TERRA
Buying A New Home?
Cathedral of Junk:
Austin’s City Hall:
Try Some Agave
Meet the Guy Behind It All
Made to Conserve
Table of Contents Get Blown Away By Green Energy p. 3
Austin City Hall: Landscaped to Save p. 11
Meet the Junkman
Solar Panel Solution
p. 15
p. 7
Behind The Green Paint
p. 9
Looking For A New Home: Try Some Agave p. 17
How Green Are You? p. 20 Top Recycled Items p. 21 Recycling Surprise! p. 24
Letter From The Editors
We are so happy you have taken the time to stop and read our magazine, as the intensity of the environmental situation increases, it is now more imperative than ever that we build responsively. This is why terra is proud to present you with the very latest in sustainable design. We pledge to not only let you know why these scientific advances work, but also how you can apply these changes to your lifestyle. Creating a new terra will take all of us, and we’re here to help you.
Terra
Cover Photos by Bruce Turner, Marty Hood Edited by Miriam
All About Us! By day Miriam is an ordinary LASA student, by night she dances with demons. Miriam does enjoy walking the line (like Johnny Cash), ballet, musicals (but only the good ones, her favorite being Wicked), sushi and Italian food and she absolutely loves ECO-FRIENDLINESS! Her interest in green architecture makes her super mega foxy awesome hot and fantastic for this magazine.
Jasmine is a very funny girl who loves
her quesadillas. She adores singing, and the pacific timezone. The colour that is her favorite is purple (except for when it’s not, in which case it’s something else). Jasmine often wears her hair in a style of the bun variety, as it is her preference. And last but not least, Jasmine is the ultimate Voldemort fan-girl (“He’s super mega foxy awesome hot!!!”)!
Willah is a totally awesome LASA student and
very compassionate towards her peers. She has some issues with very specific fonts, brings apples of the green variety daily in her lunch, and loves nail polish. Willah enjoys spending her afternoons rowing on Town Lake and being super mega foxy awesome hot, and she will always remain loyal to Dumbledore (“ten points to Gryffindor!�).
Is the investment worth it? Absolutely.
A new housing development in Illinois and a couple in Montana have discovered the financial advantage of using wind turbines to generate their electricity. Molly Miron wrote in the The Telegraph from Alton, Il. a new housing development opened this September in Jerseyville, Il. and
What if your energy bill was non-existent?
several renewable energy sources, including wind turbines,
Rising energy cost is a growing concern for many
sustain the developement, resulting in an energy bill of $0.
and a simple solution may be nearby. Within Austin,
This frees up a large sum of money that is usually spent
Tx. several contractorsinstall wind turbines and help the
on running the air conditioner, lighting the house, or even
new wind turbine owners get their tax rebate. Now some
powering the refrigerator that can now be spent on other
parties say that wind turbines are too expensive and the
pleasures, a definite plus. In an article from The Bemidji
investment is not worth it. But, home wind turbines are
Pioneer in Debs, MN., Maggie Borman wrote about a
a clear choice for home owners who wish to lower their
couple’s new wind turbines the author writes that wind
energy cost, and reduce their impact on our environ-
turbines “qualify for a 30 percent federal tax credit and
ment.
other governmental benefits�. Not only does this lower the
December 2010 | 5
By Miriam
Photo by Alex Furgeson
“qualify for a 30 percent federal tax credit and other governmental benefits”
Britain, says in an article on microgeneration technolo-
energy bill by using an alternative energy source, but it also
one street converted to wind energy; imagine how much
provides a little extra room for spendings.
