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NanaCatharine's avatar
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NanaCatha…
I'm so excited!
posted 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

I am so excited to be accepted as a volunteer at the Healthy Home Exhibit near me. It's a 800 sq ft condo site built inside the Hangar at the old Downsview Park Airforce Base. It is to promote green technologies and Canadian or local products. The Healthy Home exhibit will serve as a tangible expression of Downsview Park's Sustainable Community Developement Guidelines and further serves as a tool to explain how individual can lessen their home's impact on the environment and demonstrate how simple choices can affect positive change for the environment and long-term opportunities for financial rewards. The Healthy Home/Sustainable Condo is a project by EcoSmart Foundation, a non profit organization based in Vancouver and supported by a strong group of industry leaders.

http://www.downsviewpark.ca/eng/healthyhome.shtml

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responses (14)

SeaWriter's avatar SeaWriter
SeaWriter said to NanaCatharine 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

Sounds fabulous! Enjoy yourself and keep us posted here on VN.

NanaCatharine's avatar NanaCatha…
NanaCatharine said to NanaCatharine 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

actually here's a better link, explaining the condo and even a floor plan.  I love it.  Every inch of it. 

http://www.usinglessenjoyingmore.com/about.htm

anir's avatar anir
anir said to NanaCatharine 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

Sounds like a great project.  In what aspects will you be involved in?  As with a lot of people I agree that everything should be done to try and better our environment.

There is a project here in Bathurst, New Brunswick, the eastern end of Canada, where a couple and their four young children have started living in an EcoPlusHome.  It has all the newest technologies of insulation, heating systems, house placement etc. for our harsh climate.  There was an article in our local paper this week about the fact that there are still a lot of kinks to be ironed out, but that overall, the project seems to be going well.  It is schedualed to last at least a full year.  Besides being a great research tool, it also emphasizes the involvement of a real family.  Not just a house set anywhere and being monitered without anyone in it. 

Hope these and simular projects will keep coming along to help us curb the effect of waste on our environement.

anir

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NanaCatharine's avatar NanaCatha…
NanaCatharine said to anir 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

yes I just found this on the web.   if you google ecoplushome the site comes right up.

this is exactly what I am working on, except it is a condo exhibit.  all new technologies, heating systems, waste systems, air quality,  etc.

other than being really beautiful, each product used in the structure is re cycled, green, affordable and sustainable.   it is located in the Hangar at the old Downsview Air Force base. 

The vision for the 572 acre Downsview Park is the creation of a recreational greenspace incorporating both the expansive open space, recreational and cultural areas, as well as re-purposing many of the historic aviation related buildings to creat a year round setting that will attract a diverse array of people from the local community , across Canada and around the globe and to do so on a self financing basis.  In addition to creating a unique national urban park on the majority of the lands, five related neighborhoods will be developed in creating and maintaining Downsview Park.

NanaCatharine's avatar NanaCatha…
NanaCatharine said to NanaCatharine 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

I just copied the above paragraph from  a handout called Building a Park While Being a Park.

My only role in this is simply a volunteer to maintain the healthy living exhibit, showcasing all the products available to build and maintain a green living space.  800 sq ft unit.

anir's avatar anir
anir said to NanaCatharine 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

I'm sure it will be an awesome opertunity  If you can, give us snipits of the new things you see and learn along the way.  I would cetainly love to read about your experiences.  I fell in love with Vancouver when I visited in 2008.  Hope I get a chance to go back soon.

anir

NanaCatharine's avatar NanaCatha…
NanaCatharine said to anir 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

yes we can all have a learning experience together, as I learn on the job, specific products, how they work, why they work, what gives them specific green status, how they get rated, who they get rated by, and specifically if there are government subsidy grants for specific products.

Starting from the  walls in.   One product that interests me a great deal is This natural fiber insulation called UltraTouch is one of the highest rated and safest products on the market today. It has been featured in USA Today, Newsweek, HGTV and Building Green television programs throughout the US. It was named as one of the Top 100 Products of 2006 by Architectural Products.

Made from recycled denim, it is a high-performance insulation that provides superior acoustics, is non-toxic and contributes towards LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification. UltraTouch delivers maximum thermal performance, is mold and mildew resistant, and installs safely.

As you explore this web site, you will discover how UltraTouch is made, how it performs and the benefits it delivers to your residential or commercial building. You'll know why we say UltraTouch is inspired by nature…designed for performance.

This product is recycled denim.  It qualifies for government rebate program according to the Ontario Tax Rebate website.

http://www.homeperformance.com/ontario-rebates-toronto-hamilton-london-barrie-orillia

The website is    http://www.idahoblue.com/

BTW I am in Toronto.

 

anir's avatar anir
anir said to NanaCatharine 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

OOps!  Gotta recheck my geography.  Found it on google maps.  Thanks for the correction.

anir

anir's avatar anir
anir said to NanaCatharine 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

Me again,

Is this where you see a Big Green House when driving down Young Street?  I Think it's Young.

anir

NanaCatharine's avatar NanaCatha…
NanaCatharine said to anir 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

No it is not on Yonge Street.  I'm not sure what big green house your thinking of.   This Healthy Home Exhibit is located in the old Air Force Base at downsview park.   if you google downsview park you can see a lot of information.

 

anir's avatar anir
anir said to NanaCatharine 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

Guess I spelled Yonge wrong.  No wonder I easily get lost in Toronto.

Found it!

anir

weezy8150's avatar weezy8150
weezy8150 said to anir 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

I live in Maine, so would be interested to follow the NB home story.  Thanks for the tip. 

anir's avatar anir
anir said to weezy8150 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

Hi weezy8150, 

Just type google ecoplus home and it will lead you to the Bathurst NB project.   I used to live along the St-John river, could look across it and know it was Maine.

anir  

weezy8150's avatar weezy8150
weezy8150 said to anir 03/14/2010, 08:17PM new!

thank you Anir....will look that up !

Pure and Natural