Now homeowners are looking for smaller, more practical homes which emphasize dual-use living spaces, age-in-place features such as main level master bedrooms and fewer detached rooms. The average Joe wants a larger kitchen area which opens to the living room or dining area.

In this article by MyNorthwest.com the reporter speaks with big-time home builder John Buchan Homes to get their perspective.

Jayme M. Carleton, Second Nature

http://jaymecarleton.com

Making Sustainability Second Nature™

By Chris Sullivan
97.3 KIRO FM Reporter

Think about where you spend most of your time in your house. Is it the media room? Is it the formal living room? And while you’re at it, think about how often you use that jet spa in your bathroom. All the bells and whistles that homeowners wanted five or ten years ago are going away.

The McMansion isn’t exactly dead, but it’s on life support. Fewer people want the “look at me” homes today, opting instead for something more practical.

Local real estate expert Tom Kelly says homes are shrinking across the country. “For the first time in the last three decades, the new home built in this country is smaller than it was a year ago,” he said.

The average new home is about 2,150 square feet. Local home builder John Buchan Homes says they make new homes today 10 to 15 percent smaller than five years ago.

“Today’s home buyers are really into practicality,” said Buchan President and CEO Heather Dosch. “They want to simplify their life so it’s about the livability of their home. I think the whole recession has made everybody think about what I really need. Do I really need that room or that item?” And the answer most times is “no.”

Formal spaces, like detached dining rooms, are going away because most people don’t use them. They were built in the McMansion-era to impress guests, like the look-but-don’t-touch section of the museum.

“They’re giving up on the living room,” Dosch said. “They are giving up on the media room.” Gone are the grand entrance foyers. Those wasted spaces are being replaced. One, because people can’t afford huge houses, and two, because they aren’t energy efficient.

Separate great rooms or huge bonus rooms are gone too. People want large open kitchens that go right into the family or TV room because that’s where everyone spends their time. They want multi-functional spaces with no dividers.

And in the bathrooms? Dosch said the days of building hotel quality spas are over.

“The bells and whistles are really kind of what’s been pared down in the house, and I’m happy to see it honestly,” she said. “I think it’s somewhat wasteful. If you have a rain shower and you have two shower heads all going at the same time, how much water do you really need on your body to get clean?”

Practical trumps ornate today.

One popular trend that really start to catch on, Dosch said, is the “age in place” concept. People buying homes that they can live in for a lifetime and that can be converted as they age. You see a lot of master bedrooms and bathrooms being built on the main floors of homes because people don’t want to climb stairs as they grow older. Showers are being built without tubs, and builders are even stacking closets so they can be removed and converted to elevators.

So is the McMansion on its last legs? “That’s a really good question,” Dosch said. “I would say, ‘No the McMansion is not dead,’” but it’s not for the masses.

Dosch said some clients will always want the prestige that comes with a McMansion so they will never go away entirely.

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I always found Christmas a time consuming holiday… running to the Christmas tree lot to buy a tree, having to bring the decorations inside from storage, setting the decorations out, spending a few hours arranging things just right; and that was just for the tree! I really did think that maybe I could reduce the time commitment by ordering a fake Christmas tree online and reusing it every year. Surprising, my not as eco-conscious husband pointed out that maybe, just maybe, that wasn’t the route to go. He sent me the below email for backup, in case I didn’t believe him.

- Jayme M. Carleton, Second Nature

Making Sustainability Second Nature™

http://jaymecarleton.com

By JOHN COLLINS RUDOLF

The New York Times

In these eco-conscious times, many people want to shrink their environmental footprint while still enjoying the trappings of the holiday season. In some cases, the earth-friendly alternative – pass the tofurky – is a pretty obvious choice. But in others, the answer is not so clear. When it comes to Christmas trees, for instance, which is better for the planet: the long-lasting artificial kind, or the freshly cut, pine-scent-and-sap variety?

As I report in Saturday’s Times, at least one major study found that the real tree was probably the better choice. But as I found during my reporting, many consumers still believe that a faux fir is less harmful to the environment than the real thing.

That’s because an artificial tree can be used again and again, unlike a real tree, which is tossed out at the end of the season. Yet as it turns out, that’s not enough to tilt the scales in the fake tree’s favor. The resources used to make artificial trees — plastic and metal — have a high extraction cost, and most trees are made in China, meaning they need to be shipped thousands of miles before they reach American shores.

Real trees are also biodegradable and can be composted or turned into mulch; fake trees are almost all fated to end up in a landfill one day.

Artificial Christmas trees continue to sell by the truckload, of course — according to industry estimates, sales in the United States may hit 13 million this year.

Most faux trees have a lifespan of about six to 10 years, surveys have found, at which point they start to look a bit ragged and consumers chuck them out. At this point, they’re off to the landfill.

What about recycling? I posed this question to Jami Warner, executive director of the American Christmas Tree Association, which represents makers of artificial trees.

“All the materials in an artificial Christmas tree are recyclable and trees are recycled now,” Ms. Warner wrote in an e-mail.

Technically, this might be true. But all the municipal recycling programs I queried said they did not recycle artificial trees — and for good reason: artificial trees are largely made from polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, which is in most cases prohibitively expensive to recycle. I mentioned this fact to Ms. Warner, who said the onus rested with the cities, not her industry.

“Ultimately trees are likely to end up in landfills until cities offer recycling programs,” Ms. Warner wrote.

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- Jayme M. Carleton, Second Nature

http://jaymecarleton.com

Making Sustainability Second Nature™

The switch from paper books to digital books for classrooms has been on the way for a couple years now. It is university classrooms that have been getting most of the attention, however, K-12 classrooms are now getting more play from publishers. McGraw-Hill launched its first digital-only texbook on Monday.

Mashable writes that the cloud-based textbook was announced at the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) conference this week, and it is the first time a major publisher has made such a launch.

Digital textbooks have a few advantages over paper books. They can be updated or upgraded without having to reprint thousands of copies or recycle all the old books. There’s no needing to transport heavy loads of books from the printer to the schools — or transport those heavy books from school to home in backpacks. If read often enough, the carbon footprint of a digital book beats that of a printed book.

However, there are some obvious drawbacks. Students have to be able to access the digital books, which means access to a computer or e-reader. The problem of money is quickly a factor — which schools, or which parents, can provide gadgets for the kids to access their books? And how long of a lifespan does an e-reader have in the hands of a less-than-careful 10-year-old? E-waste could be a serious issue.

Still, the change is happening. Mashable writes, “But textbook makers have good reason to innovate in this area. K-12 textbook sales this April — traditionally the start of the classroom curriculum buying period — dropped more than 15% since the same time last year, according to the Association of American Publishers. Digital books might offer one way to help reverse the trend.”

This means publishers also have an active interest in ensuring schools have enough computers or e-readers for students. McGraw-Hill is launching a new payment model with its digital textbooks that allows schools to purchase one book per child per year. Meanwhile, other publishers are also partnering with consumer electronics companies to help create deals on hardware for schools that go the digital route.

In just a few more years, we may see paper replaced with pixels — and we’ll start to have a better grasp of exactly what kind of environmental footprint going digital in schools will have.

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This article from Green Planet scared the heck out of me. I would never EVER contemplate having my house sprayed for fleas or other pests, however I am not everyone and there are a lot of people out there who control these pests with indoor spraying and other measures. I wanted to pass on this article to you so that you can make an informed decision and know the pros and cons of your decision.

- Jayme M. Carleton, Second Nature

http://jaymecarleton.com

Making Sustainability Second Nature™

From Planet Green:

I have a special place in my heart for this story. I live in South Carolina, where the bugs are big, really big, and the flea problem come spring and summer can take over your life. I’ve had moments of weakness just like the rest of us. A story in theWashington Post tells the story of one woman in Virginia who had her moment of weakness and it almost killed her.

According to the Washington Post, Sue Eisenfeld was a conscious consumer; she ate a vegetarian diet, refused bags at the store, and avoided processed foods. In fact, she worked as a consultant for the EPA. But it seemed after treating her cat topically, she still couldn’t get rid of the fleas. Her kitty was scratching herself raw. So she went for it. She decided to have her house sprayed. She trusted that if anything dangerous was being sprayed in her home, they would tell her. She thought wrong. We often hear that spraying pesticides in our homes is dangerous, but what we don’t hear is why. We don’t hear the immediate ramifications that can come from spraying your home. Here’s what happened to Sue.

