“Small rooms or dwellings set the mind in the right path, large ones cause it to go astray.” -Leonardo da Vinci
Jul
19
19
Jay Shafer shows us how to live with less
How much space do you really need?
If this is too small for you, what amount of square footage would be ideal in your dream house? How many people will you share the house with?
Apr
8
8
ABC’s “Extreme Makeover” discovers the wisdom of standing for less
Economic realities and common sense have conspired to force big changes at ABC’s hit show: “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”
The popular show finds a worthy family–usually one with a special hardship, or that makes a unique contribution to society–and gives them a new house.
Since 2003 the show has been creating beautiful new homes, usually with over-the-top amenities. Conservation, energy efficiency and sustainability were low priorities. Square-footage and glitz were king.
The problem is, many of the lower income beneficiaries of this hit TV show have discovered first-hand what sustainability means when it comes to their own homes. The ABC dream homes came with higher taxes and higher utility bills. The strain of handling these higher bills have led to at least one foreclosure and massive financial stress for many others.
ABC has a new focus on homes that are a little smaller, a lot greener and more sustainable environmentally and economically.
Standing for more sustainable homes means more sustainable communities and a more sustainable planet. Creating gardens that use less water can be a fun challenge and the end results can be spectacular. Using less energy saves money. Less square footage means lower taxes.
It’s possible to live well and STAND FOR LESS. Our movement isn’t about self-denial, or denying your family nice things, it’s about being aware of what you use and using only what you truly need.
We welcome ABC’s hit show to the STAND FOR LESS movement.
ABC joins the trend against McMansions. Photo from Merfam: http://flickr.com/photos/merfam/174212265/
Feb
9
9
California Center for Sustainable Energy (CCSE): New clean-energy systems for home and small business
Learn about one of the first commercially available clean-energy fuel cells for generating electricity and heat for large homes and small businesses at two free, public workshops at CCSE on Monday, March 8. A workshop for business owners will be held at from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., and a workshop for homeowners will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
The workshops will introduce fuel cell technology, discuss its applications and advantages, cover available rebates and provide case studies of home and business installations. Fuel cells are already powering many different applications, from large factories to cell phone towers, and recent technological developments now make this energy source available for wider application.
For registration go to visit the CCSE Web site or call (858) 244-1177. No cost.
Sep
28
28
Encinitas, a STAND FOR LESS city with a green city hall
Jacy Bolden stands for natural lighting inside of the model city hall in Encinitas.
One reason San Diego County was chosen for the innovative STAND FOR LESS campaign is the many leaders in the public and private sectors who are already taking a stand for sustainability. One example is the county’s leadership in the adoption of solar electricity. Encinitas, a coastal community of 60,000, uses solar electricity as well as many other innovations on its model city hall.
Last week, Encinitas proclaimed itself a STAND FOR LESS city. Mayor Maggie Houlihan read the proclamation and presented it to Bridgett Luther, Director of the California Department of Conservation, which organized the collaboration of state and local partners promoting STAND FOR LESS. After the ceremony, Luther took a tour of Encinitas City Hall, a model of green construction and standing for less resource use.
The natural lighting is one of the first improvements highlighted on the tour. To cut down on electrical use, skylights and solar tubes were used liberally throughout the building. In addition to using fewer resources, natural lighting creates a pleasant atmosphere for workers and visitors.
The building itself is worthy of note. Rather than tearing down the existing structure, and starting from scratch, the city chose to update and retrofit it with green features. This decision alone meant fewer resources were needed for construction. The building was built in the 1960s and was originally used as a strip mall.
Installing solar panels may be one of the more exciting enhancements. City Hall now has a 96.4 kW photovoltaic system. The solar panels handle about 38 percent of the building’s energy needs. Solar electricity isn’t the only new feature on the roof. The city installed a 50,000 square foot reflective cool roof that counters the urban heat island effect and cuts down on energy needs. City Hall also replaced most of its old heating and cooling units with a new energy efficient system.
The cost of the project was $3.5 million, however, it will save the city $4.3 million over 25 years due to increased efficiencies.
Director Luther was impressed with the achievements she saw in Encinitas—a STAND FOR LESS city.
Sep
9
9
Kirei of Solana Beach, a distributor of beautiful natural materials
Kirei’s Teresa Cooney relaxes in a chair that incorporates Kirei Board at the company’s Solana Beach headquarters.
STAND FOR LESS recently sat down with Teresa Cooney of Kirei to discuss sustainable building materials.
Solana Beach-based Kirei is the national distributor of a several lines of products that are made from rapidly renewable or reclaimed agricultural fibers.
