Empowering Sustainable Choices

Positive and Encouraging Green Initiatives, Companies and People

As a commercial contractor, I have spent a number of years working on construction sites that focus on having a positive impact on the environment. This includes ensuring that a facility is built with the right resources. I am deeply appreciative of those who work in such positive, eco friendly work environments, and seek to be an encouragement to them. Within the last few years a variety of new programs and initiatives have been developed, as well as a number of businesses going green.

Green America, which is based in the United States, seeks to have individuals, as well as communities, live in such a green way to preserve the resources of the earth for future generations. Companies and businesses are strongly encouraged to seek practices and policies that promote sustainability. Green also America seeks to train and guide individuals in making healthy choices that benefit the earth.

These programs and initiatives are continuing to spread across the globe. In Europe, there is an initiative called the “Eco-Innovation-Europe.” This project seeks to come up with effective green concepts that can be made into reality to have a positive impact on the earth. This initiative includes services and goods that people need and use each day. In addition to this, Eco-Innovation-Europe has been a means of spurring economic growth in many different economies. Furthermore, there are five sections to this innovation and that is the areas of production, recycling, food and beverages, water and business.

While there are programs to help promote sustainability, many businesses are changing their practices to be eco friendly. Ink 48, which is a hotel in New York City, is an amazing facility that has certainly done many things to ensure that the environment is being cared for. One of the initiatives the Hotel has is called “Earthcare.” This program allows members to visit with each other as well as other groups, and learn ways to be more sustainable. In addition to this, customers at the facility have food choices, which include treats and beverages, which are all organic.

In Las Vegas, the Palazzo Hotel & Resort has done a fantastic job in seeking to be environmentally friendly. This has been done by a number of efforts to ensure that the Hotel has the least amount of negative impact possible in the area. Great care and consideration was taken into account when the Hotel was built with the fact that it was being constructed in the middle of the desert in Nevada. The Palazzo has been named the “Most Eco Friendly Hotel in America” and has accomplished this by recycling water as well as reusing its own waste. In addition to this, special solar panels have been installed to create a natural method for heat that does not use very much electricity.

“Building a House and Keeping your Spouse”…. Advice from the experts on making this process work. 

  “Build a House, Lose a Spouse” is an expression that is often associated with home construction. Some couples end up liking their new home better than their spouse when the arduous process of building is done. Renovation projects bring up all of the hardest relationship issues in a marriage, like those concerning money, decision-making, compromise, and communication. Dr. Debi Warner, is a New Hampshire-based clinical psychologist who specializes in maintaining domestic harmony while renovating, and has dedicated her practice to this type of council.  You can always add therapy to your remodeling budget, or just buy her book, “Renovation Psychology: Putting the Home Team to Work.” Therapists rank relationship stress from remodeling somewhere between infidelity and meddling mother-in-laws.

  The choices faced in construction can become dizzying, and you’ll have to be prepared to make decisions together on an overwhelming variety of areas such as cabinet pulls or wall paints that vary ever-so-slightly in shade. It is best if you have some decent communication skills to rely upon.  Know how to listen and figure out your strategies for compromise, so that deciding on the height of the countertops (to your waist, or to his) does not turn into a battleground that is really about other issues, like power and control. 

  The first step to renovating as a couple is to make sure your relationship is at a good place, and that your marriage is built on a solid foundation like the one on which your house is built. (Omit that line if you are currently undertaking the remodel of a slanting historic home in Telluride.)  So, here are some tips to “Building a House and Keeping your Spouse”, with some advice from the experts on making this process enjoyable, creative, and successful. 

KNOW BEFORE YOU DEMO: Wielding a pick-ax and a crowbar, for some can be therapeutic.  Usually the scenario goes like this: a homeowner looks at the dog stain once and for all on the blue wall-to-wall carpeting that’s covered the floor since the 80’s. Spontaneously, he (or she) decides to rip out that carpeting in a fit of rage, leaving the tack nails exposed for the next three plus months before moving into the logical next step of replacing it.  We have seen many a client come into our EcoSpaces showroom after a session like this, only to then learn of the costs of replacement materials, the lead time and installation scheduling.   “Honey, when do you think we’ll get around to finishing this project” soon becomes just plain nagging. 

  Karen Patterson, office manager at James Hughes’ Construction, a leader in custom luxury homes in Telluride, has seen many couples in her office work out the details of their dream home. She suggests, “It is best if both people know what they want before they start.” She offers laughing, knowing that this is one of the greatest challenges in construction (and marriage).  Take the time to make decisions on plans, materials, and design and feel confident in your construction crew before the hammers fly.  It always pays off in the end. 