Scary Ramifications

She began to have strange symptoms like a headache, odd electric energy down her arm, and a painful reaction to cold. She was fatigued, seriously dizzy, and had lost so much strength that she could barely brush her teeth.

According to the story:

Two trips to the emergency room ruled out a stroke and a brain tumor. But an MRI scan showed a lesion on the spinal cord in my neck. This scar or defect, I was told, had chewed away some of the protective myelin that coats nerves and transmits messages in the nervous system. This damage was scrambling messages being sent throughout my body about temperature and pain and strength and balance.

Sue’s Diagnosis

The doctor later diagnosed the illness as transverse myelitis, or an inflammation on the spinal cord. After being put on a mega-dose of steroids for five days her symptoms lessened but she had to go through rigorous physical therapy to gain back strength.

The doctors had ruled out many of the usual causes for the disease like Lyme’s disease, chickenpox, shingles, herpes, flu, and others but Sue wondered if it had been the initial pesticide exposure. After doing research she learned that’s exactly what happened. She learned that the pesticide used had not been applied correctly. Food surfaces were not covered and the house was not aired out. Then she read about the complaints against the pesticide turned into the EPA.

Again, the Washington Post:

[A]n 82-page report from the EPA that made it clear to me that MS wasn’t the cause of my symptoms. The report showed that from 1992 until early 2010, 156 “minor” human incidents had been reported to the agency concerning the product used in our house, as well as 24 “moderate” and 515 “major” human incidents.Among the complaints in the moderate and major medical incidents were dizziness, difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, muscle weakness, tremors, abdominal pain, disorientation, stumbling, coma, seizure, liver failure, lethargy, numbness, blurred vision, chills, blood in the urine, memory loss, migraines, inability to walk and heart attack.

While this is public knowledge, few people that have their homes sprayed are aware of it. The fact of the matter is that you can’t trust the system, you have to do your own research. As we move into the height of bug season, remember that these poisons can do real damage. If it were me I’d avoid getting my home sprayed at all cost. Take every holistic step before ever taking the pesticide plunge. You never know the results. Here’s aguide to treating fleas holistically that really works.

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Monthly green-certified home sales statistics have been provided by GreenWorks Realty from their ECert Report. The data covers King County and Seattle and compares homes with an environmental certification to those without based on sales price, square footage and time on market differences for homes built 2007 and later. The environmental certifications include Built Green,Northwest Energy Star Homes and LEED for Homes. The predominate certification in the region and in the report is Built Green.

Historic data shows certified homes in King County and Seattle sell for more, are smaller in size and, in some instances, sell in shorter market time. The data represents a clear snapshot of the metropolitan green-home marketplace and has been referred to in studies and reports across the country and internationally. GreenWorks Realty broker Ben Kaufman compiles the ECert Report based on Northwest Multiple Listing Service (NWMLS) sales data. From time to time, Kaufman will add commentary on trends affecting the green home market with additional charts and sales data. Visit the ECert Report for more information.

- Jayme M. Carleton, Second Nature

http://jaymecarleton.com

Makings Sustainability Second Nature™

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- Jayme M. Carleton, Second Nature

http://jaymecarleton.com

Making Sustainability Second Nature™

As reported by Planet Green:

Diet coke recently became the second most popular soda second only to regular coke. I think much of the reason for its popularity is the false perception that it’s the healthier choice because it has no calories. But zero calorie sweeteners like aspartame and saccharin come with risks including a link with bladder cancer, brain tumors, and osteoporosis.

But a new study is causing the world to take even more notice. According to an article in Food Navigator, The European Parliament’s Environment committee is pushing for a warning label on products containing aspartame for pregnant women. The warning label would read: “Contains aspartame (a source of phenylalanine; might be unsuitable for pregnant women).”

According to Food Navigator:

It follows the publication of a Danish epidemiological study that saw a statistical association between the consumption of soft drinks containing sweeteners and increased risk of preterm delivery as a result of a medical decision following complications. The authors said the results, whether or not there is a causal link, needs to be confirmed by other studies.

