August 19, 2009
By LAURA CASO
El Mundo - 439 Metropolitan
about
Mark Helder’s 439 Metropolitan Ave. project! GreenHomeNYC’s Green Buildings Database gets a mention.
Este inmueble residencial se integra en la red de Green Home NYC, una organización sin ánimo de lucro que pretende concienciar a los propietarios de pequeños inmuebles residenciales o comerciales de Nueva York para que se apunten a la construcción verde.
Esta iniciativa se compone de 71 edificios (de momento), y en ella se pueden encontrar desde una promoción de viviendas sociales en el Bronx hasta las oficinas centrales de la editorial Condé Nast, en pleno Times Square, el primero de esas dimensiones (48 plantas, 149.000 metros cuadrados y 247 de altura) en apuntarse a la edificación sostenible.
July 16, 2009
5 Ways to Cheaper, Cleaner Energy at Home
Deal of the Day by Sarah Morgan
Your first step should be to make your home as energy efficient as possible, particularly if you’re planning to invest in an energy-generating system. “If you’re not changing your consumption, the investment is going into the wrong place,” says Bomee Jung, a spokeswoman for GreenHomeNYC, a volunteer organization that connects building owners with green building services and materials firms. The Department of Energy’s Energy Savers web site provides information on how to reduce your electricity use – the easiest and most cost-effective way to go green.
June 22, 2009
Habitat - June 2009 (Click to view article)
Check out
HABITAT Magazine‘s June issue for an
article about GreenHomeNYC’s House Calls program.
HABITAT magazine is an independent publication with paid circulation targeting decision-makers at the 8000+ residential co-ops, condos, and homeowner associations in the New York City greater metropolitan area.
Bomee Jung and
Erik Nevala-Lee are quoted, talking about the advice GreenHomeNYC volunteers give to co-op residents looking to green their building.
Contact us if you’d like to hear more about House Calls.
June 3, 2009
I am looking to buy a house but before I do I want to make it as green as I possibly can. I want to put in a geothermal system, a cistern to catch rainwater, energy efficient windows, tankless water heater, composting toilets and other environmental saving features. I know there is money for solar by my question is, are there any grants to help me off set the cost of what I want to do?, as I know this will be very expensive.
Thank you,
Sherba
Thanks for your email to GreenHomeNYC’s Ask an Expert!
There are a number of incentive programs for improving the energy and environmental performance of your home. Whether and for which programs you may be eligible for depend on the type of home (1-4 family or multifamily building), the measures you’re looking to fund, and on your household income. Some of these programs can be combined.
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May 24, 2009
Arirang Prime #20 – eco-Seoul: The Green Revival of Seoul
GreenHomeNYC helped to arrange site visits for this TV piece comparing green building in New York, Germany, and Korea. Includes clip (25:36 – 29:10) on
439 Metropolitan Ave and Green Depot.
April 1, 2009
Since 2004, GreenHomeNYC has presented monthly articles on green building construction, renovations, and management in The Cooperator, a Yale Robbins newspaper serving 3,300 New York City cooperatives and condominiums.
A Green Lining in a Down Market
Converting to an Energy-Efficient Building
By Erik D. Nevala-Lee
The realities of a depressed real estate market have finally settled upon New York City. We’ve seen a significant drop in sale prices over just the past few months. This has been coupled with a rapid increase in inventory levels as units stay on the market longer, further exacerbating this downward spiral in price. While there are many reasons for the slump in the housing market that can and have filled many other articles and columns, the real question is what can a building do to attract new buyers and to keep existing owners in their units in the future. Green design and energy efficiency improvements provide an opportunity for buildings to address demand for and price of their units on the market.
Read on at The Cooperator
February 6, 2009
I am building a holistic medical clinic on Long Island and am interested in putting in green/environmental commercial carpets in my treatment room areas. I was wondering if you had any referrals as to where I can purchase these carpets. I am having a hard time finding any companies in New York that sell them. – Pina
Thanks Pina.
One question that you might ask is “do I really need carpet?”. Carpets trap dust and can help promote persistence of allergens in a room, so many green builders & standards recommend that you use a sustainable, non-vinyl floor covering with a low-VOC adhesive & finish instead of putting down carpet.
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January 31, 2009
I’m considering moving to the section of Gowanus, Brooklyn that abuts Park slope — East of 4th Avenue and South of, say, 12 street. But I’ve heard a lot about environmental issues in Gowanus, not just related to the Canal itself, and I’d like to get an informed opinion about the risks involved in living in this area. If this is not your area of expertise, could you point me in the direction of someone who is an expert. Thanks for your help. -Bob
Bob,
Thanks for getting in touch with us, and also for your patience in awaiting a response. You ask a good question, and one that is not just for the Gowanus area, but pertains to any industrial urban area (e.g. Greenpoint, Williamsburg, Hunts Point, LIC, etc.)
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January 28, 2009
GreenHomeNYC founder Aaron Yowell requested tips on low-flow showerheads and we thought we’d share the responses.
A showerhead’s water flow is measured in gallons per minute (gpm). A standard showerhead is 5 – 8 gpm, which means a 5 minute shower uses 40 gallons of water. According to NYC’s Department of Environmental Protection, an efficient gpm is at or below 2.5 across various water pressures. Although US
EPA’s WaterSense program (a label akin to Energy Star) hasn’t estblished a standard for showerheads, some green standards (including LEED) require 2 gpm to be considered “low-flow”, and Enterprise Green Communities (a green standard for affordable housing) encourages showerheads of 1.7 gpm.
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December 15, 2008
I own a brownstone in Brooklyn and want to have an energy audit and a review of ways to make the building greener in general. Can you offer any recommendations of programs, companies, consultants that do this? Does the city have any incentives or programs to help?
-Kippy
Kippy,
The short answer is yes — there are programs, consultants, etc to help you evaluate green renovations for your brownstone.
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