Brummet's Conscious Blog

Recommended Resources North West Eco Building Guild : consists of builders, designers, suppliers, homeowners and individuals concerned with ecological building in the Pacific Northwest region. Check out the ton of open source learning materials available on their site! Info : EcoBuilding.org North East Sustainable Energy Association : Here, members enjoy sharing, collaborating, brain-storming, advising, and learning about sustainable building and energy topics.  Info : Nesea.org Green Peace Canada : Beginning back in 1971, this organization has evolved to have a global reach campaigning on the world's most current pressing environmental issues. Info :  GreenPeace.ca ~~   Visit the Brummet's @:  http://BrummetMedia.ca ~~

Kudo's Despite the cultural misconception that cities are horrible environments where no wildlife can thrive, in a world where more than 1 million species are at risk of extinction, we are seeing that larger corporations are now embracing more than energy and resource efficiency endeavours. Cities are creating more green spaces, residents are participating in a variety of ways, business are rising to the challenge and schools are jumping on board too.  Green roofs, green screens, green walls, backyard gardens, indoor gardens, hanging baskets, tree planting and balcony gardens all play a huge role in nature coming back to the city. These little green islands have helped butterflies, birds and pollinators survive, and in some cases - recover and thrive. There's a hotel I want to mention (I've forgotten the name of it now) located in Singapore, where they have built a huge, beautiful tiered outdoor garden space that their staff and clients enjoy in person or by viewing it from...

Recommended Resources From a green-light bike path in Eindhoven - to Beijing, where a smog vacuum cleaner was installed to purify the air in local parks - to a dance floor that generates electricity to power a DJ booth: https://www.ted.com/talks/daan_roosegaarde_a_smog_vacuum_cleaner_and_other_magical_city_designs#t-455321 -- Now here is an interesting article re: sustainable architecture:  https://worldarchitecture.org/architecture-news/cvncc/10_canadian_companies_that_specialize_in_sustainable_ecofriendly_architecture.html -- And, to close today's post, a profound discussion by Bill Ford re: traffic gridlock solutions: https://www.ted.com/talks/bill_ford_a_future_beyond_traffic_gridlock ~~ Visit the Brummet's @:  http://BrummetMedia.ca

* Submitted: For the first time, tours of the one-of-a-kind Universal Design Living Laboratory will be offered to the community to raise money for spinal cord injury research at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center . Where : 6141 Clark State Road, Columbus, Ohio (US) When : Open to the public from noon to 6 p.m. daily October 25 through November 23, 2014 . Admission is $10, with all proceeds benefiting spinal cord injury research at Ohio State. Universal Design Living Laboratory (UDLL) is the residence of Rosemarie Rossetti Ph.D., an internationally known speaker and advocate for people with disabilities and her husband, Mark Leder, the builder of the home. The 3,500-square foot home that features universal design was conceived and built after Rosemarie was paralyzed from the waist down in 1998 when she was crushed by a large tree while riding a bicycle. Leder’s life was impacted by the tragedy too. The emotional impact was overwhelming. The cou...

-- Quote of the Day --    Fifth Group’s Steve Simon was speaking at a conference  about how implementing sustainability programs into businesses requires patience and determination, but the reward is great: “When you implement sustainability projects at your restaurant, understand from the outset that persistence is key... Start slowly and then build up your efforts to meet the goals you have set. At Fifth Group we started with waste diversion and instructed our staff on how to recycle, then source separate organics. Of course there were challenges, but we eventually were able to divert hundreds of thousands of pounds of former ‘waste’ from the landfill…in every location. It has cost us virtually nothing to implement and it’s the right thing to do.” -- Green Building --  I read recently about an interesting zero-energy house was created by The Shibaura Institute of Technology , winning them awards for ...

-- Quote of the Day --  "I think of life itself now as a wonderful play that I've written for myself, and so my purpose is to have the utmost fun playing my part." ~ Shirley MacLaine  -- Green Buildings --  Did you know that the color of your building plays a role in climate change?  If you think about it, the colors black and red in particular are well known for absorbing and attracting heat - so if buildings have these colors on their roof, driveways, or siding then they will attract more heat, trapping it in the area and thereby contribute to Urban Greenhouse Effect . Where as white colors and shiny surfaces reflect heat and light, contributing to Urban Glare. And these effects play a huge role in the energy costs for your building and the comfort of the residents. Painting those surfaces tan or light gray, or installing siding of similar colors is a simple solution.  You can choose to purchas...

-- Quote of the Day --    "Have you ever observed a humming-bird moving about in an aerial dance among the flowers - a living prismatic gem.... it is a creature of such fairy-like loveliness as to mock all description."  ~ W.H. Hudson -- Of Gardens and Green -- You've likely heard me talk about greening buildings, yards, balconies etc. on the radio show, or read posts about it here or in our Trash Talk book series... Today I'd like to share a few thoughts on how planting a little green can save you a lot of green - cold hard cash.  First - landscaping can increase the value of your home by 15-20%! This works best when you are considering curb appeal, planting for privacy and also diversity. Mature landscapes or those a few years old are much more likely to drive up the value of your home. Simply installing a patio area and entrance area with interesting plants can increase the value of your home by 4-12%! It really is tha...

In response to a lot of questions we've received, I thought I would write a series of articles (3) to answer your interest in how to go about greening a home and yard. We have been on this property for 3 years as of Oct 15, 2013. So I thought the best way to go about sharing what we did was to describe the order we did things in, one year at a time.   * Part 1 of this article was  published on January 2nd ; Part 3 will be published on January 12th How we made changes and upgrades to our home.  (Part 2) In the first part of the series I walked you through the first year of our move to the home we are in now. Today we'll look at the 2nd year and the things we did to improve the home and property. Year 2: October 15, 2011 – October 15, 2012   The 2 nd year here we were involved with projects that would reduce our water use including installing low flow faucets and shower-heads and replacing one...

-- Quote of the Day --  “The creative individual has the capacity to free himself from the web of social pressures in which the rest of us are caught. He is capable of questioning the assumptions that the rest of us accept.”  ~ John Gardner -- Green Roof --  Have you heard of green roof systems yet? We’ve written about and spoken on the topic many times over the years and have found there are some amazing projects going on in the world to create healthier buildings and communities.  You see, having a “green” building means that plants are grown on the flat surfaces on the building surface (which can really include balconies as well as walls) and also in the areas surrounding the exterior of the building, and sometimes indoor gardens as well.  Having a garden on the roof for instance might make for a healthy walking area for employees on breaks where they can socialize and get fresh air. I...

  Shrink Your Carbon Footprint By Upgrading Your Furnace *Author: Olivia Mac You never go anywhere without your reusable shopping bag. You bike, walk, or use public transportation instead of a car every time you get the chance. You pack your lunch in the same eco-friendly container every day rather than using paper bags. But are you neglecting some simple ways closer to home to live a greener and more sustainable lifestyle? How about the way you heat your house? A new furnace can provide not just a cozier, more inviting living space for you and your family, but will also help you to help the earth. Did you know that inefficient home energy use is one of the biggest drains on environmental resources that most people engage in? And it's happening through the duration of every single hour that many folks spend at home. Ignorance of this problem is so widespread, and it's really a shame, because, in addition to bei...