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Shelter, like many other elements of human existence, comes at an extraordinary cost to our planet and its inhabitants. In the U.S. alone, construction of 1.2 million new homes a year results in a massive drain on Earth's natural resource base. Today, nearly 60 percent of all timber cut in the U.S. is used in building houses, not to mention construction wastes and the huge amounts of resources used in the day-to-day operation of the "modern" household. In addition to environmental costs, there are the personal economic costs - the thousands of dollars each homeowner spends each year to heat, cool, and power our homes.
Today, a new generation of architects and builders is emerging, intent on creating homes that meet human needs for shelter while causing only a fraction of the environmental impact of conventional housing. The New Ecological Home provides an overview of green building techniques, materials, products, and technologies that are either currently available or will be in the near future. Author Daniel Chiras provides a wealth of up-to-date, practical information on green building technologies, including:
- Energy-efficient design
- Wood-wise construction
- Passive solar heating and cooling
- Earth-sheltered architecture
- Environmental landscaping
- Nontoxic and natural building materials
Included are chapters on:
- The Healthy House
- Green Building Materials
- Wood-Wise Construction
- Energy Efficiency
- Earth-Sheltered Architecture
- Passive Solar Heating and Passive Cooling
- Green Power: Electricity from the Sun and Wind
- Water and Waste: Sustainable Approaches
- Environmental Landscaping
From the Introduction
What Is the New Ecological Home About?
This book is written for a broad audience, from home buyers to ownerbuilders to architects, contractors, and any other individuals who are interested in building a sustainable future. It contains a wealth of up-to-date, practical, and reliable information on green building techniques, materials, products, and technologies that can be applied in part to make a home - or any building - more environmentally sound, or in whole to create truly sustainable shelter.
My main objective has been to provide an overview of the green building techniques, materials, products, and technologies that are currently available and some that are coming out in the near future. My intention is not to make readers green building experts but to provide sufficient detail to enable you to be conversant in all aspects of green building and design. When finished with the book, you will have a solid grasp of the components of truly sustainable shelter.
Whether you are a professional involved in designing and building homes or a citizen who is planning on buying or building a new home or simply remodeling an existing house, this book should help you meet your dreams of safe, comfortable, affordable shelter that is environmentally friendly, healthful, attractive, comfortable, independent, and economical to operate.The advice and guidance offered here, gleaned from my own experience and the experience of countless others, could save you thousands of dollars by helping you avoid many common problems when building green.
About the Author
Daniel D Chiras is a leading authority on green building and renewable energy options for home construction. He is the author of numerous books, including The Solar House and The Natural House, both from Chelsea Green Publishing. He lives in Evergreen, Colorado.
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