Green Pioneers

Building and living green are all the popular buzz, and there is a lot of hogwash out there about the “green” movement.  You have many choices for environmentally friendly building and landscaping.  At Eco-Building and Forestry, we have pioneered some significant techniques in the industry, including:

1. Insulating under concrete slabs;
2. Installing cement siding;
3. Building masonry heaters;
4. Using engineered wood products;
5. Designing sunrooms that heat homes;
6. Installing and using a wood-fired brick oven regularly;
7. Installing a wind generator;
8. Designing exterior LED light fixtures;
9. Installing large rain harvesting systems;
10. Building a simple composting toilet;
11. Replacing pressure-treated lumber with local, rot-resistant hardwoods;
12. Experimenting with edible plants for home and roof shading; and,
13. Building and installing drip irrigation systems to more rapidly establish vegetation on disturbed building sites.

So-called green "experts" tout supposedly renewable bamboo as the green choice for flooring.  They neglect to mention that bamboo is grown in converted jungle, is glued together, and is then shipped thousands of miles.  Locally-grown hardwood flooring is a better alternative.
Experts also cite geo-thermal (a heat pump similar to an air-conditioning compressor) as the green rage for home heating and cooling.  How green can it be with all the pumps, gases, and anti-freeze solutions that are required?  A better way to heat your home is by using a very high-efficiency masonry (ceramic) heater that uses local scrap wood for fuel and works without electricity.