Not sure what this picture on the left is, but it's interesting!

Anyway, going green is not as hard as it seems.  There are many things we can do to go green in our daily lives.  One thing we can do is just pick up after ourselves.  At home, work, play, school, Church, event, or whatever.  We can do so whenever, and wherever, too!

If we all were to take responsibility for doing so on a daily basis, sure some garbage collector might lose a job, but less energy expended by that entity that runs the venue or building or facility is helping the planet, and ourselves out in the long run.  In doing so, we can "lower our carbon footprint", -right?  If they use less energy in doing so, that means that another entity or person that needs that energy can do so easier.  Or, we become more energy efficient or energy independent, right?  So it pays to pick up after yourself or to chip in to do so after your event, meeting, etc. has finished.  Something our parents have been harping on us for generations, I'd bet!  So what's old, -is new again!

If you do not have an opportunity to do such, then you live in a cleaner world then most; -or, you need to find an opportunity to do so.  Local Churches, Schools, Shelters, Soup-Kitchens, etc. are the obvious choice to offer one's services to help clean-up.  Then there are Cities, Counties, States and Countries that can also provide opportunities to clean-up, or pitch in.

If you would like to post your organization's offering of an opportunity to be of service to one's community, and to thus "Go Green!", then please feel free to do so within this blog.

Thank you,

Michael

Going Green is more than good materials from sustainable resources, but does it mean going back to "living with the land", or at the least, "being at one with nature"?  I would propose that the answer is "yes!"

Supposedly, if our history books are truly correct, then we have only lived away from the land and nature for only 100 to 150 years or so.

Why is it that with technology, people want to manipulate their surroundings?  For the Christian, we believe that God told us to manage the Earth.  He did not tell us to destroy any part of it, on a micro or macro level.  So just what does that mean?  I believe that it means 1). Doing what's right.  We all have the innate ability to know what is correct and what is not.  Just "check your gut".  (Mine needs to lose some weight, -and that's part of the topic, too!) 

I have come to the conclusion that it also means living with less or no TV, and spend even more time with my wife and kids.  Every day is precious, and who knows when it's our time to go on to the next life, or just be incapacitated to where you can't enjoy things you could the day before.  (That's my ankle's two-bits! -Still nursing my foot and lower leg muscles!) 

I remember working in Tokyo on a project where I was providing atrium designs for the Harumi waterfront redevelopment project.  It was at the then world's largest architectural firm, Nikken Sekkei.  I met Kisho Kurokawa who also worked there at the time.  His claim to fame then was: 1). He had a great PR person, because he got on TV a lot and 2). his design for the future of Tokyo City and Tokyo Bay.  It was then I knew what he was posing was wrong, and not Eco-Friendly; as he was seeking to totally annihilate the landscape and much of the natural bay.  I innately knew that designers are to work WITH nature, not try to totally manipulate it.  Working with nature brings lasting results, too.  I was amazed that someone of his experience and fame, just didn't get it. 

It was a lasting impression upon me that still resonates with me today.

However, I think we need to think about bringing all aspects of our life into an organic harmony with nature and the real things that are important in life that are eternal in nature and that you can't just buy.

Family time, parent-child/children time, parent dates, one's own quiet or alone time, are obvious ones to me.  But there are other areas that are not as obvious.  I have written previously about "living with the Sun", meaning that when it rises, so do we.  When it sets, so do we.  This is so that we can follow the natural rhythms that are prevalent in our universe, even within our local solar system.

There are other areas of life we can improve, too.  Become more Spiritual if you are religious.  If not, at least meditate and observe your surroundings on a daily basis.  Do so with as little, or preferably not much, energy used in doing so.
As you find balance in all aspects of life, true happiness, or at least more happiness will be yours.  This is the goal of most religions and new age gurus of the world: Find Balance in your own life and become one with the greater life force or Creator of the universe.  -This is still my never-ending goal, as I am far from it.  I just recognized again that I need to recommit myself to this lofty aspiration.  However, another important aspect of this kind of Living Green or Going Green, means that you yourself can recognize the need to improve oneself from one's current state.

I am Christian, this is my blog, so I will say, in a country where I have the Right to do so: May God Bless us all in our efforts to do so!

While LEED Platinum is tough to meet for any project, while even just attaining LEED Gold is also not too easy of a task.  Initial LEED meetings are showing that the PLaK House Project (Renderings Below) will be at the least LEED Gold, and who knows, if everything works out, maybe it can achieve LEED Platinum.  We are certainly going to try, especially if the project can use a Rammed Earth Wall System, there might be enough points gained to reach the lofty Platinum level!

While there are not many LEED Platinum homes in the L.A. City yet, we hope that this will be attainable with the given budget constraints.  This could be that innovative solution that will show what our team can do, and help put us "on the map". 

Keep your eyes peeled to this Green Blog page with more progress reports as things are moving forward!

S.F. Fleet Week from our Roof Top!  Not "Go Green", but if it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have the freedoms we enjoy to promote the Green Movement!  So, in a sense, this is too, "Go Green", even though these are the "Blue Angels"! 

West Cast Green (WCG) was interesting, as usual, but I didn't see too many "this will revolutionize the AEC!" products.  Sure, there were solar companies, and a few other related firms, the recycled wood and the FSC Certified wood people.  The only product that really caught my attention was the Straw-Board product.  If this really goes into production here, gains an ICC number and an LARR number, then it has a chance of getting some traction and who knows, possible adoption in the marketplace.

