Best Green Educational Product and Information Website

jchait — Thu, 15 May 2008 04:46:58 -0400

Recently, the Green Log Home website was voted "'Best Green Educational Product and Information' website. It hit the winner's circle when consumers voted it into the top tier as one of seven finalists in the Environment News Service (ENS) competition for best education site. Soon, experts at ENS will choose a final, single winner.

I hadn't actually heard of Green Log Home before, and that's a little surprising considering all the green and home sites I frequent. So I checked them out, to see what they offer consumers.

Basically, Green Log Home is aiming to inform consumers about how to build an affordable green home, how to green a current home, and how to be sure your home is safe and healthy. In the words of the website:

"This website has been created to educate you, the consumer, by helping you differentiate fact from fiction. Most information on the Internet isn't regulated, nor is it checked for inaccuracies. Many companies spin clever marketing campaigns to sell their products and services. There are so many 'Green-Washing' campaigns, and catchy 'Green' advertisements to draw your attention. Who are we all supposed to believe? Our website will provide you with facts based on real-life occurrences, as opposed to 'mis-information' driven by shareholder dividends and sales people looking to make commissions."

Now, here's what I found that is cool:

In their "Why change" section, they offer easy to digest bites of green know-how. Why to go green, why build green, government incentives, and a little bit about LEED (They're LEED supporters it seems). This is a great site for green building newbies.

What it looks like is a real green home is being constructed and the website is the process in motion. I like their "Considerations When Buying Land" section. It's not in-depth, but like I said this is a great site if you're new to green building. the land consideration section offers some nice ideas that you can learn quickly.

The "Well-Being in the Home" section is also good, and goes into topics that promote human health as well as home health, which I also like to see. We're all intertwined. They also offer a good starter costs checklist, and the green choices section is very nice too. Most everything offered at the site is easy to navigate.

Cons:

I don't like their products, or materials page. They note that they're trying to avoid green washing and green catchy stuff yet seem to have many sponsors, which in of itself is not bad, but each product page reads like a commercial; with no other options offered. Also, the hardware section is Home Depot; which I have mixed emotions about (long story for another time). But I will say that I think local is better than a mass produced and shipped eco-label.

So far, I'd skip the blog. There's some decent info there, but it's not as interesting as the website, or the most eye friendly blog ever, and the links are all typed, that annoys me on blogs - if it's a pet peeve of your's stay clear.

Visit Green Log Home.

The Green Building History Timeline

jchait — Tue, 06 May 2008 00:28:21 -0400

Lately one of my favorite green blogs is the GreenGeezer. Since I write a ton of green blogs, it's nice to see a fresh take on the same topics I'm always thinking about. In any case, the blog is not new, just one I missed. GreenGeezer's tagline is, "Green homes for baby boomers: Because there's still time to do it right." Which is very cool considering that everywhere I go people act like green is a youth issue - NO. It's an everyone issue.

Where this is going is one, you should visit GreenGeezer, and two, the other day she had a good post up with a link to Building Green's history of green building time line. I've actually read Green Building often, yet somehow missed the time line.

You'll enjoy it. I don't like that it quit being updated in 2000, because we've made huge green building strides in the last seven or so years, but other than that, it's a nice read.

The time line starts way back in pre-20th century – a time of understandably simple passive designs that had to heat and cool on their own, because big shock, no central air. It skips to the 30s when technology started to take over and then a big bulk of time from the 70s through the 90s is covered. We made huge building mistakes, and some nice green advances during that 70s-90s period.

Now of course green building is coming on in a more forceful and organized way (thankfully). Visit the time line - maybe, if you're the advantageous sort you can continue the time line from where they left off.