But while you can build the healthiest home on the Planet, we also need to consider not only what products we put in our home from Furniture to Cleaning Supplies – But also the food and nutrition that we feed our Body.

Starting this month the New Construction and Remodeling aspect of the Turning Houston Green newsletter will be going over a 4 part Series on how to create a healthier environment inside the home – And while that is great we realize that there are also people wanting to find out how to have a healthier body to go along with that.

In the end, it all seems to come together.  This is why I am putting together some educational sessions for next year on various topics, including being healthy along with green building/buying and selling so that we can all try to find the answers to these together.

The first confirmed Presentation for 2010 is on February 18th at 6:30 pm with Dr. Chris Zaino.   I have had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Zaino speak on a couple of different topics – One of those being how to maximize your Central Nervous System along with integrating diet to stay healthy.  Here is a short bio for him:

Dr. Chris Zaino has a healthy respect for his body, as testified by his past accomplishments as Mr. America, a National level body building title.  His Chiropractic practice is located in The Woodlands, Texas and has devoted much of his energy and life to the education of Health and Exercise Science, which has lead him to his dedication to educate others in the Maximized Living program.  His practice has a wide variety of methods that go beyond the traditional chiropractic care.  Maximized living Christopher Zaino in The Woodlands offers services for people experiencing Fibromyalgia, Herniated Discs, Arch and Foot pain, and Sports Injuries just to name a few.  He is highly skilled in Dietary Counseling, Pain Relief, Musculoskeletal Manipulation and Rehabilitation treatments.  His ultimate goal is to help all people to reach their “God-given health potential through natural chiropractic care”. 

Here is a link to sign up for the Presentation or you can sign up via Facebook.

For now, a presentation is below by Dr. Zaino on how to stay healthy during the Holidays and maybe even lose weight!  Also, the 2010 Turning Houston Green Survey will be going out on December 8th.  We will be giving away a few items in return for feedback including an Energy Audit and Dr. Zaino’s Alive By Design DVD – A 3 hour discussion on how to be healthier by body, diet and fitness.  If you would like to listen to some of his past presentations, I recommend checking out his Vimeo page.

I have a confession. Sometimes I like to think of myself as smart. There are many smart people, right? I have a degree. I made it thru 12 years of the military, that’s gotta count for something. My home state is world famous for “Yankee Ingenuity”. Smart right? Well, Not… So… Fast! I’ve been learning ALOT this last year after opening Green Builders Source. So many things that a laymen’s understanding didn’t do justice. Let me share my latest discovery! CORK!

Seems, my layman’s understanding of cork was woefully inadequate! Sure, there are the cork boards, the underlayment of engineered flooring, and then my personal favorite, the wine cork! Yummy! But it wasn’t until 1999 that I had even HEARD of a cork floor. Tile? Yup! Wood? Of course! Marble? Have you seen the Duomo in Florence? But Cork? Apparently it was all the rage in Europe! And I just lived in Europe for 5 years? How could I miss it? How?

Well, being the ever curious, I started to pay attention every time information on cork was available. Jump to 2008 and Cork is now a top player for any green building project. The top green choices almost always start with: Cork, Bamboo, Linoleum, and locally manufactured tile. Many don’t know why Cork is on the “Short list” for Green. Bamboo is obvious as it’s a grass, it can be harvested and rapidly renew its stalks for a future harvest. Tile is sustainable, that’s green. Linoleum is very natural and long lasting. But Cork? The harvesting of Cork is not yet as well known nor is how and from where it is harvested.

Cork comes from the Cork Oak. A medium sized tree that can be found in southern Europe and northern Africa. An interesting piece of information that is quite indicative of our vocabulary is all trees generate cork as a layer between the old growth bark and the living inner plant cells. It is a major component of the tree bark that protects the inner growth cells and sapwood from disease, insects, and damage. (note this… it protects the tree from bacteria, insects, and damage) It can be harvested from any tree, but only the Cork Oak is commercially viable due to its thickness and ease of harvesting.

