Archive for Blog
15-year mortgages up by 7.5% from last year
From January through June of this year, 26% of homeowners who refinanced opted for a 15-year mortgage, up from 18.5 % in 2009.
Rubber tires and bathroom sinks
Can trash be recycled into bathroom sinks? One Santa Monica design firm has found an innovative way to transform rubbish into something very useful. Minarc is getting ready to market their green sink, created entirely out of discarded tires
The “Screen Invasion”
Technology is touted as a gift of the 21st century. NPR’s Fresh Air interview (”Digital Overload: Your Brain On Gadgets”) with Matt Richtel, Technology Reporter for The New York Times , encourages us to think about technology and information in a more balanced way. The average person today consumes about 3 times the amount of information as somebody living in 1960
The pressure assisted toilet
How many gallons of water does your toilet need for one flush?
Save Money, Rent Goats
Gwendolyn Bounds of the Wall Street Journal reports that goats are officially for hire! Goats spent four months eating weeds and other unwanted plants on the grounds of the Vanderbilt Mansion in New York. The project cost $9,000. A human-powered job would have cost about $15K. Next time you have to clear the weeds, consider one eco-friendly option and hire goats.
10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget
If you’re looking for practical advice on how to live large within your means, check out 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget , written by WiseBread.com contributors. The book will help you navigate the areas of gastronomics, travel, health and beauty, entertainment, shopping, green living, education, budgeting, and more. WiseBread.com writers believe that “the key to fnancial wellness isn’t a ramen-eating, vacation-skipping, fun-deprived life” but rather the ability “to indulge in life’s pleasures…as long as they fit into [the] budget.” Tara-Nicholle Nelson’s review in Inman News suggests that the book’s perspective on money is on target for today’s consumer – it’s more about financial wholeness and less about financial dieting
Net-zero energy homes are the new norm
In some areas of the United States, net-zero energy homes are becoming the norm of new construction. California, for example, has set a goal that by 2020 all new construction properties will be of the net-zero kind ( The Wall Street Journal , “Houses That Make Their Own Energy” ). http://online.wsj.com/video/houses-that-make-their-own-energy/7C802338-F8DB-45F9-B693-7528288804FC.html According to Market Watch’s Amy Hoak, these homes may cost more upfront, but they will save in energy bills over time.
Who’s driving the big yellow bus?
It’s the last month of summer, and school buses are not scheduled for the roads for another few weeks. That’s not the case in Croton, Ohio, where bus drivers, truckers, and hairdressers find an outlet at the Hartford Fair race course
Nanotechnology is not just for Trekkies
The construction industry is being hit with nanoparticles . In a time when environmentally-conscious living is priority, builders are paying attention to nanomaterials. According to Science Daily’s “Nanomaterials Poised for Big Impact in Construction,” the applications of nanotechnology are potentially great, while the environmental consequences are still unknown.
Smart growth vs. suburban sprawl
Msnbc.com’s article by Chernikoff and Yoon highlights a shift in focus from suburbs to cities (” Boomers drive shift toward urban living: More developers favor ’smart growth’ in cities, not suburban sprawl” ). “Smart growth” is a movement that embraces the development of housing and businesses in or close to urban centers. The long-term strategy is sustainability, while the short-term benefit is quality of life for those who want to walk, bike, or bus to their venues of choice
