Vegetation blankets can be used to create green roofs, but they aren’t limited to just that.

A vegetation blanket consists of a layer of fiber covered in a substrate on which plant life can live; with various plant species growing on it.

These blankets can be used to cover roofs, roundabouts, sound barrier walls, and embankments – to name a few.  They can literally be rolled up for transport and then unrolled on top of the surface you wish to cover.

Due to their flexibility, they are also versatile and can lie over a curved roof, a sloping surface, or just about any otherwise awkward area.  They are light-weight, insulating, and low-maintenance.

What’s more, they are quite eco-friendly.  A green roof can be used to absorb and evaporate water runoff that would otherwise be wasted – or even worse, that would flood sewer systems and pollute rivers (as is the case in Portland, Oregon, for example).

Furthermore, a roof which is covered in live vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide and emits oxygen, thus helping to restore balance on a carbon-heavy planet that currently needs all the vegetation and plant life we can put on it.

For more information on vegetation blankets, where to get them, related services, and other details, please see this product description of Sedum Vegetation Blankets.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Vegetation Blankets for Green Roofing and More.

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MIT is world-renowned for its pioneering role in sustainable technology, and boasts some of the best architecture and planning programs in the nation, and has a handful of LEED-certified buildings on its campus.

The Brain and Cognitive Science Center, completed in 2008, was awarded a LEED Silver rating; unlike the Sloan and Koch buildings that were planned from stage 1 to be green, it was an old building that was retrofitted to meet the highest standards in green design.  One of the project’s highlights is the conservation of water throughout the building.

The retrofit features a collection system that recycles rainwater that can be used in various applications throughout the building and landscaping.   Additionally, low-flow water fixtures were installed in all bathrooms and laboratories.  The Center also took a step outside of its own surroundings to address the preservation of the larger ecosystem by installing a comprehensive storm water management system to reduce the University’s impact on the Charles River.

Since 2007, M.I.T. has undertaken three more LEED-certified building projects.  Two of their buildings, the Stata Center and Simmons Hall, were green even before the LEED standard came about.  And the University started a Green Building Policy in 2001, before most schools were on board with the green movement.

Still, the Sustainable Endowments Institute “Green Report Card” gives the school an overall sustainability rating of B+.  In comparison, Harvard has achieved an A-.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Greening Campus: Spotlight on MIT.

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Thinking of the sprawling, materialistic metropolis of Las Vegas can send shivers up the spine of any environmental advocate: excessive water use, unsustainable urban planning, and unnatural buildings in the middle of a desert.  Over 50 green, manicured golf courses in an area that shouldn’t have one.  The ostentatious display of water flowing in monumental fountains, combined with a car-dependent population and enormous energy inefficient buildings, will leave anyone doubtful of sustainable developments in the building sector any time soon.

Yet new legislation is being considered in Las Vegas that will jumpstart the green building movement.  At least we hope.  As of March 2009, the debate continues over increasing tax credits for sustainable buildings throughout the state.  The outcome looks good, as stimulus funding is flowing from the federal government to jumpstart the green economy.    What’s more, the National Clean Energy Summit 2.0 was held in Las Vegas this past Monday, August 10th, a sign that things might be changing in this desert oasis.

Meanwhile, some developers have decided to take matters into their own hands by creating a 62- acre “eco-development.”   Spearheaded by MGM, the city’s new CityCenter is expected to be complete by the end of this year and perhaps become the nation’s largest LEED-certified project.  There is talk of other developers following suit.

The developers hope to reduce utility bills, decrease energy use, and foster a healthier environment for guests and employees.

The increased attention being paid to Las Vegas as a potential center for environmental leadership will help make green building mainstream.  While Nevada may lack water, it certainly does not lack sun.   As the National Clean Energy Summit leaders remarked, “Nevada has abundant clean energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal, and efficiency technologies that could be developed to meet its future energy needs. The question is whether Nevadans—and all Americans—will shift to a clean energy economy.”

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Las Vegas to Promote Green Building?.

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Design teams are competing to make your hotel room greener.  The US Green Building Council has joined forces with The American Society of Interior Designers and The Hospitality Industry Network to launch the Sustainable Suite Design Competition.  The winning sustainable suite will be on display May 2010 at the Hospitality Design Expo (HDExpo) in Las Vegas, NV.
Hotels have given the nod to green (and savings) through low-flow showerheads, in-room recycling bins, and allowing guests to put the hold on towel and sheet changes.  LEED-certified element Hotels boast recycled carpet, low-VOC paints, and bathroom dispensers in lieu of individual bottles.  With fresh innovation, who knows what’s next?

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Sustainable Suite Design Competition.

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We’ve heard it since our childhood.  If you want a strong house (one that can’t be blown down!) you have to build with brick.  There are plenty of folks that are proving that old tale wrong.  The majority of these straw homes are being built in the west and southwest United States, Australia and New Zealand; places with a somewhat more dry and temperate climates.  There is a registry of straw bale houses around the world—kind of interesting.

I have seen a straw home built in one of the harshest climates in the continental U.S.–Driggs, Idaho. Some years ago, I watched with great interest (and much skepticism) as this dwelling went up a mile or so from my parent’s home.  Among the old farmers in the area, the house was the butt of more than a few jokes.  Well, years later, it is still standing and functioning well and the farmers are getting used to the idea.  Besides, it’s a new source to sell all that straw that the farmers’ grain fields generate.

Speaking of farmers, it was pioneer farmers who built straw and grass homes on the prairies of the Nebraska and Oklahoma over a century ago.  No trees?  No timber?  No problem.  Straw and grass were readily available, could be stacked like bricks, didn’t require elaborate tools, and could be constructed in a shorter period of time.  The homes were well insulated, had great “breathability,” and believe it or not, were quite fire resistant.  They created  homes that were inexpensive, functional, and pleasant places to live in.  Obviously, these are qualities that budget and environmentally conscious people are looking for today.   History does need to repeat itself.

There is a plethora of websites, companies, and individuals who are eager to share their knowledge on the techniques of building a straw house.  The science of straw house building and my attitude about the whole thing has come a long way since those days of me and the Idaho farmers standing around laughing and smirking at the neighbors.  It is past time we all got serious about it.

This article was first published on Build and Rebuild. To continue reading, please view the original post at Straw – The New Brick.

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