Atlantic Publishing Company Energy, Efficiency & Green Titles

Green Your Home: The Complete Guide to Making Your New or Existing Home Environmentally Healthy Helping the world go greener can begin with something as simple as changing an ordinary light bulb to a light-emitting diode (LED) bulb. The advantages of these bulbs include lasting much longer, using 1/30th the electricity of an incandescent bulb, having no fragile elements to break, and being cool to the touch. For those who want to make a bigger change by renovating their existing home or building a new "green house," this book is full of thousands of ways to make your home environmentally healthy. This new, groundbreaking book will help people make environmentally friendly home and building supply choices. From recycling to using alternative cleaning materials, minor changes at home can add up to real benefits. Here are some interesting facts: The U.S. generates about 208 million tons of municipal solid waste a year, according to the National Institutes of Health. That is more than four pounds per person per day. Every little bit helps; recycling just one glass bottle produces enough electricity to light a 100-watt bulb for four hours. According to the Energy Star Web site, if just one in ten homes used energy-efficient appliances, it would be equivalent to planting 1.7 million acres of new trees. Using a broom instead of the garden hose to clean your driveway can save 80 gallons of water, and turning the water off while you brush your teeth will save 4.5 gallons every time. Each person will receive almost 560 pieces of junk mail this year, which adds up nationally to 4.5 million tons, according to the Native Forest Network. About 44 percent of all junk mail is thrown in the trash, unopened and unread, and ends up in a landfill. Each year, Americans throw away some 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags - from grocery and trash bags to those ultra-convenient sandwich bags. Unfortunately, plastics are made from petroleum - the processing and burning of which is considered one of the main contributors to global warming, according to the EPA. American households use 80 million pounds of pesticides each year, according to the EPA. Greening your home simply means finding things you can do around the house to reduce your impact on the planet. Things that green your home usually make it a safer and healthier place to live in as well; this new book will present thousands of low or no cost ways to make your home environmentally friendly. You will learn 101 things you can do today to help save the planet. If you are building a new home these include how to locate a green-friendly architect and contractor, using energy-efficient appliances, using renewable energy systems, such as solar and wind, selecting earth-friendly products and materials, installing energy-efficient windows and skylights, and planting a green roof. Other great, environmentally friendly tips and tricks include stopping electronic waste and junk mail, non-toxic paints and stains, eco-friendly flooring, kitchen, and bath supplies, earth-friendly weed-killers, citrus pest killer, organic soils, compost, and fertilizers, and even plants that reduce indoor air pollution, rain barrels, smart sprinklers, water efficiency, tankless water heaters, energy efficiency, tax credits for earth friendly choices, environmentally friendly landscaping, plantings, fertilizers, and mulch. We dissected your house, looking for easy (but not always obvious) ways that homeowners can conserve energy and water - and money at the same time. Here is an example: Replace just five of your incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (which use two-thirds less energy, generate 70 percent less heat, and last up to ten times longer), and you will save an estimated $35 to $65 a year in energy costs. You will also learn about the award-winning Caroma "dual-flush" toilet from Australia, an eco-friendly toilet whose half- and full-flush modes can save more than 65 percent of your toilet's annual water usage. There are hundreds of other great suggestions in this new and up-to-date book that will make your home greener simply and quickly. 978-1-60138-128-6 1-60138-128-X $24.95 9781601381286 PRE-ORDER ONLY - YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL NOT BE CHARGED UNTIL THE PRODUCT SHIPS. RELEASE DATE: SPRING 2008
How to Design and Build a Green Office Building: A Complete Guide to Making Your New or Existing Building Environmentally Healthy As energy costs rise, more and more companies are looking to create green offices buildings - ones that use resources efficiently while simultaneously creating healthier working environments. The energy use statistics are staggering: The heating, cooling, and powering of offices accounts for 40 percent of carbon dioxide emissions in the United States and are responsible for more than 70 percent of the country's total electricity usage. Office computers consume $1 billion of electricity annually. Moreover, recent surveys demonstrate that employees are fed up with their companies' energy-wasting ways: One-third of workers are more inclined to work for a company that is going green, and approximately 50 percent want their employers to be more environmentally friendly. How can you attract workers and reduce your costs at the same time? By going green; the tips in How to Design and Build a Green Office Building will show you how. In this book, you will learn how to protect the building occupants' health, how to improve employee productivity, how to use resources more efficiently, how to reduce your impact on the environment, how to select a site for a new building, how to protect and maintain the current landscape, how to use recycled content, how to use natural lighting, how to install