Vote your best green architecture

Dear everyone,
Are you as fully engaged in other things as I am...too busy to read all the latest goss? how lovely to find on (one of my fave sites...I've said it before!) --INHABITAT -- a shake down of the best 6 green arch stories of the year, nicely presented and ready for you to vote on your fave...

Hobbits will go WILD!

http://inhabitat.com/top-6-green-architecture-stories-of-2010-vote-for-your-favorite/

Where (near you) to recycle everything - from cans to computers

So exciting! A really super dooper site for Australia!
http://www.recyclingnearyou.com.au/
Just put in your postcode and the website will tell you everything you need to know about all your local recycling, re-use, hazardous waste collection services! Hooray! They even tell you where to take stuff, where to shop for second hand goods locally, what EXACTLY your council collects... eg: what have you been doing with all of those pesky envolopes with windows? The site tells you if your council recycles them or not.
Hot tip! Don't crush your aluminum cans!

Happy 2008 and a nice website to start it off!

yet another great WEBSITE: Inhabitat
These guys have a great motto:

GREEN DESIGN IS GOOD DESIGN
GOOD DESIGN IS GREEN DESIGN

This is a blog-like site, with tasty snipppets of all the latest funky green designs they can find. Including treehouse architecture! Plenty of images and video clips. This site has made it to my RSS feeder so congratulations Inhabitat!!

DIAL BEFORE YOU DIG

If you are Designing your new home or an extension, contact these guys before you start, they will send you out maps of your site and any services on there. Its a great way to start your site analysis! Their new website is : http://www.dialbeforeyoudig.com.au

Study architectue and forestry simultaneously!

The 4th August broadcast of By Design (ABC RN) featured the design of buildings which create less waste in their construction process.
It is available for mp3download or perusal .
Peter Graham, from the University of New South Wales Environment and Sustainability Research Group, spoke.
One of the most interesting notions was a joint project the UNSW is doing with a university in Japan. This university runs a course in architecture and forestry. So both professions become more knowledgeable in each field.. What a GREAT idea!

Meanwhile I have found 2 more good websites on sustainable materials choices,
one which is from the US, and slightly outdated, but the theory in there is helpful, and a nice idea for a website...
AIA Sustainable Design Resource Guide

The other is Eco-Find : based in Victoria but useful for all Australia, it allows one to search for particular products by category and area. It is not as credible as the Ecospecifier, however on first use it seems quite sound.

Peoples lives controlled by design! WEBSITE REVIEW

Here is what the blog Architectures of Control says about itself:

"Increasingly, many products are being designed with features that intentionally restrict the way the user can behave, or enforce certain modes of behaviour. The same intentions are also evident in the design of many systems and environments.

This site aims—with readers’ input—to examine and analyse the ideas and techniques of these architectures of control in design, through examples and anecdotes, and by keeping up-to-date with relevant developments.."

Interesting stuff! Thanks for the link Leigh!

WEBSITE REVIEW: Good Wood Guide

Greenpeace have just launched their Good Wood Guide.
It is not quite finished, but will give you some ideas about where to start looking for sustainable timber. It's a really difficult project, as truly knowing if wood is good means knowing the entire process from the tree to the piece of timber. This was the idea behind FSC timber. However FSC timber producers are only just starting up in Australia, so generally any FSC timber you would be purchasing would be imported from overseas.
The Rainforest Information Centre's NSW Good Wood Guide was really awesome but sadly it is now out of date, and no funds to update it. However it has great background information to help you understand the real issues of purchasing sustainable timber.
My answer is to use secondhand wherever possible! Flooring, windows and doors especially are easy, and so much cheaper, if not free!!

INFO: 2050: Young Future Leaders of the Built Environment

2050 has been running since 2004, but I only JUST found out about it!
It be an "an incorporated not-for-profit association of like-minded young development professionals dedicated to a more sustainable built environment for Australia."

The 2050 mission:-

"2050 exists to drive national initiatives towards a more sustainable Australia with passion, commitment and youthful energy."

Sound good? They also say:

What is the 2050 demographic?
Being made up of so many professions concerned with the built environment, the 2050 demographic is broadly based along the following:-

• Age : 21 - 35
• Sex : 55% male, 45% female
• Education : over 95% tertiary qualified
• Employment : over 90% full time, over 40% in management positions

How do I Join?

