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I guess I always imagined it being kind of like the anti-freeze in your car: not pure freon, but freon's the active ingredient that keeps it cool. So my bet would be placed on it being in liquid form. Maybe call the reclamation center and ask them?

Jun 28, 07 12:03 pm  · 
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KEG

I went through the same trouble trying to find somewhere (for free) to take all my old computer crap/ video tapes/ tapes etc. Finally I begged a guy at the commercial recycling place to take it on the DL- cause they charge an arm and a leg. Talk about something that should be subsidized by the government.

Though we are a terribly lazy nation, it shouldn't take hours upon hours upon days for me to figure out how to "do the right thing". It shouldn't be that difficult!

Now I am moving again..ugg...I drove 45 minutes (in LA) on Saturday to recycle old paint. There should be a drop station in every city. Do you think the general public is going to go to that effort? God this riles me up...

Thank god for craigslist! I post "free" crap all the time. It doesn't go in the dump and someone else gets use of it.

I heart Craig Newmark.

Jun 28, 07 12:08 pm  · 
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laurilan

i love love craigslist as well! i've gotten/gotten rid of so many moving boxes and random stuff that way. i feel like websites like craigslist or freecycle - which is another option to get rid of anything and everything.

and freecycle is located in pretty much every city.

Jun 28, 07 1:39 pm  · 
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laurilan

oh and an interesting way to reuse parts of video tapes and cassette tapes is by knitting/crocheting them. i'm in the process of knitting a grocery tote out of plastic bags.

http://www.myrecycledbags.com/

Jun 28, 07 1:41 pm  · 
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KEG

thats a great idea laurilan, unfortunately I think I'm far to impatient. post a pick when you're done!

Jun 28, 07 7:55 pm  · 
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KEG

back to the business of going green...

Green business' go-to guys
When big companies want advice on the environment, many call Green Order, reports Fortune's Marc Gunther.
FORTUNE Magazine
By Marc Gunther, Fortune senior writer
June 28 2007: 11:09 AM EDT

NEW YORK (Fortune) -- General Electric touts the success of EcoMagination. General Motors says it will speed up production of electric cars. BP steps up its commitment to solar power.

It's no longer a surprise when big companies launch environmental initiatives. This has been good for the planet, good for the image of corporate America, and very good for GreenOrder, a small but influential New York consulting firm that advises Fortune 500 clients on how to make money by going green.

GreenOrder works with GE, GM (Charts, Fortune 500) and BP (Charts). New clients call all the time. That's a sign, according to Andrew Shapiro, the firm's 39-year-old founder, that sustainability is on its way to becoming "a core part of how businesses think about everything they do."

"This green revolution today is as transformative as the digital revolution was 10 years ago," Shapiro says. "That's the opportunity that lies in front of us."

"The hype might die down," agrees his partner, Nicholas Eisenberger, "but we haven't even begun to scratch the surface of what we can do."


keep reading...



it is interesting to see this "popularity" compared to the dot com boom. I just hope it doesn't have such a severe crash. There's more to lose here than just money.

Jun 28, 07 8:02 pm  · 
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WonderK

Listening to Science Friday on NPR> it's kind of boring today.

However, I am pretty excited about the prospect of adding to the Wikipedia article on sustainable design....anyone else game?

Jun 29, 07 2:50 pm  · 
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mightylittle™

don't know if any of you listen to KQED's Forum, but today's second hour of the show was all about water conservation efforts in california...i only caught a bit while getting ready to leave, but i'm sure it's worth a listen...

Check it out here...

i can't listen to talk radio while working. music or silence. or archinect.

but i'll surely listen this weekend.

Jun 29, 07 3:52 pm  · 
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WonderK
Sign the Live Earth pledge!

Because Al Gore said so!

Jun 29, 07 4:54 pm  · 
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KEG


LA Times
Veggie Booty snacks recalled
From Times Wire Services
June 29, 2007

Robert's American Gourmet Food Inc. recalled all its Veggie Booty snacks across the U.S. and Canada because the mix might be contaminated with salmonella, regulators said Thursday.

