SanJoseGreenHome.com

This is a personal account of how I cured myself of H. Pylori with natural remedies and treated gastritis with some meds prescribed by my doctor. I share this with you as my symptoms and experiences were rather different than most of the stories I found online when I was intensively looking for a way to relieve the suffering induced by this nasty bacteria.  I eventually got rid of H. Pylori and gastritis but some of my discoveries along the way may surprise you.  Hopefully you will benefit from this information, months of research and trial and error, and over a thousand of dollars spent on various supplements and drugs.

My Symptoms and Search for Answers

Come to think of it, it all started months before the onset of serious symptoms of H Pylori. Half hour to an hour after meals I was experiencing a dull stabbing pain in the upper and sometimes in the lower left abdomen.  This pain would sometimes disappear for weeks and reappear what seemed out of nowhere.  Eventually I started feeling very lethargic and could hardly drag my feet around the office.  My appetite was considerably reduced and even though I would put a full plate of food in front of me I was only able to eat about a third of my meal until I felt full.  At that time I blamed it all on sleepless nights and the stress that my wife and I had to endure over a complicated pregnancy and birth of our first baby.

It all came down on me in one day.  After feeling very weak I decided to have some coffee at the office and I was immediately experiencing funny bubbling noises in my stomach and seconds later I ended up on a toilet seat which felt like a violent Pompeii eruption.  My body could not handle any more acid.  I knew something was wrong and it couldn’t just be stress and sleepless nights anymore.  Next day I went to see my my doctor at PAMF in Palo Alto, CA.

Numerous people online describe how their doctors never suspect and do not test for H. Pylori. Most will diagnose ulcers and prescribe antacids, which tend to exacerbate the problem. I suppose I was lucky as among other tests my doctor recommended a stool test for this bacteria.  Two days later the lab results confirmed infection of H. Pylori.  My doctor called me to explain that the bacteria was (more…)

Ever wonder how long we’ve been trying to define “Green Building?” I first heard the term in 2005 and thought, as a residential contractor, I should probably explore the concept, just in case a homeowner had some interest. What I thought could be a passing fad has redefined my business model.

Yet it’s been a struggle over the years to get the various parties involved in the construction process to agree on what it takes to create a “Green” building. Homeowners, architects, designers, building officials, suppliers and product manufacturers all seem to have their own ideas. Some of these ideas are based on a real desire to improve our built environment and the quality of life for the people in those buildings. Others are snake oil from people trying to make a quick buck.

Of course, that’s true in all walks of life.

To make green building concepts more accessible, various organizations across the nation have developed checklists to ease the way. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, begun in 2000 by the US Green Building Council, was out front early with strategies for non-residential buildings. Build It Green, established in 2005 here in the bay area, compiled an action plan for residential buildings that has been adopted by many municipalities throughout California. Individual jurisdictions have even developed and adopted their own green building requirements.

These various approaches, though well intended, have proven to be a little confusing, as well as intimidating, to many consumers. Each has their proponents, as well as detractors, but their frameworks are similar (more…)

A home garden is a popular way to build value and comfort into a house and outdoor space. What better way to sit back and relax at the end of the day than by breathing in the aromas of your own flowers? Because gardening can be time consuming, not everyone thinks they can do it.  But that is just plain untrue – there are plenty of low maintenance flowers that can make your backyard a haven of relaxation and beauty.  The below flowers will naturally do well in the California weather, requiring very little attention after they’ve been planted. So get out your gardening supplies and get going!

1.     Wildflowers are a beautiful, low-maintenance addition to any landscape. Frequently seen alongside ponds, streams, or lakes, they also work well in a backyard.  Because they don’t need any weeding, mowing, or trimming, wildflowers are a perfect option for someone looking to spruce things up a little without too much elbow grease and make a great choice for a homeowner looking to create an organic, sustainable garden in Northern California. Simply pick a spot with plenty of sunlight, remove the weeds, and plant your seeds by scattering them in small areas and covering with a little bit of soil. Keep the soil moist for at least 4-6 weeks. You should see your first blooms in about 6-10 weeks.

