Founded by two sisters who are different as can be, even down to their skincare needs! Moody Sisters Organic Skin Care caters to “moody” skin. Moisturizers and cleansers designed for sensitive and troubled skin. Free of chemicals and preservatives, these are not only 100% organic and environmentally “green”, but vegan products as well!

We know you’ll enjoy our various soaps, day cream, face wash, body care, and other beauty products to give you a clear skin and a natural beauty. Healthy skin that you can afford and feel good about.

RILEY IWAMOTO/CANADA'S TEAM

A rounded form is just one of the many unique features in the University of Calgary’s eco-house, an entry in the United States Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon 2011.

The 1,000-square-foot structure was a collaborative effort by University of Calgary students from various faculties, such as environmental design, engineering and Treaty 7 First Nations of Southern Alberta, to build a durable net-zero solar powered home that addresses issues in Aboriginal housing.

The Cenovus-TRTL (Technological Residence Tradition Living) has a steel substructure with TitanWall Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs), which are resistant to fire and mold, cedar wood finishing on the inside and cork flooring.

In juxtaposition with many other entries for the Solar Decathlon 2011, the Cenovus-TRTL has a rounded form, inspired by the Tipi, which provided a challenge.

“We’re using TitanWall SIPs, which are structurally insulated panels and these panels are typically used in square structures, more flatter structures and it was definitely a challenge to make it work in something curved, but it was great and we just tried to push the boundaries of building modular buildings is pretty much the reason,” explained Alexandre Ste-Marie, communications manager on the project.

Cenovus-TRTL has a 8.7-kilowatt solar array that performs at a minimum 95 per cent efficiency, ensuring the home produces as much or more energy than it consumes per year for an annual net-zero energy balance.

The panelized design allows for quick assembly.

It is flexible to allow for modifications to increase size, change location of features, and meet different geographic and climatic needs.

TRTL’s modular design and temporary foundations help bypass legal barriers to on-reserve ownership.

The team decided to submit a bid for the Solar Decathlon 2011 after some team members competed in the 2009 edition of the biannual event that showcases clean-energy solutions.

There’s a rigorous process to even be allowed to compete.

Only 20 teams were chosen out of the 40 that applied.

The Cenovus-TRTL’s team were focused on blue prints and planning for the last two years, while the structure itself was built in two months.

The workers hope that this will be the future of affordable housing in Canada, specifically for the Aboriginal population.

The 1,000-square-foot structure features two bedrooms and ample living space for a family, said Ste-Marie.

The design seems to appeal to many people.

“We had a whole bunch of people coming on-site and actually telling us they literally want the house,” he said, adding that they’d be great for many purposes, such as a cabin by a lake.

“I’d love to start seeing TRTLs all across Alberta,” he said.

The latest cost estimate came in at $289,000 from a professional evaluator hired by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Ste-Marie said there was huge support from companies across Southern Alberta, like TitanWall, Graham, Skyline Construction for the roofing and SkyFire Energy Inc. for the solar panels.

The Cenovus-TRTL is the only Canadian entry at the Solar Decathlon 2011, which will take place Sept. 23 to Oct. 2 in Washington, D.C.

“It’s really great to see that collaborative effort being able to go on centre stage and being able to show the world that Canada is at the forefront of sustainable design and also design that is applicable and trying to help a specific targeted group of people,” said Ste-Marie.

SD TEAM CANADA

For more information visit SkyFire Energy today, or to view their Green 1-1 business profile click here

Calgary: 1 (403) 251-0668  – Toronto: 1 (416) 536-2786

Address: Calgary: 4038 – 7 St SE Calgary, AB T2G 2Y8

Toronto: 219 – Rusholme Rd Toronto, ON M6H 2Y9

Website: www.skyfireenergy.com

Email: click here

Experience is the number one reason to work with SkyFire Energy. SkyFire has installed hundreds of solar systems throughout Western Canada and Ontario. See details on some of these installations click here: www.skyfireenergy.com/solar-residential/ & www.skyfireenergy.com/solar-commercial/ Essential education is an area that sets SkyFire apart. Our staff includes: Professional Engineers CanSIA Certified Solar Thermal Installers CanSIA/Seneca College Photovoltaic Technicians With experience installing hundreds of renewable energy systems SkyFire Energy delivers professional design and installation services.

We are also on Facebook & Twitter

Services:

Residential solar electric, Residential solar water heating,  commercial solar electric generation, commercial solar water heating.

Solution Offerings: Solar PV, Solar Thermal, Small Wind, Urban Wind, Monitoring solutions, Services (Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, etc.)

