common ecology blog
educate . inspire . actbaltimore county green roof install
brennan + company architects is so thrilled, after years and years of trying, to finally have a green roof installed! Thank you to our great clients for seeing this through. And thanks to Capitol Green Roofs for their fabulous installation job.
Green roofs help with stormwater retention and provide a slow release of this water. They also aid in absorption, transpiration and reducing the heat island effect.
We would love to have a green roof installed on your new project – contact brennan + company architects for full service, earth friendly architecture.
baltimore biodiesel creates first solar powered fueling pump!
in true sustainable lifestyle fashion, baltimore biodiesel coop, with it’s genius volunteers, has created and built the first solar powered fueling pump station in the country! the pump is located at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. As a driver of a biodiesel powered car and member of the coop, I am so proud of what you guys have done! Freedom from Petroleum!
baltimore county high performance homes bill
Baltimore County has just passed the High Performance Homes Bill, which offers a property tax credit to homeowners who invest in improving the energy efficiency of their homes. The Bill went into effect June 25, 2010. The amount of the tax credit is a percentage of the total County property tax assessed on the home that is equal to the percentage of increased energy efficiency achieved in the process of renovation or new construction. The tax credit starts at 30% efficiency for three years and increases to a carbon neutral home with a 100% tax credit for five years. Michael Hindle, CPHC and Carri Beer, AIA, LEED ap worked assiduously with Councilman Vince Gardina to make this bill a reality for Baltimore County residents. Contact us to help make your home more efficient or to design a new carbon neutral home!
certified passive house consultant!
Our own Michael Hindle has received his certification as a Certified Passive House Consultant (CPHC). He is one of only three CPHC’s in the Baltimore area and only a handful in the state of Maryland. Passive House is an energy performance standard which sets a very ambitious goal of 90% energy use reductions for heating and cooling. The Passive House standard and the associated building strategies are supported by 19 years of exhaustive building performance monitoring and building science research. Consultants use highly accurate modeling software to project and determine energy use for all building types.
FREE trees from TreeBaltimore!
TreeBaltimore is giving FREE trees again! Listed are April’s upcoming events.
whitehouse “retrofit ramp-up”
Vice President Biden announced an additional $452 million to ramp up energy retrofit projects. The money has been divided among 25 states and non-profits. The press release states “existing techniques and technologies in energy efficiency retrofitting can reduce energy use by up to 40 percent per home and lower total associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 160 million metric tons annually.” At Common Ecology, we believe we can do even better than 40% reductions. Drop us a line and schedule a Holistic Home Evaluation to learn more!
Baltimore’s CivicWorks EnergyReady service corps applies Cool Roofs
EnergyReady applies Cool Roofs, an Energy Star approved white roofing system that lasts longer than traditional tar roofing and deflects the sun’s heat. A Cool Roof does not require the disposal of the old tar roof and it significantly reduces heat transfer to the interior of the building, reducing summertime energy demand. In addition to providing energy efficiency retrofit services, the program helps to grow Baltimore’s green economy and creates local living wage jobs.
baltimore green week! ECOFEST this saturday, the 17th, at druid hill park
Noon-6 p.m. at Druid Hill Park
Baltimore Green Week’s kick off event, EcoFest, invites local food vendors, growers, businesses and organizations that maintain a sustainable focus. There will be plenty of activities happening so use this opportunity to try something new like yoga, take a bike ride around the reservoir, dance or sing along to June Star and the Frontier Dentists or take a moment to enjoy a back massage.
FREE trees from TreeBaltimore!
TreeBaltimore is giving FREE trees again! Listed are April’s upcoming events.
- Patterson Park Charter School, 04/13/10 from 6-8
- Eddie’s of Roland Park, 04/20/10 from 10-2
- Dickey Hill Elementary, 04/22/10 from 10-noon
- Walter P. Carter ES and Rec Center, 04/23/10 and 04/24/10 from 9-noon
- Collington Square Park, 04/30/10 at 11 am
“do you realize how much you could save if you insulated your house better?” by daniel gross, slate magazine
this is a lovely article about one person’s experience with an energy audit and the discovery of how poorly his house is insulated and greatly he could save.
