[Greenbuilding] Environmentally Friendly Carpet

Fri Dec 1 18:01:55 CST 2006

PET Polyester carpet tends to have a large quantity of recycled
material in it.  Mohawk, for example, has a large recycling program
using soda bottles. (short promotional piece <a
href="http://www.mohawk-flooring.com/carpet/pet-story.asp">here</a>).
Most of the major carpet manufactureres have been under such pressure
to "go green" that they are actively scrambling for greener solutions
to production issues and recycling issues, including programs where
they theoretically will take back their old carpet for recycling,
although nobody I know has done that.  Rebond, the carpet cushion, is
made from recycled pieces.  In fact, at the flooring store where I am,
the guy comes with a huge trailer and takes at least  45 cubic yards
of used pad (ripped out of consimers' homes) every few weeks just from
us.

The trade mags are *full* of articles on what companies have developed
new green flooring products and it is directly driven by huge amounts
of consumer pressure (yay for paying attention to where the dollars
go).  A detailed article may be found <a
href="http://www.floortec.net/used_carpet_recycling.htm">here</a>.
Anso nylon is another recycled material product, but you are in pretty
good shape if you choose PET polyester.  The downside is it will not
be as resilient over the long term as nylon, so you may have to
replace it sooner than you would a nylon carpet.

