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Terminal 2’s Koi Pond with brilliant-colored Koi. (Snoopaki, Flickr)

By Debra Atlas

Singapore’s Changi Airport, one of most highly awarded airports in the world, was reclaimed from swampland and from the sea.

In 2010, the Changi Airport Group (CAG) established an environmental management system designed to proactively protect the environment, prevent pollution, and improve environmental performance and regulatory compliance. This program is based around the ISO 14001 standard, and debuted at CAG’s and Clean and Green Singapore “Changi Goes Green” event in November 2010.

In an effort to decrease any negative impact on the environment, the airport has implemented a number of environmentally-friendly practices. These include:

• Energy efficient lighting and motion sensors;
• Double-glazed glass fitted with solar shading films to let natural light into the building which minimizes the need for artificial lighting and air conditioning;
• Recycling concrete aggregates are used to rehabilitate the airport’s aircraft parking area pavements; and
• Storm water captured through rainwater harvesting irrigates plants at the Changi Airport Nursery and landscaped areas.

Water conservation is evident everywhere at Changi Airport. With no watersheds or natural rivers from which to draw water, Singapore uses a product called NEWater, super-treated, recycled former sewage water. NEWater now meets 30% of Singapore’s total water demand. It’s also used for airport fire-fighting, for sanitation, and for cooling air conditioning chillers.

Nature conservation is another important element at Changi. Saplings of the famed Changi tree are placed throughout the airport grounds. The Changi tree was thought to be extinct until a 150-year old tree which had been cut down illegally was discovered to in September 2002.

Visitors are amazed at the diversity of green that fills every terminal in Changi Airport.

The Terminals

Opened in 1981 and later renovated around the concept of a “tropical city,” Terminal One incorporates a cactus garden, complete with a rooftop garden, showcasing over 40 species of cacti and succulents from Asia, Africa and North and South America.

Terminal Two, which received its Green Mark Gold status earlier this year, is awash with flowers and light. The fern garden is landscaped with giant Tasmanian tree ferns (Dicksonia Antarctica), a survivor from the dinosaur age which can live for over 400 years. The fern garden features tropical ferns from the oldest rainforests in the world, including unique ferns like the birds’ nest fern, elephant fern, fish-tail fern, rabbit-foot fern, and staghorn ferns.

The Changi Airport Orchid Garden features spider orchids, Singapore’s famous hybrid butterfly orchids, and moth orchids from the Orchid Island of Taiwan. The garden also has a rare orchid exhibit with a rotating display, and a seasonal display of Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim. The surrounding Koi Pond is a rainbow of color with bright orange, red, and yellow koi.

Terminal 2’s charm consists of a sunflower and light garden, with its illuminated walkthrough with bamboo structures on both sides of the pathway, an award-winning “Aura Seating System,” and lighting that creates a magical, light-themed garden by night.

The green jewel of Changi Airport is Terminal 3. Awarded the Green Mark Gold designation in 2009, the newest terminal is about 236 miles long (380,000 meters) spread out over seven levels, three of which are underground.

Its over 900 energy-saving skylights glow with artificial lighting at night, automatically adjusting to allow for optimal soft and uniform daylight during the day. It houses the world’s first butterfly garden in an airport, a tropical butterfly habitat that’s home to over 1,000 butterflies and is complete with flowering plants, lush greenery, and a 20-foot grotto waterfall. Its collection of 200 carnivorous plants covers enough floor space as 50 soccer fields.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=6iglrxNrs3g

One of the most amazing aspects of Terminal 3 is the green wall, a five-story-high vertical garden running across the main building. Possibly the largest interior vertical landscape in the world at 45ft high (14 m) and nearly 1,000 ft (300 m) long, it is intertwined with four cascading waterfalls. A 1,000 foot-long (300 m) sculptured sandstone art wall display is located below the living greenery.

