Go Green
A Blog by WARM Training Center
Detroit Green Task Force Meeting Feb. 24
Feb 9th
For everyone interested, the next Detroit Green Task Force meeting will be:
Thursday February 24th, 2011
3:00-5:00pm
Committee of the Whole (13th floor)
Coleman A. Young Municipal Center
2 Woodward Ave Detroit MI 48226
The Detroit Green Task Force is an effort by Detroit City Councilman Ken Cockrel to promote green initiatives in Detroit. The task force focuses on water, energy efficiency and alternative energy sources, and green construction.
Urban Agriculture Apprenticeship Program
Feb 8th
The Greening of Detroit has position openings for their adult Urban Agriculture Apprenticeship Program. The Greening is looking for 2-3 candidates for a one-year, full-time paid apprenticeship. Candidates must live in the 48208, 48209, 48210, 48216, or 48217 zip codes and demonstrate an interest in working in the field of urban agriculture.
See the linked position posting below for information on how to apply. Also, you can ignore the February 1st deadline but still try to apply as soon as possible.
Urban Ag Apprentices Flier for Hire 2011
Detroit Works Project Updates
Feb 8th
The Detroit Works Project, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing’s planning effort to create a roadmap for the future or Detroit, is having more public meetings. More information about the Detroit Works Project is available online here – http://detroitworksproject.com/
The public meeting dates are below:
February 14, 2011, 6-8 PM – Cluster 9
Leland Baptist Church
22420 Fenkell Street
February 15, 2011, 6-8 PM, Cluster 8
Greater Grace Temple
23500 W. Seven Mile Rd
February 16, 2011, 6-8 PM, Cluster 7
NYL/YET – Boys & Girls Club – Dick & Sandy Dauch Campus
16500 Tireman Street
Replace my furnace with geothermal?
Jan 17th
Hi Jacob, we just found out that we need a new furnace in our house IMMEDIATELY. And rather than make a rash decision, I wanted to at least consider if geothermal is an option in a 2300 sq foot house built in 1941 in Huntington Woods. An energy efficient furnace would cost about $7,000 and I wonder if geothermal is much more than that and how long it takes to get installed? Or if you can suggest who I should call?
– Jodee, Huntington Woods
Yes geothermal is an option for a house like yours. Just to be clear, this is technically called a ground source heat pump (as opposed to geothermal sources like the hot water geysers in the west), but most of us call it geothermal. It will be more expensive than the furnace, especially because you have little yard space in that town (so big vertical drills instead of just scooping out 6 feet of earth running 200 feet across your yard). And I don’t know about how quickly they can do it, but will send you contacts for some local folks so you can call and find out. Note that the geothermal system would also replace your AC (if you have any, and if not, then you would following this install) and so if you’re considering replacing the AC anytime soon, then the cost of the geothermal should really be compared to the replacement cost for both the furnace and the AC. And the time that you have to replace a furnace is certainly the right time to do this (as opposed to replacing a functional furnace) because you’ll already be spending a bunch of money on it. Continue reading “Replace my furnace with geothermal?” »
Next Weekend – One Key to Making Green Affordable
Jan 7th
We know that saving energy and water will save money, but the cost of regular construction materials is a place where Green Building can get a bit trickier. Many great innovations have been developed to make construction materials greener, yet many of them come with a price premium. But the key to making green materials affordable is re-use. This is especially relevant for those DIY home fix-ups, because you don’t pay yourself for labor. As I’ve said before, we’re blessed with a bunch of great local re-use centers for construction and remodeling materials. And next weekend, the local Habitat for Humanity ReStores are having a huge winter sale, with many items 50% off.
It’s just Friday and Saturday, Jan 14-15, so get there early and enjoy the shopping.