nadsat » green

Prefab Homes

Zachary — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:48:30 +0000

Prefabs homes are nothing new. A prefab home is simply one that has the major components prefabricated ahead of time away from the build site and then finally assembly takes place on the actual home site. This has been around for a long time in the form of modular or manufactured homes. I remember growing up there was always one builder who had a manufactured home display at the North Carolina State Fair in Raleigh. These were typically marketed as a step up from a mobile home. On the other hand, the term “prefab” implies a more modern, stylish, green, and unfortunately more expensive home.

Low Impact Living recent posted about this on their blog. This particular post focuses on a new designer collection partnered with Dwell magazine. Prefab homes have often been criticized in the past for being bland, generic, ugly, or all of the above. The homes sponsored by Dwell, while not traditional, represent a much more stylistic, modern type of home. I think this is the direction that these sort of homes needs to move. Granted something cheaper the Dwell options would be nice.

The advantage to Prefab is a standardized design and mass production environment that leads to a lower price. In the current market the demand is not high enough and so the prices still have a lot of downward potential. Not all prefab homes are the same though and the possibilities exist to have a large amount of customization. An on-site build will always offer more customization, but I think the Dwell homes are a good example of the range of design available. As more architects and designers take on prefab homes, the prices will come down and more people will adopt them.

Efficiency is another trademark of the prefab homes. Most promise a greener home with more efficient materials. These homes should be cheaper to operate than a traditional home. Efficiency plus good design? I look forward to this type of home becoming more cost effective and widespread.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

International “Hug a Vegetarian” Day

Zachary — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 00:12:13 +0000

This past Friday, September 28th was International Hug a Vegetarian Day according to Peta (Facebook informed me). With Sandy being a vegetarian since she decided killing animals for food wasn’t cool (fish are fine though, she’ll even eat them raw), I had the perfect opportunity to get in a hug and see how the other side lives. So here it is, a day as a vegetarian for me.

The day started off pretty normal. For breakfast we had whole-wheat pancakes (actually much better than they sound), scrambled eggs from vegetarian-fed chickens, and “soy-sage“. The “soy-sage” came in the form of Morningstar Farms Sausage patties. The patties were actually pretty good. They had a spicy flavor that reminded me of real breakfast sausage but with a distinctly “veggie” taste. It’s really hard to describe if you’ve never had a veggie burger or other types of fake meat. They patties had hints of real sausage flavor but in the end had their own unique taste, which I appreciate. If I wanted it to taste exactly like sausage then I would just eat sausage. That is something I never really understood about fake meat products. Why are vegetarians so concerned with food looking/tasting like meat?

Breakfast went by without a hitch. The pancakes were excellent, the eggs were just like any other eggs, and the soy-sage was actually quite tasty. I’ve got two patties left and those will probably be eaten sooner rather than later. One meal down, two to go. Well actually, only one meal to go. We had a large, late breakfast and an earlier supper. We were in the car on the way to Atlanta during lunch time and neither of us were hungry until about 5:00. I know missing meals is a horrible habit but well sometimes it happens.

I somewhat cheated at supper. We ate at Cafe Sunflower which is an all vegan restaurant in Atlanta. I had eaten there a few times before and it is one of my favorite restaurants in Atlanta period, vegetarian or not. I can’t recommend it enough.

I had their Sesame “Chicken” while Sandy enjoyed a veggie burger. We shared an appetizer of Sunflower nuggets (fake chicken nuggets). If I could eat at Cafe Sunflower everyday I could be a vegetarian. No questions asked, no other stipulations needed. I don’t know how they do it but remember how I was talking about fake meat having a meat flavor but in the end being unique? The chefs at Sunflower have perfected this. The sesame chicken is incredibly satisfying. Not only is the “chicken” really good but they always have the brown rice and vegetables done perfectly. The meal could not have been made better even with real chicken.

So my two vegetarian meals weren’t so bad after all. Eating vegetarian isn’t that difficult if you eat out. Cooking for a vegetarian can be difficult though. Thankfully Sandy loves beans and rice so I always have an easy out. Some of my roommates junior year did a whole month as vegetarians. It’s really not as difficult as it might seem. I just love pork way too much. Fake bacon does not even begin to cut it. I reckon fake bbq can’t be good either.

