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The nation is a buzz of talk about the economy…and about green jobs as one solution to our troubles. Green Jobs can range from companies installing renewable energy equipment to local businesses walking a more sustainable path. The greatest element of the green job movement is that every job has the potential to be a green job, our greatest challenge is not only creating new green jobs in new fields, but greening the jobs we already have.
During tours of our demonstration center we frequently receive questions about green flooring options, how well they work, and what to use. Our answer? Look down! WARM has a number of different eco-friendly floors installed in our office, including bamboo and cork. They hold up well against the constant traffic, but are also stunning and would fit well in any home.
So if you can’t make it down to our office to see for yourself, here is a good online guide for those thinking about installing an eco-friendly floor in their home or office. Please note that this guide is from a manufacturer and focuses on wood, so read it with that understanding in mind. Other options to consider are natural linoleum, recycled fibers, glass tile, vinyl, or even recycled tires!
I’m sure you guys know of this product, but it was a new find to me, and helps solve my problem with devices that are always on at home, such as the DVD player. What do you guys think?
Jeff, Detroit
Thanks Jeff, good find! Power strips are truly great items to have around the house, they save you money and time. Use them to plug all your electronics into one source, then when you leave the room you only have one switch to flip. The automatic shut off feature on this model is a nice addition, but any power strip will work.
Mayor Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. just announced that Detroit is creating an Office of Energy and Sustainability. We’re excited about this new step for the city. We’re also proud, because Cockrel specifically referred to WARM Training Center and the fact that this idea was born, in part, through conversations that he and his staff were having with community groups at our offices 2 years ago. From those conversations, Cockrel created a Green Task Force while he was President of City Council. Now that he is mayor, that task force has been reconvened as a Mayoral Task Force, and it will now be coordinated by the new Office of Energy and Sustainability. Mayoral aide Rick Bowers will be heading up the office.
We’ve compiled here a list of recent press coverage about the announcement. Let’s see what Detroit can do to take green to the next level.
Where is a good place to recycle or donate used office furniture? I’ve looked into a private company that picks-up, refurbishes, and sells the furniture. I’ve also looked into Goodwill or Re-Habitiat for Humanity, any thoughts?
Craig, Southfield
Hi Craig, thanks for the question. It sounds like you’ve already done some digging and you’re already on the right path. I agree, the first step is reuse, and if you can’t reuse the furniture then try to recycle it. Land filling is the last and least preferable option.
This past October Alan Mallach of the National Housing Institute led a Sustainable Design Assessment Team in Detroit. The SDAT is a multi-disciplinary team of national experts sponsored by the American Institute of Architects, 9 of these teams visited selected cities around the country.
The Detroit SDAT focused on land use, economic development, renewable energy, transportation, & urban vitality and agriculture. Tied into these focus areas was an emphasis on sustainable development principles.
The SDAT Team presented their initial recommendations
and will publish their final report in January or February of 2009. The overall theme for the presentation was a “Leaner, Greener Detroit.”
Check back in February for a link to the published report.
I am trying to find classes on becoming a green consultant. I live in Fort Lauderdale, FL. I will appreciate any kind of information that you can provide me. Thank you.
- Viriditas in Florida
We primarily focus on Michigan, so I am not familiar with green training programs in Florida. However, I would recommend that you contact the following three organizations to see what they have available in your area:
1) US Green Building Council
This is the premiere green building agency in the country, and they offer a lot of educational opportunities.
www.usgbc.org
2) National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Building Program
While this is just for residential buildings, it’s still a good starting place.
www.nahbgreen.org
3) Southface
Southface is an organization like ours in Atlanta which serves the southeast US region. They have local events, and they have an online training course.
www.southface.org
www.southfaceonlinetraining.org
Best of luck!
This post is a continuation from a previous post on green roofs. The original question asked about Ford’s satisfaction with their green roof on the Rouge plant in Dearborn.
Roger Gaudette of Ford Land was kind enough to answer our questions about the green roof, thank you Roger for you help with this post. A summary of Roger’s response follows.
The green roof on the Dearborn plant is a major component of Ford’s Rouge Revitalization effort. Overall, Ford is very satisfied with the green roof’s performance. Installed in 2004, the roof is living up to Ford’s initial hopes and expectations.
Building demolition creates enormous amounts of waste, if these materials aren’t recycled or reused they end up in landfills. Many of the structural and non-structural materials don’t have to be thrown away, rather, they can be reused or recycled as part of the demolition process.
Building Deconstruction is the process of dismantling everything that can be salvaged from the building before tearing it down. Items like fixtures, appliances, brick, wood, windows, doors, essentially anything of value. Once deconstructed, the building is torn down or renovated and the salvage materials are sold, recycled, or reused in other construction projects. (more…)
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