  KNOW HOW TO DISAGREE:  

Chris Myers, principal of enLighten, admits that part of his job as a professional lighting consultant is playing therapist when it comes to working with married clients.  Professionally, he understands the challenge of decision-making and can sense when couples are not copasetic with his lighting advice. He offers options to avoid inter-client conflicts.  He learned from his own remodel project with his girlfriend Erin, that “Knowing when to compromise and let go is key. Some battles are not worth fighting.” Some choices may seem unimportant to you but may carry great significance to your other half. Clearly letting go is important. Sometimes it is best to delegate the decision-making. Kate Kurtz, has physically remolded four homes with her husband, Paddy Kurtz, who is also project manager at Gerber Construction. She says that they have learned to separate jobs and choices based on their individual skill set. “I make all the decisions about color and he focuses on the finish carpentry, because that is just what we are good at.”  That leaves dry wall removal, insulation spraying, and painting primarily her job. Four houses later, they have found this division of job sharing works. 

BUDGET OR LEAVE IT: Heading into a construction project, it is wise to accept, with a grain of salt, that the project will take twice as long and cost twice as much as you expected. Contractor, Pat Daley, who often builds from the plans of his wife and Architectural Designer Laura, of Daley Design Studio, says, “You have to accept that you can’t have it all, or else there is no end to the spending, and this is where couples get in trouble.” While your house is gutted it is easy to start dreaming, but you must have realistic expectations. Pat also points out that most construction projects come with surprises: like a massive boulder that gets uncovered when digging the foundation that suddenly adds another $30K to excavation, or water damage discovered in walls which leads to mold mitigation. You can try to protect yourself from being vulnerable to these mandatory fixes by over budgeting by at least 10%. Also, discuss beforehand what your options are if your remodel project appears to be costing more than you planned. You can also be savvy with contract language and signed documents that help cap the price of labor and materials.

  I always believed that the best way to see if you are compatible with a mate is to travel together: throw on a backpack, go to a country where you don’t speak the language, figure out together where to sleep and eat each day, all on a budget. Now I know that a home construction project with your spouse is an equal or greater test.  You are living in a foreign construction zone stripped of your creature comforts, you may not speak “architect or electrician” and the amount of money you will together spend far exceeds a plane ticket and tacos from a road stand. But, but in the end, if you can get through your construction project together, your relationship (and home) is solid.

Rebuilding Green after Natural Disaster

Out of Crisis comes opportunity. As effects of climate change make mega storms all too common, we have seen more than one community forced to completely rebuild from rubble after being leveled by flood, tornado, and fire in recent years. After super Storm Sandy, Governor Cuomo of New York exclaimed, “We have a 100- year flood every two years now!” inferring that frequent disaster relief will be the new norm.  This gives way to the opportunity to “Build Back Better” a phrase termed by President Clinton, committing to new sustainable infrastructures and greener buildings that are more energy efficiency and ecologically sound.  

Green construction methods can be integrated into buildings at any time, but the most significant benefits result from using sustainable design and building methods in the earliest stages of a construction project. We have seen this idea become successfully realized in the Kansas town of Greensburg when a Tornado in 2007 demolished wiped out 95% of all homes and demolished the town.  The citizens committed to become the first eco-village in the US and mandated that all new public buildings be built to LEED Platinum standards, the highest level for sustainable buildings possible. Today, Greensburg has one of the greenest public schools in the country, the most energy efficient commercial district, and a neighborhood wind farm. The wind turbines create 100% renewable energy power for their community from the very same forces of nature that destroyed it.  The Greensburg community has emerged as an expert on green rebuilding after natural disaster and now mentors other communities experiencing similar situations.

After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, thousands of homes were uninhabitable, many of them in some of the poorest neighborhoods in the city.  With the help of Global Green, and Brad Pitt’s involvement in “Make it Right” much of the lower 9th ward has been rebuilt and is now the first carbon-neutral neighborhood in the United States.   There are now more LEED Platinum homes there than any other neighborhood in this country.  The new homes now use 75% less energy then the pre-Katrina homes did. 

Japan has also considered a more sustainable future following the 9.0 magnitude earthquake, subsequent tsunami and nuclear meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.   Much of the air, soils, and water of Japan were irradiated after this nuclear emergency.  This disaster was enough for the government to declare that new development using 100% renewable energy is a top priority. "We will do every thing we can to promote 'smart cities' and to build a sustainable, low-carbon society in this region," wrote Takeshi Maeda, the minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, in a recent editorial. It will be in the communities such those affected in Japan, that this shift will happen and a more resilient future for Japan will begin to take shape.

