Homes for a Changing Climate

Homes for a Changing Climate Review

Climate change is inescapable. Even if the whole world stopped pumping carbon dioxide into the sky today, at least forty years of climate change are ahead of us, thanks to the long time lag within the Earthís ecosystem. As the century progresses, extremes will become more common: heat-waves, drought, storms and floods will test the design of our buildings and the resilience of our communities. We also face the slow rise of sea levels and the secondary impacts of climate change, especially on energy and food security. Britain has a mild, temperate climate and occasional weather extremes tend to have serious impacts because we are simply not prepared for them. Yet across the world, communities have been living with such extremes for millennia. If we have the imagination to learn from others and rethink the ways we build and live together, we can face this unsettling future with confidence. Homes for a Changing Climate celebrates this collective wisdom, exploring traditional and contemporary responses to the challenges of climate and illustrating the many ways in which houses can be designed, built and adapted to cope with these challenges. Examples are drawn from across Europe ñ from the dry volcano of Thera to the 100mph winds of the Western Isles ñ and from cutting edge eco-building projects in Britain.Combining inspiring case studies, striking photography and practical advice, Homes for a Changing Climate is a book of imagination and hope in difficult times.

Hey Mr. Green: Sierra Magazine's Answer Guy Tackles Your Toughest Green Living Questions

Hey Mr. Green: Sierra Magazine's Answer Guy Tackles Your Toughest Green Living Questions Review

When is the right time to replace an old refrigerator? Is it okay to knit a sweater with acrylic yarn? Is it more environmentally correct to buy beer in bottles or cans? For the last several years, Bob Schildgen’s popular “Hey Mr. Green” column has tackled real-world questions from real people. Readers trust his answers, which are backed by Sierra Club’s research, but they also enjoy his realism and irreverent humor. This book distills the best of the column into one enormously useful and entertaining resource. It’s organized by subject — household issues, food and drink, transportation, reuse and recycling, and “big picture” environmental questions — making it easy to find answers to common questions. Whether puzzling over the intricacies of product life cycles or taking a reader to task for blasting his air conditioner, Hey Mr. Green is an indispensable, opinionated, and authoritative guide to minding one’s environmental footprint.

The Green Book of Household Hints: Keeping an Efficient and Ecologically Sound Home

The Green Book of Household Hints: Keeping an Efficient and Ecologically Sound Home Review

More than 1,000 ecologically sound tips for efficient housekeeping

The Green Book of Household Hints is an indispensable guide for today's busy homeowner. In this single, convenient volume are hundreds of useful tips on everything from avocados (unripe) to zippers (stuck). There is advice on:

• Appliance upkeep
• Bottled water
• Draft-proofing
• First aid
• Garbage disposal
• Home computers
• Household repairs
• Internet safety for kids
• Laundry
• Painting and decorating
• Pet care
• Stain removal

Whether it's a simple problem such as a squeaky door or a more complex matter such as household pets, The Green Book of Household Hints focuses on advice that really works. Complete with alphabetically arranged entries and a full index, The Green Book of Household Hints is a practical, time-saving guide that no modern home should be without.

Here are just a few valuable hints:

• Avoid placing an air conditioner where the sun beats down on it.
• Deodorize a dog by rubbing baking soda into its coat, then brushing it off.
• Water conducts electricity. If your basement floods, cautiously venture with rubber boots and shut off the power with a wooden spoon.
• Candles will last longer if you snip the wick close to the top.
• Put cornstarch on greasy carpet spills. After l hour, brush clean.
• Use dental floss to truss a turkey. It holds better than string.
• Use a dehumidifier in your basement. The house will be cooler, drier, and your air-conditioning bills will be lower.
• To lay floor tiles, start at the room's center and work toward the walls.
• Don't clean your computer monitor with glass cleaner while it is "on."
• Dry-clean both parts of a suit at the same time. Color changes will match.
• In a fire, if a door feels hot, don't open it. Escape by a window.