The harvesting is equally interesting and truly a sustainable commodity, if not entirely practical. A Cork Oak does live an amazingly long time, upwards of 200 years. However, the first harvest cannot be taken until the tree is 20 years old. This harvest is of poor grade and it is not till the cork has been harvested an additional 3 times, or when the tree is 50 that high grade cork is available. This thought quickly squelched my desire to create a Cork Oak orchard in Texas given my level of attention and interest would surely expire before the first harvest. I did entertain the “second generation” idea, but my children would probably be so bored of hearing of the future harvest, they surely would be interested in more rapidly rewarding endeavors. Maybe Bamboo is more our “speed”? That said, the following harvests can be made at 10 year intervals. This allows 15 or more harvests from one tree! Truly a quest for a forward thinking entrepreneur. Very forward thinking!

Here’s a summary from the Canada/Portugal Chamber website:

Given that a cork oak produces cork tissue until it is 150 or even 200 years old, during which time it may be stripped 15 to 18 times, and that the average ages of trees presently in production is 85 years and that the area under plantation is growing by an average of 4% a year, cork production can look forward to a rosy future in Portugal. There are at present more than 600 industrial facilities operating in Portugal, employing a labor force of about 15,000. Cork products were exported in 1990 to the tune of 80,433,356,000 escudos (corresponding to 105,516 tons). In the same period natural cork stoppers accounted for 55% of total cork product exports. At 44,614,694,000 escudos, this trade is worth more than the export of Port Wine.

This only further clarifies that the commercial leaders in cork production are in Europe and Africa with Portugal producing 50% of the world’s supply. Don’t let the scarcity of the harvest locations fool you, however. Cork has a plethora of qualities that make it very desirable. It’s elastic in nature and near-water impermeable. It has low thermal conductivity, low density, fire resistance, and good energy absorption, antimicrobial, and resistant to insects, mold and mildew. (remember how it protected the tree as part of the bark?) All these factors make cork an excellent product for wine stoppers, sports equipment, sound management in musical instruments, and more. However, these qualities sound amazingly grand for use in construction.

Cork cells are comprised mostly of air. This trait makes each cork cell act as a balloon or a gasket. Additionally, the cell walls contain a waxy substance called “suberin” which enhances the impermeable wall to liquids and air. The product qualities that are found from the features of cork are: reduced sound from dropped items or walking, cork has a natural feel, it insulates against temperature changes (It has an “R-factor” of 2.6), it is low maintenance, extremely durable, and above all, it looks great. I found during my research for this article that there are cork floor installs that are still in use today over one hundred years old! One is a church in Chicago that had cork flooring in 1890 and is still in use today! And I just learned that The Library of Congress has cork flooring installed. Did I mention the sound absorption! Libraries and museums love cork. So do child care facilities. Not that I quote “Bob Vila” much, but his website had this to say about cork: “Finished cork flooring can have the look of textured hardwood… the soft give of carpet, and the easy maintenance of vinyl….cork feels softer than hardwood and warm underfoot, making it an obvious alternative to carpet.

Because of its cellular composition, it is extremely durable and resilient. This makes it much less affected by impact or friction than hard surface floors such as wood, laminate or tile. One feature that I always get questioned on is its resilience. I too worried that such a “soft” product would fall victim to high heeled shoes and the like. Apparently that “elasticity” that I mentioned has a “bounce back” factor of 40%! So, no worries about your high heeled shoes! Once the pressure is off, the cellular structure returns to shape very quickly.

Ok, so now we know it’s water resistant, insect and bacteria resistant, resilient, durable, quiet, and insulating, what do you have to do to get some? First, there are suppliers all over including Green Builders Source. Check all your options, inquiring about thickness, colors, patterns, pre-sealed, and quality. Second, there are two options for installation. Your cork floor can be installed as glue down tiles or as a floating floor. The glue down tiles uses fewer materials, but requires a near perfect floor for installation. The floating floor with interlocking tongue-and-groove edges is easier to install, and repair, and ready to walk on, thus making it a popular flooring choice.

For the floating floor planks and tiles, the cork floor looks like any engineered hardwood. There is a wear surface made of a factory applied, UV rated varnish or sealer, a veneer of cork oak bark, a cork core, a moisture resistant hard rigid core, and a cork underlayment. This layered solution provides the best of both worlds. The price is on par with other engineered woods or ceramic tile, so any alternative should put cork within the same budget range.

