Last week Toronto hosted the Green Living Show, a consumer show featuring everything from greywater irrigation systems to renewable energy (solar, wind, water) to food made from organic ingredients. In other words, everything you need to live the eco existence, including a keynote address by none other than Bill Clinton, who headlined with top tips for living green.

Mixed in with the usual contenders—chemical-free cleaning supplies, organic sauces served up with pretzels (what show would be complete without these freebie stalls?), the seemingly un-ironic car companies touting their hybrid vehicles—was a single vendor selling a basic, low-tech idea: The Living Wall.

Like any wall system, The Living Wall acts as both a privacy screen and a noise dampener, except instead of being built out of synthetic materials (brick, steel, iron) this wall is made from willow shrubs that grow quickly, is easy to maintain (the stalks keep their shape and don’t require special watering) and are hardy enough to survive the both the heat of Houston and the frigid wrath of Winnipeg.

The concept behind The Living Wall is quite old, derived from the basic recipe of combining two-year-old willows with wooden posts, which provide stability and force the shoots to project upward and straight. The Wall can be as long as you want, planted as a single line or in rows for added privacy, or in combination with other organic wall systems (see more pictures here). Willows have a lifespan of about 30 to 40 years, so replanting is necessary; other than that, the only maintenance required is gentle trimming.

Completely organic and graffiti-proof, this carbon-dioxide absorber establishes itself quickly, blends in with nature and is cheap to build and maintain—clearly a winning combination when it comes to landscaping.

My father-in-law designed and built his own house a few years ago, a job that began with clearing and levelling the land. He did everything himself, with the exception of bringing someone in to help with the foundation pour. Not bad for a guy in his 50s.

I thought of him while reading a recent press release sent out by publisher John Wiley & Sons, creator of the iconic black-and-yellow For Dummies series of reference books. Pitched to “those frustrated and hardworking souls who know they’re not dumb” but lack technical knowledge, this hugely successful series of books—150 million in print; more than 1,000 topics—has ventured deeper into the realm of eco-building with Green Building and Remodelling for Dummies, written by Eric Corey Freed, a LEED-accredited architect.

This useful book helps navigate the reader through the onslaught of “green” building materials and systems, covering everything from water and heating to energy conservation to selecting “green financing experts.”

The timing couldn’t be better. Green building has gained a steady foothold among regular homeowners who see the value in energy and water efficiency. What’s more: not only are we renovating from a green perspective, we’re simply renovating more, period. According to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, Americans spent approximately $230 billion on remodelling in 2007; up in Canada, more than $17.3 billion was spent in 2007, with 39 per cent of all homeowners taking on a renovation project in 2007, according to Statistics Canada. Across North America, homeowners are staying put and fixing up, not moving on.

With all the greenwash out there, having a calm, even-toned tome written for the everyman is certainly appreciated. Add to this Wiley’s other eco-themed books—Solar Power Your Home For Dummies—and other home-reno titles such as Building Your Own Home For Dummies, Home Improvement All-in-One For Dummies, plus books on bathroom and painting—and you’ve got a well-rounded foundation for environmental building.

I say “foundation” because, really, would anybody be comfortable beginning such a huge project with only a few Dummies books as technical guides? Imagine your contractor showing up with one of these books. Staying put is one thing; deciding to build your own house after watching a few episodes of Flip This House and reading the For Dummies book … well, is this really a smart idea?

Most of us know the benefits of using compact fluorescent light bulbs instead of traditional, less-efficient incandescent bulbs. Compact fluorescents last up to 10 times as long as incandescent bulbs and use far less energy, making them the right choice for the earth and your pocketbook.

Compact fluorescents work by passing a current through a tube filled with a trace amount of mercury and argon gas, an inert, colourless, odourless and nontoxic gas. If you’ve ever purchased windows, you know the benefits of argon gas: reduced heat loss in winter and decreased heat gain in summer.

When I was a kid I thought argon gas was some sort of Superman-strength fume that protected against, I don’t even know, aliens? Turns out I was partly right; the gas does have superhero strength, as in light force.

Luxim, a company that specializes in developing high-efficiency lighting, recently revealed its newest project: a Tic-Tac-sized bulb that gives off as much light as a streetlamp but is ultra-efficient thanks to, you guessed it, argon gas, as well as a component called a “puck.” When electrical energy is delivered to the puck, the puck acts like an electrical lens, heating up the argon to a temperature of 6000 degrees Kelvin, and turning the gas into a plasma that gives off light.

Conventional light bulbs and high-end LEDs get around 15 and 70 lumens per watt, respectively. By comparison, the plasma bulb uses 250 watts, and achieves around 140 lumens per watt, making it incredibly bright and highly efficient in its light distribution.

So while you might not need such bright lighting in your home, this tiny bulb offers a brilliant glimpse into the future.

In a follow-up to Jay’s previous post, I was incredibly excited to hear the announcement today that Sony Canada is trying to divert 100% of its products from landfills by offering customers various options for disposal. According to their press release, you can do it one of three ways: drop your “end of life” (a fantastic term that calls to mind a yellow ’80s-style Walkman grinding out the final notes of a Hall & Oates cassette) products at a pre-approved recycling centre; bring them to a Sony Style store; or mail them in to the company.