2.     California Fuschias are native to the Northern California area and so they’ve adapted to our soil, climate and insects.  These flowers will also attract hummingbirds in the summer and don’t need much water – just a little bit once a week should do the trick. It will not only keep the leaves plump, it will also clear away any cobwebs that might have accumulated. (more…)

Use Less Energy and Earn 70% OFF Coupons

Once in a while there comes a program that sucks creative juices out of its designers dry and delivers something we can all be proud of.  Green Energy Match (GEM) is one of those programs.  It is brought to you by the City of San Jose and is a cutting-edge energy-efficiency program to assist home owners and renters in San Jose reduce their energy consumption and save money at the same time. It provides a free online software that helps residents use energy more efficiently and presents customized energy-saving recommendations.

This online platform is San Jose’s approach to competing with nine more cities to be named the Coolest City in California. When a resident signs up for GEM this also enrolls them in the Cool California Challenge, a UC Berkeley sponsored contest between ten cities to see which one can sign up the most people and save the most energy. Other cities competing in the contest include Santa Cruz, Davis, and Sacramento. You can help San Jose win — sign up now and spread the word!

But the best part is as participants save, they earn 70% off coupons for San Jose stores and restaurants. This truly engages the entire community of our town.  We are really excited for San Jose residents to benefit from this City-sponsored energy efficiency program.

Please visit  www.greenenergymatch.org to sign up. You can also call 800-314-5997. This program is sponsored by the City of San Jose, Silicon Valley Energy Watch, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, WattzOn and Acterra.

07-14-2012 UPDATE:  We’re so close! The City of San Jose is close to winning the last finalist position in the Cool California Challenge. The last finalist is determined at the end of July. We have about 230 households participating where the current leader for the last finalist slot Sacramento has about 250 households participating, so we are right there. By getting to the finalist stage, San Jose would win $10,000 to put towards San Jose’s Green Energy Match Program.

The mkLotus prefab green home - the latest design by Michelle Kaufmann Designs

Prefabricated homes aren’t really that new of a concept in the building market. For many decades now, modular prefabricated homes have been built and sold as a less expensive alternative to buying a home on the market. The difference today is that prefab has become trendy. With a bit of an aesthetic facelift and a rebranding scheme, modular homes have become the hot new thing in home building and buying. As statistics on unemployment, a failing economy, crippling debt, soaring college costs, and so much more bombard our views, the thought of owning a house is almost impossible. Many young professionals struggle to pay off college loans well into their adulthood and years after they have completed their degrees. This causes major adult life steps like getting married, buying a house, and having children to get pushed back further and further. But, the prefab homes that are on the market today may be just the answer. Keeping many modern-day issues in mind, prefabricated eco-friendly homes have a lot of offer the young home buyer.

1. Inexpensive

One of the most enticing things about prefabricated homes is that they can really cut back on the price of purchasing and owning a home. Though not all prefabricated models are a cheaper option than buying an existing home, they can offer many aspects of financial relief. For one, many prefab eco-friendly home companies are focused on using reusable and highly efficient materials. By working hard to create the most energy efficient constructions, prefab homeowners can actually save a lot of money in the long run. Builders (and therefore owners) save money on materials using (more…)

QUESTION:

During my work with High Energy Homes, I’ve run into several homes with radiant floor heating. Most seem to use quite a bit of energy due to various factors from insufficient thermostat programming to poor insulation. Does anyone know of a contractor who can do an audit of this type of system?

ANSWER:

There are many companies that can do an audit, but none can actually make the radiant heat itself more efficient if it is the embedded concrete type. There, typically the pipes are closer to the ground than to the room – and contrary to common belief – heat does not rise. It follows the shortest route is.

One of the best things to do with these systems is insure the boiler is efficient, that the pipes are clean and not leaking. But the most productive change that I have found was getting a smarter thermostat. Basically it takes nearly 3 hours for the typical radiant heat system to actually warm the room after the thermostat says it is too cold. So a timed thermostat is essential.

It takes some experience figuring out how best to use these. You need to know the (more…)

If you had to imagine the greenest home in California, what images would spring to mind?  Would it be some clay, dome shaped structure perfectly exposed to solar angles, or maybe an ultra chic, boxy looking modern beauty with massive windows facing a valley?  What if I told you that this home sits on a pretty standard residential street in Santa Clara and an untrained eye wouldn’t even notice any “greenness” about it if they drove by?

Meet the “Bluebird” residence.  This Earth Bound Home’s show house  is also the personal residence of founder David Edwards.  Rated as the Greenest Home in California by Build it Green organization, the original 1400 sq. ft. ranch style home was added to and remodeled, creating a 3100 sq. ft. 4 bedroom, 3 bath home with an office and workout room.   Awards range from Acterra’s Business Environmental Awards Built Environment Award to Build It Green’s South Bay Best New Home award for the 1996 Green Home Tour. Come with us on a video tour to explore all the ingenuity, design and careful choice of materials that went into this project.  (Also see a list of “green” features below the video.)

