Late last year San Francisco's fabulous California Academy of Sciences in Golden G
ate Park received a Platinum LEED certification and now is considered to be the greenest museum in the world. It is a truly remarkable place. Not only does it combine under one roof (one amazing roof - but we don't want to get ahead of ourselves - back to the roof later...) a natural history museum, a planetarium, an aquarium, plus a 3-D theatre, library and science labs to support their scientific education and research goals, but it also has an amazing 4 story rain forest in the facility! And then, to (literally) top it off, there is a 2.5 acre living roof with 1.7 million native plants! This amazing roof garden is surrounded by a solar canopy containing 60,000 photovoltaic cells.
In building this amazing sustainable structure they reused and recycled materials - from using 90 % of the materials from the demolition of the previous structure to getting 95% of the steel they used from recycled sources. They used passive solar design and as a result 90% of the office space has natural light and ventilation. They used FSC lumber and concrete with fly ash (which has both the advantage of reuse of something that would have gone in a landfill and the advantage that it makes concrete much stronger thus complying with century construction principles). But my all time favorite sustainable building practice in the facility? The insulation is made from recycled blue jeans! How cool is that?
So, go take your family to see this amazing museum this weekend and start thinking of ways you can reduce your own carbon footprint. Here's one factoid to get you started - did you know that brushing your teeth uses 4 gallons of water? Four Gallons! So, if your family of four brushes your teeth three times a day that is 48 gallons a day to brush your teeth... Turn the water off when the brush is in your mouth... Now was that so hard? And now you know you too can make a difference...
The average North American uses 160 gallons of water per day while much of the world uses less than 3 gallons of water per day. What was that saying? If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem...
Check out our new Green Website!
Chic Home Interiors does Home Staging, Interior Redesign and Training in Staging, Color and Green Build Science. Our training arena is all of North America, while our design and staging is in the San Francisco Bay Area only.
510-STAGING or email me at joanne@chichomeinteriors.com
Love it Love it Love it!!! Wow, I didn't know brushing my teeth was such a waste! A few years ago my daughter started monitoring our water usage during toothbrush time, she would get really upset if we let the water flow while the brush was in our mouth. I agree now, it really gets on my last nerve when I am around people that leave the water running while brushing. Thanks for the info and the tips. We can all make a difference even if it is just a small one!
Thank you Valerie, that is exactly the point - as our new President is fond of saying "Yes, we can!" Good for your daughter for starting you on the green road to redemption! She sounds like a smart cookie!
Hi Joanne: I hope you don't mind, but I reblogged this post - goes with the few Green Buildings I talked about in the Bay Area...
Excellent! Mind, of course I don't mind...;-) that was a great blog you wrote. thanks, Sylvia!
Good job Joanne, like the local references that bring it home. Hope you put this on localism...
Thanks, TerryLynn, I did.
Joanne
I'm trying to do a bit of fixing up in my house. Naturally, the first stops was in Home Depot. However, the only thing that I thought was green was the use of bamboo flooring. I was looking for countertops that were made of green materials, but they were nowhere to be found.
So I will have to scour the different sites, including what you provided, to find sustainable materials.
Thanks!
Well, Pacita, I am available and do interior design/redesign consulting for people in their homes. We are just minutes from each other too... I am in Oakland by the Lake. Let me know if I can be of service. I promise it would be fun.
Joanne - I think your blog is wonderful and full of great information! Featured at: CALIFORNIA DREAMING
Robert, thank you so much for the feature!
Joanne - Your very welcome young lady, it's wonderful!