Adobe Homes for All Climates: Simple, Affordable, and Earthquake-Resistant Natural Building Techniques

Adobe Homes for All Climates: Simple, Affordable, and Earthquake-Resistant Natural Building Techniques Review

Adobe Homes for All Climates: Simple, Affordable, and Earthquake-Resistant Natural Building Techniques Feature

• ISBN13: 9781603582575
• Condition: New
• Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!

The lay-up of adobe bricks is an easy, forgiving way to achieve a solid masonry-wall system. Contrary to stereotypes, adobe is perfectly adaptable for use in cold, wet climates as well as hot and dry ones, and for areas prone to earthquakes. With its efficient use of energy, natural resources for construction, and minimal effort for long-term maintenance, it's clear that the humble adobe brick is an ideal option for constructing eco-friendly structures throughout the world.

The book is ideal both for first-time do-it-yourselfers and for experienced adobe builders seeking to improve their craft. Drawing on the experience of more than fifty major adobe projects since 1993, Adobe Homes for all Climates describes Adobe Building Systems' patented reinforcement and scaffolding systems, showing readers how to construct adobe homes more easily and safely, and with superior strength, durability, structural integrity, and aesthetic appeal, as compared to earthen homes of the past.

All aspects of adobe construction are covered, including making and laying adobe bricks, installing lintels and arches, conduits and pipes, doors and windows, top plates and bondbeams, ideal wall dimensions, adobe finishes, and other adobe construction components, such as the inexpensive use of scaffolding. These methods will produce a premium product that will meet and often exceed inspection standards.

Equipped with this manual, you will be able to obtain a building permit, make adobe bricks swiftly, and confidently lay them up. You will be able to beautifully finish your adobe walls with earth plasters creating stunning colors and outstanding light effects and create a beautiful, energy-efficient home that will last for generations to come.

Homes for a Changing Climate: Adapting Our Homes and Communities to Cope with the Climate of the 21st Century

Homes for a Changing Climate: Adapting Our Homes and Communities to Cope with the Climate of the 21st Century Review

Climate change is inescapable. Even if the whole world stopped pumping carbon dioxide into the sky today, at least forty years of climate change are ahead of us, thanks to the long time lag within the Earth's ecosystem. As the century progresses, extremes will become more common: heat waves, drought, storms, and floods will test the design of our buildings and the resilience of our communities. We also face the slow rise of sea levels and the secondary impacts of climate change, especially on energy and food security.

Across the world, communities have been living with such extremes for millennia. If we have the imagination to learn from others and rethink the ways we build and live together, we can face this unsettling future with confidence.

Homes for a Changing Climate celebrates this collective wisdom, exploring traditional and contemporary responses to the challenges of climate and illustrating the many ways in which houses can be designed, built, and adapted to cope with these challenges. Combining inspiring case studies, striking photography, and practical advice, Homes for a Changing Climate is a book of imagination and hope in difficult times.

The Effective Small Home

The Effective Small Home Review

This is a facsimile reprint of the original book by Lilian Bayliss Green, rebuilt using the latest technology. There are no poor, missing or blurred pages and all photographic images have been professionally restored. At Yokai Publishing we believe that by restoring this title to print it will live on for generations to come.

The Northwest Green Home Primer

The Northwest Green Home Primer Review

The essential, real-world, green home manual.

Everyone can make green home decisions on a budget with this inspiring, informationpacked guide. Whether you are building, remodeling, buying, or just curious, here are real-world strategies for getting the greenest results from your budget, with hundreds of ideas for a home that is built to last, comfortable and healthy, money- and time-saving in the long term, and kind to the planet. From your home's exterior to its operating systems within, from siting to interior design, this is the basic training that has given many the confidence to proceed. Award-winning sustainable design and building consultant and teacher Kathleen O'Brien and architectural designer and sustainability consultant Kathleen Smith offer their "top picks" for each phase. They've also each faced their own green home challenges in a single-family house and a duplex, and other case studies show affordable energy-efficient green homes both old and new. Brimming with ideas, clear and logical, with tips, checklists, and resources for green home planning, construction, remodeling, and maintenance, extensively illustrated with photos and diagrams, this is the essential green home manual for novice and professional alike.