Even though the rebuilding of Haiti after the 7.0 earthquakes in 2010 is painfully slow, a LEED building in Port au Prince is rising from the rubble as part of a USGBC Project Haiti effort to shelter orphaned Haitian children most affected by the quake.  A team of pro-bono architects has designed a net zero orphanage and school for children that will take full advantage of passive heating and cooling, require minimal maintenance, and be independent from the city’s unreliable power grid. It will also utilize a closed-loop system that collects, treats and stores water on site and utilize a bio-digester that will treat waste and provide gas for cooking. Any excess energy generated by the center will be used to power streetlights and public charging stations on the street where crime is rampant. This project has proven that green buildings are possible even in the poorest places in the world.

Rebuilding with sustainability in mind takes patience, planning, and collaboration during a time usually rushed to get people back in their homes quickly. It seems that it is not until we are affected by life altering events, that we open our mind to forward thinking when considering the future, instead of defaulting to the status quo.  Green buildings have the potential to rise from the ruins and propel cities towards available and proven methods of reconstruction that will be better for the community and the planet moving forward.  

Approximately 25 percent of Americans go to school or college every day as students, teachers, staff, faculty and administrators.

Doesn’t it seem logical that all schools should be sustainable and healthy places to live, learn, work and play? Everyone, from the kindergartner entering the classroom to the Ph.D. student performing research in a lab, should have the ability to learn in green buildings.

We are happy to boast Ridgway’s new Mountain Tails Montessori School that chose to build its new campus with green building materials.  EcoSpaces worked with founder and long time Montessori teacher Gail Jenson, to procure finish materials for the school that are sustainable, renewable, recycled, non-toxic, and durable. Students enjoy rolling out mats on their comfortable cork floors to do work on this durable surface that naturally resists mold and mildew, is sound absorbent, and completely non-toxic.  The students will be happy to learn that trees were never felled to make the flooring, which they get to know intimately, in their school.  This Montessori school also used inlayed Bamboo butcher-block countertops services, another renewable and non-toxic material that students interact with to eat, cook, and learn.  Porcelain tiles made from pre-consumer recycled materials are used in student the bathrooms that emulates the beauty of natural travertine.   They were happy to use Bioshield’s No- VOC wall and non-toxic wood finishes that also supports clean indoors air quality through out the school. 

 Yes, wide plank wood flooring has more of a WOW appeal when it comes to feature floors.  You just want to make sure that this wood comes from sustainably harvested forests farmed strictly for this purpose instead of coming from old growth forests that will never be replanted.  That is why we distribute Carlisle Floors.  They know what they are doing in the world of sustainability and flooring.  

 Carlisle offers: Hardwood Floors, FSC Reclaimed Wood Floors, Handmade Surfaces, Parquets and Patterns, Engineered, Custom Coat and Pre Finished Floors and Historic Stains and Finishes.

These wide plank floors are beyond beautiful, they are also  practical, they last, and that they endure for the lifetime of your home.  When you choose a Carlisle floor you know that will be the only time you will need to put flooring into your home in your life time. 

Each floor is made one at a time, one board at a time - a practice unheard of in the wood flooring industry that believe crafting a floor is ultimate design not production. 

For those looking for a sleek and custom counter top, CounterKulture concrete counter tops have always been one of my favorite products.  It is also one of our most local product manufactured just over the hill in Durango, CO using glass right out of that town's recycle center.  

For those who desire a countertop that stands apart from common surfaces, concrete is the answer. Each countertop is custom built and poured to create your original design. CounterKulture is made from recycled glass and cement and sealed with a zero VOC sealer, then cured with a UV light to make it the toughest and smoothest sealer in the industry.

Completely custom built forms to any shape, design or color you can dream up.

Use this amazing product for fireplace surrounds, vessel sinks, and furniture.

Most Popular Product Sold this Month at EcoSpaces:

Vintage Wood Siding: 

Using the standing dead timbers from forests devastated by the beelte kill epidemic, unique characteristics of beetle-kill wood shine through after  the Vintage Woods treatment that gives this siding product an authentic antique barn wood look by  enhancing the natural characteristics of wood to give it a sense of history.  The patented patina penetrates deeply and gives a look that you just cant get with stains. 

How is it green: Using beetle-kill on your project is a cost effective way to turn this environmental negative into a positive.

Happy 1st Day of Fall from EcoSpaces

For all of those following us, this is a picture of where our Global headquarters is located!

Hot new product at EcoSpaces that clients are loving....

RealStone Systems:   Natural Stone veneers from Realstone Systems combine the timeless beauty and durability of real stone with the ease of installation of thin stone veneers.  Made of reclaimed and recycled natural stone, our products are Ideal for interior or exterior wall cladding, stone flooring, fireplace stone and outdoor kitchen projects.  This beautiful honed or brushed stone can be used for interior or exterior applications to incorporate pure natural elements into the design.  Realstone is available in quartzite, slate and sandstone with inclusions of mica and other minerals.

