Natural Home Magazine's 10th Anniversary

This is an article I wrote for Natural Home Magazine's 10th Anniversary Issue (coming out this month).

I interviewed:

Gil Friend, Natural Logic

Pliny Fisk, Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems

Sarah Susanka, Architect and best-selling author, The Not So Big House series

David W. Orr, Professor of Environmental Studies, Oberlin College

Michelle Kaufmann, Architect

Sergio Palleroni, Center for Sustainable Processes and Practices, Portland State University

FULL STORY HERE

Q&A with Eric Corey Freed in the New York Times

I was interviewed in the New York Times to discuss my top things everyone should do to green their home. Rather than talk about adding solar panels, I thought it best to choose things everyone (including renters) can do to save money and our environment at the same time.

Five Beginners’ Steps to a Greener Home:
FULL STORY HERE

www.nytimes.com/2009/03/12/garden/12greenhome.html

Interview on 75 Green Businesses

I was interviewed by Glenn Croston and his 75 Green Businesses blog.

I also got to write a testimonial for the cover. It's a great book. Be sure to check it out.

New study shows Green Building doesn't cost more.

The following is from blog.inhabitconsulting.com/2008/12/new-study-exposes-green-building-costs.html

New Study Exposes Green Building Costs & Benefits

Recently a study was published by
Good Energies
a global energy efficiency and renewable energy investment company, that analyzed nearly 150 green-built buildings in 10 different countries to try to get a handle on the truth about the additional costs and benefits of building green. There were some surprising conclusions.

Among them:

On average, the "public" perceives the additional costs to build green at about 17%.
In reality, the median additional costs for building green proved to be less than 2%.
Over half of the buildings studied had a green building payback period of less than five years from energy and water savings alone (a five year payback is a 20% return on investment.)
Up front infrastructure development costs in "conservation developments" can be reduced by 25%, or approximately $10,000 per home.

Ecotopia

One of my favorite books, Ecotopia, is being reissued by the publisher this month and the New York Times has a nice story about the book.

The story starts with the Pacific Northwest having seceded from the United States to form its' own country named, Ecotopia. Washington, Oregon and Northern California make up the new country and base their economy on sustainable principles. The rest of the remaining US is thrust into a recession driven by partisan politics and old models of industry and energy.

Sound timely? Yes, except that it was written in 1974.

I had the prescient author, Ernest Callenbach, give a talk to a packed house at The Commonwealth Club in May 2005. He is the most charming and delightful man and lives just across the bay in Berkeley.

While you're reading it, be sure to also read the follow up prequel he wrote, entitled, Ecotopia Emerging. In many ways, I like it so much better than the first book.

Green Your Home for Dummies

I am thrilled to announce Green Your Home for Dummies.

It is not an entirely new book, but a compilation of 7 green books in the For Dummies series. It contains several chapters of my bestselling book, "Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies", and select chapters from:
* Green Living For Dummies
* Energy Efficiency For Dummies
* Green Cleaning For Dummies
* Sustainable Landscaping For Dummies
* Organic Gardening For Dummies
* Buying and Selling Green Homes For Dummies

It will be available in January 2009, but you can pre-order it now.

Women at the front of green

The San Francisco Examiner did a profile on various women in the heart of the green movement.

One of those profiled was Jackie Barbe, one of my incredible project managers here at organicARCHITECT. The print version had a wonderful photo of her too, but you can read the online version here.

Interview in Apartment Therapy

The good folks over at Apartment Therapy interviewed me. I love these short types of interviews, they're quick and get to the point.

FULL STORY HERE

HowYouEco Interview

Luke at HowYouEco recently interviewed me with his patented list of 3 quick questions. Check out the site. It is beautifully done and provides some great information.

Follow the Leaders: 7x7 Magazine Names Environmental Leaders in San Francisco

I am honored to be named one of the environmental leaders in San Francisco by 7x7 Magazine for their April (Earth Day) issue.

The article begins:

You already know the elders of the green tribe–Gore, Waters, McDonough. Now, meet SF's next wave.

It is also great to see my friend, Matt Golden, from Sustainable Spaces as one of the honorees. San Francisco is a wonderful place filled with so many great people doing amazing things, and Matt is a perfect example of that.

