Hello! This looks like it is going to be a fun blog to keep up with. I don't know a lot about being green, but I am willing to learn. Two years ago my power company came out and gave me pamphlets on conserving energy and changed all of my light bulbs to compact florescent. Maybe that makes me a little green. Since I am in a mobile home, they wouldn't do any caulking. They said it is a waste of time. Could that be true?

I look forward to learning from all of you. When it is time to vote on the 2008 cabin features, I hope the different options are clearly marked. Meaning, please tell us what makes each option green and how green it is. Thanks. Oh, and before I forget, please make the floorplans nice and big and legible. Thank you.

Betty

Looking forward to learning more about Green living as this blog comes together. This is going to be lots of fun!
Smiles..Kathy

Hi Willem,

We try to be greener by using ceiling fans instead of wildly turning on the central airconditioning, cycling to school, the library and local stores like the bakery, instead of using the car.

We make grocery lists ( and remember to take them with us !! ) when we drive to do our big grocery shop every two weeks.

When we cook, we make extra batches, so using the oven heat to cook three casseroles instead of one. Then we freeze the extras.

We do an occasional "left overs" meal ~ and our fun family name for it is : " Le Garbage" !!
( It sounds very fancy if you say it with an " Ooh-La-La, French accent !!)

Running only a full dishwasher is smiled upon in our home :o)

We turn off the lights before leaving the house, wear extra sweaters in winter instead of dialing up the heating thermostat, and in summer we turn down our hot water storage tanks by a few degrees and have warm showers instead of hot 'uns !

We like the old saying " Wood warms you twice" ~ it's amazing how snug and glowing you feel after hauling the logs inside and stacking them in the log storage bins, we need less of a roaring fire in the hearth after a " wood fetching work-out" heheh.

Stay Toasty Warm this Fall :o)

love,
Goldilocks and The Three Bears
XOX

Wow! Green is good! I have Ondura roofing and everytime it rains the rain just pours off my roof like a waterfall. So I put a five gallon bucket and watering cans to catch the rain water for watering my plants. It is chemical free. My plants love it!

I would like to make a huge rain resevior for all our water use in our home eventually and purify our own drinking water.

One question please! We turned our wood fireplace into a propane gas fireplace a couple of years ago. Is this really considered going green because we are conserving burning the wood from trees?

Hi Willem & Green Team !!!~
We also changed all our bulbs to flourescent. We changed our windows and doors as well. I enjoy gardening (indoor and outdoor). I would like to have a backyard compost.

Are there any colleges or institutes that you would recommend that offer programs for "going green"? I would love to learn more about "green building" and would love to obtain certification in a program.

Thanks in advance!!! :)

My wash machine went up so I was forced to purchase a new one. I purchased a front load because the ajatator in my last machine wasn't working properly. The front load is an eco friendly product. I based my decision on the factor that it was on sale, it was eco friendly, heavy duty, and came with rebates.

I haven't changed any light bulbs yet. I live at my mom's and care for her (as you may or may not know) and she has enough light bulbs to last a life time here. She even kept her old light bulbs, old batteries, and a long list of other odd and usual things. I guess years ago they use to return old light bulbs and old batteries from what I was told. My question..........Is there Mercury in any of the old light bulbs? I also have several old thermators with mercury and would like to know how to dispose of these products without being harmful to anyone or the environment. How are all the mercury products handled here in the United States? I formerly worked as a Sales Engineer and sat in front of a business owner that used Mercury for his industry and no longer was able to use mercury due to the United State laws. He was in business over twenty years with an excellent standing as his award were displayed in his lobby. Needless to say, he took on new approaches to deliver products. I often wonder how mercury is handeled on a go forward basis. Please try to provide information as it peaks my interest.

I also worked as an Interior Designer/Office Furniture Consultant and the low end furniture that was made of laminate consisting of fused together particle board. Are there any harmful voc's given off by the glues in these products with over exposure? I realize the products are on the market and have guidelines but just wanted a bit of information from your prospective.

Thanks!