Once you have decided on cork, and you think you have a source, before you install it, you better have a maintenance plan. Every floor requires maintenance right? Well, yes, that is true, but cork is a low maintenance floor. The good news just keeps getting better with this flooring, doesn’t it? The catch? There isn’t any. Pick up loose dirt with vacuum, broom or “swiffer®”. The most important step is to Damp mop. Do NOT Wet mop! Do NOT let water stand on the floor. Then spot treat any tough to clean areas. Water is cleaning solvent enough. If you have to add something, nothing more abrasive then a drop or two of dish soap. Given all the water-resistance of cork, the seams of the flooring would swell under standing water.

Pretty amazing, hun? I know that in the time it’s taken me to finish this article, I’ve walked the house twice to see which room would look best in that new Green Builders Source Cork Floor! It’s a toss-up between the children’s play room or the kitchen. I’ll keep you posted.

To see samples for your own home or business, stop by the store!  Give a call and we can sit down together and go thru all the different and beautiful options you have with Cork! 

Angelique Grado
Green Builders Source
25700 I-45 North, Suite 101, Spring TX 77382
www.GreenBuildersSource.com
281-298-0400
angelique@greenbuilderssource.com

References for this page came from: Wikipedia, Nova Cork, Natural Cork, Bob Vila, Canada/Portugal Chamber, TexasParks.org, and several .edu sites.

One evening while on the computer doing some research I ran across an update from Michael Garfield about him doing a Hybrid Tour Across Texas with Dan Bryant and thought it sounded interesting so I clicked over to see what was going on.  It turns out that the two were going to drive around the State for an estimated total of 879 miles to see if they could do it on one tank of gas in a Toyota Prius.  What!? I’ve got to see this.

Watching the Tour, I personally found it interesting and amusing (if you watch some of the videos on his site) and thought I would share some of his tips with my readers.  When everything was wrapped up Michael Garfield, The Hybrid-Tech Texan himself, agreed to do an interview to talk about the tour to talk about the benefits of Hybrid Vehicles and what they found out.  During this entire tour they used Hypermiling Techniques to squeeze as much gas per gallon as possible.

So, first off  and to get everyone up to speed I wanted to know what exactly the Hybrid Tour was all about?

The Hybrid Tour Across Texas was to spread awareness about fuel efficiency and the effect that driving behavior has on it. I wanted to see how much money can be saved by driving a hybrid car around the state and at the same time compare mileage to a “hypermiler” driving the same type of car. Dan Bryant is a Houston-based hypermiler who uses certain techniques to maximize his MPG.

What was the number one thing you learned on your journey?

I learned there is a lot more interest in this topic than I’ve ever seen before. In the topic of what MPG you achieve in your car was generally about as exciting as discussing tax code. People seem much more tuned in with the price of gas.

What exactly is Hypermiling?

Each car (not truck) sold in the US has to pass an EPA inspection and rating system. As part of that each car is given an MPG rating for the city and highway. These numbers are on the window sticker of all new cars (not trucks). A hypermiler is simply someone who’s daily MPG is above the EPA rating for their car (window sticker).

Have you calculated an estimate of savings with the Hybrid Prius during the trip?

Best case vs worse case? I had a friend that claimed to get 15 mpg on the highway. So the difference between my friend driving their car and Dan driving his over the same 844 miles comes out to about 44 gallons (Dan used 12.3g, my friend would have used 56.3g). That’s $176 between driving the wrong car poorly and driving the right car correctly.

What was the main difference between the Mpg between you and Dan?

The main four factors were Driving style (about 15 mpg), Driving speed (about 9 mpg), Passenger weight (about 2 mpg), and Accessory Load (about 2 mpg). By far driving style and speed had the biggest effect. Hypermilers employee dozens of different techniques to increase efficiency, some for hills, some for windy days, and some for flat roads, but they all work. In the simplest since, what Dan concentrated on was keeping engine RPM and vehicle load constant. There are minor (very minor) inefficiencies involved with increasing or decreasing an engines RPM. Although minor, they are very frequent, so keeping a steady RPM helps significantly with efficiency. Keeping speeds in the 55-60 mph range is also significantly more efficient than 65-70 mph range due to the effects of wind resistance.

