Green Reading
Monday, February 18th, 2008
• Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings 9th Edition: Save Maney , Save the Earth; By: Jennifer Thorne Smith Amann and Alex Wilson-$16.95US
How efficient are front-load washing machines? When is it time to replace your old refrigerator? These questions and many more are answered in the Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings, a one-stop resource for consumers who want to improve their home’s energy performance and reduce costs. Zeroing in on the most useful response can be a challenge—this 9th edition guide cuts through the confusion.
Well-organized and highly readable, the Consumer Guide to Home Energy Savings begins with an overview of the inter-relationships between energy use, economics and the environment. Chapters focus on specific areas in the home, such as electronics, lighting, heating, cooling, ventilation, kitchen and laundry, and provide helpful explanations for each.
• Extreme Waether Hits Home: Protecting Your Buildings from Climate Change; By: John Banta-$22.95US
Extreme Weather is the only book of its kind that shows how to protect your home or business from climate change, by focusing on the following areas:
• Risk and causal assessment, due to region and soil
• Extreme weather’s rapid and slow effects
• Site, foundation, wall, and roof considerations and modifications
• Insurance options
• Anticipated changes for the United States, Canada and Mexico
Our homes are one of the most expensive investments we will ever make. They are also our refuge from the elements, and we must protect them so they can protect us. This book is a valuable resource for all property owners.
• Stoneview: How to Build an Eco-Friendly Little Guesthouse; By: Rob Roy-$24.95US
Stoneview is an octagonal cordwood masonry timber-framed guesthouse with a living roof, located in upstate New York, fully constructed and finished for just $6,000.
In response to the enormous interest in this unique little home, author/builder Rob Roy has written Stoneview.
Over 130 clear line drawings and step-by-step images provide the reader with all the information needed to build this 300-square-foot cabin from start to finish, and a full-color section shows off the beautiful design features of this charming “green” cabin. All design considerations are covered, as well as an interesting and thorough discussion of the geometry of the octagon.
Separate chapters are devoted to:
• site preparation
• forming and pouring the slab
• timber framing
• the light-weight living roof and
• the cordwood masonry walls.
• Green Building A-Z: Understanding the Language of Green Building; By: Jerry Yudelson-$14.95US
In this book, Yudelson brings together the basics of green building and adds to it something for everyone, even the most experienced green champion. Green Building A to Z is an important addition to the growing literature on this subject. It provides an easy point of entry to learn about green buildings and green building technology without presuming any technical or business training by the reader.
This book shows how green building relates to some key issues, including:
* environmental site planning
* energy-efficient building design
* water conservation
* carbon dioxide emission reduction
* use of recycled and locally sourced materials, and
* healthy buildings.
*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Install a ceiling fan to improve heat and cool air circulation within a room in your home. Ceiling fan can even help move the air around on a porch or covered sitting area outside.