I took the time to read each of your bio's and they were obviously very impressive. Thanks in advance for taking the time to respond and interact with us bloggers. :)

I think going green is the only way to go.I vote green.I'm waiting to vote on design features.I want blog cabin 2008 to be close to a lake.

My husband and I are into the 'Green' thing.
We purchased new Energy Star appliances 3 years ago, a programmable thermostat for heating and cooling and this year replaced all of the windows in our house ($$ouch$$). But trust me the energy savings alone makes up for all of the updates. We have also switched light bulbs and also at our cottage in Lewiston Michigan we have switched to the new flourescents.
GO GREEN!!!! (Isn't that a football term?)
We need to help save the earth.
Sandy

a green - blog cabin sounds great with a possibility of, catch basin for rain water, low-e glass in the windows, wind power electricity,solar heating, there is a great number things that can be done in the name of "green", i think some of which may be somewhat dictated by geography , i also live in a "modular home", it is like a double wide trailer, i have 2x6 wall construction, and it is well insulated,i installed the florecent lights as the incondescents burn out,i only have two apliances that use propane, the furnace and cook stove(range), the water heater is electric, we turn lights off if not needed, only use the dish washer when full, the clothes dryer is electric, we only do 2 loads of laundry a week, i think this green thing is well over due, keep on thinking "green"
sincerely,, george

Hi All,

I have been remodeling my house and in my research, I came across a great site that I think you all may be interested in. The site is http://www.greenandsave.com -- They offer a ton of suggestions that will not only save you money but also help the environment. There is even a section that gives you the ROI for all the different projects.
http://www.greenandsave.com

Hello Bloggers--My dream home is a great green home. I started using low energy light bulbs 15 years ago. I would never go back. I paid $20 then and now I can find twist in ones for $3 or $4 which is great. They cut electricity usage so much. I really want a house with it's own windmill.
I wish I could have a chance at the log home that was just finished. I live so close and the move would be easy.
We are looking for a home now. I do have a question--What about putting on the green houses a ramp certified for disabled persons. That would be so great for person's who have trouble walking steps or have a wheelchair. I see so many houses that are not set up for person's that have disabilities and just a side bar our pets like to go outside and it would be nice to see artistic fencing of different styles for cats which are one of the most difficult to keep secure and our dogs large and small.
I am an animal lover I had a wolf and still have my manchester terrier with 13 kitty's whom I all call my family member's. It is a tough thing to let them outside in unfenced territory but thank goodness they come to me and stay near the house. I like the idea of a pond setting all natural and safe for them but yet it is enclosed and they can come and go through their own door as they please from their own section of the house. That is my dream home.
Thanks for letting me blog in!

i agree with the larger blueprints for the floorplan selections when it comes time for voting... on the blogcabin i was suggesting a garden (area for a compost pile would be great) and a basement with plenty of storage. i saw a picture in a magazine of a house that had a rain barrel at the end of the house and it looked so great the way they did it...they had the rain gutters running down to it and a spicket on the front of the barrell. i loved it! i love gardening and LOTS of windows (double pane, storm windows) for plenty of light... i'm a sunlight in the daytime and dim lighting, candles in the evening kind of girl!
for this winter i have been placing blankets on the chairs and getting our winter clothes out, washed and ready to add on some layers. we are new to this area (tn.) but coming from oregon (green living central!) i'm thinking i do things in a way that is considered green without even being aware of it.
i will enjoy learning as we blog and am anxious to see where this one will be and what the selections are!
brenda

I also wanted to mention Ondura Roofing is what we put on our roof about three years ago and Ondura sheets and tiles are made of a tough organic fiber core that's totally impregnated with asphalt, one of nature's best preservatives and is environmentally friendly with 50% post-consumer recycled content. It come in many colors (we chose green) and it can be installed right over your current shingles! It's not that expensive either! I love Green and Organic!