It is fun to try every now and then though. I encourage my readers to do a meal, a day, a weekend, or even a whole week as a vegetarian. Just try it. The cooking is a challenge and sometimes it can be frustrating but who knows, you might find something you like.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Green shopping at Walmart

Zachary — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 01:33:57 +0000

I talk about Publix a lot but what can I say? I like shopping there. However, not everyone has a Publix in their neighborhood so a lot of this discussion has been irrelevant for them. Walmart on the other hand is pretty much everywhere.

Walmart has been making some environmental news of its own. They have vowed to be “good steward of the environment” by being more energy efficient and cutting down on waste among other things. Walmart has also made news with its product offerings from organic food and clothing to compact fluorescent light bulbs.

All that good press is one thing, but what does it actually translate to? What about your average Super Walmart in North Augusta, SC?

I went into the North Augusta Walmart looking for a few specific things that are available at Publix and what I considered good indicators for green shoppers. I included food and regular household items. Here’s the list:

organic milk
organic produce
veggie burgers
natural peanut butter
“green” cleaners
recycled paper products
compact fluorescent light bulbs

The results were disappointing. The only areas I were impressed in were natural peanut butter and compact fluorescents. Walmart stocked my favorite brand of natural peanut butter and had it at a lower price than Publix. They also carried CFL’s at a reasonable price. They had organic milk but it was more expensive than Publix and they had a little organic produce but it was all pre-bagged and looked pretty pathetic. That was it. Walmart struck out on everything else. I was especially let down by the lack of recycled paper products.

Here’s the breakdown:

organic milk – yes
organic produce – yes
veggie burgers – no
natural peanut butter – yes
“Green” cleaners – no
recycled paper products – no
compact fluorescent light bulbs – yes

Now how much of this is dependent on location? The Walmart in a place like Asheville, NC would probably have a better stock of green products. This doesn’t even take into account other factors like shopping into pleasure either. It could be a nice, quiet day outside or a nasty thunderstorm; either way every Walmart I have been into felt like chaos. Once I get inside one I immediately want to leave. In contrast I could spend all day in a traditional grocery store. For the time being I’m a Publix man.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Compact Fluorescents

Zachary — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 18:37:00 +0000

Compact Fluorescents are a hot topic these days. Australia has mandated their use and there has been some talk of similar laws in the US (I’m looking at you, California). What’s the big deal with them? They last longer and use less energy than conventional incandescent bulbs. The negative? They cost significantly more. While your typical incandescent bulb is typically less than a dollar for a common wattage, a compact fluorescent can cost as much as $2 or $3.

So while they’re a pretty big investment, they offer power savings and therefore save money on your electric bill. The question is how long will it take for this pay off in power savings to account for the extra expense of the bulbs? Well it might not be as long as you think, compact fluorescents also last quite a bit longer than incandescent bulbs. Another benefit is they put off less heat than incandescents. Less heat is always better when it comes to cooling a house in Georgia.

The amount of time it would take for the compact fluorescent investment to pay off can vary a lot home to home. Low Impact Living estimates about 1.5yrs on average for a small home. In the world of green living and green lifestyles where an extra cost with little to no economic reward is usually assumed this is quite good. The typical compact fluorescent bulb promises to save anywhere from 40 to 80 kw/hours per year.

It all depends on how big of an initial investment you are willing to make and how long you are willing to wait to see some net savings. Compact fluorescents are an incredibly easy “green” solution though. If you can change a light bulb you can do the upgrade. I have heard some complaints of CF’s not fitting in certain lamps or fixtures but I have yet to come across this. CF’s are getting smaller with each new generation and I have even seen some shaped like the classic light bulb.

Another tip for those that rent like myself. If you want to use CF’s but are worried about not feeling the impact due to a short lease, consider your new bulbs an investment. Take them with you when you move and reinstall the old incandescents. Yes CF’s cost more but because of this they should not be considered disposable like incandescents.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Recycling to the Rescue

Zachary — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 00:57:36 +0000

So while Seventh Generation products have been proving wonderful to use the price left me doubtful about their chance for widespread appeal. Recycled paper products are a different story though. Publix’s Greenwise toilet paper and paper towels are the same price and sometimes a few pennies cheaper than the regular Publix brand.

