Concrete is heavy, and 5% of the world’s CO2 is created during the manufacture of the cement that goes into it. Then there is the aggregate that is dug out and the trucks that have to carry it. Not only that, but most of the concrete that is in a slab isn’t even needed; it is just a spacer between the bottom, where the reinforcing steel is in tension, and the top, where the concrete is
Envision™ provides a holistic framework for evaluating and rating the community, environmental, and economic benefits of all types and sizes of infrastructure projects.
The Envision™ Rating System evaluates, grades, and gives recognition to infrastructure projects that use transformational, collaborative approaches to assess the sustainability indicators over the course of the project’s life cycle.
Who Can Use Envision™
Envision™ can be used by infrastructure owners, design teams, community groups, environmental organizations,
While you may think some of your stuff has hit the end its life cyle, or is only good for one thing, much of it could be leading a double life in your garden! Before you give them the heave-ho, check out Real Simple’s great list of 46 new uses for old things in the garden; here are our 10 favorite ideas. More Read More..
The trend toward keeping backyard livestock in urban and suburban areas seems only to be growing. We’ve featured plenty of chicken coop designs in the past, but we loved this homemade coop in a small backyard in Los Angeles so much that we wanted to share the story.
Irwin Miller, whose kids’ room we featured for its clever use of small space, inherited some chickens from his son’s school. He explains how the whole addition
Joel Allen didn’t expect to end up building a secret cabin on land he didn’t own in British Columbia. First he thought he would work in software (that didn’t work out), then he retired at the age of 26 (didn’t work out either). After befriending a self-taught carpenter, Allen was inspired to go into the field himself. He headed to Whistler, north of Vancouver, lived out of his car and looked for work.
Allen spent a lot of time in the woods, and realized he wanted his own hideaway. Working with architect friends, he designed an egg-shaped tree house. After a two month search for the perfect tree, he found his spot, on publicly owned….
Either he knows a lot about gardening, or he’s a whiz at Photoshop. I’m betting on the first.
Lee has a four-part system for beating the weeds:
– Don’t disturb the soil. (prevents buried weed seeds from surfacing and germinating.)
– Set up permanent beds and paths. (so you won’t have to till to aerate the soil.)
– Keep the soil ….
