Living Off Grid with Abundance

Have you ever wondered what you would have to give up to live off the grid? Are you willing to live without some of your daily pleasures? Does this have to be ‘all’ or ‘nothing’, and can technology solve it all, so we don’t have to choose?

Freshly returned from my 7^th annual sea kayaking adventure with my two sisters, I am pondering our experience of staying at an off-grid lodge on Read Island near the coast of British Columbia.

Nestled at the top of Evans Bay, surrounded by rugged coastline and rich sea life, and located several kilometers from the nearest post office at Surge Narrows, Coast_Mountain_Expeditions consists of a main lodge, several guest cabins and a family home. We were hosted graciously by Ralph and Lannie Keller and their grown son Albert, celebrating 24 years of sharing their wilderness adventure lifestyle.

Albert and Ralph provided expert guiding and instruction for our daily kayak trips. Emphasizing safety skills, they refined our techniques to make the paddling experience more efficient and enjoyable. We were blessed with perfect weather (nearby Campbell River on Vancouver Island logs almost 5 feet of precipitation per year). Ralph commented “you don’t appreciate sunshine until you’ve gone camping in the rain”.

Almost immediately, the wildlife sightings began.

Coolest Shade of Green Buildings for the Future

What is the latest in green buildings for the future? What was the focus of the presentations made at the annual conference of the Canadian Green Building Council (CaGBC) in Vancouver, June 2010?

I had the pleasure of attending the 2010 National Conference as a member of CaGBC and as a LEED®AP (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design Applied Professional). From my 30 pages of notes taken over 2½ days, here is a summary of the most interesting points made about the future for building green.

It was impressive to be in the company of 1300 motivated, passionate delegates. These people are not moaning that the sky is falling; they are making it their business to do something about it and make a difference with their actions. They are generously sharing what they have learned, making it easier for the next interior designer, architect, engineer, developer and contractor. There is a spirit of cooperation and mentorship that is gratifying and encourages me that each of us can make an important contribution as the momentum for green building and design increases.

To kick off the theme, Performance Matters: the next generation of buildings and communities, the Mayor of Vancouver, Gregor Robertson, said that by 2020, 176 municipal BC governments will participate in the ‘Climate Action Charter’ resulting in new buildings being carbon neutral. 20% of all existing buildings will be retrofitted to be green. All rezoning must be done to LEED® certification standards. There will be 20,000 new green jobs created in Vancouver. The 2010 Winter Olympics showcased green building in the city, including the new LEED® Platinum conference centre, which has a living roof the size of 15 hockey rinks. He cited the New York example where all buildings greater than 50,000 square feet must not only be renovated green but also show a payback within 5 years (including the LEED Platinum Bank of America building). The city of Vancouver

 Glossary of Green Window Terms

"Using something warm to keep cool -- isn’t this mutually exclusive?" Since windows are frequently cited as the weakest links in the home building envelope, focusing on strategies to minimize/maximize seasonal heat loss/gain make sense for thermal comfort and energy savings. As energy costs mount, this will be even more critical. Some government programs have recognized the importance of improving energy use by providing grants for window replacement.

Dayle applied her LEED^®AP when she prepared and delivered a Window seminar to design professional guests of Londén Inc. She shared scientific knowlege to help designers use conduction, convection and radiation window physics for wise selection of windows and decorative window products, such as Londén’s Warmer Window insulated shading material.

Dayle explained the benefits of well-fitted and caulked operable casement windows with fibreglass or wood frames, double glazing with low-e coating, or triple glazing, and argon gas fill to make the most of our windows. She discussed enhancing daylighting by choosing the appropriate sized window openings to minimize use of electricity for lighting and maximize enjoyment of green views. Decorating with window treatments was presented as both a creative and highly functional option for improving window performance.

She spent hours compiling this alphabetical listing of sustainable window definitions which contains important terms for a good resource library.  One can look up the major certifications and logos found on window products to find out if they are independently third party certified, and what the ratings signify. This pdf download is available in the resources section of this website:

http://www.daylelaing.com/environmental-green-resources.html 

Mary Stanton, Toronto, ON

Other seminar participants made the following comments:

Coolest Shade of Green Toilets

You might wonder what is the ‘Coolest Shade of Green’ for toilets going into a LEED® Platinum certified building. Maybe you have had an experience similar to mine, when I was designing a bathroom for a client a decade ago, who proclaimed loudly that he must have a “big flush” toilet. He claimed the newer lower-flush toilets just didn’t perform well and he was not impressed with having to flush twice. We have come a long way in toilet-technology in the last 10 years and even more since Thomas Crapper applied for patents to improve water closets in mid 19^th century Britain.

Recently, I attended a seminar about the certification of Chapelview in Brampton, Canada. Martinway Contracting Ltd. is attempting 54 points, slating this to likely become the first LEED® Platinum certified affordable housing project in the world. Green toilets are one of the products they considered to achieve this remarkable goal.

Reduce Reuse Recycle

Are these familiar words to you? Do you know how to apply them to your interiors to save money and make a meaningful contribution to the environment at the same time?

“Reduce Reuse Recycle” was a popular refrain begun the 1970’s (which coincidently is the decorating style of the currently revived decade too). It is no accident that this mantra is commonly expressed in the circular form of the Mobius loop, consistent with the circular nature of ecology. 

At the November 1969 Stanford University “Conference on Man and His Environment: a View Toward Survival”, Barry Commoner said, “Because they are fundamentally circular processes and subject to numerous feedback effects, ecosystems exhibit nonlinear responses to changes in the intensity of any single factor.” [1] What simpler way is there than to choose basics that avoid complicated consequences?

While studying for my LEED® AP exam, ...

Design industry leaders learn technical rug sustainability aspects from Dayle Laing

Understanding that "knowledge is power", key interior design industry leaders attended Dayle’s 'Rugs 101' seminar at Speers Road Broadloom on February 4, 2010.

Proclaiming the session interesting and informative, they left the evening motivated to put more ‘green’ into their designs and sales.

Savvy interior designers, interior decorators, flooring sales reps and retailers gathered in the showroom to glean the practical advice on how to answer their clients’ demands for green rugs and carpeting. Carl French of Speers Road Broadloom sponsored the training of his staff and generously funded the attendance of 4 lucky local Sheridan College design students.

Dayle Laing, a LEED® AP, related the technical aspects of carpet fibres, construction, dyeing and finishing to the applicable LEED® credits, as she deftly handled questions and gave practical advice for handling design choices and spotting ‘greenwashing’ claims. She thoroughly explained the third party certifications pertaining to the carpeting industry.

Carl told Dayle that he expects his suppliers to be well informed about flooring sustainability, so that he can continue to offer excellent service to his designers, decorators, contractors and his retail customers.

To bring this IDCEC accredited interior design seminar or a customized workshop to your group, contact the office at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Design Professionals learn Contract Tips

In challenging economic times, Interior Designers and Interior Decorators take stock of their use of contracts to protect themselves and to successfully communicate with their clients.

On February 10, 2010, Dayle presented her “Joy of Contracts” IDCEC accredited seminar to an enthusiastic group of design professionals in the showroom of Brentwood Classics, in Vaughan Ontario. Fashion Director Diana Sisto and Showroom Manager Lynne Wainberg, along with Brentwood owner Guy Sisto feel strongly about the importance of using their showroom for continuing education and for the benefit of the design trade.

Experienced and new professionals alike were unanimous in their appreciation of the 2 hour presentation, and peppered Dayle with thoughtful questions.

Sheryl Jones, Milton, ON

Susan Quattrociocchi, Thornhill, ON

Other seminar participants commented: