Blogs
Green by Design Spreads its Wings with New Webstore
Published by Martha Danly on January 05, 2009
Happy New Year! Break out the champagne and party hats! Welcome to the fresh, new face of Green by Design!
Clothes Do Not Make the Yogini—But if I Must Shop…
Published by Ellen Serber on January 03, 2009
The bald eagles have returned to Tomales Bay, right down the road from my house. Their presence generates optimism among bird lovers in our small northern California town, and the surge of activity in the green movement is cause for celebration. Read: I can’t wait for January 20.
Truly, the 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions at the Nolalu Eco Centre
Published by Hubert Den Draak on December 23, 2008
When my partner and I designed and built the Nolalu Eco Centre, the largest solar-and-wind-powered straw bale facility in Ontario, we did it to accomplish something positive on behalf of the planet
Cheers! Now You Can Recycle Your Wine Corks
Published by Joe Gillach on December 22, 2008
Used wine bottle corks. Never give them much thought. After the corkscrew does its job, I simply throw corks away or find some arcane use, like guarding the tips of scissors or stabilizing a wobbly table leg.
Graham’s Wish for 2009: Let’s Start Outgreening Each Other
Published by Martha Danly on December 18, 2008
I’m talking to Graham Hill, founder of TreeHugger, the leading environmental site on the web. As I hear the clang of dishes coming over the line from his end of the phone, I ask myself, “Is he clearing the table or washing dishes during our interview?”
Sustainable Design at Smock Paper
Published by Martha Danly on December 12, 2008
It wasn’t my intention, but this is turning into Bamboo Week at Green by Design.
First came the PlybooPure story; then fun facts about bamboo. I keep running into more fascinating uses for this genius of a grass. This time it’s bamboo paper and letterpress printing—with a deeply ecological twist.
It’s Not Easy Being Green
Published by Martha Danly on December 08, 2008
Looking back over the Green by Design blogs from past weeks, I spy a recurring theme: it’s not that easy being green. Our wise old friend Kermit the Frog knew what he was talking about.
Democratizing Design—A Big Idea Whose Time Has Come
Published by Martha Danly on December 01, 2008
Charlie Lazor is a polymath. That’s not name calling, but high praise for a man who brings insights from many disciplines to the modern prefab home.
Green…With Envy
Published by Joe Gillach on November 30, 2008
This is a story about disappointment and, yes, envy. About what happens when green idealism crashes into the limitations of a movement that is still groping its way forward, leaving many people like me perplexed and terrified in equal measure.
A Landlord’s Dilemma: The Short View vs. The Long, Green View
Published by Joe Gillach on November 23, 2008
Most days I truly love my job; but last Thursday was not one of them.
I am a partner in a real estate investment firm that buys and guides the renovation of large, garden-style apartment buildings—basic workforce housing for the majority of people in this country at some point in their lives. Oddly, the cause of [...]
Thanksgiving Dinner for 20,000—No Problem for Solar Power
Published by Martha Danly on November 22, 2008
Whatever your plans for Thanksgiving this year, it’s a pretty safe bet you won’t have 20,000 guests around your dining room table. But you could easily serve that many diners at the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University’s headquarters near Mount Abu in a remote area of Rajastan, India, where all the meals are prepared in [...]
The Real Cost, The Real Deal
Published by Martha Danly on November 21, 2008
Michelle Kaufmann is the real deal. Recent winner of the Social Venture Network’s 2008 Innovation Award, Michelle is known for her prefabricated green home designs that brilliantly balance our need for sustainable design, beauty, and affordability. For Michelle, there’s no need for tradeoffs when operating within the right set of principles.
Underneath it All, the Grinch is Green
Published by Joe Gillach on November 15, 2008
When I was a young boy growing up in the north woods of Minnesota, one of my town’s time-honored winter traditions was to haul an old jalopy out onto the middle of a frozen lake and then make bets to see when it would fall through the ice, thus marking the advent of spring. Ironically, [...]
In Search of a Better Carbon Footprint Calculator
Published by Martha Danly on November 14, 2008
Not so long ago, when a team of advisors and I brainstormed the initial concept of Green by Design, I came away confident that I’d put a carbon calculator front and center on our homepage. It would function as a kind of bathroom scale of the carbon persuasion: step up, weigh yourself, get a clear [...]
FlatPak: Elegant?…Check. Simple?…Check. Green?…Check.
Published by Calvin Ahlgren on November 07, 2008
The notion of the FlatPak house seems so simple that it strikes me, as first-time observer, with forehead-slapping “what-took-so-long?” wonder.
Local Hero—Sim Van der Ryn Looks for Answers Close to Home
Published by Martha Danly on November 03, 2008
Bearing a simple cloth sack of Asian pears from his garden, Sim Van der Ryn arrives at my door for lunch today. He gazes around the house and immediately we discover a connection—the designer/builder of my place turns out to have been one of his students, Paul Korhummel.
Living in ‘Green Land’ on the Coast of California
Published by Martha Danly on September 12, 2008
I happen to live in one of the greenest places on Earth. The lush hills surrounding my house are filled with cattle, dairy cows, and horses. The people who live in our small town of 800 do exactly what you’d expect people in ‘Green Land’ do—we eat local organic food, conserve energy, and [...]
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Recent Posts
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Graham's Wish for 2009: Let's Start Outgreening Each Other
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It's a Bird, it's a Plane---No, it's Super Miler!
Sustainable Design at Smock Paper
Impress Your Friends with These Fun Facts about Bamboo
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