As per NAHB analysis, new construction used a total of roughly $94.93 billion in building products in 2019. The products that were used the most in new residential construction in 2019 were cement and concrete products and architectural and structural metals worth $11.71 billion and $11.17 billion respectively.
From the Canadian tar sands to the oil and natural gas fields of North America and the Amazon jungle, Indigenous peoples of the North and South are converging in one struggle. It is also the reconciliation of two different ways of knowing and being, between the head and heart, sometimes called The Eagle and The Condor. Five Indigenous women of the North and South are showing us how to keep fossil fuels in the ground Read more…
There are plenty of reasons why it’s smart to grow vegetables at home. You have easy access to nutritious local food, your immune system is boosted by soil microbes, and you get an array of health benefits like reduced stress and improved sleep. And, according to research published in the journal Landscape and Urban Planning, you’re also helping humanity take a bite out of climate change. The idea is similar to a 1940s victory Read more…
KEY POINTS Sales of existing homes soared 24.7% in July from June, according to the National Association of Realtors. The supply of existing homes plummeted 21.1% annually, with just 1.5 million homes for sale at the end of July. The median price of a home sold in July rose 8.5% annually to $304,100. Sales of existing homes soared 24.7% in July from June, according to the National Association of Realtors. That’s the strongest monthly gain Read more…
72 hurricanes in the last 10 years from Atlantic Basin only. Hurricane Laura caused severe property damage in the southern states. The damage estimated from the storm is up to $12 billion. We build tornado and hurricane resistant properties using the insulated concrete form (ICF), which is one of the strongest construction materials. OUR HOMES AND BUILDINGS CAN WITHSTAND THE WIND OF 200 MPH AND CAN SURVIVE CATEGORY 5 HURRICANES WITH WINDS 157 MPH OR HIGHER. If you want Read more…
Wildfire is an increasingly serious issue in California, with fires growing bigger and becoming more frequent and destructive. Fifteen of the 20 largest fires in the state’s history have occurred since 2000 and tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed. According to Verisk’s 2019 Wildfire Risk Analysis 4.5 million U.S. homes were identified at high or extreme risk of wildfire, with more than 2 million in California alone. People are looking for safe, durable houses that Read more…
The Eddy, in Boston, Massachusetts, obtained an insurance quote ten times lower than that of a comparable conventional building because of the site-specific resilience features it incorporates. Image: Stantec Hurricanes, tsunamis, wildfires, and other disasters have drawn attention to resilient design mostly by showing us what not to do in the built environment. We’ve come a long way in a short time, and today we’re on the cusp of having metrics and rating systems that clearly define what Read more…
Ten microgrid systems installed in schools in Puerto Rico were put to the test recently after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake caused massive power outages. The systems survived and successfully powered critical loads in each school, according to Rocky Mountain Institute, which championed the installations along with Save the Children and the Kinesis Foundation, after Hurricane Maria. However, other issues stood in the way of taking full advantage of the back-up power—at least in the short Read more…
At a new McDonald’s restaurant that just opened at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida (with COVID-19 protection measures in place), solar panels covering the roof—and solar glass panels throughout the building—are designed to generate enough energy that the restaurant can run on 100% renewable power. [Photo: McDonald’s] Running fully on renewable power, or reaching a goal of “net zero” energy use, “is still sort of at the technological edge for buildings,” says Carol Ross Read more…
A post in which we examine the differences (and similarities) between two terms. “Frugality” and “minimalism” are two words that appear frequently in Treehugger articles. But they tend to be confused in many corners of the Internet, and even used interchangeably, so I thought it might be helpful to take a closer look at what each one means. What Is Frugality? Frugality refers to a conserving of one’s resources, usually financial, though it can also Read more…