What is something that most people would not know about Hybrid vehicles?

In many studies Hybrids are projected to have a smaller repair bill than conventional cars. For example, there have been Prius drivers that have gone over 100,000 miles on the original brake pads since they Hybrid Synergy Drive does most of the braking. The transmission is also substantially simpler than a conventional car. There is no starter or alternator either, and since the car operates for extended periods without the gas engine, the wear on the gas engine is substantially less. Even starting and stopping the engine is less stressful in a hybrid since the control system primes the engine for each start and stop.

What is the biggest misconception of Hybrids?

Battery Life. A Prius has two batteries, not one. The 12v (car) battery that all cars have, the Prius has as well. It is used for certain start-up procedures. It is just like any other 12v battery and can be found under $100 and has a similar life span to any other 12v battery. The “other” battery is called the “traction” battery and it’s used to power the electric motors that assist in moving the car. The “traction” battery is designed to last longer than most conventional cars. In California it comes with a 100,000 mile warranty. Prius taxi cabs with over 300,000 miles still have no significant wear on their traction batteries. In actuality it is probably one of the least replaced components of any vehicle on the road today.

What do you feel the Future holds for Hybrid Vehicles?

If gas prices continue as they have for the last 5 years, it could be over $9 / gallon in 5 years or even over $20 / gallon in 10 years. I think most people are going to require cars that get at least 40 mpg, and right now most of those cars are Hybrids. The cars that are built and designed today will be the ones that are still in use in 10 years. So if gas prices continue to climb, I expect any car getting 40-50 mpg will be highly sought after. Hopefully there will be many models getting that mark, but most of them on the road will probably be the Hybrids being designed today.

I learned a lot by following the Hybrid Tour and reading through Michael’s Blog.  Did You?  A huge Thank You to The Hybrid-Tech Texan for taking some time to answer these questions for us.  All who stopped by, don’t forget to check out his site for more information on hypermiling (which by the way he says some can also work on Non-Hybrid cars) and just some fun videos about it.  Here’s one I thought I would share with you all.

If you are wanting to hear more from The Hybrid-Tech Texan make sure to tune on Saturdays from 11a-2p on 950am!

Hybrid Tour Dallas from Ray Cortez on Vimeo.
Pictures and Videos property of Michael Garfield The Hybrid-Tech Texan.

Here was the Question:

Hi, I need to change the Air conditioning / Heating system in my home but I would rather consult with someone besides a salesperson that is simply trying to sell me a product instead of a real solution. I have a thirty year old two story home that has the typical problems of a system that was installed in an era of cheap energy (i.e. very inefficient) but I think its overall operation could be improved with the right system. I am hoping that you could refer me to someone that could help me find a good, affordable solution. So, if you know someone, could you either forward this email with your comments or reply back and I would appreciate it very much

This is a question that has several different answers to it and one that is not answered easily.  Kathleen is quick to mention that it involves the Envelope of the Home (air that leaks into and out of the home) along with the A/C Ducts, etc. Here is Kathleen’s explanation:

The best solution to this one is a combination of things.  Make sure the duct system is not leaking and is well insulated.  If not – repair it, or consider replacing it.  Ideally duct work insulation should have an R value of 8.  Install a new a/c system with 16 SEER or greater.  And then make sure the home is well insulated, walls and attic.  Check for air leaks between the air conditioned space and attic or outside.   I’m not sure about the affordable part – I think just put the specifications together and shop around. A good a/c company will be able to do a manual J form to size the system well, which is important.  A system that is too big will not provide dehumidification.

Clayton replied with a lengthy and extremely informative response that brings up a bunch of good points so I will post the whole comment here:

I certainly agree that it is best to consult with a professional who understands the principles of building science and HVAC load calculation & performance rather than a sales person who is most likely not familiar with these concepts.

