in Santa Monica.

This is not the first recycled trailer. Paul Villinski has also created a solar-powered, mobile artist’s studio from an old FEMA-style trailer. His Emergency Response Studio is an off-grid FEMA-style trailer that was gutted and retrofitted inside and out with everything needed to make it a zero carbon RV. But it is not an aesthetic retrofit.

By comparison with his FEMA retrofit — this green redesign is very calming. In this repurposing of an old Airstream, Jim Gooley has successfully counteracted the harshness that comes from too much aluminum which makes most RVs faintly nauseating places.

source: HomeDesignFind

 

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When Carbon Neutral Buildings Don’t Add Up

by Levi of eOffice News on June 8, 2009

Mario Cucinella is one of the greener architects in Italy; I loved his Casa 100K euro that we featured earlier. His Satander building is interesting too, billed as the first “Zero CO2 office building in Milan.” But the three storey building sits on stilts, so everyone will probably take the elevator, which they might not have done if it sat on the ground like a conventional building. The Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability in Vancouver, on the other hand, takes carbon neutral to another level.

Indeed, there is a lot going on here. But if you are telling a green story, why put a three-storey building 42 feet up in the air so that everyone has to take an elevator to just get in? And what is the carbon footprint of making over half an acre of photovoltaics? After all, processing a tonne of silicon produces a tonne and a half of CO2, and a square meter of solar cells appears to carry a debt of 75 kilograms of CO2, or 187 Tonnes. Production of semiconductors like solar cells also uses a lot of chemicals like sulfur hexaflouride or nitrogen trifluoride, both notorious greenhouse gases. The engineer says that the photovoltaics will “avoid the pollution of 175 Tonnes of CO2 per year” so that carbon debt is paid off fast, but it still matters.

 

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The Push Button House by Adam Kalkin is an innovative green den

by Levi of eOffice News on May 29, 2009

Adam Kalkin designed the Push Button House that was first displayed at Art Basel Miami in 2005. It is a very innovative design that starts out as a shipping container and after the button is pushed, it transforms into a house. The motorized walls open up to reveal a functional house with elegant and stylish furniture. The mechanism includes hydraulic power to lift and lower the sides of the shipping container. Another good thing about the concept is that it uses recycled and recyclable materials. Take a look at the pictures of the house and I think you will agree that it looks super stylish and trendy. The Push Button House is priced between US $150,000 and $175,000.

source: GreenLaunches

 

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Green Swedish Design: Living Walls

by Levi of eOffice News on May 22, 2009

The Mobile Plantwall has an integrated, automated watering and nutrition system to reduce maintenance.

The Mobile plantwall gives a boost of oxygen and reduces the occurrence of headaches and dry skin. Because of the density of plants this wall is a health-bringing and superior alternative to traditional pots that are common at offices and in other public spaces. The intense growing allowed by this plantwall system gives the impression of a dynamic and vidid surrounding, a company caring for their employees or a prosperous business.

 

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Employers, Here’s How You Can Create a Bike-Friendly Office

by Levi of eOffice News on May 15, 2009

Baltimore Spokes has an interesting piece about things that employers can do to help their employees successfully bike to work. It’s a very important thing. Even if you have nice bike paths and know all the tips about how to ride, you’ll probably be more tempted to give up if your work place is very bike-unfriendly. From an employer’s perspective, having bike-commuters in the office is a positive thing; they tend to be healthier, less stressed, and more productive (this sounds a bit too close to fitter, happier, more productive…). Read on to see tips for employers who want to encourage bike commuting.

Be Accessible: Most folks aren’t going to want to hop on I-66 to wheel their way in. So, companies in neighborhoods near multi-use jogging and cycling trials — like Bethesda, which is close to the Capital Crescent — are more likely to lure two-wheelers. Second best are offices near roads with bike lanes (or little traffic).

Keep it Clean: [One company] chose its location specifically for its shower facilities. In buildings without them, it’s smart to negotiate a group discount at a nearby fitness center. Otherwise, the only real option for riders is a rubdown with wet wipes.

Provide Safe Parking: Outdoor bike racks are fine for cheaper wheels you won’t worry about getting damaged or stolen. But riders generally feel safer with more secure storage.

Build a Community: “If people feel like they’re alone out there doing this, it’s not worth doing,” says Angela Atwood-Moore, a research associate at the National Institutes of Health. As the president of the NIH Bicycle Commuter Club, she’s been instrumental in keeping the Bethesda campus’ 600 bike commuters informed through a Web site and an e-mail list (to which 300 riders subscribe).

Show Us the Money: It also can’t hurt to offer financial incentives for ditching driving. Employers can institute the recently adopted monthly $20 tax rebate for cyclists, or go further.

TreeHugger

 

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