Category: Shelter

Working Wonders, located in Mt. Washington, MD, is an online haven for eco-friendly furniture and accessories of all kinds for home or office. From flooring to lighting to cabinetry to beds, it’s a green marketplace for all kinds of shoppers. With one of their primary concerns being indoor air quality, Working Wonders offers organic textiles, sustainable woods, recycled metals and glass, and renewable fuels. Perhaps most useful are the easy-to-follow product descriptions, all of which include between one and eight icons, identifying the ways in which that product has qaulified as green, the categories being: reduces waste, conserves natural resources, improves air quality, saves energy and/or water, better production practices, better shipping practices, better community relations, and manufacturing location.

The musician owners of a 1960s-era house are planning extensive renovations to the living spaces on the first floor. They are committed to using low-impact, non-toxic, sustainable materials. They also desire to wean themselves off fossil fuels, so energy efficiency is a high priority.

As part of a long-range master plan by Gabrielli Design Studio , the first phase was a small addition to the kitchen. Built by Greenbuilders on the existing foundation of a dilapidated screened porch, the structure is post-and-beam with infill strawbale walls and fiberglass-clad windows . The green (planted) roof drains to a chain drain and a rain barrel.

The new room brings daylight deep into the kitchen, while sweeping views upwards along a steep hillside to the sky. The straw walls are clad in lime plaster, the floor is the existing concrete, finished with a natural, plant-based stain and beeswax.

The next phase was going to be a kitchen renovation. But the new room has changed the character of the existing kitchen so dramatically, the owners may not need to renovate it for a long time.

Working with this family has been an inspiration. During the year we worked together on this project, they also chipped away at wasteful practices all around the house. Using tips from friends and from green websites such as Lime , they reduced their electricity use by 64%! What a difference a little curiosity and a lot of motivation can make in a household’s budget, as well as the health of our planet.

Klockner is a green building company out of Takoma Park specializing in design / build projects including upscale additions, renovations, and custom homes. With an extensive knowledge base on green products and construction methods, the firm offers services in budget development and project design.

Sun Mar specializes in self-contained waterless garden and toilet composing units. Baltimore has a Sun Mar dealer located off the Avenue in Hamden at 3313 Elm Ave. As fresh water becomes more scarce due to over-consumption, our treatment facilities will not be able to support the amount of water we flush everyday. Our waste is 90% water and becomes a health hazard because bacteria grows in water. By relieving that moisture through ventilation it can be returned to the earth as much needed fertilizer.

Green Roof Plants is located at Emory Knoll Farms in Street, Maryland. Proving over 100 varieties of plants Emory Knoll has extensive experience with roofing systems, soil mixes, climates, and working with manufacturers and designers. The farm also supports sustainable design by having solar pumps for all water needs in the greenhouse and photovoltaic panels for most electric needs.

GreenBuilders Inc. is a general contractor in Maryland, specializing in remodeling, additions, and the use of straw bale construction when feasible. Polly Bart, PhD, founder of Greenbuilders, is also a LEED accredited professional , frequently working in that capacity as an advisor to general contractors.

They specialize in "not-so-big" construction design to reduce costs; non-toxic, natural materials which will are safe for families; one-of-a-kind handcrafted beauty in finishes and trims; and sensible heating and cooling plans which provide more comfort and save energy.

Greenbuilders recycles, reuses, and donates. Clients get the tax deduction and the satisfaction of knowing that their renovation isn’t sending valuable materials to the landfill. In fact, Greenbuilders does not use dumpsters at all!

Over the years, Julie Gabrielli has done a number of projects with Polly, much to the delight and satisfaction of her clients. Polly always brings practicality, common sense, honesty, great craftsmanship, and a deep care of the earth to her work.

Luke Works is owned and operated by some of Baltimore’s finest artistic craftsman. All of Luke Works employees hold degrees or have extensive experience in the arts and furniture design. Although they specialize mostly in metal and concrete some others include bedroom sets or tables made from formaldehyde free wheatboard, bamboo, and reclaimed oak and all wood finishes are water-based which are low in VOC’s and HAP’s. “We use sustainably harvested forest products as well as reclaimed or recycled products whenever possible. We are always researching and testing new green and alternative products and processes.”