WHAT IS UP WITH ALL OUR STUFF

What is the Story of Stuff?

From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.

You can click on this link to watch the YOU TUBE video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLBE5QAYXp8&feature=player_embedded

Or you can go direct to their website at http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html.

IT IS WELL WORTH THE WATCH!

Ever since 1981, TEAM PERKA has produced steel frames that were always intended to LAST! We give it a 40 year warranty - but it will probably last even longer! It’s made of STEEL!!! Furthermore they are designed to be “stand alone”. Which means they don’t rely on the purlins, girts and sheeting (the envelope) to give it the full CAPACITY that is needed. The frames alone are designed to take it - then adding the envelope can actually ADD MORE strength and more durability! And when you’re done with them - probably in a 3rd or 4th generation from now… you can RECYCLE it! It’s STEEL!

We believe in the closed loop designing of our frames… and doing whatever we can to help all our buildings be made as sustainable as they possibly can.

While there are some debatable comments in her presentation - this video still explains this concept of a closed loop system quite well! Whether you believe in the extreme situation of where we are as a society or not - there is still ALLOT of merit to being more responsible about consumption and being better stewards of what we DO have. These are trying times for most of us - and this ideal can go a long way to help us all both in the short term and the long run!!

We believe it’s about getting our facts straight about where we are as a race, where we’re going, where we REALLY want to go, and then collectively choosing to get there TOGETHER!

Like ANNIE says –  it wasn’t always this way –  WE CAN CHANGE!

What is Renewable Energy? A Work of Art.

When one jumps onto the “Sustainable Building” Train - the amount of information about all the various aspects of building for living sustainably, and creating a sovereign lifestyle can seem quite daunting. But like anything that is “new” - by keeping at it and picking up a little bit more each day - like a large tiny piece puzzle - with a genuine interest and desire to be the best we can be, the pieces we put together gently begin to reveal the “Masterpiece”!! And believe me - it is truly a “work of art”…

Embarking on this living responsibly through sustainability journey which is actually a returning to ancient ways of respect and appreciation for our lands and its fruit, brings one to a realization that LIVING life fully is ART. We are born with a blank canvas labelled by “our name or identity” and we thus create, re-create and co-create what it looks like and what image (legacy) we will and wish to leave behind… When you think of things in that LIGHT - it can sure make this process of “doing the right thing” for our planet and our people - an honor, a privilege, a JOY!

Not too long ago I decided to begin a process of re-inventing myself. Without dad as my mentor, partner and friend - “doing business” just wasn’t the same. Much changed. So now I look for fulfilment by the essence he left behind mixing with one that is now redefining not only me, but our world, humanity and our existence.

It’s “back to the Ancient Future” … time to rediscover the roots that makes this planet what it truly can be, in all it’s majesty, it’s beauty, it’s wonder –  A WORK OF ART.

For any of you following along the green r-evolution of our world these days, here (below) is another bit of information that can maybe add a few more pieces to the wondrous puzzle of co-creating a better LIFE on this EARTH… Please feel free to comment on this or any other blog. The Internet has helped our world become a lot smaller, allot more universal, where we can actually co-create with fellow beings on the opposite side of the world!! These blogs gives us full access to experiences, ideas, creations, “100th monkey changes” that would have taken generations to discover. Now we have access to it all virtually instantly - or as fast as we can read, interact and absorb. It is more accurate, purer and fundamentally inter-connected. So let’s use it for the greater good it can offer… and let’s share and collaborate (world wide) to more effectively truly make our planet, our homes, our lives healthier, more peaceful and the loving place to LIVE that they were always meant to be…

************************************************************************************************************
Renewable energy sources are energy sources that are continually replenished. These include energy from water, wind, the sun, geothermal sources, and biomass sources such as energy crops. In contrast, fuels such as coal, oil, and natural gas are non-renewable. Once a deposit of these fuels is depleted it cannot be replenished – a replacement deposit must be found instead. Both renewable and non-renewable energy sources are used to generate electricity, power vehicles, and provide heating, cooling, and light.

Renewable sources of energy vary widely in their cost-effectiveness and in their availability across the United States. Although water, wind, and other renewables may appear free, their cost comes in collecting, harnessing, and transporting the energy so that it can do useful work. For example, to utilize energy from water, a dam must be built along with electric generators and transmission lines.

Renewables themselves are non-polluting, while the structures built to harness them can have positive or negative environmental impacts. For example, dams may affect fish migration but may also create wildlife habitat.

SOLAR ENERGY:
Solar technologies use the sun’s energy to provide heat, light, hot water, electricity, and even cooling, for homes, businesses, and industry. Despite sunlight’s significant potential for supplying energy, solar power provides less than 1% of U.S. energy needs. This percentage is expected to increase with the development of new and more efficient solar technologies.