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Get excited New York! If everything goes along swimmingly, we could have our very own floating pool in the East River by next summer (don’t worry, there’s a filtration system to clean the water!). You may remember +Pool, a concept for a floating plus-shaped pool unveiled last summer. Well, now the designers are pushing forward to turn the concept into a reality. A whole year may seem too long to wait to enjoy a refreshing dip, sun bathing, and fantastic views of the Manhattan skyline, but the process is zipping along, with the design team reaching its $25,000 fundraising goal through Kickstarter. As of today, the team has raised more than $29,000, which will help fund the research and development to land this thing in the river.

Read more: UPDATE: Floating East River +Pool Concept Raises First Round of Funding | Inhabitat New York City

- Jayme M. Carleton, Second Nature

http://jaymecarleton.com

Making Sustainability Second Nature™

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1. Seventh Generation
2. Whole Foods
3. Tom’s of Maine
4. Burt’s Bees
5. Trader Joe’s
6. The Walt Disney Company
7. S.C. Johnson
8. Dove
9. Apple
10. Starbucks, Microsoft (tied)

The ImagePower Global Green Brands Survey features 9,000 respondents in eight countries measuring perceptions and sentiments of green actions by industries, products, and brands. The survey is sponsored by WPP companies Cohn & Wolfe, Landor Associate, Penn Schoen Berland, and partner company Esty Environmental Partners.

The news was announced at the Sustainable Brands Conference this week.

- Jayme M. Carleton, Second Nature

http://jaymecarleton.com

Making Sustainability Second Nature™

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- Jayme M. Carleton, Second Nature
http://jaymecarleton.com
Making Sustainability Second Nature™

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I wanted to share this article with you all. Even though I personally promote and support sustainable gardening practices, I know that a few members in my family use Roundup. My hope is that this article will persuade them to change their ways and leave the chemicals out of their gardening routine.

- Jayme M. Carleton, Second Nature

http://jaymecarleton.com

Making Sustainability Second Nature™

WASHINGTON – Industry regulators have known for years that Roundup, the world’s best-selling herbicide produced by U.S. company Monsanto, causes birth defects, according to a new report released Tuesday.

The report, “Roundup and birth defects: Is the public being kept in the dark?” found regulators knew as long ago as 1980 that glyphosate, the chemical on which Roundup is based, can cause birth defects in laboratory animals.

But despite such warnings, and although the European Commission has known that glyphosate causes malformations since at least 2002, the information was not made public.

Instead regulators misled the public about glyphosate’s safety, according to the report, and as recently as last year, the German Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety, the German government body dealing with the glyphosate review, told the European Commission that there was no evidence glyphosate causes birth defects.

Published by Earth Open Source, an organization that uses open source collaboration to advance sustainable food production, the report comes months after researchers found that genetically-modified crops used in conjunction Roundup contain a pathogen that may cause animal miscarriages. After observing the newly discovered organism back in February, Don Huber, an emeritus professor at Purdue University, wrote an open letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack requesting a moratorium on deregulating crops genetically altered to be immune to Roundup, which are commonly called Roundup Ready crops.

In the letter, Huber also commented on the herbicide itself, saying: “It is well-documented that glyphosate promotes soil pathogens and is already implicated with the increase of more than 40 plant diseases; it dismantles plant defenses by chelating vital nutrients; and it reduces the bioavailability of nutrients in feed, which in turn can cause animal disorders.”

Although glyphosate was originally due to be reviewed in 2012, the Commission decided late last year not to bring the review forward, instead delaying it until 2015. The chemical will not be reviewed under more stringent, up-to-date standards until 2030.

“Our examination of the evidence leads us to the conclusion that the current approval of glyphosate and Roundup is deeply flawed and unreliable,” wrote the report authors in their conclusion. “What is more, we have learned from experts familiar with pesticide assessments and approvals that the case of glyphosate is not unusual.

“They say that the approvals of numerous pesticides rest on data and risk assessments that are just as scientifically flawed, if not more so,” the authors added. “This is all the more reason why the Commission must urgently review glyphosate and other pesticides according to the most rigorous and up-to-date standards.”

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