energy and money it would save, and how much less
With growing concern about human’s effect on the environment, wind energy is an excellent way for people to
gies that these energy sources could supply 30% to 40% of the UK’s energy and reduce their carbon emissions 15% per year by 2050. Imagine the impact for our city if
carbon Austin could emit. Many US jobs end up overseas in the foreign oil
do their part in lowering carbon emissions. An article by
industry; using a homegrown energy brings those jobs
A.S. Bahaj, L. Myers, and P.A.B. James on Science Direct
back to the nation, in turn benefiting the people of the
says that wind energy, a type of microgeneration technol-
country. A study at Berkley by Daniel M. Kammen,
ogy, “[has] potential to reduce built environment related
Kamal Kapadia, and Matthias Fripp found that the USA
CO2 emissions”. It is a delicate time for the environment
relies very much on unstable sources of foreign oil and
and if there is method to harness energy without contribut-
natural gas and the authors say, “we are missing a huge
ing to one of the damaging factors, it is imperative that it is
opportunity to invest in our own industries, communi-
used. An author from M2PressWIRE, a magazine in Great
ties, and families. With recent technological advances
December 2010 | 6
Opinion
Get Blown Away by Clean Energy
in energy efficiency and renewable energy, a proactive investment agenda can finally make these diverse fuelfree supply sources cost competitive with imported oil and gas.� Moving away from the oil and natural gas would mean that the country was no longer involved in an unstable relationship and bring jobs back to the people of the USA. We have huge opportunities with in our country that would help those living here and the environment, and not taking advantage of those would be a mistake. With the poor economy high energy bills are an overwhelming concern for the majority, and many a
time a solution seems far off or just impossible to achieve, and as the climate situation becomes more prevalent, it is imperative that we look into a solution.The solution we seek may not be as far away as we think; wind energy is “green� and takes a little pressure off the check book. Using wind turbines to power the homes of the nation would be a huge step in the right direction. t
December 2010 | 7
Do you use resusable water bottles? Yes No It depends Do you shop using a resusable bag? Yes
Photos by Sun Ladder and Willah P.
No It depends Do you turn out the lights when you leave the house? Yes No It depends Do you leave your computer on when it is not in use? Yes No It depends Do you ever open the windows instead of using the air conditioning? ...in the summer of course. Yes No It depends
Do you use CFL light bulbs (the swirly kind) instead of incadesent bulbs (the “regular” kind)? Yes No It depends
Tally your points! Each yes is worth 20pts, “it depends” is worth 10 and no is worth 2pts. 120pts. You are a Green Super Star!!!
84 pts. Your doing great!
66pts. Getting there!
12pts. Need to green up!
0pts. How did this Happen?!
December 2010 | 8
Pure Shenanigans
How Green Are You?
Using solar panels to power schools will reduce the
Solar Panel Solution
By Jasmine
amount of pollution usually emitted using fossil fuels. An article in Pueblo Chieftain, Sun Powers Schools, Anthony Mestas describes one school switching to solar power. He writes, “The carbon emissions offset from these systems are equivalent to removing 1,320 automobiles from the road, planting 9,600 pine trees and mitigating 6,900 metric tons of carbon dioxide...”. And this is just one school switching to solar panels, imagine if every school in that district switched to renewable energy sources. In the same article, Mestas says that the system should provide about 51% of the schools energy, and about 9600 megawatt-hours throughout the whole program. This system produces
Back when climate change wasn’t an issue and the average
enough energy to power this school; if we made the switch,
person had never heard of a hole in the ozone, our daily routines
the solar panels could probably provide the same amount of
were average. Now that global warming has become a world wide
energy for our school.
issue, our daily routines are no longer commendable; in fact, in
Solar panels are also a good way to reduce our
a large way they are the fuel behind our problem. LASA is made
monthly energy bill. Although the initial cost for installing
up of the smartest and brightest kids around the Austin area.
the panels is not cheap, the amount of money per month
LASA could be seen as a leader for the education scene in Austin
that is saved provides enough revenue to cover portions of
I.S.D. Why not lead everyone in the right direction, starting with
the cost. The money saved on the electric bills could be put
environmental friendliness. Solar panels are a good alternative
towards buying more products for the school, which could
energy source for schools to cut down their emissions and reduce
further improve the learning experience here at LASA. In
the amount of money payed monthly for energy, plus they won’t
an article written by Keith Reid in a California magazine
distract from the learning environment. By making the switch,
entitled “The Record”, Reid discusses three north Stockton
LASA can keep its spot as one of the front runners of this district.
Schools getting solar panels. He said,
December 2010 | 9
We would only have to pay the installation fee once, after that,
the money saved by using solar panels could be used to pay
back the amount of money spent. This is really a win-win for us.
