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Recent Articles
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Sniffing Out House Problems
A victim of a hepatitis E infection she picked up unknowingly in Brazil, Genevive Bjorn’s liver rebelled against her one night in Hawaii. Her body almost shut down on her,…
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New Blowing Agent Addresses Climate Impact of Foam Insulation
Honeywell has introduced two new blowing agents that could dramatically reduce the global warming potential (GWP) of a variety of foam insulation types. Marketed under the brand name Solstice, they…
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Top 10 Air Leaks in Existing Homes – Part 2
From an energy-efficiency standpoint, the trouble with owning an old home is that you’re stuck with whatever bad decisions the previous owners made, and historical trends also tend to work…
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A New Way to Generate Solar Electricity
An environmentalist dies and reports to the pearly gates, but there is a mix-up and she is sent to the gates of hell. Once in hell, she is horrified by…
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Top 10 Air Leaks in Existing Homes — Part 1
Whenever we’re working on the outside of a home—the roofing, siding, or site—my uncle Chris will remind me to think like a drop of water. Mentally tracing how a raindrop…
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A Heating Fuel Cost Comparison Calculator
I recently caught up with where the rest of the world was in 2005 by watching the hit documentary “March of the Penguins.” It’s been on my list for a…
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Wood Stoves: Safety First
Nobody speaks of this contest but everybody knows who’s winning. It’s how we get out the competitive impulse in rural Vermont: we race to have the neatest woodpile. Admit it:…
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Top 10 Green Building Products for 2011
It is well understood that formations of flying geese ride on a wave of air piloted by the leader of the group. As described in the excellent book “Sensitive Chaos,”…
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Girl Eats Bug
The Large Blue Butterfly, found in Europe, lays its eggs on a marsh gentian leaf. Its larva (a caterpillar) hatches and falls to the ground and emits a scent that…
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The New ‘Smart’ Grid
I had the honor of being within a few feet of a barn owl this weekend at the wildlife festival at the Southern Vermont Natural History Museum. Kept alive after…