This home’s many green features include:

• Small 2.7 kw Photovoltaic solar electric panels provide all of houses electrical needs
• Solar thermal renewable energy systems
• An inexpensive and no maintenance Grey water system waters the only plants in the entire landscaping that require water, the clumping Bamboo.
• A 1400 gallon underground rainwater cistern collects rainwater every winter
• All FSC wood framing and FSC certified Brazilian Cherry Flooring
• Home built with Structural Insulated Panels(SIPs)
• 65% more efficient than Californias’ Title-24 Energy Efficiency requirements
• $155/year gas bill, $4/year electric bill, $132/year water bill
• 93%  recycling and reuse of building demolition debris
• Half of all windows were purchased from salvage yards, saving over $10,000 over new windows
• All doors on the first floor were salvaged, saving $3,000.
• All trim throughout the house was salvaged from old redwood decks, fences and the siding on old houses. It was milled on site and the shavings used as mulch on the landscaping.
• New One Lawn Synthetic Lawn contains no heavy metals and requires no maintenance or water. None of the landscape requires supplemental water and saves approx. 50,000 gallons of water a year.
• House uses 31,285 gallons of water a year, for 5 people. This is approx 84% less. than the average household uses(~110 gallons per person/day- including irrigation)

Photo and home description courtesy of Earth Bound Homes

When most people think “green” homes they imagine solar panels and fancy energy saving gadgets.  It doesn’t have to be this way.  We invite you to explore with us a passive solar home in Saratoga (Bay Area) designed by a local architect Hari Sripadanna.  The home has achieved a LEED Gold rating and truly stands as a model for sustainability in our community.  After all, Hari bought parts of his house on Craigslist! 

Obviously, we could not cover all the fascinating details in the video so if you want to learn more, please read Hari’s comments and see design plans right below the video.  Enjoy.

by Hari Saripadanna (parts of the article was originally posted on the GAB Report):

With increasing popularity of green building and passive solar design, it is important to understand that sustainable design is more than a collection of credits. The key is to create synergy between building systems and practices that multiply each other’s benefit. One can create more value simply by choosing two or more complimentary sustainable design elements that play off of each other. The combined effect is more than the benefit when these design elements or systems are used alone. 

I would like to share with you some synergistic concepts used in the design of my house and show you how (more…)

So do green homes cost more? When comparing construction costs of green homes there seem to be all sorts of figures floating around.  Some builders say it does not cost much more to build sustainably, and some say it could cost anywhere from 5-20% more to build a truly green home.  Much of those added costs however, can be recouped via numerous rebates and long term operational costs as in the case of this newly build home in Menlo Park.  Come with me on a tour and meet Bill Lacs from Lacs Design and Construction and see this newly constructed property that boasts many elements of sustainable design and technology.  Perhaps you will be surprised why this home owner decided to spend a “few” extra bucks at the end…

If you’ve never been to Newby Island Landfill in Milpitas (near San Jose, California) you would be up for a treat if you visited.  It would totally blow all of your concepts on how our trash is managed.  During an annual Earth Day event, organized by Allied Waste, one can go on a romantic date with one’s trash in a comfy limo bus.  

State of the art landfills like Newby Island are quite effective at managing food scraps for compost materials, yard waste for mulch, concrete for paving the roads at the facility and many other great things.  Perhaps you would be most impressed to learn how the methane from rotting organic matter is captured and then used for electricity production that helps power some of the surrounding homes in the area. 

The thing that hit me during that trip is that no matter how well our waste is managed it takes tremendous amount of energy and resources to further sort, downcycle and burry our trash.  Furthermore, when I asked whether they truly “recycle” plastic bags, the lowered tone response was not a very clear one – “Yes, but into lower grade plastic bags that are further shipped to China.”  You be the judge whether this makes any sense to you or sounds anything close to the truth.  

Frankly, you can’t blame the guys if these plastic bags simply go up in fumes.  Recycling plastic bags is a total financial disaster; it’s nothing but a big headache and a huge expense.  It’s really up to us to use more bio-degradable trash bags and cloth or at least paper bags at the grocery stores.  

Enjoy the short video of the tour that started with a wonderful lunch and a few speeches.  (Make sure to click off on the Google ad so that it’s not in your way of viewing.)