Clay walls are naturally mold resistant and “breathable” which helps
circulate the air and remove allergens. Left over clay can be discarded
directly on the ground with absolutely no ill effects on the Earth.

Denim insulation is flame retardant, mold resistant, and has a higher
insulation value per inch than fiberglass. It has no formaldehyde and
is great sound proofing.

Concrete counters and floors don’t harbor mold or other allergens.

If every house in Los Angeles had solar panels installed it could< (more…)

Wind Turbines

The tallest wind tower in America — 345 feet — is in Scurry County,
Texas at Enel North Americas Snyder Wind Project. By comparison, the
Statue of Liberty is 305 feet.

The tips of a 300 foot diameter wing spread are moving at about 100 mph.
The blades revolve about 21 times per minute.

Who taps the wind?

Germany leads all nations in production of wind power. It also has a huge
investment in solar power. Both technologies are heavily boosted by tax
incentives.

Below are the World Wind Energy Association’s rankings of wind power by
megawatts installed:

Germany 22,247
United States 16,819
-Texas 4,356
- California 2,439
Spain 15,145
India 7,850
China 5,899

Wind through the home:

All homes need adequate ventilation. Without it, contaminants such as
formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), unpleasant orders can
linger, radon gas can accumulate, and excess moisture will cause mold
growth.

In the past most homes got adequate ventilation from the natural air moving
through the unsealed windows and doors, etc. But with improved housing
technology, uncontrolled ventilation has been drastically reduced to such
an airtight degree that it’s necessary to compensate by installing a whole
house ventilation system. You may remember attic fans, same thing, just
new and improved.

Most applicable in cold climates during the summer. Not advisable in warmer
climates with humid summers because the fan can draw moist air into wall
cavities, where it may condense and cause moisture damage. However, even
in those locations, they can be run in the fall and early spring.

Whole house ventilation systems creates healthy home enviroments and are
extremely energy effiecient especially compared to air conditioning.

A professor, at Rutgers University, has developed an inorganic paint called Ultimate
Paint.  This paint is displaying some very remarkable abilities.  Such as: graffiti
resistant; repairs concrete; mold resistant; fire proof; dries nearly as hard as a
diamond, and lasts 1,000 years.  How do they know?  The chemistry of the coating is
an aluminosilicate, the same formula used for the Chinese terracotta army which is
more than 2,000 years old. (more…)

I am sure that you have heard or seen these before, but I feel the need to share them
with you to help out in your everyday living.

- Peel a banana from the bottom and you won’t have to pick the little “stringy
things” off of it. That’s how the primates do it. Take your bananas apart when you
get  home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster.

- Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much
longer and not mold!

- Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating.
- Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. (more…)

About 40% of the world’s population lives in adobe homes. The thermal mass properties
are really good. Warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Environmentally friendly, an earthen product, that has been around for more than
10,000 years.

You can make your own adobe bricks with a mixture of 30% clay and 70% sand. If not
sure about the mixture, put some in a glass jar, shake vigorously for 2 minutes, let
settle overnight, the sand will settle at the bottom, clay in the middle, and water
on top.

Typical mix is 5 gallons of water, 28 shovelfuls of adobe mixture and 2 shovelfuls
of cement. It is a stablizer and adds durability to the bricks. If you do not have
one, rent a cement mixer. A 2.5 cubic foot mixer holds 70 liters or around 19
gallons.

You can make your own molds or buy them. There are 3 basic types of molds. Standard
is a solid square. O-brick is a hole in the middle and a U-brick for a u-shaped curve
on one end. This allows for structural support like steel rebar and services
(electrical, plumbing). Weed mat or weed fabric works best to lay your molds on, not
plastic as it creates too smooth of brick. Make sure you are on level ground. Wet
down the molds before pouring in the mix to keep the adobe from sticking to the molds.
Use a shovel or concrete rake to spread the mixture over and into the molds. Work
the mix into each mold with your hands to get rid of air bubbles and remove any clay
clumps larger than 1/2 inch.

It takes 28 days for the bricks to cure properly. So take a break, or a vacation. A
properly cured brick is lighter in color and weight and when tapped, has a hollow
sound.

When ready to lay, make up another batch of mix just like you did to make the bricks.
Add 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid to this mortar batch and let mix for 2 minutes
to help it aerate. It is better to already have a level concrete footer solidified
with vertical re-bar about 3 feet high and 3 feet apart unless your wall is not going
that high.

With your hands, rubber gloves work great, lay 2 strips of the mortar 2 inches high
on the footer and lay your brick, wiggle into place. Butter the side of the next
brick and touches the first and wiggle into place.

Build your corners first, staggering the levels up. Stagger by using half bricks. Use
a line level, laser level or board with a level on top to keep the corners level with
each other. Then fill in towards the center. Fill any unused O or U bricks with
motar. To give that smooth finish, hand rub the wall with water and a little of the
adobe mix.

Oh, by the way, Adobe means “Sticky Pig” … do not ask me why.