Kirei embodies the spirit of STAND FOR LESS and the company’s innovative products have been noticed on a national level. Treehugger, a leading green Web site, has written several articles on Kirei, including one this July titled: “Kirei Board: A Radical Material with a Big Impact.” The Kirei web site includes links to dozens of stories that have been written about their innovative products.
Product lines from Kirei include:
Kirei Board—made from a minimum of 90% sorghum straw, a material that is an agricultural byproduct.
Kirei Bamboo—made from 90% renewable material, the fast growing moso bamboo.
Kirei Wheatboard—made from 90% wheat straw, an agricultural byproduct.
Kirei Coco Tiles—made from 30-40% coconut shells, an agricultural byproduct.
Kirei has garnered so much attention because its products are beautiful. Architects and designers are increasingly demanding green construction materials. LEED is a set of green building standards developed by the US Green Building Council. Kirei products help with your LEED certification efforts by earning LEED credits.
Visit kireiusa.com for more photos and information.
Kirei Board is a versatile product used to make furniture, cabinetry, flooring, and in other applications. This image shows a home in Del Mar with Kirei Board used as a wall covering.
Aug
25
25
Todd Noe of Mabuno
Todd Noe standing in front of cut pieces of Torrey Pine wood. The pine will be transformed into furniture by Noe and his fellow artisans at Mabuno.
Does standing for less mean sacrificing beauty and beautiful things in our lives? We believe the answer is no. We do not need to sacrifice the aesthetics that make our homes and workplaces comfortable, unique, and beautiful.
Solana Beach-based Mabuno agrees. STAND FOR LESS recently met with Todd Noe, part of the Mabuno team. Todd’s specialty is metal work, but when you speak with him you get a broader sense of a man who is an artisan. Todd has a keen sense of creating beautiful furniture from found objects. When you see the pieces at Mabuno’s Solana Beach gallery it is evident that this trait is one he shares with his collaborators.
Increasingly Americans are purchasing cheap, though often fashionable, furniture. Much of this furniture will not last, in good condition, for the lifetime of those who purchase it, let alone for another generation. In many cases our home furnishing are causing virgin rainforests to be destroyed to fuel our demand for these products. This is not true of the high-end pieces being created right here in San Diego County by Mabuno. Whether or not you can afford their pieces, we encourage you to stop by their gallery so that you can see what is possible by taking objects that would otherwise be discarded and making something that is both useful and beautiful.
A prime example of this is Mabuno’s use of locally grown eucalyptus wood. They harvest the wood from local sources. One source is from trees that died due to a wildfire along Interstate 15. Another source is from nearby Rancho Santa Fe where the community is cutting down diseased trees to reduce fuel for future fires as well as improve the beauty of their neighborhood. Most of these trees would simply be ground up, their remains could even end up in our landfills. Mabuno selects trees for a local lumber mill and uses this wood to make beautiful pieces of furniture.
Learn more about shopping for wood products at Planet Green.
Another interesting source of wood is from Torrey Pines. Here too, Mabuno has an arrangement to obtain this protected species of pine from trees that are falling from the cliffs or for other reasons of forest management need to be removed. Mabuno customers can purchase or commission furniture made from actual Torrey Pine wood—a type of pine that is unique in the world and only grows in San Diego County.
Local wood, for locally made furniture, that is an example of sustainability in action. Visit Mabuno online and visit their gallery in Solana Beach. You will enjoy speaking with Todd or one of his colleagues. Supporting local artisans who practice sustainability is another way to take a STAND FOR LESS.
Todd stands next to a Mabuno desk made from eucalyptus wood. For more photos of their work, visit mabuno.com (live link above).
Jul
20
20
The City of San Diego is taking a stand
Ridgehaven, a city building, is an example of San Diego taking a STAND FOR LESS.
San Diego’s Environmental Services Department stays busy. Their Collection Services Division picks up the trash we generate in the city.
We are Americans, and we generate a lot of trash, though we are getting better with our waste creating, and waste management habits. In fact, as Californians, we are leaders in these areas, but we have a long way to go to truly reform our ways as trash producers. Some recycling leaders prefer that we call it resource management, not waste management—because even our trash has value when managed correctly.
One of the most important jobs for the Environmental Services Department is diverting as much waste from the landfill as possible by promoting waste reduction and recycling. Our landfill is a vital resource for our community.
Don’t believe us? Cross the border and check out what happens when waste is not handled effectively. It’s not a pretty sight. Sanitation is vital to the health and beauty of our city. It is vital for the quality of our lives and the health of our planet.
The entrance to Ridgehaven.
STAND FOR LESS is proud that San Diego’s Environmental Services Department is a partner in our effort. They take a stand for our community every day.
Greenhaven is the home of San Diego’s Environmental Services department and is a great demonstration of the greening of San Diego’s city government.
