Schools Going Green

The students at the Waldorf School in Costa Mesa, California are getting the chance to participate in sustainability just by going to school every day. The school is expanding their current capacity by 10,000 square feet through the use of recycled steel shipping containers. Forming four entirely new buildings, these shipping containers will be permanent additions to the school rather than temporary mobile classrooms like we’ve seen so many schools use in the past. Seeing sustainable building practices make their way into the mainstream to such an extent that schools are jumping on board is truly exciting because it accomplishes more than initially meets the eye.

Using recycled shipping containers for building materials solves the primary challenge of creating much needed space for classrooms in which students can learn. But going to school in recycled classrooms is an effective way to teach students good environmental practices. And there’s no better evidence that green, sustainable practices are finally going mainstream than to see schools adopting responsible building practices.

Green Homes

Earthship homes are one of the more intriguing examples of sustainability gradually starting to make its way into the mainstream. Back in the 1970′s when Mike Reynolds first began constructing these tire constructed and rammed earth homes, the earthship carried connotations of a hippy dippy fringe society.

But the practicality of these simple buildings has made them ever more popular and they can now be found in most parts of the United States and are becoming popular in Europe as well. Not only do these homes require very little energy consumption due to their passive solar design, the technique of pounding dirt into old used tires for their construction is another great example of using common materials in an innovative way.

What can You Do?

Sustainability as a way of living isn’t always going to be as appealing as building schools out of recycled shipping containers and incredibly cool earthship homes. But everyday actions can have a huge impact toward pushing sustainability farther into the mainstream. In your home and office, make a concerted effort to engage in less wasteful practices. At home, try to conserve water resources by fewer toilet flushes and not running the faucet while shaving and brushing your teeth. Keeping your home a few degrees warmer in the summer and a few degrees cooler in the winter can have a greater impact on reducing energy consumption than you might imagine.

In the office, try to print paper copies less frequently. Making company resources available electronically can go a long way toward cutting down on wasteful paper usage. Encouraging telecommuting is great for cutting down gas consumption. And if you absolutely have to go to the office to perform certain duties, think about consolidating them into the first part of the week and telecommuting the last day or two if possible. Businesses can make a big impact when sustainability becomes part of corporate culture. And as sustainability continues to encroach into the mainstream, irresponsible conspicuous consumption of natural resources may eventually find its way out of the mainstream and into the fringe.

External Videos

Waldorf Construction Youtube Video: http://www.youtube.com/embed/CZs2PGpN_cQ

Earthship Homes Youtube Video: http://www.youtube.com/embed/L9jdIm7grCY

Author Info:

Aaron Carlson lives near Chicago. He divides his time among work, writing and family life. He writes on behalf of Colorado Technical University and has a keen interest in green living and social media. He also writes for professionalintern.com.

Not only that, but the price is right as well. Many times going green can be an expensive (but worthwhile venture). Putting solar panels on top of ones’ home can be a 20+ year investment before seeing a return.

The 32 homes which each contain 3 bedrooms will rent out for $590 per month. According to the press release, “The 32 single-family homes will each have three bedrooms, two full bathrooms and an attached two-car garage. A separate building will house a clubhouse/resource center, community room with kitchenette and bathroom, conference room, computer lab, property manager’s office and a storage room. The site will be landscaped with native plants to reduce water usage and will include a state-of-the-art playground.”

Home builders are finally starting to take notice. Even in a housing downturn such as this, people are interested in both affordable homes and going green. This LEED community will lead the way for other green home builders across the nation.

Since it is Earth Day 2010, I thought I would check to see who else is talking about straw bale houses. It looks like there is some chatter at STLToday and USAToday over this rejuvenated type of building.

Straw bale houses have actually been around for years starting in the old days in Oklahoma where there were few other building materials around. Those were pretty crude.

Now, however, straw bale houses, like the name implies are made of waste straw. This means, when bought in bulk the bales are fairly cheap. There are several designs for straw bale houses. One design uses the straw as part of the structure of the house where the roof sits on top and the straw supports it and settles over time.

Another type of home uses a basic wood structure and then straw bales are used as insulation for the home. Clay is applied by hand to make an adobe style dwelling that is quiet, well insulated and unique in style and design.

If done correctly, the straw bale house can be cheaper to build that a traditional home, especially if the homeowner puts some sweat equity into the building process. So, happy Earth Day and go forth and build a straw home and invite all of your friends to help out.