 How is this product green: These stones use the waste stone by-product from existing quarries cutting it into usable end product and use non-toxic adhesives.  

Myth #5 Green building may work in California but it won't work here, or it's just a fad for hippies

California certainly is one of the pioneers in green building, but it certainly is not the only place it is being used. Green building is very popular in Europe where it has been quite successfully implemented. Once considered a fad of the 70's, green building is fast becoming mainstream with the help of numerous organizations dedicated to the environment and human health.

New certification standards through LEED and others are helping to define what green building means and inspiring traditional architects, builders and designers to join the bandwagon. The US government which is the largest builder in the US (40% of all building) is also very instrumental in promoting green building through design, products and strategies. However, high utility bills and lawsuits from tenants and homeowners who complain of sick building syndrome may be two of the biggest prime movers forcing the construction industry into compliance with green building standards.

Although green building is a market driven by consumers, it's coming of age through the acceptance of architects, designers and builders; world-wide use; extensive media coverage via the internet, TV, magazines, national and international trade shows; a greater diversity of products that solve health and energy related problems; and a raging entrepreneurial spirit to develop the most efficient and sustainable products on the planet.

Myth #4 Green building is still new and not as efficient as traditional building

The design, methodologies, materials and building procedures of the green building movement have been around for thousands of years, albeit in a slightly different form. Modern technologies have made green building materials more readily available, useful and reliable than ever before. The same can be said for architectural design methods and construction techniques.

Myth #2 Green products don't really help the environment

I can’t believe I have lived in my house 11 years now, and I am faced as a home owner (and green building business owner), to make some substantial improvements as my humble abode is starting to fall apart on me. The siding that was installed when my home was built in the 1980’s has finally surrendered: splintering, warping, cracking and screaming to us to peel it off and start a new.  Replacing the siding of the entire exterior of a home is a big investment.  Yes, I rather throw down for that new dream kitchen and finally yank out the blue linoleum counter tops, but, priorities…. the outer layer of my home that keeps the snow and rain out needs fixing first.  Although siding is not as romantic as a new kitchen, I put my food down and insisted that since I need to throw my home equity loan at siding, I want a materials that will outlast me and the house and our 30 year loan, because I don’t want to have to think about siding again in the future, but instead forge ahead towards that modern kitchen one day soon.

Introducing the latest greenest building materials that is now available at the Ecospaces Showroom: 

A wood free materials made from 60% rice husks, approx. 22% common salt and approx. 18% mineral oil, that is used for decking, siding, flooring, and wall facades.  It is hard to believe that this ultra durable material is made from purely natural materials. It is not only environmentally friendly but is also extremely weather resistant against sun, rain, snow or salt water. The greatest advantage to using this water resistant surface material is that there is minimal care and maintenance required of it during its life in your home.

One Material, Endless Possibilities.  Water resistant, sustainable and almost identical to tropical wood – all these characteristics open a variety of possibilities in using Resysta. Outdoor furniture, floor coverings and decks of ships are just the beginning. Further examples are house facades, wellness and wet areas. Resysta is not subject to any fluctuations in size caused by humidity and therefore is perfectly suitable for surface treatment.

I can’t believe I have lived in my house 11 years now, and I am faced as a home owner (and green building business owner), to make some substantial improvements as my humble abode is starting to fall apart on me. The siding that was installed when my home was built in the 1980’s has finally surrendered: splintering, warping, cracking and screaming to us to peel it off and start a new.  Replacing the siding of the entire exterior of a home is a big investment.  Yes, I rather throw down for that new dream kitchen and finally yank out the blue linoleum counter tops, but, priorities…. the outer layer of my home that keeps the snow and rain out needs fixing first.  Since I need to throw my home equity loan at siding, I want a materials that will outlast me, the house,  and our 30 year loan, because I don’t want to have to think about siding again in the future.

Introducing the latest greenest building materials that is now available at the EcoSpaces Showroom: 

A wood free materials made from 60% rice husks, approx. 22% common salt and approx. 18% mineral oil, that is used for decking, siding, flooring, and wall facades.  It is hard to believe that this ultra durable material is made from purely natural materials. It is not only environmentally friendly but is also extremely weather resistant against sun, rain, snow or salt water. The greatest advantage to using this water resistant surface material is that there is minimal care and maintenance required of it during its life in your home.

One Material, Endless Possibilities.  Water resistant, sustainable and almost identical to tropical wood – all these characteristics open a variety of possibilities in using Resysta. Outdoor furniture, floor coverings and decks of ships are just the beginning. Further examples are house facades, wellness and wet areas. Resysta is not subject to any fluctuations in size caused by humidity and therefore is perfectly suitable for surface treatment.