Fifty-one people in 17 states, mostly children age 3 and younger, were infected with potentially deadly salmonella bacteria linked to eating Veggie Booty, according to a statement posted on the Food and Drug Administration's website. The snack, which contains vegetables such as kale and spinach, is sold in grocery stores and over the Internet.

U.S. health officials haven't confirmed a link between the finished product and salmonella, the FDA said. Robert's, based in Sea Cliff, N.Y., has stopped making and distributing the snack food, pending results of the investigation, according to the company's website.

The company said consumers who purchased Veggie Booty should discard the contents and contact the company at (800) 626-7557 for reimbursement.


I love Robert's American Gourmet Food snacks (especially the smart puffs) and thought other 'nectors might need to know this too. Man, I thought not eating meat would save me from worrying about this stuff, but it seems all the scares lately have been veggie related.



Jun 29, 07 5:35 pm  · 
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yikes.

Something I've always wondered about Live Earth (but have admittedly been too lazy to look up): how is a concert with lights, sound, vendors, and the travel of thousands of people (particularly the energy intensive private jet travel of the bands involved) supposed to promote green-ness, while wasting so much energy? Have they just purchased about a bajillion carbon offsets, or what?

Jun 29, 07 5:51 pm  · 
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treekiller

maybe its time to grow your own snax.... and the entertainment industry will never be green, no mater how many carbon credits they buy. too much travel, too much single use disposable consumerism, too much electricity used for the dazzling lights and sound and so one....

Jun 29, 07 5:55 pm  · 
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mightylittle™

if a tiny little Solar Festival way up in Vermont can do it...i imagine that betwen MSN, Philips and whoever else their sponsors are, the folks behind Live Earth have both the technology and the where-with-all to make those events low energy-consumers without passing on the cost to the concert-goers.

one would hope, anyways.

Jun 29, 07 5:58 pm  · 
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mightylittle™

but of course...scale is everything.

Jun 29, 07 5:59 pm  · 
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Sarah,

Check this out, it looks like the UK is far ahead of us on this one:

A much-delayed law that makes British producers and importers of electronic goods responsible for the recycling of their products has come into force in the UK. BBC

Jul 1, 07 8:55 am  · 
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I think this can be linked to WK's earlier discussion about Home Depot's green program:

http://archinect.com/news/article.php?id=60358_0_24_0_C

Buying Into the Green Movement

Critics question the notion that we can avert global warming by buying so-called earth-friendly products, from clothing and cars to homes and vacations, when the cumulative effect of our consumption remains enormous and hazardous. NYT

Jul 1, 07 9:41 am  · 
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GTC

goes pick of the week of Archinect...

Jul 1, 07 2:50 pm  · 
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WonderK

Thanks Orhan!

Q, that's a great article, although it's a little overwhelming to realize that you have to convince people that more "stuff", green or not, is not necessarily a better way to live....

Jul 2, 07 9:45 am  · 
 · 

WK,
definitely, it is a process in which small steps will lead to larger changes, but I do think that right now it is the right time to start talking about over consumption of green products. I think this can extend to architecture. We need to redefine green building to move beyond a building that simply meets a LEED rating. LEED is a good (though by means not complete) set of green guidelines, but unwillingly it is increasingly becoming part of the "greenwashing" industry.

Jul 2, 07 10:35 am  · 
 · 
Sarah Hamilton

So I know I am interupting a what has awesome potential to become a good discussion, but just quickly....

We ARE taking the old dishwasher to a recycling scrap metal yard, and the old fridge, which was replaced by a much more efficient one, has been sold to a friend for 50 bucks so he can stock beer in his room apparently. Seems like overkill, but hey, why not. So neither are going to a land fill for now at least, and my conscience is clean. Yeah!!

Ok, so back to your regularly scheduled, much more interesting, conversation.

