How you can help save the whales (not exactly) without blowing your budget. I remember lining up at the drinking fountain in elementary school waiting my turn. We used to give each other a hard time for taking to long and drinking too much and we used to say, “Hey! Save some for the whales!” In most areas of the world the amount of water we drink is not very directly linked to the health of whales in the ocean; It is however linked to the availability of freshwater in the areas we live in, some of which can experience droughts occasionally or even regularly. In most parts of North America we ..read more

Improving Sustainability in Existing Homes I really enjoy dreaming about renovating my existing home to make it much more efficient and also someday building my own sustainable home. For me (and most others) building a new home or completing a major renovation is way out of reach for financial or other reasons. While it may make me feel warm and fuzzy when I have these sustainable dreams, I want to be able to do something now to make my home more sustainable. I want to reduce my costs and also increase my comfort and enjoyment in my house as it is now….without incurring high costs. Luckily, th ..read more

The Basics of Environmentally Sustainable Homes. In this post we will be discussing these questions: What makes homes or the materials used in them damaging to the environment? How you can know if materials used in your home are environmentally friendly? How can you reduce energy use in your home? How can you make your home more environmentally friendly? How Can Your Home be Damaging to the Environment? There are many ways that your home can be damaging to the environment and I will discuss a few of the major ones here: Energy Use Depletion of Natural Resources Damage to Natural Habitats 1 ..read more

What do I want to get from making my home and my life more sustainable? How do I plan on getting there? I have always wanted to have a career that would allow me to support my family and still have time to be with them. I have been interested in architecture and sustainable homes from a young age. My first career was in in aircraft maintenance but I switched to architecture to have more time with my family and to hopefully one day design and build my own home. I started the architectural technologies program at SAIT in 2011 and was able to get a position with the Green Building Technologies o ..read more

In this brief post I will tell you my content goals for 2019 and beyond. In short, I am planning on giving you an overview of everything you need to know to prepare for and complete your next home renovation. Particularly if you are renovating your home to make it more sustainable. I will not be going into the detail of how to complete electrical or plumbing modifications or specific work like that. What I will be doing is walking you through the stages of preparation to determine what work you should do and what to consider to help determine if it is worth it financially. I will also ..read more

For the past several decades a movement has been slowly growing. This movement is toward taking better care of our planet, toward not depleting its many natural resources and not poisoning its delicate ecosystem through the chemicals we use or garbage we produce. Efforts to protect earth by the way we live and work have often been called “being environmentally friendly.”  Another term often used is “being green.” Many have applied this movement of being green to the homes we live in. They apply these green principles in 2 main areas: Using materials that do not deplete natural resources a ..read more

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Why should you have a durable home? Have you ever had an old junker car that you were always afraid of it breaking down? I bought my first car when I was 17 for $250. It was a 1981 Toyota Corolla Sedan with a 1.8 litre engine and standard transmission. It was already almost 20 years old when I bought it and as soon as I started driving it the starter went (which made learning to drive a standard even more fun as every time I stalled it it was harder to start). I almost always had to fix something to keep it going (which I enjoyed). Finally, after I had driven it for several years it had had e ..read more

When we think of sustainability we most often think of “green homes” being sustainable to the environment meaning that it does not degrade the environment through its construction or use. The definition of sustainability describes the ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level. Over the years as I have learned more and more about sustainable homes I have discovered that a sustainable home can benefit much more than just the environment by being: More cost effective to construct. More cost effective to heat, cool, and operate. More durable and cost effective to maintain. More conduciv ..read more

This is a brief introduction to Sustainable Home Catalyst. Read on to find out why I created the Sustainable Home Catalyst Podcast and what you can expect. I will also tell you a little bit about myself as well. Why Did I Decide to Start This Podcast and Website? My goal is to improve the quality and sustainability of homes in North America. I want everyone to have a home that is more sustainable and more durable. I also feel that a sustainable home shouldn’t just be sustainable for the environment but also sustainable for the homeowners themselves and their finances. And this doesn’t only app ..read more