29th Annual RDA Architecture Tour

29th Annual RDA Architecture Tour
Saturday and Sunday
March 25 and 26, 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Presented by the Rice Design Alliance in collaboration with Buffalo Bayou Partnership

The Rice Design Alliance 2006 architecture tour investigates the varied and fascinating approaches that architects and landscape architects have taken when designing houses and landscapes on Buffalo Bayou and its tributaries.

The tour is open only to RDA and Buffalo Bayou Partnership members and guests. RDA Memberships beginning at $35 can be purchased at any of the houses on the tour and include one complimentary tour ticket (Family level and above include two complimentary tickets). Tickets for all eight houses are $20; $10 for students; and $15 for senior citizens (65 years and older).

Civic Forum
In conjunction with the Houses on the Bayou Tour, Rice Design Alliance presents a civic forum on the history of Buffalo Bayou and the engineering that has and will continue to affect the preservation or destruction of the natural habitat and valuable community resource. Two tour homeowners will describe their experiences of living on the bayou and how they foresee its future.

Admission is free and open to the public.
Wednesday, March 22, 7 p.m. at The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Local Green Materials website for Houston, TX

This site is brought to you by the Houston Advanced Research Center's Cultivate Green Program. The program is a demand side knowledge building and knowledge transfer program intended for the general public of the Houston area.
The basics of the system are pretty simple; there is a residential green products inventory of knowledge and a commercial/institutional component.

Some of the HOME CATEGORIES include:
Appliances
Interior Finish & Trim
Caulks & Adhesives Lighting
Decking
Mechanical Systems/HVAC
Distributors & Retailers
Doors Windows Insulation
Outdoor Structures
Electrical Paints & Coatings
Exterior Finish & Trim
Plumbing
Flooring & Floorcoverings
Roofing
Foundations, Footers & Slabs
Sitework & Landscaping
Furniture & Furnishings
Renewable Energy
Structural Systems & Components Sheathing

Texas Incentives for Renewable Energy

DSIR is a database of incentive for Renewable Energy by state.
These include: Financial Incentives such as Property Tax Exemption,

Rules, Regulations & Policies-includes: Construction/Design Standard-
Alternative Energy in New State Construction


Some Related Programs & Initiatives

Green Power Network: Buying Green Power in Your State
The U.S. Department of Energy's Green Power Network provides news and information on green power markets and related activities. This site provides state-by-state information on Green Power Marketing in Competitive Electricity Markets and Utility Green Pricing Programs.
In addition, the site lists marketers of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs)(also known as green tags or tradable renewable certificates), which represent the environmental attributes of the power produced from a renewable energy project. Whether or not consumers have access to green power through their local utility or a competitive electricity marketer, consumers can purchase RECs without having to switch electricity suppliers.

Million Solar Roofs Initiative
The U.S. Department of Energy's Million Solar Roofs (MSR) Initiative brings together business, government, the energy industry, and community organizations with a commitment to install a set number of solar energy systems by 2010. Activities typically include consumer education, professional workshops, and other outreach activities to help individuals and organizations who are considering installing a solar system. Click here to find Partnerships in your state.

Wind Powering America
The U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Powering America site provides state-by-state wind project information, including validated wind maps, anemometer loan programs, small wind guides, legislative briefings, wind working groups, and state-specific news.

Green Building Initiative - Houston

Great site that provides plenty of resources, guidlines and checklists to building green in Houston.

Also check out the handbook provided by the Department of Energy:
Building America Best Practices Series: Volume 1-Builders and Buyers Handbook for Improving New Home Efficiency, Comfort, and Durability in the Hot and Humid Climate

"Building America's system design recommendations and process improvements can help all builders interested in re-engineering their home designs to achieve high performance. This best practices handbook helps builders develop durable, comfortable homes that achieve 30% energy savings in space conditioning and water heating in hot and humid climates. The handbook contains chapters for every member of the builder's team—from managers to site planners to designers, site supervisors, the trades, and marketers. There is also a chapter to help homeowners select the best systems for their new home."

Building America Best Practices Series: Volume 1 (PDF 8.1 MB)

PEUGEOT COMMERCIAL

I love this commercial...cracks me up!

TV Commercial found with the help of Clipland

... but to not steer away from a theme did you know about:
Peugeot’s New Stop & Start System: 6-15% Fuel Savings

Second Annual Children's Day at Rice Gallery!

Children's Day: Fun with Drums!

