Reclaimed + Recycled Materials Category

Family Support is Priceless

January 9th, 2010 by andrea in Blogs - Andrea's Green Kitchen, Community, Green Building Blogs, Projects, Reclaimed + Recycled Materials

Recycled content moldingOh, how the little things can make such a big difference! As some of you may have noticed, our green kitchen reno slowed to a stop. There has been nothing to report for several months, which was really demoralizing, especially as I prepared newsletters with updates from other bloggers who were building entire green homes from scratch!

Meanwhile we were left with an assortment of glaring niggly finishing tasks that we had neither time nor energy to complete, not to mention a floor that turned out nothing like what I had imagined.

Enter Super Dad. Read the rest of this entry »

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More than Just Wood: The Many Faces of Reclaimed Building Materials

November 10th, 2009 by andrea in Products + Materials, Reclaimed + Recycled Materials

Reclaimed wood, reclaimed bricks, reclaimed windows

Mention reclaimed materials and the image pops: salvaged wood beautifully repurposed as paneling or flooring. While reclaimed wood is indeed one of the most popular reused materials, the range of materials sought and available extends far beyond that.

“Reclaimed wood is a classic, and it’s an idea most people are familiar with,” said PlanetReuse operations manager Tim Bensman. “But we’re seeing a growing market for steel, doors, access flooring, granite and marble. Steel, especially, offers huge potential for reuse, and along with that a huge potential for cost savings as well as a greater ability to achieve additional LEED material reuse credits.” The LEED MR system awards credit for reuse of a variety of reclaimed materials. PlanetReuse works with the design team early enough in the process to allow a huge list of options for consideration. Read the rest of this entry »

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MCNZ - Progress (part 7)

October 12th, 2009 by Conrad in Blogs - Mill Creek Net Zero Home, Green Building + Design, Green Building Blogs, Green Homes, Products + Materials, Reclaimed + Recycled Materials, Renewable Energy, Solar

IMG_1973

The Mill Creek NetZero Home is substantially completed.

The stucco is finished on the outside. We went with a cement-based stucco because of its looks and durability.

Peter Amerongen built a brick wall behind the wood burner. We used the bricks from the foundation of the house that used to be standing on the property. This wall adds more thermal mass (to capture both solar and wood heat) to the house, as well as a bit of history. Read the rest of this entry »

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A Delicate Undertaking

August 6th, 2009 by andrea in Lifestyle, Reclaimed + Recycled Materials

You know what I love? Discovering single actions that when adopted by the masses make a whopping difference for virtually no effort at all. Know what I love even more? When major publications like Time Magazine devote their coveted print and web space to promoting said actions.

For instance, Time Magazine published the following article about why everyone should switch to using 100% recycled toilet paper. It’s easy and thousands of trees will be saved from a dirty single-use future. This idea is certainly not new to me, and I’m guessing it’s old hat for the majority of folks who follow Raising Spaces. But according to this article, recycled toilet paper accounts for a piddly 2% of the US market!

Although we Canadians like to tell ourselves that we’re different from Americans, somehow greener, the sad truth is that the US is leagues ahead of Canada in most matters of sustainability. Chances are, a good majority of us have yet to switch over. Here are writer Bryan Walsh’s wise words on going recycled in the bathroom. Read the rest of this entry »

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First Eco Reno Demo Day a Success

July 23rd, 2009 by andrea in Community, Green Building + Design, Lifestyle, Products + Materials, Reclaimed + Recycled Materials, Water

Fear not. If you didn’t get a chance to catch our first Eco Reno Demo Day on July 18th, 2009 you can still get an earful of the action!

Rebecca Rooney from local radio station CJSR’s Terra Informa program stopped in to capture some sound bytes and interview some of the folks who were there. Tune in to this pod cast to hear from Raising Spaces founder Andrea Jones, as well as Deborah Merriam of ecoDomestica reDesign, Clint Moar of Tailored Woodworking, and James McLeod of Panel Source International.