Although there might be some debt after the panels are installed, that can be paid off using the money saved on the energy bills, photo by Kevin T. Houle
and thereafter the money would be put towards bettering the school. An article written in the Philadelphia Inquirer, by Diane Mustrull said, “There’s the drop in energy costs that going solar provides, and the opportunity for school districts to make money by selling the power harnessed from the summer sun that’s not needed when classrooms are empty and the lights are off.” The idea of selling the power produced by the panels when they aren’t needed by the school (in the summer for example) to other facilities is a good way to bring money into the school without negatively affecting the environment. In effect, the school is saying, “Hey, I have all this extra clean energy that I don’t need, I could sell it to other facilities and make a profit from it as well!” As you can see, this is one idea that is appealing to all involved.
One of the biggest concerns that go along with solar panels is the placement and the maintenance. The most important requirement for solar panel installation is that it should be placed in direct sunlight for as much time as possible. Since schools are open during the day, the time when there is the most sun, LASA wouldn’t have to worry about creating energy when there isn’t any sun available. Solar panels are also noise free and don’t require much maintenance - only a routine check-up on occasion. Without the distractions of noise or a maintenance/repair man consistently coming to work on the solar panel, there will be less distractions from the students’ learning that other energy sources might cause. Solar panels are the clear choice for schools who want to do their part to help the environment and have the opportunity to make a profit. We should implement solar panels into our everyday school life. Sure, in the beginning it may seem like the soar panels won’t do much for us. Wait a little bit and the effects will become apparent. We’ll be saving money that can be spent elsewhere, we’ll be conserving energy which will help our environment, and we’ll set an example for other schools in our district. Seeing how much solar panels benefit our school, other AISD schools will want to take part. The more involved, the better the outcome. As students, faculty members and administrators we have a voice in how our school should be run. Consider all the positives that will come out of investing in solar panels and demand that the school at least take all of this into account.
t
December 2010 | 10
Opinion
“While the district will eventually pay $15 million to pay down its debt on the project over a 17year-period, the savings on electricity bills and the sale of leftover energy will create more than $2 million in revenue for the district over the same time span.”
Behind The Green Paint By Willah
fixed, its own consultant admitted that several of the re30 years ago, the words “sustainable design” were
quired documents were manufactured after the certifica-
a little known option for the fortunate few. Today, this
tion was granted. Furthermore, LEED took 16 months
phrase is thrown around so often that it may have lost
to reply to the court appeal, and still is not allowing the
some of its meaning.
appeal to view relevant documents or inspect the high
By 1994, green building had significantly risen in
school, making it clear that some of the problems were
popularity- enough so that the government recognized
never fixed. And the violations won’t stop here; such a
the need to take action, and create a system in order to
direct and conscious violation of its own standards sets a
deem buildings certifiably green, a system we would
horrible precedent for future applicants for certification.
be able to trust. And so, the Leadership in Energy and
Because of this case, even governmental environmental
Environmental Design system, or LEED, was created.
certification could not be trusted in the future.
It started as a small operation run by 6 volunteers, and
is now a national organization that sets precedents
cannot, and should not, be denied that Green Homes
concerning what, exactly, is considered a green building,
include many ecologically efficient technologies that
and labeling them as so. In current times of environ-
work to right the environment; however, in some homes
mental instability, this is a vital and decisive responsibil-
these measures are counteracted by other features of the
ity, and not one to be taken lightly. However, evidence
house based on the customers wishes. The Green Source
from the court has come to light that LEED is acting in
Magazine’s best green house of the month, for example,
direct defiance of the standards it set, and continued to
is located in the foothills of the pristine, uninhabited
do so even when accused. In 2006, a 28.5 million dollar
foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This not only
high school was opened in the Northland Pines School
shows a disregard for the natural landscape, but also
District that recently received LEED gold certifica-
creates a situation in which the company must transport
tion. However, according to the Appellants’ Executive
the building materials a very long way, which would emit
Summary Response, before the certification was given,
more gasses. The same house also contains two sepa-
LEED was made aware that the application did not
rate structures, connected by a cement walkway, which
include several pieces of information regarding energy
calls for more materials, more space, and more energy.
plans. Although LEED claims that these problems were
Furthermore, if the building had been split slightly
December 2010 | 11
Regardless of LEED’s potential corruption, it
Smith, the architect responsible for this house, in his Green Source Magazine portfolio. And these trade-offs can be found in almost every home. Mr. Seligman, for example, who is building a second home in order to be green, chooses granite counters over bamboo or compressed paper. This may seem like a small decision, however, quarrying granite is extremely destructive to the environment, says Polly Osborne, a Green Home Architect Expert for the US Green Building Councl. The quarrying includes the removal of all natural elements from the site, and use of heavy, polluting equipment for extracting of stone, plants, and earth in the area.
