Sustainable North

From The Arctic Sounder, Wednesday, August 25, 2010:
The success of an innovative new home in Anaktuvuk Pass – which uses a wind power, solar panels and design features of traditional Nunamiut sod housing – is changing the way houses will be designed and built on the North Slope.
“This is a huge leap forward – I [...]

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ASK A BUILDER
By CCHRC Staff

The “Ask a Builder” series is dedicated to answering some of the many questions Fairbanks residents have about building, energy and the many other parts of home life.
Q: What are the advantages of hot water infloor heat versus baseboard heating?
Radiant hot water (hydronic) floor heating systems’ costs are usually higher than [...]

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ASK A BUILDER
By CCHRC Staff
The “Ask a Builder” series is dedicated to answering some of the many questions Fairbanks residents have about building, energy and the many other parts of home life.
Q: I hear that log and concrete walls have the added benefit of “thermal mass.” How much of a difference does it make?
The basic [...]

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ASK A BUILDER
BY CCHRC STAFF
The “Ask a Builder” series is dedicated to answering some of the many questions Fairbanks residents have about building, energy and the many other parts of home life.
Q: Many people are fixing their old home and getting a rebate from the state. Is there still rebate money available for building a [...]

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ASK A BUILDER
By CCHRC Staff
The “Ask a Builder” series is dedicated to answering some of the many questions Fairbanks residents have about building, energy and the many other parts of home life.
Q: I want to put insulation on the outside of my home before winter. I heard it has to be applied in the right [...]

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From The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Friday, July 30, 2010:

FAIRBANKS — Most sheds aren’t much to look at. But the new cordwood garden shed at the Georgeson Botanical Gardens could almost pass for a Victorian stone building from afar, sitting on a hill among a riot of red and pink poppies and giant sunflowers.
It was actually [...]

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ASK A BUILDER
By CCHRC Staff
The “Ask a Builder” series is dedicated to answering some of the many questions Fairbanks residents have about building, energy and the many other parts of home life.
Q: I am building a house using post and pad construction. Since it will be off the ground, do I need a plastic vapor [...]

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From the US Dept. of Energy:
The size of new U.S. single-family homes completed in 2009 declined, dropping to a nationwide average of 2,438 square feet and reversing trend of the past three decades, according to a National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). New single-family homes were almost 100 square feet smaller in 2009 than they [...]

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From Thedailygreen.com:

When you think of sustainable dining, you probably don’t think of fast-food restaurants like Subway, Starbucks and Chipotle. And yet, these fast food chains are some of the few who have successfully pursued LEED certification.
LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design and is an internationally recognized third-party certification that a building meets [...]

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From The Anchorage Daily News, Friday, July 23, 2010:

Thanks to clever marketers, if I said I had a problem with ED, you might immediately have an idea what I’m talking about. But I have a problem with EE. It’s no cause for embarrassment — EE is a great thing. EE can save you money, create [...]

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