Sustainable Technology and Energy Institute

Green Building: Materials & Technologies

Last updated May 23, 2002


Note: as a part of my involvement with the planning of the Second Neighborhood (Song) of Ecovillage at Ithaca (EVI), I have been working with other EVI members on locating green building materials and techniques.  Many thanks to the following people who have been involved with the research: Jon Harrod, Joe Nolan, Greg Pitts, Rob Champion, Laurie Drinkwater, Mike Carpenter, David Hessler, and all the other members of Song who contributed.  – Francis Vanek


Technologies and manufacturers/vendors shown here are those chosen or researched by our project.  For more general lists of green building materials, you may wish to look at: For additional information about other technologies and techniques being used in the building of the Second Neighborhood, check out http://www.ecovillage.ithaca.ny.us/songfiles/greenbuild.html


Here is an alphabetical list of items, along with descriptions, vendor names, and websites.
A-M  N-Z


Compact fluorescent lightbulbs: 70-80% less electricity consumption than standard incandescent bulbs.  Light quality and compactness of bulbs has improved greatly in recent years, thanks in part to a shift from magnetic to electronic ballasts.


Composting toilets: use biodigestion to transform harmful excrement into a harmless byproduct, requiring little or no water for flushing.  Models are either self-contained or else have a digester separate from the bathroom (these typically require a small amount of flush water).
Manufacturers:

Information: Drain heat recovery device: Uses a heat exchanger to transfer heat between waste water running down the drain and cold water running up into a bath or other water faucet.  Available from Jade Mountain (www.jademountain.com) by going to (http://www.jademountain.com/ecologyProducts/greywater/greyheat.html)
Manufacturer: Grey water systems: reuse non-black wastewater (i.e. not from the toilet), either for toilet flush water (a “cascade” system) or for outdoor purposes such as watering a garden.  For more information, the titles “Create an Oasis With Grey Water” and “Builder's Grey Water Guide” are available from the Rodale Institute (www.rodaleinstitute.org), click on “RI Bookstore” and then look under permaculture books.  A range of off-the-shelf grey water systems is available from Jade Mountain (http://www.jademountain.com/ecologyProducts/greywater/greycomplete.html).

Light tubes: similar idea to a skylight, but using a round opening in the roof connected to a mirrorized tube to allow daylight to enter the interior of the house and then be directed to an interior space with inadequate day lighting (such as a hall or interior bathroom).
Manufacturers:

Materials exchange: website for posting and exchanging unwanted building materials and fixtures for western New York region.  Available at www.recycle.net/matex/view.html


Photovoltaic panels: Convert sunlight into electrical energy.  Two options: 1) stand-alone system with batteries, or 2) intertie system which sells excess electric production to the electric grid, and then buys electricity when PV output does not meet electric demand. Real Goods (www.realgoods.com) stocks Siemens, Unisolar, Kyocera, Evergreen, Astropower brand PV panels.

Refrigerators: much improved in recent years so that there is now a wide range in efficiency, with the most efficient “Energy Star” models providing great energy savings, often for only modestly higher cost. Many examples exist but here are two:


Straw Bale Construction: Use straw bale in walls instead of traditional wood and insulation combinations in order to build a natural, well-insulated home.  More information available from Sourcebook Straw Bale (www.greenbuilder.com/sourcebook/strawbale.html).  A registry of existing straw bale houses is available at http://sbregistry.greenbuilder.com.

Structural Insulated Panels (aka SIPs): As the name implies, these panels combine the structural and insulation function of the exterior wall into a single unit.  They both simplify the building process and provide increased insulation for the same amount of embodied material, since they reduce the “thermal bridging” effect that occurs in stud walls with insulation.

Water filtration systems (countertop, undersink, or whole house): reduce environmental health hazard by removing impurities from your drinking water. Wind Electric Conversion Systems: Turn wind energy into electricity using a turbine typically mounted in line with the axle to which either 2 or 3 blades are attached.  Real Goods (www.realgoods.com) carries Windseeker, Air, Southwest, Whisper makes of wind generator.

Windows (Energy efficient): Double-glazed, low-e windows reduce thermal loss and facilitate passive solar design in cold climates.


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Page created and maintained by Francis Vanek.  Send corrections & comments to francisvanek@yahoo.com.