Finally, we have to consider the mindset of ‘Green
Architects’ in America; as Miroslav Marko at the Carleton University School of Architecture says, “Not eco-effective technology, but a redesigned Western mind, should be the theme of environmental responsibility discourse, and also an objective of “green” architecture”. With governmental tax deductions offered for green architecture, and the high cost of green supplies translating to higher paying customers for green designers, it is tempting for many architects to implement minimal efficient technologies, label themselves as green, while really only caring about the money. This occurs especially frequently in recently developed countries. Architect, Researcher, and Manager of Green Impact Indonesia, Gunawan Tanuwidjaja, says that the green developers of Indonesia showed that they were more interested in “‘ Environmentally Friendly Customers, rather than protecting the environment with the ‘The True Green Development.’” by implementing some green strategies, while leaving out others, and using some potentially environmentally harmful strategies. When caught up in the midst of designing a green house, we often lose sight of the ultimate goal for all the design options and tempting building plans. But, please, stop for a moment, and ask yourself, is your architect doing everything in their power to remedy this environmental catastrophe? It is your duty to research your architect, their methods, and alternative methods.
t
December 2010 | 12
Opinion
differently, the need for power in one of them would have been excluded altogether, admits Calder-
Austin City Ha By Miriam
ll:
Feature
d e p a c s d n La to Sa ve
Photo by Ryan Stotler
On Second Street between Guadalupe and Lavaca sits a building many of Austin’s citizens are familiar with, our City Hall. As you walk around the spacious grounds surrounding the building you enjoy the many Texas environments, from the Edwards Plateau to the open beautiful prairie. These plants are luscious yet some how they manage to not consume much potable water. A gorgeous water fall follows you up the stair cases from the garage, and nearby on the plaza a swirling pool evokes the thought of the numerous Texas rivers. The design does its best to minimize the amount of valuable water it uses, as the features use quite a bit of water. And as you walk to the shaded stairs you can enjoy a little relief from the heat on a Texas summer day under the large green roof over the plaza. All of it is designed to conserve water. City Hall is the center of our local government; it is a place for citizens to gather and a place that is doing its best to help our environment. When the building was designed there was a great effort to conserve resources, in particular, water. Water is precious here in Texas with the many delicate water ecosystems The building sits over a major water feature of Austin, Lady Bird Lake, and located along the lake is the well known Town Lake park. City Hall fits in well with these surroundings, and that’s no mistake. “We wanted the building and especially the plaza to be part of Town Lake Park, and making water an important part of the landscape helped with that.” Carolyn Kelly, one of the landscaping team members commented, Water not only serves to integrate City Hall in to its surroundings but to create a pleasant area in Austin’s busy downtown. One section of the plaza includes two water features; one is a 40 foot water fall extending down into the parking garage and the other is a whirl pool. Being fun and pleasant was part of the design,
“[T]he sound of moving water helps hide traffic noise; water helps cool the air in the summer; and it’s fun to be around.” Another part of the plaza are the plant beds full of native plants, you can learn a lot about what plants grow well in your front yard. The plaza has all sorts of vegetation, from short sparse plants of the Edward plateau to the lush and fresh water loving plants of our southern marshes. Even though these plants help save water because they have adapted to the drier conditions of Texas, they still need water. The question that comes to mind is, where do they get all that water to maintain all those plants with out using valuable potable water. “We understood the water [that feeds the waterfall] seeped into the garage to be at about the elevation of the water in the lake [...] We treated it as a resource by building a vessel to store it in the garage, and using it as the primary source of landscape irrigation water for the project.” Kelly said Most of the plants you see sit in beds on the plaza or on the upper terrace, yet there is another clever spot on which vegetation grows, the green roofs. There are two green roofs, one sits over the parking garage and is actually part of the plaza and the other over the upper levels, “The ground level plaza is a green roof over the parking garage, with soil depths up to 5’. We could have that depth and weight of soil and planting because the plaza was built to support fire engines. The green roofs that are on the upper levels of the building have shallower soil: 18”- 24”. Both kinds have waterproofing to protect the building; drainage to get excess water out; and special lightweight soil mixes,” Kelly said.
