Building it Green: Wood from Deconstructed Homes

It’s simply wonderful, and a total joy to watch our tiny house as it approaches completion.

The wood being used to build the cabinetry, window trim, the ship ladder to the loft space,  countertops, shelves and all other interior and exterior details is longleaf pine, reclaimed  from a tear-down, slated for demolition due to highway expansion through Luling, Texas.  Estimated age of the wood is…

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Building it Green: The Richness of Ancestral Wood

As we anticipate with glee, the receipt of our tiny house, it is exciting to see the progress being made day-by-day.

The richness of the ancestral wood has given new life in the birthing of our new tiny house is becoming so obvious, as the milk paint emphasizes the wood’s energy and character.

The bathroom and kitchen walls are….

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Building it Green: Wainscot Bead Board

Our tiny house is taking on its character, a character with the energy of its ancestors.

The ceiling boards are reclaimed from a home built in the 1860’s, the wainscot bead board from another home constructed in the 1880’s, the door from a home…

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Building it Green: Energy-Efficient Insulation

Since my last posting, an important stage in the progress of our Texas Tiny House is now complete. The interior walls have just been coated with expanding Isonene Foam, which adds a layer of highly energy-efficient insulation to the…

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Building it Green: Our Tiny Texas House

Recently, Margaret (my wife) and I bought a 1940’s “Austin stone” house in an eastern Dallas neighborhood. Upon buying our home, we immediately decided to remodel, and were faced with the decision to temporarily rent elsewhere, or live in a home filled with dust. Reluctant to disrupt our lives completely, we opted to…

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My Trip to San Francisco: Segway’s, Muir Woods, and Yosemite

My wife and I recently spent our 2nd anniversary travelling around San Francisco, Muir Woods, and Yosemite.

While in San Francisco, we thoroughly enjoyed riding emission-free on Segway’s, touring the downtown and Wharf area, Segway’s provided by San Francisco Electric Tour Co. Beats the heck out of taking a polluting bus or car, and we hopped on and off with speed, ease, and using no gas to get around.

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Straight Talk with Tom: The Soul of Money

I just finished reading Lynn Twist’s book, The Soul of Money, and it is one of the most inspirational messages I’ve ever read.  In this book, Lynn talks extensively about our perception of money — individually, in our families, and…

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Connecting the Dots: Breast Cancer and Office Paper

For many, October marks the end of summer, the beginning of numerous holidays, and of course, good food. But, did you know that October also marks the 25th anniversary of Breast Cancer Awareness Month? According to the Breast Cancer Fund, breast cancer impacts the lives of nearly one in seven women in the U.S. annually, and has increased in men by 25% in the last quarter century alone.

At this point, you are probably asking what breast cancer has to do with Dolphin Blue, a provider of eco-friendly office supplies. Well the answer is simple. Everything.

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Hero of Sustainability Wangari Maathai Passes Away at Age 71

Last weekend, the world lost a luminary when Wangari Muta Maathai passed away at the age of 71 after a battle with ovarian cancer.

 The Kenyan native, whom we honored earlier this year as one of our “Heroes of Sustainability,” is known for being the first African woman and first environmentalist to win the Nobel Peace Prize, but that accomplishment is only one of her many firsts.

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Air Pollution: Killing People, Killing Life-Supporting Earth

When any given person dies because of respiratory problems, it is probably not possible to trace the cause of death specifically to smog-producing ozone in the air. Even so, statistical studies show increases in mortality and morbidity are correlated with increases in ozone in the air. There is no doubt that high levels of ozone kill some people and make many others sick.

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