Not to be outdone, the Budget Terminal, a single-story terminal serving low-cost airline carriers in Asia, includes a garden with more than 15 species of fragrant trees, shrubs and climbers. One of its “residents” includes the Canaga, one of the most important ingredients in the popular perfume Chanel No. 5.

We at Sierra Club Green Home applaud Changi Airport’s success in translating its commitment to green into a vibrant living reality. It sets the bar for other buildings to aspire to.

For related article, see:
Sustainable Singapore Balances Building and Nature 

© 2012 SCGH, LLC.

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A year-round greenhouse production with farmer Will Allen. (Courtesy of Growing Power)

By Kara A. DiCamillo

Within the first month of the launch of FRESH, a movie about what we eat, the film received over 20,000 visitors to its website and hundreds of screenings have been organized to date. This documentary made its debut a few years back (2009), but if you haven’t seen it yet, you must. And now is the time. You can watch FRESH for free right on your desktop, but today is the last day! The filmmaker’s hope is that you’ll be inspired to share it and get your friends involved as well by hosting a screening party.

While this documentary by Ana Sofia Joanes has a similar theme as Food, Inc. and Fast Food Nation, Joanes focuses mostly on farmers and local food producers, and their positive relationship to our meals. “New thinking about what we’re eating” reads the documentary’s tagline. Many of us are familiar with what the problems are in our food systems (thanks to the aforementioned mentioned films), but Joanes takes a closer look at solutions. She shows the success of those who are producing their edibles differently, and the benefits of small-scale farming.

With interviews from food experts, authors, farmers, and small business owners, FRESH looks at the challenges that many face when shifting to farming more sustainably, and to farming for their local community.

FRESH wants all of us to join the grassroots movement, which is why they are offering 50% off the purchase of the DVD after watching the free screening online. You’ll receive an exclusive link to purchase it for $14.99. They want Sierra Club Green Home readers to share the story, host their own screenings, and even consider purchasing a copy for a gift so someone else can spread the word.

So head on over to the website and watch FRESH right now. Sierra Club Green Home is confident that, after seeing this movie, you’ll want to get involved in the local food revolution.

For related articles, see:
Community Supported Agriculture: Fresh, Green, Local
SCGH’s Healthy Eating Guide

© 2012 SCGH, LLC. All rights reserved.

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You may be able to bathe without soap, and can use a minimal amount for washing your hands. (Emily, Flickr)

By Linda Foss

Laundry Detergent and Clothing Care

You aren’t supposed to fill those caps. There are lines inside showing the amount the manufacturer recommends, and that is often still more than you need.  More is not better. Too much detergent reduces cleaning power and is leaves residue in your clothes. Try throwing a few of your towels into the wash without soap and see how much suds form.

Choose phosphate free detergents. Phosphates are causing harmful algae overgrowth in our waterways. Most of it comes from fertilizer, but chemicals used in the home are not helping. Try making your own eco-safe laundry soap or use alternatives such as soapberry nuts. Spot treat potential stains promptly and reduce the amount of detergent used in the rest of the load.

Don’t wash things that don’t need to be washed. Washing damages fibers and fades clothes. Hang things to air and wear again.

Antibacterial Hand Soaps

Antibacterial soaps are creating resistant germs.  And antibacterial or not, more is not better when it comes to hand washing or bathing.  What kills germs is the friction and the duration, not being doused in soap.  Wash for as long as it takes you to sing Happy Birthday twice, and be sure to get your nails.

Consider if you really need to use soap on the rest of your body. It’s not required. You are just stripping away the natural moisturizing oils. And alkaline soaps alter the natural acidity of the surface of your skin that protects you from bacteria and other microbes.  Why strip away these oils and apply moisturizers after?  The heat of the bath is going to do that as well, so don’t make it worse. I can’t sleep unless I’ve bathed, but I stopped bathing with soap two years ago and it still amazes me how much softer my skin is.  I’m just not that dirty most days.  If you aren’t, then you don’t need soap either.

Other Tips

Makeup can be removed with oils. There are commercially available cleansing oils, but plain old jojoba, almond oil, and even the olive oil you use for cooking work as well.  Check out this demonstation of the oil cleansing method.

Toothpaste

You are supposed to use a pea-sized amount, not the brush length swirl used in ad campaigns. Toothpastes are full of things that should not be digested and less toothpaste means less to accidentally ingest.  And, as with handwashing, duration is what gets your teeth clean.

© 2012 SCGH, LLC. 

GreenHippoHut.com (GHH) was formed to enhance multi-disciplinary design to drive sustainability. GHH emerged from what was seen as a disconnect between all the parties involved with sustainable design and construction; building information modeling, construction, management and ownership. Each party involved (architects, landscape architects, engineers of many disciplines, contractors of many trades, owners and their representatives, corporations and lenders) have a general idea of what should be done to make a green, sustainable building. However, there is an insufficient overlap of sharing and communication of these ideas in a manner that will yield to an overall solution for the system as a whole. All of these parties are part of that buildings team, yet each have it’s own program, agenda and understanding because of their respective scope and experience. A building is consisted of complex and interactive elements, but the building itself becomes the overall system. Thus, all the sub-systems need to be in “alignment” with each other so that the building’s overall solution is sound and sustainable.

Green Hippo Hut seeks to unify the people, products, and practices that make a building “green” and sustainable so that all involved can achieve a solution that best matches the total needs of each building, community and the people that they encompass. GreenHippoHut.com asks its members to register and provide information on themselves and what they do (the people), to register their business (the products) and to showcase their projects (the practice) and link them together. Members can then post information, papers, blogs, ask questions, and in general, communicate with others to increase their comprehension and provide their own knowledge to others.

GHH is also starting to develop and host webinars to train and educate members in green practices and products by providing a venue for experts to convey their industry awareness, and for companies to enlighten users with new and innovative products. The company hopes that it can become one of the key sources for all interested in green building to come to share their knowledge and experiences, gain new ideas and concepts. The goal of GHH is to help industry leaders break down boundaries that have typically kept professionals from developing multidisciplinary, systemic and holistic approaches to green building. Visit GreenHippoHut.Com to join the community!

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Organic cotton cable knit throw from Ethical Ocean. (Courtesy of Ethical Ocean)

GreenCheck® Providers Offer Exclusive Coupon Codes and Discounts to SCGH Readers

Do you want to have the best environmentally friendly gifts this year, without the price tag? Here at Sierra Club Green Home, we have an exclusive database of GreenCheck® products and service providers who work hard to bring you the most sustainable products and services at costs that fit all budgets.

These GreenCheck® providers are offering promotional codes and discounts exclusive to SCGH readers. Just another reason to visit SCGH.com: SAVINGS!

Ethical Ocean
Shop with a conscience.
Promo Code: SierraC11 for $10 off any purchase.

Go Green Items
Offering the widest variety of quality environmentally friendly products.
Promo Code: SIERRA15 to save 15% on your order.

Essential Safe Products
ESP proudly offers kitchenware and on-the-go products that are free of BPA, phthalates, Teflon, lead, and other harmful chemicals to the human body.
Promo Code: SIERRA to save 15%.

Pumpkin Doodle
Promo Code: GreenHome to save 15%.

AAA Solar Source
Photovoltaic System   save   $300.00 (2.1kW to 5kW) and ($500 5.1kW or larger)
Solar Domestic Hot Water save $300
Solar Pool Heating     save      $300
Solar Attic Ventilation save   $100
KVAR or Variable speed pump save $50.

Terralogos Energy Group
We transform home and workplace environments into the most advanced models of energy efficiency, cost consciousness, and sustainability.
Get $45 off TerraLogos Energy Audit for SCGH homeowners.

Habify
Habify offers consulting, sales, and installation of products for a better home.
Receive 50% off our evoreview. SCGH homeowners pay just $49!

CoolPlanetStore.com
Promo Code: CPSierraGreen for 20% off.