Probably the best part about this is that the offer extends to any Sony product, so that old-school TV that you’ve kept for years in the hopes that it’ll be of use again someday can finally stop taking up space in the basement. Now it’s just a question of where to recycle all of those cassettes …

Every spring my street puts on a block-long yard sale. It’s a daylong event and often the entire neighbourhood can be found sitting outside in raincoats, shivering as we sell $2 books and household junk. I’ve found some great stuff walking through the driveways—computer speakers, a ratchet set—and yet, for every useful item, there are dozens of broken, seemingly useless objects being sold. Who wants to buy a computer hinged with a “Doesn’t Work—$10” sign? Believe me, I’ve seen this.

Now I say “seemingly useless” because while these broken items might not sell to Joe Consumer, they are sometimes useful to non-profit organizations and other community-minded groups. So rather than simply throwing out old stuff, or wasting away an entire day for a $40 profit at your garage sale, consider donating your stuff. Here are a few options.

Building Materials

Depending on where you live, there are likely dozens of resell stores and drop-off centres for used—but still useful—building materials such as windows, doors, paint, tools, you name it. Habitat For Humanity, for example, sells donated materials through their ReStores and uses the proceeds to fund Habitat projects, while at the same time reducing the amount of waste sent to the landfills. If you’re looking for a ReStore near you, you can find options in Canada, as well as the U.S.

Computers and electronics

There’s nothing worse than seeing an old computer monitor sitting on the curb getting soaked by the rain. As PCs have dropped in price, many of us are upgrading our clunky desktops with tiny laptops. In fact, some municipalities have made it illegal to throw away computer parts without paying for a disposal fee. So while you won’t get much for a massive monitor, you can still donate it to a school, shelter or retailer that will fix it up and sell the “renovated” machine at a discount, often donating part of the funds to charity.

Computers With Causes takes your computer and gives you a tax receipt, just like you’d get with any registered charity. Computer Hope offers a similar service, as does ReBoot Canada.

Furniture and Household items

Almost every community has a Goodwill or Salvation Army drop-off centre for used couches, chairs, carpeting, dishes and toys—things that wouldn’t necessarily sell in your neighbourhood yard sale but would be useful to less-fortunate or simply frugal people (hello, students). We’ve got the links at the top, but you know your own Sally Ann.

For a more comprehensive list of donation spots near you, for every purpose, visit CharityVillage (Canada) and the Household Goods Donation Program in the U.S.

Back in the 1950s, homeowners were inundated with ads, like this one, depicting pretty housewives using state-of-the-art home appliances. The home became a symbol of post-war affluence modernized with dishwashers, dryers, ovens, vacuums and other timesavers promising to make life easier. Those were the days … days of inefficient, energy-guzzling machines. We’ve come a long way, baby. Demand for energy-efficient appliances has increased, which means prices have dropped on once-costly items such as high-efficiency furnaces.

So, how do you tell the good from the gimmick when it comes to green appliances? In North America, the easiest way to guarantee you’re buying an efficient, third-party-verified machine is to look for the Energy Star label. Energy Star is an internationally recognized rating system that tests products for energy efficiency. Products range from building materials (windows, doors, insulation, ventilation) to appliances to lighting. Some states and provinces offer rebates for Energy Star purchases.

Outdoor Green Gear

Of course, green appliances aren’t only found indoors; preparing for the springtime rush, retailers are now pushing eco-workhorses for the yard. Forget gas-guzzling mowers; Solaris’s cordless, solar-powered mower can cut up to 10,000 square feet on one battery charge. Simply mount the solar panel on your shed’s roof and get cutting. Retail value: $569.

Black & Decker allows you to mow and mulch–leaving behind grass clippings (rather than bagging and composting) that function as lawn fertilizer and reduce the need to water–with their Cordless Mulching Mower, which runs on a rechargeable 24-volt battery. Retail value: $500.

Black & Decker also makes other cordless yard tools such as hedge trimmers (about $100) and tree pruners (same price).

Super-recycler TerraCycle Inc. sells oak rain barrels for collecting rainwater for watering plants, lawns, and so on. Simply place the barrel under your gutter’s downspout and turn April’s showers in May’s flowers. Retail value: $150.

Of course, this is just a small sampling of green appliances for your home. Virtually every home category is jammed with green products, so look for the Energy Star label and read the fine print. You can find the products above at the Home Depot, and other large retailers across the continent.

By now, global-warming naysayers are fringe folk who probably also believe the world is flat. We know the benefits of recycling, and energy efficiency has become the buzzword in home building and renovating. Your highly efficient stove and windows may cost more upfront, but the real savings—and your home’s resale value—come through reduced energy bills and increased life spans while also helping make the planet a better place.

But green building isn’t just about the planet—it’s also about the health of the homeowner. Newly renovated homes often have that “new car” smell, which is really a stew of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) often found in oil paint, as well as formaldehyde off-gassing from engineered wood, like the medium-density fibreboard (MDF) used to make kitchen cabinets and furniture.