December 2010 | 15
Feature
Of all these ways of conserving water, the average person can implement a few in their own landscaping, using native plants can create a very beautiful look and help to keep the water usage down. One of her favorite reactions on the plaza is people learning from the landscaping,
“
“
I love it when people admire a plant at City Hall and say ‘I always thought it was a weed!’
“I think City Hall has been one of the growing number of landscapes in Austin that has opened people’s eyes to the importance of design, and how lovely our Austin natives are. Photo by Amanda SG
I love it when people admire a plant at City Hall and say ‘I always thought it was a weed!’” t
December 2010 | 16
w
From weddings to Spy Kids, Vince Hannemann’s backyard has seen it all.
And the crowds come flocking for one thing, three tons of junk. Or, rather, three tons of junk carefully constructed for twenty-one years to make a structurally sound Cathedral of Junk.
“It’s like Christmas, everyday,” says Vince Hannemann, describing what
it feels like to come home to the gifts of junk people leave him in his yard; and he couldn’t have built this amazing structure without these gifts. The spare junk was essential to the creation of the Cathedral, as Mr. Hannemann runs the Cathedral of Junk full time, with the occasional odd job in stone work, or other architectural fields. And It’s a good thing, too, because bringing his building up to city code was a job spanning over many months, forcing him to take down three tons of junk and battle tirelessly with coding permits. However, in the end, City Hall stood behind him, and, “That,” says Mr. Hannemann, “felt good.”
Meet The
Vince Hannemann and his Cathedral of Junk have become an international
legend; people have come in from every country in the world to view the structure. Such a treasure, located in South Austin, should be taken advantage of if only for its artistic values. However, take a tour of the Cathedral, and you will find it a haven for innovative sustainable architecture.
Mr. Hannemann sets empty glass bottles of deep, translucent greens, blues and
ambers, into a slanting cement wall. The effect is stunning, and draws forth images of futuristic shuttle walls; a fitting image for such an ingenious recycled wall design. Walkways paved with cement and old tires wind two fabulous junk caverns together. The textured rubber tires add a unique design element to an otherwise grey pathway, and the circular shape creates an exceptional contrast with the straight edges of the path. A pathway that now gives a second life to tires otherwise doomed to a life in a landfill.
December 2010 | 17
Feature
“
“
Just because someone’s giving it away, doesn’t mean it’s junk.
Junk Man By Willah P.
Mr. Hannemann built a small open cabin, that he occasion-
ally sleeps in, out of aluminum roofing sheets, screen doors, and old wooden fencing. It is difficult to believe that such rudimentary materials could yield such an appealing cottage, simply by adding gauze-like curtains and bedding.
And Mr. Hannemann can build remarkable structures out
of nearly any materials, the cheaper the better. He got five PODS for twenty-five dollars, and built a shed for his mother and himself out of them. He has painted his, and now uses it as an entrance area and storage room for the cathedral.
These solutions, though daunting when viewed as a part
of the cathedral, can be put into place by anybody. These design choices are cheap and effective, and simply put Mr. Hannemann says, “If you look, you can find stuff like that.” Mr. Hannemann, for one, plans to continue looking for such deals, and building onto his extraordinary construction. He’s spent 21 years on it so far, and, he states optimistically, “The next twenty-one years will be my restoration project.”
t
December 2010 | 18
Looking For a New Home?
