As we know, California has always been at the forefront of green energy. Our emission limits are now national industry standards, and innovation on the local level is often adopted by cities and municipalities everywhere. Perhaps nowhere is this momentum more apparent than in Sonoma County, where net-zero energy home construction is quickly becoming the… Read more »
California Making Green Strides towards Net-Zero with Solar Panels
California Home to Five of the Top Green Buildings in 2018 COTE Awards
This year’s recipients of the COTE Top Ten Awards were finally announced and five of the ten top sustainable projects are located in California. The American Institute of Architecture and Committee on the Environment evaluate the social, economic, and ecological value of each structure to determine the top buildings that excel in design and performance…. Read more »
Growing Trends in Modern Sustainable Construction
Sustainable construction practices are on the rise amid both the residential and commercial sectors and are rapidly surpassing conventional construction methods. Ecologically conscious consumers primarily fuel the demand, with statistics citing construction-related industries are major US polluters that are culpable for: 23 percent of air pollution, 40 percent of water pollution and 50 percent of… Read more »
Chico State University to Break Ground on Sustainable Science Building
After more than 10 years of planning, Chico State University will begin construction of the $101 million green facility this summer. This new physical sciences building will be 110,200 square-feet, housing chemistry, physics, science education labs, outdoor classrooms, and more. The green building initiative was important to the campus and their commitment to climate change…. Read more »
Harnessing the Power of the Ocean to Generate Renewable Energy
When you hear the term “renewable energy,” the first things that come to mind are probably wind farms and solar panels. Both solar and wind energy generation have undergone something of a renaissance in recent years, but they’re far from the only forms of renewable energy that could be available in the future. Now that… Read more »
Denver Will Soon Require New Buildings to Have “Green” Roofs
Along with New York City, London, Paris and San Francisco, Denver is the latest city to require contractors to install “green” roofs on new buildings. Green roofs usually feature either solar panels or rooftop gardens, and these cities have made it mandatory for companies constructing large new buildings to find a green solution for their… Read more »
Caribbean Officials Call for Renewable Energy Development
A number of the islands located in and around the Caribbean were devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria this year. Those islands are going to have a long rebuilding process ahead of them, but there could be some good to come out of it. While the U.S. and many other countries around the world have… Read more »
Carbon Capture Could Turn Emissions Into Building Materials
Environmental scientists have spent decades looking for new ways to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of human populations, and a revolutionary new technique could turn some of those harmful emissions into useful building materials. Developed by the Australia-based firm Mineral Carbonation International (MCi), this technique captures airborne CO2 emissions and turns them into solid carbonates…. Read more »
Fungus Could Be the Next Big Thing in Green Buildings
The idea of building a home—or even just a part of a home—with fungus probably wouldn’t normally appeal to a lot of people. Fungus is something that most people try and keep away from their homes. But there are companies like Ecovative Design, which is located in upstate New York just outside of Albany, that… Read more »
2016 a Record-Smashing Year for Solar Energy
Solar energy has been a pretty big deal for quite some time now, but 2016 marked a banner year for this green energy source. Last year, solar generation set a record that is encouraging for those who value all that solar power has to offer. It’s clear that more and more people are turning to… Read more »