Jul 2, 07 11:10 am  · 
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WonderK

Good job Sarah! Recycling and efficiency....it's a green story that warms my heart, LOL.

Jul 2, 07 11:13 am  · 
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Quilian- I agree, but recognize that it's much easier to get people to "buy in" to consumption of greener goods than it is to get them to stop or reduce their consumption of goods. So I don't have a problem with the consumption of green goods right now.... as a first step.*



*although I've been known to advocate just not buying any car until the auto industry figures out something better than hybrids...

Jul 2, 07 11:41 am  · 
 · 
FRO

I by no means wish to detract from Sarah's recycling efforts, but let me ask a serious question-

With refrigerators typically being the second least efficient appliance in a house (next to the water heater) at what point is scrapping it actually more efficient and 'clean' than keeping it plugged in?

Jul 2, 07 11:46 am  · 
 · 

interesting question.... it brings up a few more for me when I think about it:

*Are those little baby fridges in dorm rooms and such better because they're smaller? Or worse because they're not really as necessary?

*How many people really have the ability to pick up their perishables on a daily or nearly-daily basis, and therefor could do without fridge?

*is smaller better at all? Or are they all just freakin terrible?

Jul 2, 07 12:08 pm  · 
 · 

After reading this article about an average woman trying to find real and appropriate carbon offset credits, I've sort of made my peace with the whole carbon-offset idea.

Previous view: carbon offsets are mainly bunk. Reduce your intake.

New view: Carbon offsets are a phase. There is a big need for investment in sustainable technology (wind power, solar power, etc.) so that that eventually all of our electricity needs are met in a clean(er) way. I wouldn't pay to "save the rainforest" that was probably already going to be saved anyways, or plant trees to make loggers feel better about cutting them down, but if nobody puts the money into sustainable energy technologies, then they'll never happen. So while I hope the carbon-offset phase is over quickly as we transition to better power options, I guess I'll stop railing against it so hard in the meantime.

Jul 2, 07 5:04 pm  · 
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r - I'm with you. I'm trying to reduce my intake just to keep my boyish figure and to save the planet.

Jul 2, 07 8:04 pm  · 
 · 

Another good step forward...

http://archinect.com/news/article.php?id=60416_0_24_0_M

USGBC changes LEED to add tougher mandatory energy standards

The USGBC has made the changes necessary to begin addressing the problem of climate change. These changes bring the energy section of LEED closer in line to the goals advocated by the 2030 Challenge and those already accepted by the AIA.
USGBC | Architecture2030 (PDF) | AIA How to get to 50%

Jul 2, 07 8:08 pm  · 
 · 

Unfortunately, that probably means that my clients will say 'no' to LEED even quicker than usual.... How do we balance between instituting tough standards that will make real changes if adopted, and trying to not let the standards get so tough as to scare people off? I don't know the answer, I'm not advocating one way or another, but it's a question that bothers me.


_______________________________

barry- it's been about two months since I filled my car with gas, and it's still got at least a quarter tank left!! Actually, I should drive it somewhere tonight to keep the battery juiced up as I've pushed over a week without touching it again. But that is by far the longest I've ever gone without a fillup. I promise you, it's a great feeling.

Jul 2, 07 8:23 pm  · 
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r- that's great! I'm feeling guilty that I'm driving to work after 18 months of being car independent. With 'free' parking and no incentive by the company to pay for a transit pass, it's sooooo much simpler, quicker, and more comfortable to jump in my (repaired) car then figure out which bus I'd need to take. there is something seductive about the freedom of driving that I'd forgotten over the last year and a half of busing/walking. Now I can at least go do stuff after work that isn't right near my office.

(hint - my new office is 1/2 block from the walker art center)


over at on the wiki editing thread, I just posted my addition to the wikipedia architecture article:

[/i]The most significant development in the profession is the mainstreaming of sustainability. Following in the footsteps of 1970's icons like Malcolm Wells and Ian McHarg, architects today have finally started to integrate sustainable principals like daylighting, highly insulated walls and roofs, energy efficiency, green roofs, and water reduction into their projects. The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system has been instrumental in this. Other green building rating systems include Energy Star, Green Globes, and CHPS (Collaborative for High Performance Schools).]/i]

So any edits? we should have a GTC sidebar on the sustainable architecture portion....