Saturday, March 4
11 am - 2 pm


Rice Gallery invites families to celebrate spring with an afternoon of art and fun. On view in the gallery will be Conversation, a colorful, percussion installation by Brooklyn artist David Ellis. Children and their families can listen to the artist speak about the installation or tour the gallery on their own with a free Family Guide. On the gallery plaza, decorate a drum, watch drumming performances, and try out different kinds of drums!

Schedule of Events
11:15 am...........Gallery talk with artist David Ellis
11:30 am...........Rice Percussion Ensemble Performance
12:30 pm...........University of Houston Steel Drum Band Performance
1:15 pm.............Gallery talk with artist David Ellis
1:30 pm.............Rice Percussion Ensemble Performance

Drum demonstrations by Houston Percussion Center throughout the event.

Children's Day is free and open to the public.
All activities will take place in Rice Gallery, the foyer, and plaza.

For more information, please visit ricegallery, or call 713.348.6069.

Special thanks to the Rice University Shepherd School of Music Percussion Ensemble and director Richard Brown, the University of Houston Steel Drum Band and director Blake Wilkins, as well as the Houston Percussion Center.

Location, Parking, and Wheelchair Access
Rice Gallery is on the ground floor of Sewall Hall, and is best reached using Campus Entrance 1 located at the intersection of Main Street and Sunset Boulevard. When the entrance road dead-ends turn left into paid visitor parking (credit card only, $3.00 per hour, $9.00 daily maximum) in the Founder’s Court Lot. For other parking options visit www.rice.edu/parking. Wheelchair access is on the south side of Sewall Hall, the left side of the building.

By METRORail: Hermann Park/Rice University Station.


http://ricegallery.org/new/exhibition/conversation.html

KOYA-SAN

Japanese Green roof pagodas/cemetary markers.
First saw image of this on: John_h_Drain's flicker site
also check out his picture of housing in Creteil

Valentine greens from Austin

VIA mocoloco.com - Modern Contemporary Design ...not crazy booger (spanish translation)

Why settle for red roses when you can go for a more elegant living arrangement designed especially for you? Big Red Sun puts together tillandsias, mosses and exotic feathers in the shape of a heart for a unique and lasting Valentine’s Day gift. SM

+ bigredsun.com

p.s. something interesting-after visiting their site... check out my site:
+ blugrndesign.com
tell me if you experience any deja-vu...especially when you go to the webdeisgn page and click onthe bird. ;oP
i guess great minds think alike.

American Photovoltaics LP recently formed in Houston

VIA [www.RenewableEnergyAccess.com]

American Photovoltaics LP recently formed in Houston, Texas, to do their part in tackling the worldwide shortage of solar PV modules. The company says it will manufacture and market thin-film photovoltaic (PV) modules for the growing international PV marketplace. The company is planning to build a thin-film solar module manufacturing facility in the greater Houston area. To accomplish this, the company has secured a contract with Energy Photovoltaics, Inc. (EPV) in Princeton, New Jersey, which will supply all machinery, proprietary production hardware and software, and expertise necessary to construct and operate such a PV module production facility. American Photovoltaics will also enter into a management contract with EPV to provide plant construction oversight, assist in the training of personnel and establish production operations without unnecessary start-up delays.

Global Warming Contributors- TX

U.S. facilities that released more than 100,000 tons of Carbon Dioxide during 2004
This map displays a Galveston facility,South Houston Green Power, LP CSGP Services, that released 2,204,823 Tons of CO2 in 2004.
According to the EPA. . .
CO2, or carbon dioxide, is a product of fossil fuel combustion which is a dominant greenhouse gas believed to contribute to global climate change.

Find more info in theGlobal Warming maps at X-Maps.com.
Here you will find a listing of well over a hundred different locations in the US that produce large-scale emissions of CO2; each entry reveals the tons of CO2 output in 2004, and links to a Google Map satellite view of the offending site.

2007 Solar decathalon teams announced

Twenty teams have been selected to compete in the 2007 Solar Decathlon. Each selected team will be awarded $100,000 over two years to support the Solar Decathlon's research goal of reducing the cost of solar-powered homes and advancing solar technology.

Two Texas Schools included: Texas A&M and University of Texas

The teams selected for the competition will be awarded $100,000 over two years to support the Solar Decathlon's research goal of reducing the cost of solar-powered homes and advancing solar technology.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a U. S. Department of Energy Laboratory, issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) to accredited colleges, universities, and other post-secondary educational institutions on Oct. 6, 2005.

A Green Dream in Texas

From the New York TImes
January 18, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Richardson, Tex.