Houses built prior to mid 1990’s exhibit a large amount of air infiltration primarily due to an insufficient air barrier. Evidence of this can be easily found throughout the home. It is also true that these homes have large amounts of HVAC system leakage from the inefficient design and inadequate installation of the ductwork, air handlers, and plenums. An energy audit can help identify these locations and provide a plan of action for addressing all significant deficiencies. Typically, these homes suck in a great deal of outside air thru the air infiltration points when the HVAC system is running because the home becomes negatively pressurized and the neutral pressure plane rises to the top of the home. This is most commonly due to duct leakage, air flow constriction and static pressure. A quick explanation: your air return draws air from the home into the HVAC system thru the ductwork into the coils and out thru the supply ductwork back into the home. Along the way some of this air is lost and expelled into unconditioned space as well as being slowed down by turns in the duct work and long runs to the extremities of the home. The outside air must be sucked in to equalize the pressure imbalance from the outdoor environment. This greatly effects indoor air quality, HVAC efficiency, and utility usage. A well installed HVAC system will help lower the neutral pressure plane  within the home when the system is running. When your new system is installed, make sure you request a “duct leakage test “ or a duct blaster test” to ensure your HVAC system has less than 5% leakage.

The next thing to consider is system size, system efficiency and runtime. The primary purpose of an AC system in this climate is to remove moisture within the home, a byproduct of this is cool air. Having an oversized system (which is very common on homes older than 10 years) causes the unit to “short cycle” (running for 15 minutes and shutting off for 5-10 minutes then kicking on again and repeating the cycle). This “short cycling” causes the home to meet your temperature preferences before it sufficiently removes the moisture. It also causes hi utility bills since the amount of power required to start the stationary compressor in the AC condensing unit is massive compared to the amount of power it actually takes to run the system after start up. It is similar to automobiles in that you get better gas mileage on the highway than in the city because of all the starting and stopping.  I would recommend having your contractor resize your system using current residential load calculation software. This will minimize “short cycling” and maximize moisture removal within your home. Since you are planning to change the system then it would be a great time to upgrade to a more efficient unit(s). However, it does not make a lot of sense to install a good high efficiency unit(s) if the home itself is inefficient. It is important to ensure that the thermal barrier is aligned properly and the air barrier is performing at peak efficiency for your home which will help maximize the efficiency and value of your new HVAC system. This involves other contractors and very reasonable cost but will greatly benefit the home and the HVAC system by reducing thermal loss and air infiltration. Correcting these type of deficiencies will increase the overall value of your home, lower energy usage, and reduce payback time.

The above is just a brief description of things to consider while undertaking your project. My goal was to be informative and brief, I can certainly provide much more detailed and technical information if you would like.

I have had the pleasure of working with many terrific HVAC companies during my time in the home building industry. I can definitely recommend a few that are well trained, educated on current technologies and building science concepts, and most importantly honest with great customer service. I am not sure if it is appropriate to recommend specific individuals through this unbiased informational site. I will leave that up to the moderator. Please feel free to contact me at the below number/ email if there is anything I can help you with. Thanks you for contacting us and I hope we have been helpful.

Contractors:

Air Team- Darrin Curtis, owner

AirTron (Sterling Air)- Glen Pollock, General Manager

I hope that this clears up some confusion and helps out a little bit.  If you have any questions…leave a comment, start a discussion.  This is a tricky subject, for sure.

Thank You to Clayton, Kathleen and Sam for emailing in the question.  Did we leave anything out?  If anyone has a reputable A/C Contractor that you would like to recommend, feel free to comment in the sections below.

Clayton Farmer
Alternative Power Solutions
Phone: 281-802-1224

Kathleen Reardon
RDArchitecture

For an extensive green remodel like yours we use the ReGreen Guidelines of the USGBC & ASID.  They sound perfect for your home.  You can visit www.regreenprogram.org for more information.  The new NAHB Green Building and Remodeling Standards are also brand new to the market but you likely will not find a contractor familiar with them on the Houston area.

Michael Strong, CGP, CGR

NAHB 2008 Green Remodeling Advocate of the Year

Vice President, Brothers Strong, Inc.

michael@BrothersStrong.com