Glass façades are for many the epitome of contemporary urban architecture and design. Sleek, clean, and modern, they give the impression of an Emerald City of the future, rising above the bricks and mortar of yesterday’s Gotham. Yet with th…
In recent years, concern over accelerating climate change has put increasing emphasis on ‘going green.’ This broad trend encompasses everything from what we eat to what we wear, to how we build our homes, and how we clean them. With the glo…
Among the many efforts underway to stem the oncoming tide of climate-related catastrophe is the increasing use of electric vehicles (EVs). While gas-powered cars are still the overwhelming majority of vehicles on the roads, EV technology is…
Home Sweet Home can become un-sweet very quickly indeed when the physical environment you’ve worked hard to create becomes a source of environmental toxicity. Chemicals, smoke, pet dander, and mold, along with other allergens and irritants,…
Energy costs are a major component in any housing environment, and one of the main areas where boards and managers look at to optimize efficiency and save money. One already popular — and growing — alternative to fossil fuels is solar energ…
Co-ops and condos routinely undertake major capital projects to improve and update their physical plant with the hopes of both increasing value and cutting expenses. But how about more modest programs to save money in areas that are often o…
Most of us rarely think twice before tossing a banana peel into the garbage can. Which is fine! Anything from a deflated bike to an old boot can usually be thrown in the trash without a second thought. But there are some items that must be …
Many residential properties obtain their power from a local energy supplier. But in recent years, boards and managing agents have investigated, and in some cases, installed “cogeneration” systems that allow properties to produce a portion o…
Ideally, cleaning products have one primary function: to make things less dirty. But once one delves deeper into the overall goal, things get more complicated. What makes something really clean? Does it just look shinier? Smell better? Or i…
Most folks know that turning off lights in unoccupied rooms, taking shorter showers, and turning down the thermostat a couple of degrees can help save energy – and by extension, money. However, helping an entire building or association cut …