News

Products and Materials

Two startups cutting emissions from the use of concrete have won the $20 million Carbon Xprize.

Ecohome encourage anyone building with some ready mix concrete to check if there is a local supplier of CarbonCure to help reduce the carbon footprint of your build. A while back Ecohome was pleased to find and report on some upcoming technologies that were producing Low-carbon and carbon-neutral concrete…

Policy and Regulations

Carbon tax in Canada or USA – How More Tax might be a Good Thing

Raising taxes is usually something that dips into all wallets - but the Carbon tax, applied correctly to target consumption, may be the best thing that ever happened for the North American construction industry and homeowners. I was a carpenter/contractor for decades, during and in between university. In 2008 an old…

Products and Materials

Ikea sustainability and their new sell-back program

When we think of big-box stores and retailers we don't generally think of sustainability, we think of a "pile it high & sell it cheap" disposable mentality - but we've been discovering that Ikea, the worlds largest furniture retailer, is at least trying. So here’s a new situation – We find that a certain corporation…

Climate Change

And so it's Earth Day, Again...

After the 50th anniversary of Earth Day last April kind of fizzled out in the face of impending viral doom, what does Earth Day 2021 mean for the Planet. Under a previous US administration, the environment seemed to have taken a back seat to nationalism, industry, jobs, and the economy . Initiatives like the Paris…

Real estate

The North American property market faces a ticking time-bomb - mandatory energy labeling

With our international perspective of construction and home pricing trends, it's time to stress the importance to the homeowners of North America and Canada of home performance. If buying or building a home - please read this first. A recent report in the UK by the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has started ringing…

Lifestyle

Zero waste to landfill pilot project - Australian grocery store Coles

Coles Supermarket partners with Cleanaway to convert waste into fuel to divert all waste from landfills. I’m not the first and I definitely won’t be the last to say that there is far too much (unnecessary) plastic packaging on foods. It’s everywhere! As soon as you step foot through the automatic doors in the…

Health

One of the greenest homes on Earth is taking the Living Building Challenge in Alberta Canada - The Confluence

Named “The Confluence,” this house produces more energy than it uses, it captures water on site and has a positive impact on its occupants and surrounding environment. Located northwest of Calgary, Alberta, The Confluence home is a partnership between Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s ( SAIT ) Green…

Energy efficiency

Trane Technologies plans to cut product carbon emissions in half by 2030

Trane Technologies recently announced plans to cut its product carbon emissions by nearly 50% by 2030, supporting the Paris Agreement goal of Net-Zero Emissions by 2050, and having these claims validated independently. Cutting product emissions in half over the next decade supports Trane Technologies’ 2030…

Commuting

A new and sustainable urban transit system SEM-B readies for launch

With city populations doubling by 2050, we can't sustain the growing impact of urbanization on current transit solutions. Traffic is bad now in many of our urban centers, imagine what it will be like with double the number of cars. There's a significant traffic issue on the horizon, and even all of us deciding to…

Environment

Green roof on Canadian grocery store offers truly local produce

Green roofs have known benefits for biodiversity in urban areas, water conservation, insulation properties and are simply more attractive to look at - here is an example of them being very practical too. Most commercial green roofs in an urban area offer green space for occupants and manage rainwater, but large…

Health

Microplastics in drinking water : ‘It’s like eating a credit card every week’

Plastics are inescapable - but we can reduce their impact by better informed choices, better legislation (and probably lots of it), and by reducing waste production from construction. Plastics and their devastating impact on the environment is not news at all. For all our efforts to reduce packaging, recycle…