According to the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, indoor air quality—especially in tight, new homes—can be three to four times more polluted than outdoor air, which may be the reason 20 per cent of North Americans have some form of lung disorder, likely linked to dust and mold in your home. We spend an average of 90 per cent of our time indoors, either at work or at home, so eliminating VOCs is crucial.

Luckily, homeowners today have options not readily available even five years ago. Most paint, for example, is virtually VOC-free, and engineered wood such as MDF is now available without formaldehyde. For flooring, CMHC recommends hard surfaces, such as prefinished hardwood flooring, or ceramic tiles laid down using a low-toxin grout. The reason: hard surfaces are easier to clean, they don’t collect dust as easily as carpet and they are last longer, which means, beyond better air quality, you’re also reducing repair costs and trips to the dump to plonk worn-out carpet.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health website includes a page dedicated to household products and toxins. Click Products and then choose Inside the Home (for bathroom, kitchen, etc.) or Home Maintenance (for grout, insulation, paint, etc.).

Still unsure how indoor air quality relates to you or how you can easily reduce harmful VOCs? Health Canada has a section containing information, resources, and even a few quizzes to help you get your air quality where you want it to be.

Five years ago, “green” renovating meant three things: increased costs, questionable quality and searching through pages and pages of contractor listings till, eventually, you found a contractor knowledgeable about green building that didn’t also charge the moon. It wasn’t easy being green, but that was then and this is now.

Today, none of these statements ring true: green building materials have increased in quality while decreasing in cost as consumer demand for environmental products and systems keeps climbing. What’s more, environmentally responsible products save you money over the long haul because of increased efficiency and longer life spans; it may cost you slightly more upfront, but you’ll quickly earn back your investment while also upping the resale value of your home.

But don’t just take our word for it. Even Wall Street, traditionally weary of any shade of green other than the dollar bill, agrees: green building is both responsible from an ecological perspective, but also beneficial from an investor’s point of view. Investor website TheStreet.com takes a look at green building from a cost/benefit point of view.

Similarly, CNN’s Money Magazine takes a hard look at green reno costs and return on investment.

Incentives

Still not convinced green renos suit your budget? Well, perhaps the state can help change your mind. Governments across North America are trying to cut back on energy and water consumption, so it’s in their best interest to entice homeowners to go green, which means a plethora of grants, incentives and rebates. American rebates take the form of everything from tax breaks to grant programs, while the Canadian version is pushing energy audits various government rebate programs.

Up next in Part 2 of Green Your Home: the health benefits of green renovation.

—Jay Somerset

Do you realize that indoor air pollution can be worse than the pollution outdoors? Up to seventy percent worse? And with so many people allergic to items such as pollen and dust, if you can purify the air in the home, it is much better for you and your family.

A furnace air filter is one of the most common ways of cleaning the air in your home. But if you are going to buy one, stay away from the throw-away furnace types. Several (but to make it clear, not all) types of throw-away furnace air filters do not have any sealing capacities. This means that the smaller sized particles pass both through and around the air filter, causing the face of the filter to load up and not stopping the dust and pollen. Don’t buy a throw-away filter unless you are really sure it’s good.

So what other sort of furnace air filter can you buy? To start with, you really want to look for one with a high dust holding capacity, around 330 grams or more. Ring panel furnace air filters are pretty good. They have a great sealing ability and a tight fit when fitted into the air filter slot. The tight fit ensures that all the air passes through the filter, rather than around it, stopping the pollen, dust and all those other little things that can cause allergies.

A permanent washable furnace filter is another good idea. Of course, over time the more that you wash it the less effective it usually becomes, but they do last for a while. And you haven’t got any messy filter to throw away when it needs to be replaced. So the washable furnace filter is an environmentally friendly option, as well as non-allergenic.

One big downside to most furnace filters is that most of them do not remove or lessen some of the main causes of allergies in the house. I am speaking primarily to people who are allergic to dust mites or cats. If you are one of them, then maybe a furnace air filter is not the right kind of filter for you.

On the upside, these types of filters are some of the cheapest to run, so if ongoing cost is a main consideration for you, check out these filters. The furnace air filters also have a reputation for not emitting ozone. Good if you are environmentally aware.

The ecoENERGY Retrofit program is open to all Canadian homeowners renovating to be more energy efficient.

Things to know about the program:

• Homeowners can receive a rebate of up to $5,000 for improving their home.
• You have to pay $295 to have someone come into your home to assess it before you renovate, and an additional $150 to have them come back after the renovations are complete.
• Some provinces will send you an instant rebate of up to $150 after the first assessment to subsidize some of the cost.
• The average homeowner receives $1600 in rebates
• By following the recommendations of the advisor, you can help lower your house’s emissions by up to one-half. Homes are one of the major producers of green house gas emissions in Canada.
• All advisers must be impartial — be careful of those that come into your home and try to up-sell you.
• Homeowners can choose what to upgrade based on their adviser’s recommendations, their budgets, and what has the most payback.

posted by Nikki Rollins
nrollins@homerenovationguide.com