From the city: “Ridgehaven’s energy consumption is 28 percent better than the California Energy Code (2005), and the building uses half the water of a comparable commercial facility. This translates to about $100,000 in annual estimated cost savings.”
Jul
6
6
So many choices: Green construction and the yoga studio construction project
When you are building a new home, building out a space for a business, or redecorating, you have a lot of choices to make.
Anthony Burkart of Bikram Yoga El Cajon is in the middle of this process. He wants to go as green as he can in his new yoga studio, but he also has to operate within a tight budget.
The countertops
The counter tops in the reception area, at the new juice bar, and in the bathrooms, are one of the high visibility finish items in the yoga studio. The construction team explored many possible materials:
Recycled glass—They loved a countertop that was made from recycled glass, but ultimately ruled it out as too expensive.
Granite or marble—These were also considered and also were too costly.
Plywood—Very cost effective but not very attractive.
The final choice: Kirei Board. Kirei Board is manufactured locally by Kirei, located in Solana Beach. It is made from sorghum straw. Straw is an agricultural byproduct that we have an abundance of here in the U.S. making this a sustainable building material. The material is attractive and fits in the yoga studio’s budget.
Visit the Kirei web site to see photos and learn more about this innovative product as well as other offerings from this local company that put a high premium on the use of sustainable materials.
The carpeting
Many factors were considered in their flooring choice. Bikram yoga is a form of yoga practiced in a hot and humid room. Whatever material they pick cannot retain odors, and also cannot put off toxic fumes in the heat. Manufacturers include information on these issues in their product specifications.
The first choice of the yoga studio was carpet made from hemp. It’s extremely durable, completely natural, and very attractive. It was also very expensive.
The studio settled on a commercial carpet that is made from 100% recycled materials, and it in turn is 100% recyclable at the end of its life
Learn more about hemp, other flooring options, and related issues at this post.
The fronts of the counters
After seriously considering using cork, the studio chose to reuse stainless steel panels that were left behind by the previous tenant, a Chinese restaurant. Cork is recognized as a sustainable product in green construction circles. Ultimately it wasn’t a good fit for the yoga studio because it could hold odors easily. Unlike harvesting wood, which kills trees, cork is harvested from trees without killing them. It has been used for flooring, wall covering, shoes, and of course as a stopper in wine bottles, for thousands of years.
The Bikram studio is happy to be reusing something left behind by the previous tenant for the fronts of their counters.
When redecorating or building from scratch, it’s so important to consider using materials that will cut down on energy use, that are sustainable, and that will last for a long time. We all operate within budgets, but within any budget we have a wide range of choices.
This is the second post in this series on the yoga studio, with an emphasis on green construction options. The first post was titled “Taking a stand for green construction.”
Join us on Facebook.
What green construction choices have you made? Leave a comment below.
Jun
22
22
Taking a stand for green construction
Yoga studio owner Anthony Burkart takes a STAND FOR LESS by focusing on green construction options for his new studio.
What is green construction?
It’s a broad description of how people are using a wide variety of options that put a premium on sustainability in commercial and residential construction. STAND FOR LESS would like you to meet Anthony Burkart, owner of Bikram Yoga El Cajon. After six years in business at the same location his yoga studio has outgrown its space and is moving. Burkart is overseeing the details of building out a new space for his yoga studio.
Anthony Burkart cares about our planet. He does all he can to promote sustainable living. His yoga clients are also interested in sustainability. The new studio, at Parkway Plaza off of Fletcher Parkway in El Cajon, is scheduled to open this fall. The move to a new space is providing Burkart a baptism into the world of green construction for commercial spaces. We are going to follow the progress of their construction over the next few months and use Bikram Yoga El Cajon as a case study in what people can do to build in ways that use fewer resources.
Burkart and his team found a space in a premium shopping center that is an upgrade from their current location. It was previously occupied by a Chinese restaurant. Step one was to gut the space to create a blank slate from which they would install their new yoga studio. One of the team’s first goals was to reuse what they could from the former tenants. High on the list for reuse were the light fixtures.
Construction of any kind involves navigating through a sea of regulations. One of these that became an issue early is Title 24. Title 24 is the shorthand term for “California’s Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential and Nonresidential Buildings.” These standards were originally enacted in 1978 in response to the energy crisis at that time. They have been revised and expanded over the years. The current standards require new construction (as well as rebuilds like this) to update their lighting and use the latest, most energy efficient lights possible.
The bottom line for the yoga studio was that all of the existing light fixtures in the space would need to be replaced. Burkart was a little disheartened that he would have to throw away perfectly functional light fixtures, yet he also realized that over time the new fixtures would pay for themselves because of increased efficiencies.
This is the first post in a series on the yoga studio. The second post is titled:
“So many choices: Green construction and the yoga studio construction project.”