high-efficiency lighting systems, how to select heating and cooling systems, how to select materials, and how to use dimensional planning and material efficiency strategies. You will also learn everything you need to know about water savings, energy efficiency, environmentally-friendly building materials, indoor environmental quality, building shape and orientation, alternative energy sources, dual plumbing, green building guidelines, gray water systems, water-conserving fixtures, the costs and financial benefits of building green, foundations, floors, and roofing. In addition, How to Design and Build a Green Office Building provides you with thousands of low or no cost ways to make your office more environmentally friendly. Whether you are building a brand new building, remodeling an existing one, or even just looking to make small changes that will have a big impact, you need to read this book. Employing the techniques in this book will ultimately save you money, increase your productivity, and attract more employees. Item #9781601382412 $24.95 PRE-ORDER ONLY - YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL NOT BE CHARGED UNTIL THE PRODUCT SHIPS. RELEASE DATE: SPRING 2008
Renewable Energy Made Easy: Free Energy from Solar, Wind, Hydropower, and Other Alternative Energy Sources Studies have shown that the average North American family will spend more than a quarter of a million dollars on energy in a lifetime. What many other countries, including Germany, Spain, France, Denmark, China, Brazil, and even Iceland, have realized is that there is a better way to power our homes, businesses, and cars - by using renewable energy sources. Recently, the United States has begun to understand the importance of reducing its reliance on coal, natural gas, nuclear power, and hydropower plants, which comprise the majority of the nation's electricity, due to increasing oil prices. Some sections of the country, including California, are turning to renewable energy sources. In fact, 12 percent of California's electricity is produced by renewable resources. The potential for the use of renewables is very large and understanding their use and their impact is key. Renewable Energy Made Easy will provide you with everything you need to know about these alternative energy sources. You will learn about solar power, wind power, water power, biofuels, geothermal energy, ethanol, wave farms, photovoltaic power plants, and hydrogen fuels. You will also become well-versed on the availability, aesthetics, environmental and social considerations, and longevity issues of these so-called soft energy technologies. In addition, you will learn about the current costs and the projected costs in the future, ENERGY STAR® regulations, the newest research and innovations, and the high development potential of renewable energy. This book will serve as a guide to creating more efficient buildings and an invaluable resource for how to change our preconceived notions about power. This book has taken the complexity and scientific terms out of this topic, making it jargon-free and easy to understand. Ultimately, you will learn how our country can improve energy efficiency, reduce oil dependence, improve energy security, and reduce the health and environmental impact of our current energy system. Item #9781601382405 $24.95
The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building Materials & Methods: Including Sod, Compressed Earth, Plaster, Straw, Beer Cans, Bottles, Cordwood, and Many Other Low Cost Materials In the United States alone, the annual construction of over one million new homes causes a very substantial drain on natural resources. Today, approximately 60 percent of the timber cut down in our country is used for building homes. Using alternative home building materials and creating a greener home are about creating better homes that are environmentally friendly, are less expensive in the long run, and create healthier occupants. Unfortunately, many people are unfamiliar with alternative building materials and do not know the first thing about going green. However, The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building Materials & Methods will teach you everything you need to know about this movement toward natural construction methods. This book will show you how to identify, locate, and effectively use alternative building materials. You will learn about straw bale, cordwood, cob, adobe, rammed earth, light clay, pisé, earthbag, bamboo, earth-rammed tires, cork, wool carpeting, sod, compressed earth, earth plaster, beer cans, bottles, as well as living roofs and more. In addition, you will learn the costs and performance characteristics of these materials and construction techniques for each, as well as how to integrate plumbing and electricity into these unfamiliar materials and substitutes for conventional approaches. You will also learn about the structure, climate control, siting, foundations, and flooring options you gain when using these materials. Also included are the advantages and benefits of alternative building materials for both consumers and builders and the key ecological design principles. Ultimately, you will come to understand that these materials are cheaper, easier to build with, stronger, more durable, and more fire resistant. Architects, designers, students, homeowners, homebuyers, owner builders, and those who want to build for a sustainable future will want to read this book. If you are concerned about the environment, want to create a healthier, more enjoyable home, and want to save money, The Complete Guide to Alternative Home Building Materials & Methods will show you how. Item#9781601382450 $24.95 PRE-ORDER ONLY - YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL NOT BE CHARGED UNTIL THE PRODUCT SHIPS. RELEASE DATE: SPRING 2008