Comments for Green Speak

Comment on Wind Energy: More than just a lot of hot air by Pros And Cons Of Renewable Energy Sources | Wind Energy Pros and Cons

Pros And Cons Of Renewable Energy Sources | Wind Energy Pros and Cons — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:19:11 +0000

[...] Using wind to generate power is not a new concept. The Babylonians were using wind to pump water to irrigate crops 4000 years ago. What is new, however, is the idea that wind can be harnessed in such a way that it can form a genuine alternative to fossil fuels. Read more on Pros And Cons Of Renewable Energy Sources [...]

Comment on “Are SIPS Necessary” The Rebuttal by Frank

Frank — Tue, 10 May 2011 23:40:59 +0000

I will be giving an in depth presentation on this subject at the Western Timber Framers Guild Conference this Saturday. Please join me.

Comment on Green Builder® Media Announces Home of the Year – And it’s a SIP Home! by custom homes builders

custom homes builders — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:33:33 +0000

All new construction is built to Energy Star standards which include energy-efficient building techniques and features such as more effective insulation, high-performance windows, tight construction, more efficient heating and cooling equipment, and Energy Star rated lighting fixtures and appliances

Comment on Green Builder® Media Announces Home of the Year – And it’s a SIP Home! by Maryland Home Builder

Maryland Home Builder — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 05:41:29 +0000

Comment on Insulspan’s Lakeside Green Cottage Wins Green Building Category in the BSC 2011 Excellence in Home Design Awards by Sue from Polished Concrete

Sue from Polished Concrete — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 23:49:34 +0000

I’m a promoter of green building materials in australia. Keep posting good stuff. I recently installed solar panels and what not, so i’m slowly changing my footprints.

Comment on Seven Green Trends for 2010 by jjromano

jjromano — Wed, 19 May 2010 19:01:34 +0000

Mr. Baker,

My name is John Romano and I am the Environmental Assessment Intern for the Lakeside Association this summer. I saw that you had a LESS seminar this summer and I was fortunate enough to find your blog! I am an Ohio Wesleyan graduate, as of last week, and am currently going for my LEED Green Associate Accreditation. I plan on going to graduate school in a year to continue my studies of Sustainable Development, so I am of course intrigued by your green cottage at Lakeside! I took a peek at the building plans, and it looks very promising.

As the Environmental Assessment Intern, I will be focusing on sustainability and sustainable development to a great degree, so I am definitely looking forward to your LESS seminar.

I would love to talk sustainable development with you and I’d love to possibly take a look at the house if you’ll have me. Feel free to contact me at environmentlla@lakesideohio.com

Thanks and keep up the great work!

-John Romano

Comment on Lakeside Family Hosts Old-fashioned “Barn Raising” by jeanwoodruff

jeanwoodruff — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:58:37 +0000

I have been trying to figure out what the little structure is on top of the old country barns. Is it a pigeon coop? What purpose does it serve if it is not a pigeon coop. I am a city girl basically but when we take rides thru the country we see this structure on top of the barns. Thanks for the education.

Jean Woodruff

Comment on Life Cycle Analysis by Frank Baker

Frank Baker — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:10:02 +0000

Sam, I assume your question of relates to a cradle to grave scenario for SIPs. When a structure is at the end of its life for reasons of obsolesence or just worn out the SIP structure could be dismantled and some of the SIPs reused. If reuse is not possible then the EPS insulation can be stripped from the OSB by use of a heated wire drawn through the EPS at the OSB interface. this technique is used regularly in the SIP shop for recycling the SIP drops. The foam is then reground if it is too small for other reuse and blended into new foam. the OSB can also be reused if in good condition for various applications. the adhesive film is only a few mils thick and constitutes only a miniscule part of the panel volume. when the foam is stripped from the OSB the adhesive layer stays with the OSB and does not inhibit the reuse fo the OSB.
Straw bale construction is also a very viable and energy efficient alternative. SIPs are commonly used as roofs on straw bale walls and make a great complement to one another. Not all straw is wasted since it is valuable organic matter for building soil. however more straw is generated than is needed for soil maintenance thus in areas where straw is plentiful it is another alternative. Straw construction is labor intensive and poorly understood by the vast majority of builders thus not widely available to consumers. SIPs most alternatives suffer similar barriers to adoption, that is lack of familiarity by the building trades. However the learing curve with SIPs is relatively short and familiar to most carpenter trades since it is a panelized product which goes up quickly with common carpentry tools.

Comment on Is it a SIP? by Kevin Cleland

Kevin Cleland — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:24:56 +0000

It’s cool that you get to see people who read your blog in person. I know plenty of Chicagoans read this blog, but we’d never recognize each other on the street.

Comment on Life Cycle Analysis by Sam

Sam — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:21:34 +0000

Concerning the LCA of the SIP, where and how exactly is the insulation supposed to be removed from the panel before going to the dump and are panel s filled with glue a great item for landfills? What about straw bale construction? 200 million tons wasted each year. Just because it is not something that can be pre-fabricated in a warehouse and put together in 2 days, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t receive serious consideration. R value of 44 and higher. Use your head and keep the moisture out. There are IBC parameters in place.