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Vote Green

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As we all know, our economy hasn’t not been the hottest lately. With frequent changes in the stock market and large fluctuation in oil prices Congressmen are in constant search of a solution. The economic stimulus packages were supposed to be the answer to our problems. These, however, have done little to solve the country’s dilemma.

One idea that has been passed around for years with lukewarm reception is to invest in green industries. Many thought this would only worsen the situation but new light is being shed on how much it really could help. Not only would changes in this direction help our economy rebound, there would also be less of a dependency on fossil-fuel.

The green industry has so much potential right now. Many of the buildings throughout any city in America are aged and were constructed without knowledge of what they would do to the environment and how they would cause such a dependency on recyclable materials. If the government were to spend money on boosting efforts to update these we would get more jobs for the estimated 400,000 construction workers that will be without a job this year. This appears to be one of the smartest areas for Congress to expand funding. To put money in the green sector, the country would gain one of the biggest growths in jobs.

Model Green Town

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A major tornado has just passed through and nearly removed your city from the map, what do you do? Well, Greensburg, Kansas decided this would be the perfect time to make their town more green. The efforts of this community have not gone unnoticed. They are now being featured in the National Building Museum. Greensburg along with a handful of other cities are being celebrated for the shift to a green life.

To accomplish the task of being green certified, the town is building all of its public buildings to meet the strict efficiency codes. They are bringing windmills back to the landscape around town and saving water from every rainstorm. This town has made major steps that few can make without starting from scratch. Who knows, though? Maybe if you can get your city to start working at this you could be featured in the next green exhibit at the National Building Museum.

Online Green Social Network

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Freegreen.com is your one-stop green website. This company has everything from products to lessen your carbon footprint to it’s own green social network similar to Facebook and Myspace. You can look at house plans with green features built into them. Once you have a home picked out you can browse over green builders in your area. This website has so many great things to explore you will need to spend a couple hours to truly find all this website has to offer.

Green Roofing Details

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Green Roof Layers

After I posted the article yesterday I searched out what exactly goes into making a green roof. Roofhelper.com has a whole section dedicated to green roofs. This site has a basic overview on what materials go into green roofs and what benefits these roofs can provide. This had some cool info that I though I should let you know about.

Penn University’s Green Obligations

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Green architecture has so many benefits but never seems to catch on that well. For years, people have known that we can build with materials that not only stop environmental damage but enhance life. It may seem as only a few independent people are what’s driving green building from being extinct.

I was very pleased to find the University of Pennsylvania has stepped up and is leading the nation in sustainable campuses. I found on their website an article about the newly dedicated Kings Court English College House. When constructing the building they decided the usually rubber roof covering would not do. Instead, they produced a green roof with a mix of grasses, sedum and mosses. Not only did this beautify the area but they have a longer lasting roof and a reduction in temperature control costs in the building.

I was impressed with the desire to design with green factors in mind. I was even more excited to find that this wasn’t all they were doing in this area. The article showed a long list of procedures taken to have environmental sustainability. These actions had not gone undetected either. The University was one of eight organizations honored by the state of Pennsylvania for green-power purchases. They were also recognized as one of the top 15 colleges in North America in sustainability.

It will take large organizations like this to bring green architecture to the masses. The fact that larger universities are accepting and improving the process of this design is amazing. Hopefully, with help from schools and other institutions, we will be able to cut down everyone’s carbon footprint.

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