Full Profile via 7x7 Magazine
All of the profiles for the issue

MetHome: How Green is my Renovation?

I participated in a round table discussion with some of the leaders in green building for an article in Metropolitan Home with:
Fellow Architect Rob Harrison
Planner Steven Lenard
Interior Designer Denise Shaw
Executive Director of Build It Green, Brian Gitt

My favorite part:

Freed: Some of my work is helping other architects “green up” their projects. But it’s ridiculous when someone unveils a 14,000-square-foot house and asks me, “What can we do to make it greener?” My usual answer is, “Why don’t we take off the second floor?”

via Metropolitan Home

Article in Metropolitan Home Magazine

I wrote an article for MetHome Magazine on fellow San Francisco architect Anne Fougeron. Fougeron is a wonderful modernist and her loft in the San Francisco South of Market (SoMa) district is an exploration of green adaptive reuse. The three main elements: folded steel stair, interior courtyard and penthouse addition, are a clever and unique approach to converting an old factory into a home.

Read the full story: Urban Ecotecture at MetHome

My interview with CalFinder

CalFinder is a site where you can find contractors to help you with a building project. They interviewed me to talk about the perceptions of green building and what is waiting for us in the future.

An excerpt:

The act of renovating your building is expensive, whether you’re green or not. Being green doesn’t cost you any more, in fact it’s an opportunity to save money.

via CalFinder

2008: Year of the Green?!

The Seattle Times has a great little story today postulating that 2008 will be the year for green. Actually, I thought 2007 was a great leap ahead, so I'm excited to see widespread acceptance of sustainability this coming year...

via Seattle Times

Tomorrowland: A design competition for eco-smart city-living aims to turn “what if” into “what is”

The innovative and forward thinking Urban Re:Vision is featured in a cover story in via Common Ground Magazine this month. As one of the advisors on this wonderful project, I have been amazed at the caliber of the entries.

An excerpt:
Imagine a city where energy is renewably generated from helium-filled “solar balloons” floating hundreds of feet above the rooftops. Imagine a city where public transportation doesn’t follow regular routes, but is instead efficiently directed on the fly, on demand — via cell phone and GPS technology. A city where residential structures designed to keep people apart — like walls and fences — are replaced with facilities that bring neighbors together, like shared kitchen gardens or childcare centers. A city where commercial systems are designed to generate social capital, as well as cold hard cash.

Those are a small sampling of the ideas already received by the design competitions, with the promise of much more to come.

I encourage you to submit your own ideas, but in the in the meantime, read the story:
via Common Ground Magazine

Book review in the New York Times

Here's a review of the book in the New York Times, featured today:

Those willing to expend even the tiniest bit of energy to help save the planet may appreciate “Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies”. This well-organized book aims to help ordinary people make decisions that have a gentler impact on the earth. Tips include everything from what constitutes a green kitchen to macro-level considerations for constructing a house, like whether to build up or out (up is usually cheaper and less damaging to the environment). There’s also a chapter on building methods, like creating walls from discarded tires. With every topic, Mr. Freed said, he cut out the technical complexities and described “just the parts people need to know.”

New York Times

Review of the book on Inhabitat

A nice review of the book appeared on Inhabitat today. Now they see a LOT of books and resources, so a kind word from them means a great deal.

I have to admit, it's strange to work on something for a year, finish months ago (I finished the manuscript back in July) and NOW have people talking about it. As my friends will tell you, I cannot keep secrets, so keeping the book quiet while writing it was very hard! I love people are finally getting the information in the book.

An excerpt:
Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies provides an introduction to every facet of green building, from start to finish, including the materials, architecture, and construction methods of green building and remodeling for both homeowners and professionals such as architects, interior designers, and contractors.

...You won’t be a dummy with this book in your library... check out [this] truly helpful, informative reference guide, and get smart about green building in the New Year.

Thanks, Piper and Inhabitat for the kind words!
Few reviewers can seem to resist making a Dummies joke, and I think I've heard them all! Keep 'em coming.

Full Review at Inhabitat

Buy your copy of "Green Building for Dummies" now!