The Greenwise products are 100% recycled paper with no added dyes, fragrances, or inks. They look like normal paper products and perform quite the same. The toilet paper is soft and easily as good as the comparable store brand or cheaper bathroom tissues. If you’re already buying the high end, aloe-filled, super quilted types you won’t be impressed. However, if you’re buying whatever is cheapest this might just be an upgrade. Like the toilet paper, the paper towels are just as good as the typical store brand. I’m something of a paper towel snob usually but I’m very happy with the recycled ones.

While using recycled paper products certainly makes a difference (especially for someone like myself that uses them a lot), the best way to save paper is to just reduce use altogether. I use a dish towel when possible to clean up in the kitchen and I’ve cut up old cotton t-shirts to use as small towels. Toilet paper will not be replaced anytime soon at my home (hygiene and sanitation take priority over the environment) but I’m trying hard to reduce my paper towel consumption.

I highly recommend the Publix Greenwise toilet paper and paper towels. They’ve replaced normal paper products in my home as long as the price stays the same or lower. Reducing paper use would be the simplest solution though. It would also be an easy transition for someone who buys the higher end paper towels or toilet paper since they could focus on simply cutting consumption.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Seventh Generation products

Zachary — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 00:14:27 +0000

Seventh Generation is one of the larger producers of environmentally friendly household products. Their products have been featured on the Discovery Home network and are available at several large retailers, including Target. They produce everything from recycled paper products to natural cleaners to diapers with an emphasis on non-toxic, health effects, and environmental impact.

These products come at a premium though. I was able to compare prices on Seventh Generation’s offerings versus a major national brand while shopping at Publix this evening. Normally if I’m buying cleaners I’ll stick to the store brand so why not compare like that? This isn’t a comparison of national brands versus store brands, so I think it’s best to keep the playing field level and only compare Seventh Generation to a comparable national brand.

Seventh Generation was still more expensive across the board, sometimes by a significant margin. The largest margin was 60% and that was on automatic dishwasher detergent. On most products there was about a 20% premium for the Seventh Generation product. Here’s the breakdown:

So are Seventh Generation products better? It depends on your definition of better. They’re more than likely better for your health and the environment but they don’t always perform as well. I find this particularly true of the dish soap. I still have to keep some normal soap around for really greasy or caked up dishes.One thing is for sure though, their products are not cost effective which is unfortunate because they are about the only widely available off the shelf green cleaners.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

“Green” Living?

Zachary — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 22:39:35 +0000

While shopping in Publix I couldn’t help but notice the prevalence of their “GreenWise” line of products. What is GreenWise? Here it is directly from the Publix website:

With the rising awareness of health issues, such as obesity in America, we understand that many people are looking for healthier food choices. That’s why Publix GreenWise Market is dedicated to bringing you a variety of wholesome, natural and organic foods and earth-friendly items. Publix GreenWise Market provides an array of high-quality produce, dairy, frozen food, vitamins, grocery items and sports nutrition products in a variety of package sizes.

GreenWise doesn’t stop with just products; they also produce a free monthly magazine and have plans to open standalone GreenWise Markets. The first is due to open in Palm Beach Gardens, Fl in September. The real question is, can the average person afford this stuff and live a greener life?

There are other ways to live green as well. Georgia Power offers blocks of renewable energy to its customers. “Green” cleaners are available or homemade ones can substituted for most commercial cleaners. One can replace typical incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescents. It’s interesting to note that compact fluorescents are marketed based on the amount of money they’ll theoretically save on an electric bill and not their environmental impact.

American’s are not typically willing to spend any extra money even if it means a positive environment benefit. Radio personality Clark Howard has performed surveys on simple things like plastic grocery bags or compact fluorescents and people have almost unanimously refused to pay extra! This seems to point to the fact that most Americans only care about the environment if it doesn’t cost them anything. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that most Americans don’t give a damn about the environment, only their wallet (and of course I could go into how this implies that the environment is an economic issue more than anything but that’s another post).

So from this perspective, let’s not call it “green living” but a more efficient way of living. Efficiency means good economics as well so no paying three times extra for organic this and that just for the hell of it. This is an ambitious project but one that I’d like to pursue. Over the next several weeks I’ll be giving updates and thoughts on this project along with the usual postings. I’d appreciate any help that the readers can provide. One thing that I could really use would be a good list of products where organic really matters and products where it simply doesn’t make a difference health wise. I’m excited though and hopefully something useful will come out of this.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.