Try Some Agave! By Jasmine
December 2010 | 19
Out of the ordinary floor plans, brightly colored exteriors, green architectural techniques and furnishings. Sounds like something out of a Sims game, right? Sure, but this is no game. Houses throughout the world are being built with “green” techniques. They use eco-friendly building techniques as well as green appliances and decor to achieve an overall energy conserving and efficient living environment. Agave, located on the east side of Austin, combines the best of green living with modern design to create a truly unique neighborhood. “It wasn’t easy,” says Chris Czichos, the architectural project coordinator for one of the Agave neighborhood developers, “It was something that we worked very hard at for a few years and for the first two or three years we weren’t making any money...it was costing us more to build...and the only way this was able to work was we already owned all the land and we were committed to a big project. Even if we lost money on the first 20 or 30 homes we’re gonna build 500 of them so in the big picture, it’s fine. The problem is when people try to do it with just 20 or 30 homes and they don’t have it at a price where they can make money on these first homes. That’s where our advantage was, we were big enough to take advantage of the size.” These homes provide a way for homeowners to have both a uniquely designed home, and contribute to the push for environmental conservation. To make these homes as eco-friendly as possible, the designers not only use green architectural techniques and include green appliances, but they also take into account the landscaping, the size of the house, and a long list of other details that most might not think of. With all of these details to take into account the overall look of the house could have been easily be overlooked. However, it is evident through the neighborhood’s modern theme that the look of the neighborhood was also important to the designers. Their modern design makes them an icon, but it’s their green features, attractive pricing, and customizable design that draws buyers to this neighborhood.
more and more common throughout Austin. Austin is
the Austin American Statesman, he said, “We get people …
known for its advances in technology and environmental
flying over and literally pull up and say: `I saw this when I
awareness and also for staying one step ahead and think-
was flying in and I have to know what’s going on.’”
ing outside of the box.
Austin is a very progressive town. We like to be on
Austin lifestyle involves music and art of all variet-
top of all the new and upcoming things. With the push for
ies. Modern art, is very prevalent here in Austin and the
more environmentally friendly lifestyles, Austin has worked
characteristics of modern housing really fits into the
hard to provide a greener and cleaner city. Architecture is
theme of this neighborhood. Modern houses usually
one of the industries that has really been adapted, not just in Austin but all over the world, to be more environmentally
“It was something that we worked very hard at for a few years and for the first two or three years we weren’t making any money...”
have many windows, they don’t have overly complex layouts or form, they use bright, out of the ordinary colors for the exterior,
conscious. The ba-
and they have an
sic building codes in
overall clean look. Czichos, who is also an Agave homeowner, says, ”There’s
than in other places. Czichos says, “The trend for sustain-
a different feeling when you’re in a modern house. It’s
able green building, not only is it enforced through the code
much more open...we have a lot of connections between
there are also some advantages. There are buyers looking for
the outside and the inside.” With these distinct character
green homes. You can advertise as a green builder and it is
istics it is easy to pick out modern homes from those that
actually advantageous for you.” Green homes are becoming
aren’t modern.
photo by smithj33
Austin have been mofied so that they are much more green
December 2010 | 20
Feature
In an interview Czichos did with Carrie Alexander at
Modern homes can be found throughout Austin but
Agave designers and architects usually design and
what usually ends up happening is you have one or two mod-
construct smaller homes which means less material used
ern houses in an area and it’s surrounded by normal, aver-
in building and designing and lower cooling and heat-
agely designed houses. Agave, however, has a lot of modern
ing costs. Various techniques utilizing green structural
designed houses in one place. In theory one would think it
elements or design features are used to help achieve the
would be hard to stick out in a neighborhood like this, but re-
overall goal of a sustainable house. Agave uses all energy
ally it’s not. Each of these homes have unique characteristics.
star appliances, which is a rating system developed by
Modern design itself is very unique and it’s easy to be unique
the federal government and the department of energy,
using modern design even if all of the houses around you are
in their houses. Agave homes feature things, such as
modern as well. Having a many unique houses in one place
tank-less water heaters, dual flush/low flow toilets, and
would make one think that the neighborhood must be a very unique place, and it is. “We are so unique there’s never gonna be another person who builds a house just like mine. There’s never gonna be another neighborhood like this one.” Modern design has been known to attract
“The trend for sustainable green building, not only is it enforced through the code there are also some advantages. There are buyers looking for green homes. You can advertise as a green builder and it is actually advantageous for you.”
too attracts a specific audience. ”The number one thing if
They also apply architectural techniques such as spray foam insulation, low e-glass windows, and alternative flooring materials. All of these features and more are added into these houses to cut down on the amount of energy and resources used in and on the house, ultimately reducing the monthly bill of the homeowner and helping
a specific audience, and because of the modern style of this neighborhood, Agave
water saving shower heads.