Reindeer Greetings

Reindeer Greetings is a project from the great folks at Urban Re:Vision and has reinvented the greeting card. Rather than sending a paper card (with the wasted resources of paper, ink, postage, and fossil fuels), a Reindeer Greeting costs the same price but sends an electronic greeting card. Proceeds from the sale of these beautifully illustrated cards benefits a different organization each season (Architecture for Humanity is currently the receipient).

visit Reindeer Greetings

Inhabitat Holiday Party Photos

The lovely ladies of Inhabitat: Piper Kujac, Sarah Rich, Jill Fehrenbacher, Emily Pilloton

One of my favorite blogs, Inhabitat, shares office space with my favorite community organization, Architecture For Humanity, and my favorite design competition, Urban Re:Vision. Friday night was their collective holiday party.

This is why I love San Francisco: here you can find a room filled with the greatest people doing the most interesting things on the planet. In attendance: Michelle Kaufman, Allison Arrief, Cameron Sinclair, Sarah Rich, Jill Fehrenbacher, Emily Pilloton, Stacey Frost, Willem Maas, Bill Cahan, the gang from Ecolect, the gang from Branch and the gang from Worldchanging... plus so many friends and interesting people. (Google any names you don't recognize!)

Perhaps the most interesting thing is how connected these various groups have become. They're all friends, all working to change the world and all full of hope for our future. Hard to believe that the truly most influential people in design today are a handful of young, hip bloggers (like those pictured). Women seem to be leading the charge. There are noticably more women than men in this group. I don't know what this indicates, but it's something to consider.

Full story via Inhabitat

Flickr gallery of photos from the event

ED+C Magazine: Sustainable Perspectives: Nature Boy

I wrote a story for Environmental Design + Construction Magazine as part of a feature they call "Sustainable Perspectives."

You should subscribe to this free magazine, but here is an excerpt:
"Being an environmentalist is often like being a struggling actor. You spend your days trying to convince people to see your viewpoint, only to be rebuffed again and again. Yet, we keep coming back for more. In fact, for years I invented slight reassurances for myself as my own way to dealing with the rejection. “They’ll come around...” I’d say to myself, “eventually the world will change for the better.” (Hey, we all have our coping mechanisms.)

Yet from my perspective, today I find myself more hopeful, more excited and more enthusiastic than ever before. The evidence for my exuberance can now been seen everywhere, but twenty years ago the story was much different..."

Full Article

Book Launch Party

Last night nearly 550 people packed into the Temple Nightclub in San Francisco for the book launch party for my new book, "Green Building for Dummies".

Temple touts itself as a green nightclub and generously donated the venue for the event. As usual, the hardline green people kept coming up to me with their nitpicky "helpful" suggestions:
"Why are the cups plastic and not corn based PLA? You should tell them to change that."
"Why aren't these bulbs compact fluorescents? You should tell them to change that."
"Why didn't they serve organic chocolate? You should tell them to change that."
(Very helpful indeed. For the record, I don't run the nightclub!)

We sold out all of the books, though my hand still hurts from all of the signing (I'm typing this with my left). It was a great evening and thank you to all those in attendance. There was even a special surprise announcement. (If you weren't there, ask someone who attended!)

Photo and a review of the evening courtesey of: Greenerati (Thanks, Keith!)

Greenpeace Photoclima: Landscapes in a changed climate

Spain: Landscapes in a changed climate

Greenpeace has launched a new book, Photoclima, in which images of some of Spain's most emblematic places have been altered to show what they could look like if action is not taken to tackle climate change.

Full Report from Greenpeace

Free webinar: Emerging Green Building Products

Yesterday I took part in an online webinar sponsored by the Sustainable Industries Journal.

(A webinar is a virtual seminar, where people listen to the audio on a telephone conference call, and watch the slides on a website.)

I was joined on the webinar with:
Eden Brukman, Research Director for Cascadia Green Building Council's Pharos Project and Living Building Challenge
AND
Becky Brun, Associate Editor, Sustainable Industries Journal

The Webinar can be downloaded for viewing/listening here.
(scroll down to "Missed the Webinar?")

or find a direct link here (WMV format).

You need to have Windows Media Player to view it.

Interview with HousingZone

I just did a short interview with HousingZone on green issues.

Read the interview here...

