Each week many of our readers reach out to us via email to help inform us of the many wonderful eco-initiatives they support and are involved with. We received an email today regarding the Common Fire Housing Co-op in New York’s Hudson Valley.
The Common Fire Housing Co-op is a 3,600-square-foot building located on 36 acres of land in Tivoli, New York. The total cost of the building was $1 million. Though initial construction was partially financed by donations from individuals and corporations throughout the US, and by New York State, residents primarily fund the venture by sharing the cost of the mortgage, food, utilities and maintenance.
Facts about the Common Fire Co-op:
* The Common Fire Co-op is the second “greenest” building in the United States and is the greenest building east of the Mississippi*.
* The USGBC has given the building a Platinum certification, the only one of its kind in New York state.
* It is one of only 18 buildings in the United States to receive Platinum certification in the New Construction category.
* The USGBC’s LEED certification is based on 69-points of criteria, with 26 points necessary for basic green building certification, 33 for a “Silver” certification, 39 for “Gold”, and 52 for “Platinum”. Common Fire received 57 green building certification points for its project.
* The “greenest” building in the U.S., based upon the most points ever given to one building in the New Construction category, is the Alberici Corporate Headquarters, in Overland, MO, which scored 60.
* The Common Fire Co-op is considered a net-zero energy building, because it generates enough electricity on site to meet all of its energy demands.
These are just a few of the many green features/achievements the Co-op has accomplished. To learn more about how they built the co-op and green technologies and materials they used, head over to their website located here.
Technorati Tags: green building, LEED Certification, Common Fire Housing Co-op, sustainable living, net-zero
Written by steve on May 1st, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Green Construction and Uncategorized.
What is an ECO Machine?
The ECO Machine - a wastewater treatment system that naturally treats sewage and industrial waste to re-use quality.
We just received an email from Dharma Dog a few minutes ago, asking us to have a look at a video about Eco Machines.
After reading his email I headed over the site and had a look at the video. I must say that the production quality is outstanding. Bruce Weaver, aka Dharma Dog has an amazing talent as a video producer. All of the video clips that I have watched are very captivating and enjoyable to watch.
When you get to the link, you will see a small synopsis describing Eco Machines:
Ecomachines & Living Machines are ecological wastewater treatment designs originally founded by Dr. John Todd of Ocean Arks International. They are viable solutions for our future. A future in which water wont be so easily accessible and we will need to re-evaluate our wastewater treatment systems and to develop these systems into a more natural process that utilizes the wisdom of nature.
I encourage all of our readers to have a look at the video. It is truly inspiring and a great demonstration of solutions that are available. Dr. John Todd, “Our only hope for a transition to a stable future in one in which we embrace the best if Indigenous wisdom around the world with the legacy of modern biology and ecology and biology and the two together should provide the template for the human in the future.”
The one criticism you might have for the video is that it leaves you wanting to learn more. After viewing the video I headed to Dr. John Todd’s website,
http://www.toddecological.com/ecomachines.html and found out more information about Eco Machines.
How does it work?
ECO Machines accelerate nature’s own water purification process. Unlike chemical-based systems, ECO Machines incorporate helpful bacteria, fungi, plants, snails, clams, and fish that thrive by breaking down and digesting organic pollutants, pollutants that normally deprive the water of oxygen. This clean, simple approach efficiently transforms high-strength industrial wastewater and sewage into water clean enough to be recycled for reuse.
To learn more about Eco Machines, please visit Dr. John Todd’s website.
Technorati Tags: waste management, wastewater treatment system, sustainable living, clean water, sustainable innovation
Written by steve on May 1st, 2007 with no comments.
Read more articles on Waste Management.