DropWise Essentials
High-quality aromatherapy and organic plant-based personal care products
Promo Code: GHSC2011 to save 20% off plus free shipping.

PacWest Painting
$200 off exterior paint
Simply email us via our request page using discount code HOLIDAY2011. 
Expires January 31, 2012.

Organically Natural Store
Promo Code: SierraClub to get 10% off until Feb 29 2012.
Use the same code for 5% off after February 29 2012.

Want to be a part of this exclusive green business network? Apply today and reach out to millions of green consumers!

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Save energy by using the automatic setting instead of the timed setting on your dryer. (By Linda Foss)

Clothes Dryer Automatic Settings 

Don’t use the timed setting on your clothes dryer. The automatic setting uses moisture sensors to tell when clothes are dry. Not only does this use less energy, it saves wear and tear on your clothes. Set it somewhere in the middle. The “more dry” setting can over dry clothes and waste energy. The “less dry” setting leaves clothing damp for ironing.  And when an automatic cycle is done, an “extended tumble” setting without heat prevents wrinkles if you don’t remove clothes immediately.

Television Sleep Timers and Brightness Settings

I know so many who fall asleep each night with the television on. Not only does this waste energy, it also interferes with your ability to sleep well (and good sleep which is vital for good health). Every television I’ve had or used for the past two decades has had a sleep timer. There’s a sleep button on the remote of most Sony televisions.  With others, you may have to navigate the onscreen menu.  Sleep timers usually offer 30, 60, 90, etc. minute increments and then the television shuts itself off when the time is up. Plug the TV into a smart strip and it can cut the power to your cable box, DVR, or other peripherals at the same time. Many TVs also have the ability to turn on at a set time, so you can be awakened by the morning news or your favorite exercise program.

You can also lower the backlight brightness on your TV to both reduce energy usage and extend the life of the lamp, which cannot be replaced in most TVs.

Tank Water Heater Vacation Mode

Try the lowest setting on your water heater, sometimes called “vacation mode.” After I forgot to turn it back up when I returned for a trip, I discovered that it produces enough hot water for me in the summer months.

I hope that you find these tips useful. If you have a few energy-saving secrets of your own, please comment on this post to share with the rest of the Sierra Club Green Home community.

For related article, see:
Top 10 Tips to Lower Your Home Energy Bills

© 2012 SCGH, LLC.

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SWITCH’s 60-watt equivalent LED is surprisingly brighter than an equivalent CFL. (Courtesy of SWITCH lighting)

SAN FRANCISCO—Recently SWITCH Lighting gave me a personal demonstration of their new LED bulbs, and it convinced me that incandescent light bulbs’ days are numbered!

Right now we have to choose between compact florescent bulbs (CFLs), which contain a measure of toxic mercury, and expensive, not-quite-bright-enough light-emitting diodes (LEDs). SWITCH Lighting’s new LED bulbs, however, draw a line in the sand from any other bulb I’ve tried, and I’ve tried out a number of them. Brett Sharenow, SWITCH Lighting’s Chief Strategy Officer, showed me the difference in brightness between their LEDs and a top notch CFL.

Sharenow took a CFL out of a table lamp and replaced it with one of SWITCH’s 60-watt equivalent LED. It was surprisingly brighter than the equivalent CFL. The real surprise, however, was how it measured up to the higher wattage bulbs.

When he replaced that LED with the 75-watt equivalent, the light was almost annoyingly bright. But when he “upped” it to the 100-watt equivalent (the first in the industry), the glare from the bulb was strikingly similar to the amazing brightness of a SolaTube. When Sharenow switched out the SWITCH bulb and put the CFL bulb back in the lamp, the room definitely darkened and shadows were everywhere.

SWITCH bulbs use a unique liquid cooling technology, which is what gives off the great light.  It is the only brand that uses liquid inside the bulb to give it the closest light quality to an incandescent.

What this means is that SWITCH bulbs are made to go not only in standard lamps but also in overhead lights, hanging lights, and even torchieres. Putting LED’s in these types of lamps used to result in poor lighting, but that’s about to change.