Eco Reno Demo Day - July Interviews (mp3)

And, mark your calendars for these upcoming events:

• Raising Spaces booth at the Capital X Green Zone Saturday July 25th
• Eco Reno Demo Day - August 22, 2009
• Eco Reno Demo Day - September 12, 2009

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Eco Reno Demo Days: July 18, 2009

July 14th, 2009 by andrea in Community, Products + Materials, Reclaimed + Recycled Materials
If you haven’t heard from us in a little while, it’s because we’ve been busy! Read on to find out what’s coming!
Introducing: Raising Spaces Eco Reno Demo Days

Eco Reno Demo Days
Join Raising Spaces on Saturday July 18th, 12:00 pm - 4:30 pm at the Eco Ammo Headquarters (#102, 10436-81 Ave) for an afternoon dedicated to exploring Green Home products and practices!

Read the rest of this entry »

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How To: Make Upcycled Pendant Lamps

June 17th, 2009 by andrea in Projects, Reclaimed + Recycled Materials

By Deborah Merriam of ecoDomestica reDesign

SCOOPED limited-edition pendant lamp, 1/20, colour: Spring, of discarded laundry detergent scoops, photographed without flash

SCOOPED 2/20, colour: Stripe, installed in its permanent home at Lucid Lifestyle

I’m excited to have recently added handmade pendant lamps created from upcycled materials to my portfolio. (Most materials are “downcycled”, degrading in quality and value, as they are recycled into new products - an oft-cited example of downcycling is the recycling of paper fibres from cardboard into office paper into toilet paper. “Upcycling” is the opposite of this, creating an object of beauty and increased value from a material that would otherwise be discarded.) Read the rest of this entry »

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Eco Craft: Recycled Bevy Cozy

May 18th, 2009 by andrea in Energy, Energy Conservation, Food, Lifestyle, Projects, Reclaimed + Recycled Materials

Think insulation is just for walls and attics? Behold the trusty old tea cozy! Only this one’s not old. Ok, so it sort of is.

Crafted by my brilliantly thoughtful Mother out of a charming pre-loved winter sweater, this coordinating coffee and tea cozy set keeps my warm bevies warmer longer.

Following the random explosion of our insulated glass Krupps carafe last fall, I selected this high-end stainless steel insulated coffee press for my wish list. But, in our family, $100 for a designer coffee pot verges on frivolous.

Possessed by the thriftiness and creativity of the Jones clan, my Mom whipped up these gorgeous cozies. Read the rest of this entry »

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Waste Reduction

May 13th, 2009 by Conrad in Blogs - Mill Creek Net Zero Home, Energy, Energy Conservation, Green Building Blogs, Insulation, Reclaimed + Recycled Materials

The construction of today’s modern house expends a lot of energy and creates a lot of waste. We’ve worked hard to reduce waste while building the Mill Creek NetZero Home.

Wood

Green Door Builders framed the home, and along with building us a very airtight double-walled system, they were extremely conscientious about keeping their waste to a minimum. Here is a picture of 100% of the OSB waste that they created:

IMG_0996

(a tiny pile of OSB waste, considering that a 2000+ sq. ft. home was framed with OSB sheathing)

Our LEED inspector was very impressed with this tiny pile. Read the rest of this entry »

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Featured Event - Community Environment Day

April 20th, 2009 by andrea in Community, Reclaimed + Recycled Materials

Do your part in creating a cleaner, greener and more liveable Toronto. What better way to live green than to attend a Community Environment Day event hosted by your local Councillor.

Bring us your unwanted, used and unused household items and you will help reduce emissions, protect our climate, and clean our air:

  • Extend the life of a product by offering it to someone for reuse.
  • Reduce the amount of waste going to landfill and ensure that it is properly recycled.
  • Ensure that hazardous waste materials are disposed of safely.

Images: City of Toronto Read the rest of this entry »

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