Product Offerings: SunPower, Sanyo, Suntech, Sharp, First Solar, Solyndra, SatCon, SMA, PV Powered, Solectria, UniRac, DPW, Schletter, Deck, Fat Spaniel, Windspire, Wind Cube, South West and more.

http://www.suntuity.com

Phone:  (403)404-6204 

Website: www.cvconsult.weebly.com

Email: click here
 

Certified Energy Advisor Clint Pollonais  has been working in the residential housing industry since 2008. As a Certified Energy Advisor Clint’s main focus is to provide expertise to builders and individual clients on how to best improve the energy efficiency of their homes.

As a Certified Energy Advisor with Natural Resources Canada, Clint can consult on specific home builds and renovations regarding Natural Resources Canada R2000, Energuide and Energy Star Canada. With a wealth of experiance and knowlege as a Certified Energy Advisor, Clint can provide you with top notch home ratings without the long turnaround time. 

 As a Natural Resources Certified Energy Advisor, Clint can offer ecoENERGY evaluations for existing homes and halp you  qualify for Federal government grants

Alberta Government Grants for NEW Homes.
Energuide rating of 80-82 = $1500
Energuide rating of 82-85 = $3000
Energuide rating of 86+ = $10,000
PLUS – 10% CMHC or Genworth mortgage insurance Rebate

Services:

Energy Assessments & Modelling (New Build), Sustainable Home Assessments, Homeowner Maintenance Training, Blower Door Testing (Air Leakage), Builder and Energy Advisor Training and We also provide access to specialized building science training for builders, trades & suppliers that deal specifically with wood frame single and multi family dwellings.

http://beyondfoam.com

www.deerfootcarpet.com

http://www.allerganx.com/

http://wind101.net

The number of new cases relating to Asthma within our population is dramatically on the rise. Scientists have established that Asthma, a chronic obstructive lung disease can now be found in nearly 1 in 13 school children. Indoor environments and poor indoor air quality appear to have a direct link to the development and/or exacerbation of Asthma in people. When you enter you safe home you will be surprised to find that the indoor pollutants in your home can be between 2 and 100 times higher than outdoor levels. To add to the concern of indoor air pollution most of us spend up to 90% of our time indoors.

Now that I have talked about how poor the air quality is inside your house, you are probably wondering where is all these pollutants coming from. Well to put it short, it is coming from all those beautiful interior finishing you have in your home. You see a lot of the products you find in your home contain VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds). In the Journal of Health Professional (an internationally peer reviewed journal) they found that most individual VOC’s appeared to be significant risk factors for Asthma with the highest odds ratio being found associated with benzene,, ethylbenzene and toluene. And where can you find these VOC’s, well they can be found in things like cigarette smoke, cleaning products, room fresheners, polishes, fitted carpets, solvents, paints and floor adhesives and so on.

Now that I have scared you about the harsh chemicals in your home literally killing you, you are probably wondering “How do I get rid of them?” Well you could go out and spend thousands on a new state of the art air filtration and purification system to attach to your furnace or you could spend a lot less and just put some air filtering plants in your home. That’s right plants!! Cheap, simple and brought to you by nature.

NASA conducted a 2 year study that has shown that common indoor landscaping plants can remove certain pollutants from the indoor environment. NASA found that these common indoor landscaping plants take substances out of the air through tiny opening in their leaves, roots, and soil bacteria. Leaving your home with clean purified oxygen and while leaving you feeling better.

Listed below are the top ten most effective purifying plants for removing air pollutants:

 Bamboo Palm – Chamaedorea Seifritzii
 Chinese Evergreen – Aglaonema Modestum
 English Ivy Hedera Helix
 Gerbera Daisy Gerbera Jamesonii
 Janet Craig – Dracaena “Janet Craig”
 Marginata – Dracaena Marginata
 Mass cane/Corn Plant – Dracaena Massangeana
 Mother-in-Law’s Tongue Sansevieria Laurentii
 Pot Mum – Chrysantheium morifolium
 Peace Lily – Spathiphyllum
 Warneckii – Dracaena “Warneckii”

By taking proactive steps to manage indoor air quality and consistently following best practices, your home will become a safe and healthy place for you and your family to grow in. For more information and cheap effective solutions on how to improve the indoor environmental quality of your home give us call or send us an email. We would be happy to answer any questions you have.

Chris Stanley helps businesses and homeowners increase profits and property values through a variety of sustainable strategies. He can be reached via www.ecoconsultant.ca.