Ellen Honigstock, Architect PC, RA, LEED AP
Ellen Honigstock is an architect in the DUMBO section of Brooklyn who specializes in sustainable architecture and interior design. She is also the LEED for Homes Advocate for the NYC chapter of the USGBC (US Green Building Council)
Blog
Want cleaner indoor air? Aug 27, 2008
37 reasons to take off your shoes at the door
A short post today. Click HERE to see 37(!) very good reasons to take your shoes off at home. I never thought of #13 (yuck) or #25 before but I really do like the idea of taking off your shoes to... more
Improve indoor air quality at home Aug 20, 2008
Take off your shoes!
The number one way to improve the quality of your indoor air is to remove your shoes before entering your home. Think about it. All the toxins and crap (literally) that you track in on the bottom of your shoes... more
Insulation Project: Wrapping the Hot Water Heater Aug 15, 2008
This was so ridiculously easy, I can't believe we didn't do it before. This is the hot water heater before: for the "after" picture, see above: Make sure you leave any air intakes and valves uncovered (notice the perforated vent at the bottom... more
Insulation Project: Energy Audit Aug 13, 2008
How are we really doing?
We want an official audit of the energy efficiency of our house so we signed up for a free audit by National Grid (the utility formerly known as Keyspan). I plugged in all the relevant information about our house into National... more
Recycling Non-rechargeable Batteries Aug 8, 2008
Not a Problem!
Doesn't it feel strange, holding a handful of heavy batteries and then casually tossing them in the trash? Throwing away non-rechargeable batteries is not illegal, but when in a landfill, most batteries begin to leak, causing lead contamination to our... more
Growing clean indoor air Aug 6, 2008
We hit a snag.
Sorry if these posts about house plants are about as interesting as watching grass grow. You may recall we bought seeds go grow houseplants which are especially well-suited to removing indoor air toxins. Based on availability, aesthetics and a few... more
Switching from incandescents to CFL's Aug 1, 2008
A primer so you can find the right bulbs
I was researching lights today to make sure that it would be bright enough at a client's hallway when I came across this little web page. It seems that the rule of thumb is to multiply CFL wattage by approximately 5... more
Indy House: Sink in the toilet Jul 25, 2008
A 2-in-one water-saving fixture
No, that's not a photoshop wonder - it's real- a sink in toilet lid from Gaiam. What better way to save space in a small bathroom than to install a 2-in-one fixture? This toilet, which functions as a toilet AND a... more
Carbon-free cooling Jul 23, 2008
Don't be afraid to turn off the air conditioner
The dreaded triple-H's are upon us (hazy, hot & humid for those not from here). There was a brown-out this weekend in Brooklyn that stopped half a block from where we live so we decided to try and NOT use our... more
Embarking on a new project - Insulating my entire house Jul 18, 2008
I'm taking Barack Obama's advice and insulating my house so that it can be heated by a candle. No, we're not heating with a candle, it would ruin the indoor air quality. Just kidding. Over the next few days, we will... more
Editor-in-Chief, RiverWired.com
This is the best idea ever -- I just ordered two. I have been trying to figure out how to politely ask guests to the house to take off their shoes. Now I can supply them with slippers -- and they can clean my floors as they walk to the kitchen for a drink. I'll have to start doing more entertaining.
Susan
we saw it and we love it! wish it was available!
Have you heard of Grow from Smit - http://www.riverwired.com/blog/awesome-solar-and-wind-system-greener-bui...
it's in prototype but if it comes around will be awesome, it fits right on the side of buildings, but is wind (and solar). As for sooner options I haven't heard of smaller systems often, although I did recently hear about one couple who put solar / wind on their condo top - that was a really small system, I'll see if I can find it and also ask around. If I see something feasible I'll post it.
Hi Jen,
the article is inspiring but we've been trying to find a wind solution for a brownstone and have been unable to. Have you heard of wind on that small a scale?
Ellen
Sam, your article is right on time. Recently, I had a debate with one of my husband's co-workers about making baby food vs. buying it. Her argument was "The Gerber people are pros and know what they're doing." She stopped arguing, finally, when I logged onto the Internet and showed her proof of a few Gerber recalls. "You won't find any shards of glass in the baby food I make for my baby," I told her.
Almost all my friends from other countries make their own baby foods. Why are so many Americans not in the loop?
We did it for almost a year or so. We also go great tips from Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. There's this whole thing about freezing cubes of vegetables in ice cube trays. It's kind of amazing how far one sweet potato will take you!
Ellen
I love milkpaint. The colors are fabulous. However, you really need to know what you are doing.
It seemed so easy... so my stepson and I tried to paint an old cabinet. It actually looked older when we were done, and not in a good way. You need to mix up enough of the color you need because you make it yourself by mixing pigment with the milk base.
it's really durable also.
I would definitely try it again but maybe i would practice first.
Ellen
[brooklyn green] www.ehapc.wordpress.com
Cool, Ellen, I thought comments were emailed to me, or I'd have checked this before now... Very nice that you're a LEED advocate though.
Ellen here,
Yep, that's me next to the DUMBO recycling bins!
The Indy house is a really fun project so far. Next we're going to delve into the pros and cons about green roofs, solar panels and wind power!
That's a great rundown about the LEED for Homes rating system.
Just FYI, The USGBC is sponsoring a 60-minute long webinar (2nd in a series of 3 webinars) featuring case studies of LEED for Homes projects today (Wednesday, March 12) at 2pm Eastern Time.
Visit www.usgbc.org/homeswebinar for more info.
I'll be logged in.
Ellen
from my post:
http://ehapc.wordpress.com/2008/03/10/interested-in-leed-for-homes/