Different types of solar collectors are used to meet different energy needs. Passive solar building designs capture the sun’s heat to provide space heating and light. Photovoltaic cells convert sunlight directly to electricity. Concentrating solar power systems focus sunlight with mirrors to create a high-intensity heat source, which then produces steam or mechanical power to run a generator that creates electricity. Flat-plate collectors absorb the sun’s heat directly into water or other fluids to provide hot water or space heating. And solar process heating and cooling systems use specialized solar collectors and chemical processes to meet large-scale hot water and heating and cooling needs.

Solar technologies produce few negative environmental impacts during collector operation. However, there are environmental concerns associated with the production of collectors and storage devices. In addition, cost is a great drawback to solar power. Although sunlight is free, solar cells and the equipment needed to convert their direct-current output to alternating current for use in a house is expensive. Electricity generated by solar cells is still more than twice as expensive as electricity from fossil fuels. Part of the problem with cost is that solar cells can The parabolic troughs that make up this concentrating solar power system generate power from the sun on a large scale in California.only operate during daylight hours. In contrast, a coal or natural gas plant can run around the clock, which means the cost for building the plant can be spread over many more hours of use.

Around the United States, available sunlight varies considerably as a result of differences in cloud cover and latitude, and also varies with the seasons. In the summer, longer daylight hours and a higher sun angle provide more solar power, compared to the winter when the sun is up for fewer hours and at a lower position in the sky. These variations must be taken into consideration when planning solar collection facilities.

read on: http://www.nationalatlas.gov/articles/people/a_energy.html

GOAL: GETTING TO NET ZERO BUILDINGS

The more one researches about “BUILDING GREEN” - “SUSTAINABLE BUILDING” - “CONSCIOUS LIVING - the more one realizes the less one knows, and the more there is to know!! It’s wild. It’s GREAT!



There are many initiatives going on ALL OVER THE WORLD. From governments to grass roots. The great thing is were all pointing to pretty much the same end result: a NEW BEGINNING! Taking better care of our planet. Taking better care of each other. As long as we can make it into a global awareness, a “new” race consciousness - how can we go wrong?



I was speaking with a colleague recently and in our conversation we were kind of like trying to find “new” words for GREEN - or Sustainability - because we were both getting the feeling that we were almost starting to over use them. We were turning the word “green” into a verb. While there was nothing really wrong with that - we both felt we just wouldn’t want to turn all this recent “hype” into something that people just end up glazing their eyes over and taking for granted. All aspects of “GREENING” is very important right now… Let’s NOT take it for granted! In fact it was also brought to my attention that if you look around, in almost any U.S. rural town - you will find VERY LITTLE if ANY indication that anyone is “DOING GREEN”!!! There is allot of “talk” and “writing” and maybe even thinking - which is a great start - but, still, LITTLE is being DONE!



THIS IS A TIME FOR ACTION! And we must realize that EVERY action, be it turning the tap off between rinses when brushing our teeth, to installing SOLAR PANELS on our roof, WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. There is so much “waste” already going on - we can make a HUGE difference FAST!



If you haven’t already - you can start simple - change your light bulbs, shorten your shower time, control your thermostat, seal up your homes, insulate… AND, if you are in a position to build NEW, take a little bit of extra time and PLAN.



Below find a GREAT article presented by the US department of Energy - encouraging us to build with awareness.





http://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/commercial_initiative/whole_building.html
THE TIME FOR ACTION IS NOW.



We at TEAM PERKA are committed to be part of the solution.



Cheers



Whole Building Design for Commercial Buildings
Whole building commercial design considers all components and subsystems during the initial design phase and is the most important step in achieving net-zero energy buildings. On this page you’ll learn more about whole building commercial design and find related information.



Integrated Design Is Critical
Whole building design takes into consideration site, energy, materials, indoor air quality, acoustics, and natural resources. The design team must be fully integrated early in the process to address how these elements work together. The team should include architects, engineers, building occupants and owners, and specialists in areas such as indoor air quality, materials, and energy use.



Integrated building design changes the way architects, engineers, and project teams design buildings and leads to much higher energy performance. To be successful, project teams must:
Set specific and measurable energy goals

~Develop strategies to meet the goals by planning from the top down and evaluating from the bottom up
~Create a structure that encourages communication among team members
~Make each team member accountable for successfully implementing the strategies
~Evaluate progress toward the goal frequently.

Benefits
Compared to conventional buildings, whole building design reduces the amount of energy required to operate a building by incorporating energy-saving technologies.

Benefits include:
~Reduced energy use by 50% or more
~Decreased maintenance and capital costs
Less environmental impact
~Increased occupant comfort and health
~Improved employee productivity.
~Invest Design Savings into Energy Efficiency

Architects, engineers, and project teams can make design decisions that reduce the financial impact of energy-saving technologies. For example, siting a building to maximize daylighting reduces the cost of lighting for the lifetime of the building. In addition, optimizing building envelope design will reduce heating and cooling costs. Savings from these design strategies can then be invested in higher quality windows or controls, which will also reduce energy use.

The High Performance Buildings Database provides business cases for projects across the United States and around the world. The energy, economic, and environmental performance of high-performance buildings is substantially better than standard practice.