..."Texas Instruments, which is building a "green" chip factory here in Richardson, near Dallas. T.I. is keeping 1,000 high-tech jobs in Texas by building its newest facility - to make wafers used in semiconductors - in a cost-saving, hyper-efficient green manner. "

"Green building is not necessarily about producing your own power with windmills and solar panels. It's about addressing the consumption side with really creative design and engineering to eliminate waste and reduce energy usage - it's the next industrial revolution," said Paul Westbrook, who oversees sustainable design for T.I. and helped turn T.I. leaders on to green building by taking them to his solar-powered home. "Green building added some cost, but over all we built a green building for 30 percent less per square foot than our previous conventional facility." This is expected to cut utility costs by 20 percent and water usage by 35 percent.....

So hats off to the leaders of T.I. Thanks to their vision, Dallas - not China - has the newest T.I. wafer plant, a new investment in education and a great example of how a green factory can be efficient and profitable and can create good American jobs in the 21st century.

Energy guzzling is for defeatists. Real Americans - and real Texans - build green"

Library of Congress: Thomas

Good tool to research bills to be passed and how they may affect you. Pretty straightforward and easy to use.
"Library of Congress: Thomas"

Green Furniture

Even Furniture can be designed with "green-age" in mind.
+ 1st image: solar decathalon 2005, madrid university.
+ 2nd image: A&W design group from china
(click on picture to link to respective websites)

FREE BOOK on GREEN BUILDING

Engineering A Sustainable World
Design Process and Engineering Innovations for the Center for Health and Healing at Oregon Health & Science University, River Campus
by Interface Engineering, Inc.

Busting a key economic myth, a leading Portland building engineering firm has published an illustrated guide to achieving a top-rated green building on a conventional budget. Interface Engineering Inc.'s 48-page book "Engineering a Sustainable World" shares the principles and secrets behind its engineering of the "Center for Health and Healing" at the new River Campus of Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). The book is available at no charge from THIS LINK.
Follow it to the bottom of the page and click on the BOOK REQUEST LINK

Houston EVENTS

+ Last chance to see:
White Webb: Eminent Domain +
10 November – 11 December 2005 @ the rice gallery
Excerpt from brochure:
In man’s desire to study nature, there often seems to be a need to
bring it indoors and own it. Materialism has always been a factor in
art and nature. By creating prints of the world’s specimens, early
artists made nature understandable for some and controllable for
others. The wealthy patrons who commissioned this art had cabinets
of curiosities filled with natural objects – objects they owned. Our
installation begs the question – between man and nature, who truly
has eminent domain?

Gallery Hours
Tuesday - Saturday 11 - 5
Thursday 11 - 7
Sunday 12 - 5
Closed Mondays and university holidays.
+++ U R B A N G R E E N +++
P R E S E N T S
The 2005 Winter Cocktail Soiree
Thursday, December 8, 2005, from 7 to 9pm


The Jones Reflection Pool in Hermann Park
Featuring music by the Gospel Melody Makers

UH Mock Up Progress

November 2005


Mock ups are thriving ...Monarchs arrived...we'll see what winter brings.




+ see a section of the mockup here.
+ view more pics of plants and mock up here

Fanny Mae offers energy efficient Mortgages

Increase Borrowers' Buying Power
Energy Efficient
The Energy Efficient Mortgage (EEM) option is offered through the Housing and Environment Initiative, which promotes the design, construction, and purchase of more energy- and resource-efficient homes or the retrofit of existing homes to be more efficient.
+Lender Benefits
Serve more borrowers
Combine with most Fannie Mae products (1-unit, owner-occupied)
Energy improvements can be financed
+Consumer Benefits
Energy savings can increase borrowers' qualifying ratios
For purchase or refinance
Up to 100% LTV
Energy efficiency may help the borrower achieve lower monthly operating expenses
EEM Highlights
• Recognize energy savings as qualifying income
• Allows energy improvements to be financed
• Increase home-buying power
• Lower energy costs and household expenses
• Serve more borrowers — all incomes eligible
• Flexible and affordable finance options
• Increase home value
• Help improve air quality and create a more comfortable living environment
To see the EEM at a glance sheet click here

For more information about Fannie Mae’s Energy Efficient Mortgage visit the Housing and Environment Initiative page on www.efanniemae.com

Greenroof for doggy

This “green” doghouse features a vegetated roof, a photovoltaic solar panel,daylighting, and recycledbuilding materials, and fetched $525 during the “Animal House 2005,” fundraiser.
This pooch palace, a.k.a the “Dog Box” by its creators at Frank Harmon Architect, Raleigh, demonstrates that the principles of green, or sustainable, architecture can be applied to any built structure—even if the inhabitant is of the four-footed variety.
Read more here>

More pics of the greenbriar roof