Jul 2, 07 8:37 pm  · 
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rationalist, in all reality it will become either law or just common practice soon enough:
Illinois adopts 2030 Challenge

Jul 2, 07 8:37 pm  · 
 · 

I would support it becoming law, then at least clients couldn't just decide it wasn't worth doing.

Jul 2, 07 8:40 pm  · 
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Barry Maybe GTC can simultaneously work on these entries:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_architecture
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_building

I think at the end of the day the Architecture entry will end up being more of a broad overview with good links to other pages/external pages. So if these pages were already pimped it would make it that much better!

Jul 2, 07 8:44 pm  · 
 · 

Maybe even those two should be combined into one kick ass entry.

Jul 2, 07 8:46 pm  · 
 · 

Yeah!

oh, sorry for the bad italics above

Jul 2, 07 8:47 pm  · 
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wiki- sustainable architecture outline:

* 1 Sustainable Energy
o 1.1 Heating, Ventilation and Cooling System Efficiency
o 1.2 Alternative Energy Production and Building Design
* 2 Building placement
* 3 Sustainable Building Materials
* 4 Waste management
* 5 Re-Using Structures and Materials
* 6 Social sustainability in architecture
* 7 Noted Architects who apply these concepts
* 8 See also
* 9 External links

this seems to be written by an engineer. Much work to make this useful.

wiki- green building
* 1 Sustainable building techniques
* 2 Green architecture
* 3 Green building worldwide
o 3.1 Standards and ratings
o 3.2 Australia
o 3.3 Canada
o 3.4 Germany
o 3.5 India
o 3.6 Malaysia
o 3.7 United Kingdom
o 3.8 United States
* 4 See also
o 4.1 Designers and builders
* 5 References
* 6 External links
o 6.1 International
o 6.2 Australia
o 6.3 Canada
o 6.4 India
o 6.5 United Kingdom
o 6.6 United States
o 6.7 Regional organizations
o 6.8 Other resources


Lots to fix here, but the better of the two - needs adding a link to green globes, CHPS , energy star; rewriting bits, adding discussion on carbon neutrality, generative/living structures, etc.

but the big thing is that both articles read like a regurgitation of LEED as the ultimate arbiter of sustainability.


thanks to Quilian who set this up to edit wikipedia:

username: archinect
password: editingwiki

Jul 2, 07 9:59 pm  · 
 · 
WonderK

Oh gosh. There's too much overlap in these two. I don't want to open up a can of worms, but are we OK with the notion that "green building" is the broader of the two concepts, and "sustainable architecture" is a subset of this? Because that's how it reads. I've always felt the two were interchangable.

Jul 2, 07 10:14 pm  · 
 · 

I would argue the opposite- that sustainability, and therefor 'sustainable architecture' has a social sustainability and planning overlap which 'green building' does not.

Jul 2, 07 10:50 pm  · 
 · 
WonderK

I actually didn't mean to insinuate that I was arguing for that stance, rather that this was the conclusion that I had come to after looking at the breadth of each of the Wiki entries....basically that it seems to me that *someone* thinks that sustainable design is a subset of green building.

Jul 2, 07 10:55 pm  · 
 · 

FORBES Magazine

Green jobs with growth potential:

http://www.forbes.com/business/2007/07/02/environment-economy-jobs-biz_cx_bw_0703green_greenjobs_slide_5.html?thisSpeed=30000

Environmental Architect
With new building codes promoting energy efficiency, "green" architecture is booming. In 1994, the U.S. Green Building Council developed a set of standards for environmentally sustainable construction. In the decade that followed, many architects and developers sought accreditation.