We just built a 4400sqft chalet style log house in North Florida. We used gas tankless hot water with electric tankless heater for the guest bath and studio bath. The master bath and W/D/DW use the gas heater. We have ceiling fans in every room. We put 6 inch foan blocks on the roof, covered with a metal roof. The house is 6x12 D logs at 11 courses. The ceiling is live valeys all exposed beams, 23ft at the peak. That keeps all the heat in the top like the high ceilings of the victorian homes. We put double pane e-winodws with UV coating on the NorthEast windows. We have a gas backup generator for those stormy nights. Our utility bill is usually under $150 for electric only. It's amazing how the logs keep the inside temperature so even. I am looking forward to seeing how the Going Green log house progresses. Really enjoying this DIY log project. Chuck

I would love to add solar panals to the back side of my house, which is due south. But I do not know where to find someone I would be able to trust. I thank I would be able to do it myself if it came with good enought instructions. I live in a house that was built in the 1940s and needs all the help it can get. We are using the flouresent bulbs and have added insulation to the outside walls where we have replaced the sheet rock. But we got took a few years back with a new A/C unit that is just not doing its job. So we need the extra help there.

I found the information on how to dispose of the old mercury light bulbs......1-800-CLEAN-UP

Hi!

Glad to see that DIY has directed us to an other outlet for blogging. Energy savings has always been a priority on my list. I still have one of the original florescent bulbs in my kitchen nook light. It is still going strong. Though I must say it does take a minute to warm up and give off sufficient light. I have had it for almost 20 years and could replace it, but I have put newer ones in table lamps and have blown a couple of them already. They must have been defective.

I do wish there was one with a candelabra base. I have a few of those lamps that I would like to have energy saving bulbs. Do you know of any? In the ones that are visible I use lower wattage bulbs than the max suggested. They give out lower lighting, but give the room a softer atmosphere that I like and don't need a dimmer switch.

I look forward to blogging here and eventually the next blog cabin.

Hi all,

A few follow-ups on your many comments about lighting your home with fluorescent bulbs.

#1. In a few days we'll have David Bergman -- green architect and energy efficient lighting expert -- here to share his thoughts and advice.

#2. Until then, if you're ready to shop, I recommend you surf on over to this Energy-Saving Light Bulb shopping guide --

http://www.edf.org/page.cfm?tagid=632

Willem Maas
Publisher, GreenHomeGuide.com

I have already done the CFL's -- long ago for that level of savings.
I've studied "green" for upwards of 30 years but never executed on the ideas.
Soon, I hope to finally invest in solar electricity to augment the grid (I'd like to have it sized to only use the grid as an augment if necessary). It will also sell back the excess.
I've always been an advocate of using more than one method of augmentation if possible and I believe my secondary source will be wind. I have to do further checks with the county as I've been told that the limit for "wind towers" is 35'....next to useless, even though I'm on the top of a ridge -- there are trees around within limitations that could cause unwanted/unneeded turbulence. My Ham radio tower is 55', so it makes me wonder what their thoughts are -- I'll apply for a variance if necessary.

I designed and built solar water panels back in the 70's and they worked pretty well -- I also learned about draining them in the winter -- they froze and the internal pipes split.
I've since learned that using a heat sensitive collector with coils in the water tank (a closed system instead of an open system) may work better, but haven't done one yet.
I sure like having this blog available for green subjects -- it's something we all need to be looking at very seriously.
I also want to start giving seminars to high school and college students explaining the technologies available because it's going to be up to them to implement the "green" ideas, as they're the ones that will be directly affected by those that have been ignoring the subject, in favor of fossil fuels, for far too long. Handwriting has been on the wall for a long time, and those with their heads in the sand haven't seen it.

cheers
goose

I see a lot of print about going green but no one
has been able to give me the name of a contractor
to sell & install solor electric panels for entire
home electric service here in south georga, if you
are going to talk the talk how about walking the walk. give the info along with talking about it.
thanks for letting me blow off steam .and I hope
to see something on this soon... mack

I a interested in how people with pets can be more green. I feel bad about the ton of cat litter we go through and what that does to the enviroment, but on the other hand, natural litters don't control odor so that cats end up not using them and using the floor instead which is just not workable.

Will you be using constantly renewing resources such as photo-voltaic, ground gradient heating and cooling, solar covection cooling, thermal mass to aid heating, solar pre-heating of hot water. I could go on but will give others a chance.
Please Make this design as 'green' as possible.