Breathe Easy

Many green homes are built using toxin-free building materials like bamboo or straw inorder to combat indoor air pollution, which is much worse than outdoor air pollution. Unhealthy air inside a room is capable of causing serious health problems like cancer and respiratory ailments like asthma. The non-toxic building materials used, include paints without volatile organic compounds and toxin-free insulation materials made from soybeans. This means that you can breathe fresh, non-toxic air.

Energy Dependency

The demand for Green Homes has steadily increased nowadays as they attempt to totally eliminate the impacts of buildings on the environment and human health. These green homes take advantage of renewable natural resources, where possible. These green homes reduces our dependence on conventional energy sources as they generate energy from alternate energy sources such as sun, wind, geo-thermal energy and bio-mass for their energy needs. Moreover water conserving irrigation systems help green homes use 50% less water than standard homes. Water conservation such as this has become very important with many places experiencing less rainfall and longer more intense dry weather conditions.

Green Homes, Cost-Efficient Too

The net cost of owning and operating a green home is usually far cheaper than owning a standard home. Upfront costs may be higher because most of the architects and home builders don’t have the knowledge and experience to build green homes as efficiently as standard homes. However, people living in these green homes save money month by month, as many green homes use 30% less water and 30% less energy than standard homes. Over the years these moderate savings, add up to BIG savings. Green Homes will also keep you healthier, which means, fewer expensive doctor visits and fewer days missed to work.

Regarding design, green homes can be every bit as welcoming, cozy, and spacious as non-green homes. Additionally, there are a wide range of designs available from which to choose when selecting your green home. You can go modern, traditional, neo-classical or for the adventurous even go geodesic dome style. The trend in going green in Austin has grown rapidly. With more and more builders, architects, and contractors learning about Green Homes your choices in a healthy, efficient, and green home are growing!

SO, what are you waiting for? Get your own Green Home and hold the keys for a greener and healthier tomorrow.

The concept of drainage systems often needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. People think that drainage systems would mean having underground drains only, which is so much not the case. With a little bit of thought and research, the roads could act as a good drainage system, enhancing the qualities of a zero waste process.

How do porous pavements work?

Porous pavements and porous streets seem to answer this question with effective ease. The basic fundamental behind these streets is that the roads and the pavements are built in such a way that they soak in 90% of the rain-water into the soil. This really means that the residual water after the rains does not carry pollutants, when they flow into the river, thus reducing water pollution.

A porous pavement is not too different from an asphalt road, in the sense that even they are made of asphalt (Not surprising considering that asphalt is the widely used material for constructing roads). But, in case of these pavements, the treatment of asphalt is different. The smallest particles in these roads are removed making these pavements permeate water. Storm water thus passes through the asphalt layer and infiltrates into the soil that underlies a road.

Why aren’t porous pavements constructed across the world?

If porous pavements work so well, why aren’t they being used almost globally? Why do road contractors still shy away from making permeable pavements rather than having miles of roads, which cannot hold some inches of water away? The answer to these questions lies with the road contractors themselves. To the naked eye, it seems as if the expense of treating asphalt and making such pavements overrules the ensuing benefits.

Some contractors even complain of the complexity of treating asphalt to make it friendly enough to construct permeable streets. Honestly, all of these reasons seem mind-numbing considering the fact that waterlogged roads need a lot of maintenance after the water level recedes. 

The possible complexity of treating asphalt and the ensuing expenses with it, is forcing road contractors not to construct porous streets. That being said, these roads could be excellent green technology additions, given the fact that they reduce water pollution in a big way. Additionally, by constructing such roads, you could also drive away the risk of water logging too.

Some cities like Seattle have adopted a resolution to construct porous streets. It is time now for other cities to take cue