The strawboard product put out by Strawmit USA, is another idea I think is ripe for the time.  Will the "powers that be" allow it to get through the ICC and LARR processes so that it can be used in new construction projects?  So far, I know of TWO companies that have a far superior impact-product that is finding the going tough when trying to get through the ICC/LARR MESS!  Makes me think there are palms being greased, friends/connections livelihoods being artificially propped up, all to stave off new technology being brought into this STALE, OLD industry, -The AEC.

We cannot have TRUE revolution in the Green Materials market unless there are those in these "stamping" positions that will allow NEW technology to be brought to market.  I know of one ICF maker who told me that it took 10 years to get the approval from both ICC and LARR, -9 YEARS AFTER THE TESTING WAS ALL COMPLETED!!!  I hope that these new materials can have a "green fast-track" applied to them, as other entities do.  But there is no such fast-track to apply for even.  They say there is, but that's not my observation.  What do the ICC and the LARR entities have to lose by wasting so much time?  Nothing!  Therefore, there has to be some ulterior motive type scenario(s) being played out.  Nothing else explains it.  Some jurisdictions will allow such new products to be used, even without testing to be done, as long as the Engineer of Record and the City Engineer will sign off on it.  Which should be good enough for most products.  However, here in California, where we need to worry about earthquakes, some of the excuses given are earthquake related, -is possibly why it takes so long.  So it takes time to do those extra steps for earthquake related verifications.  However, 10 years?  I do not think so!

So, will revolutionary products shown at WCG this last week, ever make it to the light of day and to be used in a project?  I would like to hope so, but will that happen anytime soon is only the ICC/LARR's guess!

The Strawmit USA product was the only one that I saw that was a REAL possible game changer, though.  Sure there were others, even with a commercial application for a solar thermal solution, but only that one stood out.  I am anxious to get its' performance numbers to see what it is really capable of.  I could see them being used as an exterior and interior and ceiling, solution.  My impression was that it is not a structural member, but can be used to replace the wall portion of the envelope, for both the interior and exterior.  At this point, it's hard to tell just what it can actually.do.  More on this as I get information.

Well, we have the Fleet Week Air Show practicing above the City today, and it should be fun! 

How to Get Rid of Bed Bugs Yourself - The Natural Way!

Bed bug infestations can happen to anyone, regardless of how clean you keep your home, -is what the experts told us!  With the bed bug epidemic in certain cities reaching "Biblical Proportions", (Okay, so it just seems like it!), what can we do since we can no longer use DDT (Which did a great job of getting rid of bed bugs, but also destroyed food chains in the process; -like that of the Bald Eagle.) and the subsequent, modern chemical solutions are not nearly as effective.  Plus, with the "Green Movement" in full-swing, what can one do?  We need a Go Green, natural, non-toxic to us, other animals and insects, solution. 

-But just what is that?

The "Double-Green" bed-bug eradication (not-seen-elsewhere) Solution:

Items needed: Vacuum Cleaner (with 1 bag to be thrown out), Steam Cleaner, Blow-Dryer (Hair Dryer), Organic Bed Bug Repellent and Huge Garbage Bags.  Then, possible new furniture to replace affected items.

1). Vacuum clean the affected area(s).  If you cannot clean completely, then you will need to most likely toss out the affected furniture.  For instance, bed frames can be vacuumed off of actual: live bed bugs, a lot of the eggs, bed bug shit (Yeah, I probably should have said: "feces", but this experience was too traumatic for such a clinical term!) dead bed bugs, or bed bug molts. 

We ended up tossing a small bed for one of our boys, (where we had our problem), since we didn't feel assured that we had in fact gotten EVERYTHING cleaned off the bed.  It was hard for us to do so, since it meant getting a new bed for him.  But, that is better than seeing our little one suffer any longer!  Plus, from checking other websites, we figured that there was no way we could confirm killing off all of the eggs, since they kind of burrow into  the wood of the bed frame.  So to be safe, we chucked it.  We also got rid of the mattress, which looking back in hind site now, we could have possibly saved, since it did have a mattress guard on it and there was only 6 bed bug craps on the bottom side.  However, we thought it better to get rid of it, just in case the crap left some kind of residue in the mattress protector that could cause an allergic reaction to it; even though that had cleaned off easily.

2). Before chucking any furniture or other items, you'll need to vacuum it off thoroughly, then a good measure would be to put it in a large plastic garbage bag and tie it closed before moving, so as to not DROP any bed bug crap, molts, eggs, young or adults into other areas of your home, while moving the affected piece(s) of furniture out.

2a). (Humor anyone?)  Then TORCH the furniture in a big bonfire, to a rock anthem of choice.  May we suggest: "Highway to Hell"?  (Yes, that's where those bugs are headed!  -No "Kumbaya", here!)

3). Steam Clean the area and surfaces in concern, with the nozzle, or tip of the steam cleaner being NOT MORE THAN ONE-INCH from the area you are cleaning, at a pace of one-inch-per-second.  THEN, use a common, house-hold Blow-Dryer (Hair Dryer) and go over the same area, at the same speed.  Next, try an organic repellent/killer like: "Rest Easy" and follow directions in spraying around your bed area so that even in the event you missed something, the bed bugs won't want to try to go near your bed.  However, we are pretty confident that the Steamer/Blow-Dry Combo will work pretty good, because you are in affect running over the same area TWICE with heat above 180-degrees, which is needed to kill bed bugs, from all of the egg-through-adult stages. 

No expensive extermination fees to deal with, too!  -We've heard stories of up to $9,000 to take care of a room!!!  ---OUCH!!!

Please see our Cleaning Solutions page to view other solutions for a "Double-Green" way to clean your home, -and Go Green!!!

If you like what you see, please purchase your steamer or blow-dryer from our Products page for great deals on the products we've used and confirmed to work!

Good Luck!

Michael
GTH