There are a lot of great pluses to the SWITCH bulb, which is due to hit the consumer market this fall and winter.  This includes their price range of around $20 or less, which is unheard of in the industry– and we’re talking top quality products made here in the USA!

You’ll be reading more about the new line of SWITCH LED bulbs later this year. But we at Sierra Club Green Home can vouch that this is one LED you’ll want to have around.

Read articles by Debra Atlas

For related article, see:
Environmentally Friendly Lighting Overview

© 2012 SCGH, LLC.

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Be sure to remove frost from your windshield before driving. (Barninga, Stock.Xchng)

By Mike Brandolino

Winter driving in many parts of the United States is treacherous. Drivers must contend with freezing rain, ice, snow, slush, and road slop. All of these conditions add danger to running errands or commuting. A dirty, hazy, or road-slop-covered windshield or windscreen makes it even worse.  It is an absolute must to have a clean windshield at all times, especially during the winter months.

Homemade Windshield Washer Fluid: the Environmentally Friendly Alternative

A simple and environmentally friendly windshield washer fluid can be made using just a couple of household items.  In a clean one-gallon plastic milk jug, mix one-half (1/2) to one (1) pints of isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and one tablespoon of any liquid grease-removing dish detergent. Fill the jug with water, cap, and shake well.

Now, place the mixture in your vehicle’s windshield washer fluid reservoir. Test your homemade and environmentally friendly windshield washer fluid mixture, as you usually operate your vehicle’s windshield washer system. You will see the clean!

Isopropyl alcohol is a much safer alternative than methanol (methyl alcohol), which is in the “blue” commercial products.  If you read most any commercial windshield washer fluid product labels, you will see a “hazard” warning. Methanol (methyl alcohol) is a hazardous chemical and should be used with caution.

Another green and eco-friendly alternative is to use distilled white vinegar instead of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. However, if you choose to use vinegar, which is an old-school cleaner for nearly everything, it may freeze in the windshield washer fluid reservoir.  So, a vinegar and water solution may be more suitable for warmer climates or warmer months in colder climates. Also, vinegar does have a characteristic odor that may not be desired.

If you choose to use the vinegar and water solution, a mixture of between 1:1 and 3:1 parts vinegar to water and a small bit of liquid dish detergent. Do not use too much detergent because it may leave a residue on your windshield.

Remember this, it does not matter how clean your windshield is if you are distracted, talking on your cell phone, or texting while driving.  Sierra Club Green Home implores you to pull over to the side of the road and out of traffic if you need to make a call or send a text.

Drive Safely. Drive Defensively. Arrive Alive.

For related articles, see:
Green Your Home with Environmentally Friendly Cleaning
Cleaning Products That Are Environmentally Friendly

© 2012 SCGH, LLC.

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Dog waste is easy to compost, and doing so means future generations will not have to deal with potentially hazardous waste in landfills. (Jim's Photos1, Flickr)

By Linda Foss

Compost: the Safest Dog Waste Disposal System

Dog waste disposal poses a dilemma to the environmentally friendly pet owner. Leaving the waste on the ground is hazardous, as it may carry E. coli, salmonella, or giardia, and the rain can wash it into rivers, streams, and oceans. Beaches and rivers have been closed to the public due to such contamination.

So we need to pick it up. However, instead of taking this organic matter that would eventually degrade on its own, encasing it in plastic bag, and throwing it into an airless landfill where nothing decomposes, you can compost it. This ensures that we are not putting off dog waste disposal for future generations to deal with, or risking contaminants leaching in the landfill.

While there are dog waste composting systems for sale, making a composter yourself is simple and inexpensive. All you need is a lidded trash can, a hole in the ground, and septic system enzymes (City Farmer.org recommends Septo-Bac). A five-gallon trash can should be adequate for one large dog or two small dogs. You do not even necessarily need a trash can. I used a plastic nursery growers pot I had lying around, and covered it with a clay plant saucer for my dog waste disposal system. If you have an out-of-the-way spot, you could even just use a hole in the ground. The can will keep the hole from caving in, and the lid will seal it off.