out the environment. Agave really is the whole package for those who
you talk to the neighbors about what they like about their
want a new take on a very important issue. There are
house is the neighborhood itself...We all like modern or we
many homes all over the world that use green techniques
wouldn’t be living here...” says Czichos. Living in a place
in their design, but very few do it in the same way the
where you’re surrounded by modern art and also people
Agave does. Modern design isn’t uncommon, but what is
who share the same appreciation for modern that you do
uncommon is remarkably beautiful modern houses that
adds to the vibe of the neighborhood.
homeowners can feel that they’ve helped the environ-
On top of living in a home that he finds visually ap-
ment by simply purchasing a house. Other developers
pealing, Czichos also likes the benefits that come with the
can try and imitate what these designers did here is
house. ”I like that I live in an efficient home my energy costs
Agave, but Agave will always be the same innovative and
are less and my value holds very well on the house.”
unique neighborhood that it was set out to be.
December 2010 | 21
t
B L V H V P E S I J E P U Y Y K R B S T P K L U J F N W E S O P O F D T R I D C A B X B F A I R P R P H G X Z A L D K D I U R A I U X K C R X D E C O Z G A K G L X R L Y L W U W E Q T V O Z M L V O H B I O W C R P E C E N G Z G H A K L H L G O S T R I C H L D B N V K A N M O O S C T F R N Y L N P N V D U X O I A Y H F Y B Q E F D F P C I B E H O F A K W G Z R P R A X I O R U E K O X M L N D J B A Q K P V O V R N S R M O F S E D Q R J I D R J Q L E X A K J L Z N V S E N A D L O C G H P Q H P E E W R X U I V L G D L O L L I D A M R A B Y S T U G I C K Q T W H E P Z G T Z X K R O S P Y L A C U F R Q E L I Y B T R G W A F H J R M Y J M O S B V K Q D E T Q F O L V M P E B L K S I E Y H J X D Q N Y A C O L G L S Z X A Z Q U C B W B Q L Y J E Q P F I F E U F C C M A F I F T A O G P I S L E E W Z
1. I can walk underwater! 2. I am always left-handed! 3. My milk never curdles! 4. I can give almost 200,000 glasses of milk! 5. I can see all four of my feet at one time!
Pure Shenanigans
Name That Animal!
6. I have no vocal chords! 7. I have rectangular pupils! 8. My brain is smaller than my eye! 9. Put me in water, and I’ll float! 10. My favorite food is a banana! 11. I can sleep for 3 years at a time! 12. When I am angry, my ears turn pinkish-red!
December 2010 | 22 1. armadillo 2. polar bear 3. camel 4. cow 5. donkey 6. giraffe 7. goat 8. ostrich 9. porcupine 10. reindeer 11. snail 12. tazmanian devil
Editor’s Pick: Our Top 6 Recycled Items Econscious Market Les Miserables Earrings: $25.00 These unusual earrings, made from old plastic bags will spruce up any outfit. And, with your purchase, Econscious Market will make a $1.50 donation to the charity of your choice!
Kamik Women’s Janis Rainboots: $54.95 Splash through the winter season in these fun and 100% recyclable Canadian rain boots!
UncommonGoods Recycled Newspaper Market Bag: $48 Here we have a multi-purpose bag made from recycled newspapers and laminated for protection. *Available at amazon
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Green Toys Indoor Gardening Set: $19.99 This cute children’s planter set is made of environmentally friendly materials., and will be fun for children, as well as teach them valuable lessons about the Earth!
Brelli Biodegradable Umbrella: $48 Be unique with this beautiful and 100% biodegradable umbrella.
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Pure Shenanigans
Be Love Long Sleeve Shirt: $40 This soft, 100% organic cotton shirt reads i appear in the wind in soil in stardust in the sun i appear in mountains and desert rain i am the star and i am the stone And the money from your purchase will go to the Peace Education Programs that Be Love supports
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December 2010 | 25
In 1970, a student, Gary Anderson, created this universally known symbol. Variations of these symbols have been created to portray specific meanings.
There are seven different types of plastics that can be recycled. The number inside the triangle represents the type of plastic, which indicates how it will be reused.
A circle around the triangle means the product is made of recycled material. Black arrows on a white background means it is made of a combonation of new and recycled material. White on black means its 100% recycled. December 2010 | 26
Pure Shenanigans
This is a recycling symbol! You can find these on products like plastic, paper, and metal, that can be recycled.
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