Jul 3, 07 6:30 am  · 
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treekiller

q- that stock image of an 'architect' is a hoot!


yeah right, she went to architecture school!
have you ever worn safety glasses on a site?

Jul 3, 07 11:20 am  · 
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KEG

"Every week of the year we now move a billion bottles of water from ground to gullet in ships and trains and trucks."

I try my best to do tap>Britta filter>reuse water bottle. Man, it's about so much more than just recycling the bottle...

speaking of water bottles, I love San Francisco. They are always at the forefront of change.


Jul 3, 07 11:48 am  · 
 · 

I don't drink bottled water, but have a fondness for juice, lemonade, etc. which unfortunately produces the same effect. I've been making an effort to re-use bottles lately, but MAN will I be glad to move to a community with a recycling program. LA has one, but the island that is Culver City doesn't.

For any New Yorkers: next week the Storefront for Art and Architecture is hosting an exhibit of various bikeshare programs and an experimental bikeshare of their own.

Jul 3, 07 12:04 pm  · 
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KEG

may have been discussed, but is anyone going to a Live Earth event?

7.7.07

Jul 3, 07 1:22 pm  · 
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mightylittle™

i knw i've mentioned the pending farm bill this fall and have been following the debate.

marian burros has a piece in todays NYTimes about some of the potential changes and what they might mean.

not qute the quality of michael pollan's work, but nonetheless, we need many many voices in this fight.

if you eat, you should take a look.

Jul 4, 07 4:48 pm  · 
 · 
WonderK

I am pretty excited about the Live Earth concerts this weekend. The one that I'm most impressed by, however, is the smallest: the band Nunatak is performing live to an audience of 17 people in Antarctica. The 5-person "band of scientists" is the only act that could perform on the continent at this time, since they are in the middle of winter and it's nearly impossible to get on or off when it's so cold. So they are going to kick off their concert outdoors in temperatures expected at 10 degrees below zero Celcius.

I love this comment by the fiddler:
Thorne is rather sanguine about the event: "We're playing to a sellout audience of 17 people, which is the entire complement of the Rothera base, so it's as much of a success on Adelaide Island as it possibly can be. Intimacy is, and always has been, one of the band's main attractions."

Jul 4, 07 11:19 pm  · 
 · 
WonderK

Anybody out there?

Can I get a show of hands.....anyone else been having strange weather patterns lately? Here in the Nati, we seem to be having weather much like I would expect in southern Florida. Warm and muggy every day, until sometime in the afternoon when the sky opens up and we get a thunderstorm for an hour (or more).

Just curious. Also I didn't want to be so blatant about my shameless bump.

Jul 5, 07 5:10 pm  · 
 · 

Bueller?

Yeah, yeah, I'm out here. Actually I posted green stuff in 'Aggregate Seattle', so I guess I've been spreading the love too much.


Since it didn't work so well in the bicycle thread and I know some of you greenies ride: how often do you guys have to lube your chains? How frequently do you do a full tuneup?

Jul 5, 07 5:20 pm  · 
 · 
FRO

Western Colorado is warmer and drier than the past few years, but not appreciably. Highs in the low 80s, nights in the low 40s, looks about to rain for the first time in weeks & I can hear the thunder...

Somehow, the reservoir is really full in spite of a low snow winter. Does that count?

My town has recently called a moratorium on roof and sidewalk snowmelt systems. If you're not familiar, it's basically hydronic or electric heat in the sidewalk or driveway(OUTSIDE!!!) to prevent snow/ice buildup, or an electric heat system in roof valleys and overhangs to prevent ice dams. Today I had to explain to a client 'Why on earth they would do such a stupid thing? Someone's going to fall and sue the town!!' I pointed out that, as a planet, we're having a bit of a shortage on energy.....

Jul 5, 07 5:23 pm  · 
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WonderK

Ha ha, rationalist said "lube".


I'm so sorry. Sometimes my mind works like a boy's.

Jul 5, 07 5:24 pm  · 
 · 

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