To prepare the can, cut out the bottom and drill holes in the sides. Then dig a hole that the can fits in snugly.  Add a few inches of gravel to the bottom to aid drainage. Then throw the dog waste in using compostable bags, newspaper, or a scoop. The newspaper will decompose and will absorb some odor as well. When I am out walking my dog, I use newspaper and a plastic bag.

Start off decomposition by adding a liter of water and some septic tank enzymes. After that, you will need to add water about once a week and enzymes once or twice a month. The frequency depends on how much pet waste you are dealing with. You can always upgrade to a bigger can if you need to.

Cautionary Notes on Dog Waste Disposal

Locate the composter away from your edible plants, and don’t use the composted waste on them. However, the compost can be used on ornamental plants.  Alternately, you can bury the compost and make a new hole elsewhere. Aside from the newspaper and anything else you might throw in, most of the waste will break down quickly and wash into the soil. It should be a long time before you have to worry about a full bin.

If you live in a cold climate or an area with high water tables or heavy clay soils, you may need to do additional research. Your soil needs good drainage, but you may still be able to make it work with extra efforts such as worm composting.  In cold climates, you can add additional material to keep the compost hot enough for the enzymes to work and organic matter to break down. And finally, city dwellers should make sure it isn’t prohibited by law where you live.

Then for your next trick, try to convince city parks and dog parks to provide a composter as well. It actually makes environmental sense in the long run, as one study from Alaska shows. Industrial-sized composters capable of managing 300 lbs of waste per week are available.

© 2012 SCGH, LLC.

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Artist Ethan Estess is studying marine conservation and communication at Stanford University. (Photo by Jake Richardson)

By Jake Richardson
January 21, 2012 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA– Recology’s Artist in Residence program had an exhibition of recycled art made from materials scavenged from the San Francisco dump on January 20th and 21st. The featured artists were Ethan Estess, Terry Berlier, and Donna Anderson Kam.

Estess is studying marine conservation and communication at Stanford University and his art work focused on marine wildlife and ocean-related issues. Of particular note was his large whale tail covered in rope titled Last Dive of the Farallones: 100,000 Marine Mammals Killed Each Year. Another one of his sculptures features a toy shark completely entangled in fishing line. He says he wants his art to “create an emotional connection between people and the environment because once that connection is established, people can change their behavior.”

Terry Berlier is a visual artist and professor of art at Stanford.
“I came here in the spirit of experimentation, and that is necessary for communication when there is so much thrown away,” Berlier says.
She filled a shopping cart with sculptures she made from wet cement she found. The cement sculptures express the heaviness of personal consumption, both for shoppers and the environment. She also filled a birdcage with the cement in reference to a situation she read in Garbage Land from Colombia. One part of the book describes birds that became so obese from eating from a dump that they could no longer fly.

Berlier also made a musical device by connecting 88 piano keys on a recycled wooden spool and routing them through a laptop she also found in the dump. Electronic speakers sounded the notes when the keys were pressed.

Another one of her large sculptures was based on the historical design of an acoustic locator, which was a sound amplification device used typically in war times long ago. Her design, however, was associated with one used for listening to balloon ascents.

Donna Anderson Kam mainly works mainly with two-dimensional art, and most of her exhibited work was color drawings done in pastel, chalk and paper she found mixed into all the garbage in the facility. You wouldn’t know the source of the paper just from looking at her beautiful images. Some of them reference the collection of thrown away materials, in scenes such as a young man next to a pile of old rubber tires. Her series at the exhibition was titled “Little Hollywood.” She says the process of discovery and experimentation with the dump materials was like a fun game.

All of the art work by the three artists in residence could be shown in museums, and it might be effective to include their show, or part of it, in facilities such as Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco.

Recology will have more exhibitions by their artists in residence throughout the coming months.

© 2012 SCGH, LLC.