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All about Pollinator Gardens
Stephanie Szkolnicki, owner, Southern Garden Solutions, and Peggy Smedley talk about building pollinator gardens. She says a pollinator garden is a garden designed with plants that provide food and shelter to our pollinators like bees, wasps, butterflies, moths, and more, which helps our edible gardens as well. They also discuss: Why a pollinator garden matters.…
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Grow Your Own Food
Stephanie Szkolnicki, owner, Southern Garden Solutions, and Peggy talk about the power of resilience and growing your own food. She explains the biggest trends surrounding growing fresh vegetables and what is driving these trends. They also discuss: The biggest benefits of having your own garden. The mindset change that comes along with it. How to…
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Resiliency and Technology
Don Bent, chief operating officer, Oshkosh Defense, and Peggy Smedley talk about resiliency and technology in manufacturing. He explains how Oshkosh Defense uses technology on the assembly line and in the facility. They also discuss: How it uses benchmark data to become more efficient in its layout. How robots can automate the line and work…
Project Sustainability
Connected Home
During the next decade energy-efficiency will only increase in importance as we continue to build sustainability in homes, as EVs (electric vehicles) become more prevalent and as homeowners become more knowledgeable. The homeowner will play a greater role in managing energy usage/consumption through data analytics, transparency, and energy efficient homes. Simply, connected everything through AI (artificial intelligence) and voice-activated solutions will change the way we consume and manage energy usage in communities and neighborhoods.
Since the Clean Air Act of the 1970s there has been a dramatic reduction of particulate matter in the atmosphere by as much as 70%. But while the U.S. has taken a good first step in reducing overall air pollution, we’ve done a poor job of equity in our communities.
There are many reasons that must be addressed for the poor air quality and localized exposures to hazardous air pollutants in many urban and rural areas that are a significant health risk children and older adults. While these issues need to be addressed at the federal level and local levels) and addressing these hot spots (industrial corridors, highways, and more), there is more we can do to help existing homeowners and dwellers contribute as well.
Project Sustainability: Leveraging Tech to Build a Greener Home is designed to be a model for sustainable, resilient, and efficient residential homebuilding practices.
This individual project will incorporate the most advanced products and systems from leading manufacturers and technology companies to demonstrate and educate both industry and consumers alike about how we can create a sustainable, clean, and green future for all homes and future communities for which we live, thrive, and prosper.
As the New Year continues to unfold, what trends will take hold in our homes?…
As we have discussed many times here, there are advantages to solar, but sometimes they…
Prefab construction could theoretically bring attainable housing to many communities that don’t readily have access…
Researchers at Purdue University have discovered the average morning routine for many Americans includes inhaling…
We are seeing the rise of EVs (electric vehicles). In 2022 alone, we saw electric…
We have been talking about the evolution of jobs in industries like construction, manufacturing, and…
We know energy efficiency is critical in our homes, but often that efficiency needs to…
We are seeing many states invest in rural development—and we are certainly seeing it right…