Annual Green Building Seminar Series begins February 9th

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County announces that their eighth annual Green Building Seminar Series will kick off on February 9th, with the first of five seminars. Seminar presentations run on consecutive Thursdays during February and March (9, 16, 23, 1, 8). The seminars will once again be held in the First Unitarian Church of Ithaca Annex, at 208 E. Buffalo St. (near Aurora), from 7 to 9pm. The cost is $8/seminar or $35/series. Preregistration is not required but payment is made at the door. Go to ccetompkins.org or call 272-2292 for more information.

February 9: Earthships! We’ll start off with a showing of the award-winning documentary, Garbage Warrior, and follow it with a discussion with one local couple who recently built an earthship and another who are working on one this year with Michael Reynolds (the leading earthship guru, featured in Garbage Warrior).

February 16: Deep Energy Retrofits. What does it take to turn a typical home into a super-performer? Jon Harrod of Snug Planet and Ian Shapiro of Taitem Engineering will walk you through their process for making a home super energy-efficient and discuss the huge benefits that can result.

February 23: Rehabbing Old Windows. With a few simple repairs and improvements, you can make your old windows perform as well as new ones. Mark Pierce, Extension Associate with Cornell University’s College of Human Ecology, is an expert in energy efficiency issues in residential buildings, and Shad Ryan is the owner of On Balance Solutions, which specializes in vintage and historic sash rehabilitation. They will discuss the benefits of keeping your old windows and walk you through the process of fixing and tightening them up.

March 1: Affordable Green Building. Following up on last year’s popular seminar, we’ve invited two local experts to discuss different strategies for keeping your green building projects affordable, including the decision-making process that goes into incorporating green building practices and materials that are healthy, safe, resource-efficient, and durable but that don’t cost a premium. Scott Reynolds is the Director of Construction Services for Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Services, and Joe Laquatra is the Hazel E. Reed Human Ecology Extension Professor in Family Policy at Cornell University, whose teaching and research efforts focus on sustainable aspects of housing.

March 8: High-Efficiency Heating Systems. So, you’ve made your home as energy-efficient as possible and now your old boiler isn’t just inefficient, it’s oversized. There are a lot of options these days. We’ll discuss high-efficiency biomass and fossil fuel-fired systems, mini-splits, geothermal, masonry heaters, and more, including how heat-recovery ventilation works as part of the system.

In case of postponement or cancellation, please check our web page the day of the seminar:http://ccetompkins.org/gbss. Selection of speakers does not imply an endorsement of that person’s company or services by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County.

Green Buildings Open House: This Weekend, 10am - 4pm

Twenty-four homes and businesses in Ithaca area that use renewable energy and/or eco-friendly building practices will be open to the public for self-guided tours during this two-day event. Half of the homes will be open on Saturday, and half on Sunday; please visit sites ONLY on the days that the owners have agreed to be open! Visitors may view participating sites between 10am and 4pm each day.

Homeowners and/or builders will be on hand to discuss their work and answer questions about solar energy, wind power, geothermal, solar hot water, straw bale construction, timber framing, non-toxic finishes, local and reclaimed materials, and more. Donations accepted; purchase of a $5 wristband provides entrance to all sites on both days, and helps to cover the costs of coordinating the event.

Click here to learn more about the open house, the specific sites and which day they're open.

Presented by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County and the Ithaca Green Building Alliance, in conjunction with the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association and the American Solar Energy Society.