Cheers,
Blyth
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 02:40:13 +0000
> From: molasses at speakeasy.net
> Subject: [Greenbuilding] (no subject)
> To: james at phabb.com.au
> Cc: greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
> Message-ID: <W407673231290141164940813 at webmail2>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Did anyone mention Interface Flooring?
>
> http://www.interfaceflooring.com/products/sustainability/
>
> ----- Original Message -----
>
> Hello All,
> We are looking for manufacturers of environmentally friendly carpet, is
> there such a thing?
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 14:17:30 +1100
> From: Lance Collins <collinsl at bigpond.net.au>
> Subject: [Greenbuilding] dry firewood
> To: greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
> Message-ID: <7.0.0.16.0.20061201140004.04ca7b88 at bigpond.net.au>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii; format=flowed;
>         x-avg-checked=avg-ok-2A7B1AB6
>
> Norbert Serf wrote:
>
>
> >Unlike a gas fireplace, any type of woodburning system is dependent
> >on operator
> >knowledge, and requires some effort. Mainly, you need to know what
> >dry firewood
> >   looks and feels like (many people don't).
> >Usually, that requires having a woodshed so that
> >you can season your firewood for 6 - 12 months,
> >or until it is down to 20% moisture.
>
> Last winter I accidentally burned some wood that I had felled the
> previous summer.  It looked dry but it didn't put out much
> heat.  Then I cut up some logs which had been lying around for
> decades.  The difference was amazing.  Instead of having to leave
> open the firebox door I had to close down the air intake to a third
> of normal.  I've been burning wood off and on for fifty years and
> I've never experienced such a difference between green and dry wood
> before.  In both cases the wood species was 'Eucalyptus Radiata : Peppermint'
>
> And properly seasoned wood that is wet from recent rain is still dry
> wood in this context.
>
> Lance
> (in Aus)
>
>
> --
> No virus found in this outgoing message.
> Checked by AVG Free Edition.
> Version: 7.5.430 / Virus Database: 268.15.2/560 - Release Date: 30/11/2006 3:41 PM
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Thu, 30 Nov 2006 23:17:28 EST
> From: YankeePerm at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] dry firewood
> To: greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
> Message-ID: <c4a.8668665.32a106d8 at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"
>
>
> In a message dated 11/30/06 10:18:09 PM, collinsl at bigpond.net.au writes:
>
>
> >
> > Last winter I accidentally burned some wood that I had felled the
> > previous summer.? It looked dry but it didn't put out much
> > heat.? Then I cut up some logs which had been lying around for
> > decades.? The difference was amazing.? Instead of having to leave
> > open the firebox door I had to close down the air intake to a third
> > of normal.? I've been burning wood off and on for fifty years and
> > I've never experienced such a difference between green and dry wood
> > before.? In both cases the wood species was 'Eucalyptus Radiata :
> > Peppermint'
> >
> > And properly seasoned wood that is wet from recent rain is still dry
> > wood in this context.
> >
> > Lance
> > (in Aus)
> >
> >
> Yes, the research reports I've read (maybe 20 years ago) indicate that having
> seasoned wood is essential, and is more important to burn efficiency and
> minimizing creosote buildup than whether or not the wood is damp.   Cured wood
> will also dry rather quickly if brought under cover.
>
> Some tree species produce wood that burns better 'green' than the average.
> In North America, ash carries very little moisture into the winter and is
> suitable as an emergency fuel if cut in winter for immediate use.   Cherry, maple,
> birch, etc., definitely need to be cured or else they produce a lot of
> creosote, too much charcoal, and low heat output.   I've no experience burning pecan,
> but that species drops leaves very early in the fall and leafs out late in
> the spring, so I'd consider trying it, and to a lesser extent the other
> hickories, as winter-harvested firewood.
>
> For outdoor cooking, mixing in some green wood produces more coals that can
> provide a slow cooking heat.   Of course, they do the same indoors but the
> creosote buildup in your chimney isn't worth the convenience.
>
> Dan Hemenway
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> Barking Frogs Permaculture Center
> www.barkingfrogspermaculture.org
>
> Our 11th Annual Permaculture Design Course Online began Nov. 5, 2006. Late
> registrations accepted as long as we have room. The protocol for our Annual
> Permaculture Design Course Online is at
> http://www.barkingfrogspermaculture.org/Protocol7_05_06.pdf
>
>
> A list by topic of all Yankee Permaculture titles also may be found at
>
> http://www.barkingfrogspermaculture.org/YPCpublicationsbycategory.pdf
>
> ?
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2006 10:31:29 -0500
> From: Norbert Senf <mheat at mha-net.org>
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] HELP: need opinions on Rumford fireplaces
> To: greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
> Message-ID: <7.0.1.0.2.20061201102233.03b1b4a0 at heatkit.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"; format=flowed
>
> At 04:15 PM 11/30/2006 -0600, Ian Remmler wrote:
>
> >I asked a similar question a while back, and the concensus
> >seemed to be that open fireplaces suck (figuratively and
> >literally).  But the weird thing is, I have an open fireplace,
> >and it might just be my imagination, but it seems to make my
> >house warmer.
>
> If you burn an open fireplace properly, you will definitely get heat
> into your house. And it will largely be nice, pleasant, radiant heat.
>
> The question is, how much?
>
> - as you make the fireplace larger, you move more air, so your losses increase
> for the same amount of wood.
>
> - as the outside temperature goes down, your losses increase, because you have
> to heat all that outside air back up to room temperature before it goes up
> the flue (in fact, you have to heat it up to flue
> temperature, which is higher).
>
> If your fireplace is very large (48" x 48", say), and the outside temperature
> is very cold, say -10F, you get down around 0% efficiency or even lower.
>
> If your fireplace is in the centre of the house,
> you have an airtight glass door on
> it with a proper air supply (the "Washington state certified" version of the
> Rumford), you can get the efficiency up into the 50% range, which is not bad.
>
>
> -------------------------------------------
> Norbert Senf---------- mheat(at)heatkit.com
> Masonry Stove Builders
> 25 Brouse Rd.
> RR 5, Shawville------- www.heatkit.com
> Qu?bec J0X 2Y0-------- fax:-----819.647.6082
> ---------------------- voice:---819.647.5092
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2006 10:57:53 -0500
> From: "Jeannie" <jeannie at babb.com>
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] HELP: need opinions on Rumford fireplaces
> To: "'Norbert Senf'" <mheat at mha-net.org>,       "'Greenbuilding'"
>         <GREENBUILDING at LISTSERV.REPP.ORG>
> Message-ID: <1164988727_1289 at psm1>
> Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="us-ascii"
>
> I grew up in a turn-of-the-century house with a central fire place.  The
> house actually had 5 fireplaces originally (counting the upstairs/downstairs
> connected fireplaces as two) so I guess that does not speak well for their
> efficiency!  Only one of the fireplaces is in the middle of the house (and
> indeed in the middle of an open area, forming the boundary between living
> and dining room), and it seems to do a very good job heating that wing of
> the home.  It is a brick fireplace, and continues to give off heat long
> after the fire burns out.
>
> The SafeCrete blocks we manufacture are often used for Rumford style
> fireplaces.  (In fact www.rumford.com gives us a link.)  SafeCrete blocks
> are lightweight, highly insulating, and offer excellent fire resistance.
> They are also very workable, in case you want to carve, sand, rasp, etc. for
> a very custom look.  Here's a link to a photo of one such fireplace,
> constructed with SafeCrete blocks but finished to look like Italian marble:
>
> http://www.safecrete.com/30.htm
>
> The one above is probably designed for aesthetics rather than maximum
> efficiency, but there's no reason you cannot have both.
>
> Please note that if you use SafeCrete blocks to construct a fireplace, it is
> still necessary to line the actual firebox with some other material.
> SafeCrete takes the heat, but it is a soft material (until plastered) and
> will demonstrate flame erosion after a time.  You can also use the SafeCrete
> blocks for the chimney.  With the highest fire rating of any material on the
> market, SafeCrete chimneys help to prevent roof and attic fires.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Jeannie Babb Taylor
> www.SafeCrete.com
> 706-965-4587
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> Greenbuilding email list
> List info: http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_listserv.repp.org
> List email: Greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org
> Managed by BuildingGreen, Inc. http://www.buildinggreen.com
>       publisher of Environmental Building News and GreenSpec(r)
> Hosted and archived by REPP / CREST http://www.crest.org
>
> End of Greenbuilding Digest, Vol 6, Issue 1
> *******************************************
>