My current TV Profile

I was just interviewed for Current TV (the Al Gore user created content channel). I hate the sound of my voice, so I couldn't watch the whole thing, but it is beautifully edited.

Please be sure to vote for it when you watch.

Watch now...

A World Without Us?

In a wonderful thought experience, Alan Wiseman's new book A World Without Us poses the question, "What would the Earth be like if we just vanished?"

The idea poses a unique method to look at the issues surrounding environmentalism, especially in a reverse engineering kind of way.

Wiseman's site offers images of what this transition would look like.

Order Wiseman's book here from Amazon.

New Scientist Magazine touches on the same idea in their article:
"Imagine Earth without people "

The article begins:
Humans are undoubtedly the most dominant species the Earth has ever known. In just a few thousand years we have swallowed up more than a third of the planet's land for our cities, farmland and pastures. By some estimates, we now commandeer 40 per cent of all its productivity. And we're leaving quite a mess behind: ploughed-up prairies, razed forests, drained aquifers, nuclear waste, chemical pollution, invasive species, mass extinctions and now the looming spectre of climate change. If they could, the other species we share Earth with would surely vote us off the planet.

Now just suppose they got their wish.

Pretty freaky, huh? The article continues...
The same lack of maintenance will spell an early demise for buildings, roads, bridges and other structures. Though modern buildings are typically engineered to last 60 years, bridges 120 years and dams 250, these lifespans assume someone will keep them clean, fix minor leaks and correct problems with foundations. Without people to do these seemingly minor chores, things go downhill quickly.

KBB Top Product Picks for your kitchen

Kitchen & Bath Business (KBB) recently interviewed me about my favorite kitchen products. It is hard to narrow it down to a list of just five, but that's all KBB would allow me to include. From the article:

First on his list are Oceanside Glasstile mosaics. Not only are the tiles made of 20 to 86 percent recycled glass (depending on the color), "they're gorgeous and work well with curves," said Freed, who likes to incorporate arced walls into his designs. For an added punch of color, he pairs the tiles with grout in a cool tone.

For countertops, although several materials have caught his eye, Alkemi by Renewed Materials (5) especially piques his interest because of its unique appearance. Formed of 100 percent recycled scrap aluminum set into a resin, Alkemi comes in different colors and offers an intriguing alternative for those, like Freed, who are tired of granite.

Another company that transforms recycled metal into beautiful product is Eleek. Freed likes the company's aluminum tiles, which can be applied to an entire countertop or backsplash, and its sinks, which are available in aluminum or bronze and an assortment of shapes (Ellipse is shown) and bowl configurations..."

GreenHomeGuide: my recent articles

GreenHomeGuide, an incredible green building reference for homeowners, is building an archive of information around sustainable design. I recently wrote two short articles for them, found here:

What can I do to reduce my home’s carbon footprint?

Should I worry about the mercury in fluorescent light bulbs?

Defining Ecological Design and Zero Waste

Sara Holt from the Urban Alliance for Sustainability interviewed me with Diane Loviglio, of the SPUR Green Roof Task Force, about heading toward Zero Waste.

Learn more about UAS.
Learn more about SPUR.

Green Building for Dummies now available for pre-orders

Green Building for Dummies is now available for pre-orders on Amazon.

You'll get it in time for the Holidays. It makes great stocking stuffer!

Greenwashing Article in Natural Home

I recently wrote an article on greenwashing for Natural Home and it is on newsstands this month.

The printed version has a handy cut out card you can carry in your wallet to know what questions to ask when looking at products. A great list of certifications is also included.

CNet Story on Energy Efficient Lighting

CNet recently interviewed me for a story they did on energy efficient lighting.

The most interesting part of the story are the comments at the bottom of the page. There seems to be some confusion about LED bulbs. In reality: LEDs consume less energy than incandescents but still more than a compact fluorescent (CFL Bulb). CFL bulbs are still the most energy efficient when you compare it to an equal amount of light given off. This will change soon, I'm sure, but for right now, the LED bulbs still use slightly more energy than a CFL.

Winners of the 2007 National Design Awards

The winners of the 2007 National Design Awards has been released by the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum in New York.

Francis Ching was given a special award. As any Architecture student will tell you, Ching's books were required reading.

Greenopia launches this week

Greenopia launches this week in San Francisco<

Designed as a type of Zagat Guide for Green, Greenopia was a huge hit when it launched in LA last year. The San Francisco guide is 3 times the thickness (which I take great pride in).

They interviewed me for the site. During the interview, everyone in the office thought it sounded more like an eHarmony questionaire... especially the question about "What type of tree would I be?"

Read the interview here:
Greenopia Interview

Video of Eric for Let's Green This City

This is a video of my interview for Let's Green This City. I have been blogging for their Green Building section for several months now. I have no idea how many visitors it attracts, but the advertisements seem to be everywhere around San Francisco.

By the way, that IS our office and our staff. Note there are NO LIGHTS on, all of that is natural daylighting.

Last Exit: Reaching Inevitability

I recently wrote a piece for Next American City entitled Last Exit: Reaching Inevitability. It is a short essay, summarizing my thinking on Green Building as a movement. While my thinking has evolved, it is funny how I am essentially saying the same things I wrote twenty years ago in my sketchbooks and journals. Maybe I am just able to explain things better now.

If you have ever seen any of my lectures, the article will be familiar to you as it covers an abridged version of the first 10 slides of my typical talks. Take a look and tell me what you think.

This month I also have pieces in Luxe Magazine, Natural Home Magazine and Town and Country. I will post them as they become available online.

Would California Split from the Union?!

In the NY Times today was a great article about Schwarzenegger considering separating Cal-lee-forn-ya from the rest of the United States. After all, the advances we have been making in universal health care to global warming (See AB32) indicate the path less travelled compared to the Medieval thinking of the rest of the country.

As the article reminds us, "the bigger the nation, the harder it becomes for the government to meet the needs of its dispersed population..."

In one of my favorite books, Ecotopia, that premise is a reality. The book describes a near and probable future where the Pacific Northwest secedes from the United States to form its' own country, Ecotopia.

We had the author, Ernest Callenbach, speak at The Commonwealth Club just last year. He is one of the sweetest people you can imagine, and spoke about the 20th anniversary of the book. I compare him to Wells, Huxley and Orwell (also favorites!).

A few years later, Callenbach wrote a prequel entitled, Ecotopia Emerging, which is even better as it shows HOW the transition was made. Right now, the HOW is just what is needed.

GreenZebra

The GreenZebra coupon book was written up in the Chronicle last week. It is a nice story of how Anne and Sheryl began the company.

If you haven't heard of GreenZebra, think "Entertainment Book" like the ones your parents used to lug around when you were a kid to get bargains at places you never heard of. Unlike it's older preceedent, GreenZebra touts only green companies (including organicARCHITECT) and brings these sustainable options into the hands of consumers.

I admit, I was dubious about participating in the book, but it has brought us clients, new friends and nice people calling to thank us for our website.

To purchase the book for $25, visit their site.

UK Global Warming Report

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change just released this report on the Climate Crisis. The byproduct of 2500 reviewers and six years of work, the report is by far the most scrutinzed analysis of Global Warming ever released.

The consensus: the world's leading experts says global warming will happen faster and be more devastating than previously thought. This is not the work of a lone crackpot, but the leading scientists in their field. Any disputed information was removed, leaving only the creamy goodness of scientific fact. Each paragraph of this report was therefore argued over and scrutinised intensely. Only points that were considered indisputable survived this process. This is a very conservative document - that's what makes it so scary,' said one senior UK climate expert.

A draft of the report is available online, with the final release due in Q4 2007.

We can expect the frequency of devastating storms - like Katrina - will increase dramatically. Sea levels will rise over the century by around 2 feet; snow will disappear from all but the highest mountains; deserts will spread; oceans become acidic, leading to the destruction of coral reefs and atolls; and deadly heatwaves will become more prevalent.

from the Guardian

Interactive Guide (Flash)

New York House Magazine (really a green building magazine...)

I met Jim Andrews at the recent Healthy Environment, Healthy Economy Conference in Albany. Jim publishes New York House Magazine and we sat on a panel together.

I read the issue on the flight back and it is really well done. You don't need to live in New York to enjoy it either.

If you hear of any other Green Happenings in New York, please let us know.

You can read Jim's version of our encounter here.