The Best Products from the 2009 International Green Building Conference

Part 5 of 5

There were two products that were very exciting for me at the International Green Building Conference. The first uses 100% recycled materials, and the second provides a great environmental solution; both concepts that are important to Cook Remodeling.

Rubbersidewalks, Inc uses a patented, low energy technology to transform a vehicle tire into a square foot of paver. California alone discards 34 million car tires a year, nationally we dispose of 300 million tires, which have a long life in a landfill! The woman-owned business is doing so well, they are lowering their prices 5-10% in 2010! Terrewalks has many advantages over concrete. It provides more friction when wet, is 5% cooler (good patio and poolside surface), never cracks or chips, reduces heat island effect, and has no off gassing (concrete puts out 6% of CO2 emissions). It is tree friendly in that it accommodates root growth since water can travel through the seams into the ground, the material does not leach into soil, performs in all climates, and can be used for driveways. The material offers so many benefits over concrete--like being easier to clean, quieter, more comfortable to walk/jog on, provides easy access to utilities to name a few.

If you have ever driven to Los Angeles on Hiway 10, you have seen the large propeller wind turbines –80 of them in 8000 acres of land. There has been a lot of controversy over the number of birds they kill and the amount of space it uses. Mariah Power has invented a superior alternative, a vertical axis wind turbine (in photo above). It is a pole-mounted column with 2 feet long slender horizontal stabilizers for three 20-30 feet high vertical blades that catch the wind and turn to generate electricity called, Windspire. I can’t even imagine how many of those 4 ft wide turbines you can fit in that 8000 acres! Barring any building code restrictions, one could place it in your backyard, for it is ultra quiet. It costs about $10,000 supplying an average of 2000 kWh of energy per year (depending on how windy it is your city). One homeowner interviewed said he recovered half the cost in rebates and tax credits, and it generates 25-50% of their home's electricity, which they can monitor via computer. You can see in that video link how easily they spin. That’s good news!

The Windspire offers the lowest price renewable energy product in a one-kilowatt range. It does depend on wind to move it, but unlike solar panels, it can work at night as well. So I asked, is it bird friendly? One of the representative said he saw a dove perched on a stabilizer while it slowly turned around and around. I also queried, What if you knew there was an impending high winds? They told me it is hinge mounted so you can lower it to the ground. It is very intelligently designed and is grid ready.