Are you a young professional or student working towards a sustainable built environment? Simply send an email to info@2050.org.au and we'll sign you up to our mailing list so you can receive our monthly newsletters and information about upcoming events and activities. Membership is FREE and entitles you to access to the members forum on our website.

Looks like I should join! Maybe you should too.

WEBSITE REVIEW: Low Rise, Low impact

Well from Very High-Rise to Very Low rise.
I feel like a hobbit might answer the door here.
This is very much a hand-made house in Wales. Have a look at the sweet website for more info and images.

WEBSITE:Earthtrends

As they say "EarthTrends is a comprehensive online database, maintained by the World Resources Institute, that focuses on the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world."
What I found was useful is a listing by nation of energy and resouce use data.
http://earthtrends.wri.org/country_profiles/index.php?theme=6

WEBSITE: REImaginations

Lovely international art exhibition of beautiful and strange wind generator images. This one is "energy plant" by aleksandar rodic
http://www.reimaginations.com/

WESITE REVIEW: Adobe Loos and Worms

Woo Hoo! One of the simplest, most informative, low-sell sites on composting your poo. Adobe Worms and Loos Info on most types available and also HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN COMPOSTING TOILET !.. to meet NSW heath regulations. Good on 'em.

WEBSITE REVIEW: gas ratings

Star ratings on energy use for all gas appliances
Australian Gas Association

WEBSITE REVIEW: wels

Trying to find water saving taps?
All taps, toilets, urinals, washing machines, dishwashers, showerheads rated by stars for water efficiency have to be registered. This site lists them all and also has a product search feature. Very useful!

WEBSITE REVIEW: Rainwater harvesting

I watered my garden today from water which had collected in my 3200L rainwater tank. It's a great feeling to be growing vegies watered by my own water.
Something to do with becoming more of a linked system. Developing my own ecosystem!
Here is a nice website on rainwater harvesting.

Our front garden tank. The green bit from the roof to the tank is my Lazy Lady downpipe...I have no inclination just yet to plumb it properly...

WEBSITE REVIEW: BuildSmart Sustainable Building Education Centre

I must say, Victoria has really got some good sustainable education facitites.
Holmesglen Institute of TAFE have a Sustianable Building Education Centre at which you can visit their show home, take courses at and get information generally.
Their website has more info and also has some nice easy to read .pdf fact sheets.

WEBSITE REVIEW: Ask Umbra

Ask Umbra is my favourite RSS feed at the moment. Brought to you by the very good grist magazine, a witty research assistant solves a weekly dilemma of the eco lifestyle. As I write she is offering advice on how to introduce your grandma to your composting toilet. Last week she explained how to drink coffee in an environmentally responsible way. Submit your tricky question today!

WEBSITE REVIEW: Resource efficient building

The Resource Efficient Builder is a publication from EcoRecycle Victoria.
This link is a collection of 8 issues of the The Resource Efficient Builder
These .pdf's span from Feb 1998 to June 1999. Some of the info is a bit dated, but it still contains stacks of good info covering:
() Practical steps for waste recovery and minimisation
() Waste separation
() Auditing waste
() Involving individuals in waste minimisation practices
() Reducing packaging
() Recycling
() Home building
() Lots of case studies, at least one for each topic.

WEBSITE REVIEW: smart communities network

The Smart Communities Network is a US based "green building" site with an international outreach. They are "creating energy smart communities"
This site has typical good info on environmentally responsible building.
My favourite section is the green building success stories which is a large yet clear collection of international info and links to sucessful examples of the following:
() Integrated Green Building Techniques
() Affordable Green Building
() Green Residential Developments
() Green Renovation Projects
() Energy Efficiency
() Materials/Water Conservation

WEBSITE REVIEW: Your Home

This is a great all-rounder of a site for Australians interested in greening their homes. As the site says:
"Your Home is a suite of consumer and technical guide materials and tools developed to encourage the design, construction or renovation of homes to be comfortable, healthy and more environmentally sustainable."
It covers just about everything, and most of the information is quite detailed.It is very nicely presented and you can also order a CD and/ or reference manual.
www.greenhouse.gov.au/yourhome/