Monday, December 10, 2007

Building Green and Embodied Energy

I recently attended the Affordable Green Home building conference held by America Youthworks. This sharp group has a educational program for youth which trains them on all aspects of green building from the ground up! They have worked with SIPS panels, Strawbale and many other products.

One new player to the scene is a company called Flexcrete. This is a pumice stone type of material made of concrete, lots of little air bubbles and some other secret stuff. Because it is not cured by heating it up, the embodied energy is lower than many other products. It is also fairly local- the company is out of Houston. You can get it in cinderblock like sections or in larger sheets. Ideal covering for it would be stucco. This material is not just an affordable option, it is a great local green option! There are some very sharp high end homes built with it.

You can check them out at www.flex-crete.com

No comments: