BugBaby Designs
Friday Fiver: Deja Vu Camas!
Filed Under A Green Life, Camas, Clark County | Leave a Comment
Deja Vu Camas gave $5 in store credit to Jessica Ambrose last week in North Bank Now's Friday Fiver giveaway. Congrats Jessica!
Deja Vu Camas is a consignment boutique for girls and women located at 726 N.E. Second Ave. in Camas, 360-834-1771. They have a big selection of wedding gowns right now 
and plenty of items in the $1 to $5 dollar range!
Happy shopping!
J.
A Green Thing:Reusable snack and sandwich bags
Filed Under A Green Life, Clark County | Leave a Comment
Washougal
Made in Washougal, these reusable snack and sandwich bags by BugBaby Designs are totally adorable and totally practical at the same time. The snack bags are the perfect size for a fat single serving, and the sandwich bags even fit a double decker. The bags are made with a 100 percent cotton print lined with waterproof polyurethane-lined knit, which keeps the outside of the bag clean and dry, and your sandwich or snack fresh. The flap closure is secured with Velcro. With these cutie-pie sacks, it’s almost fun to pack a lunch. Handmade Moses baskets are also available from BugBaby Designs, as well as custom bedding.
Affordable, healthy homes
Filed Under A Green Life | Leave a Comment
Econstruction NW aspires to build houses real people can feel good about
Story by Mary Preiser Potts
Econstruction NW owner Richard Haig has been involved in green construction for 30 years. He lived in Santa Cruz during the 1970s gas crunch when energy efficient housing made its debut. It was there that he got his start in passive solar construction. A Pacific Northwest native, Haig eventually returned and four years ago Econstruction NW was born.
Because green building is often associated with exorbitant prices, Haig hopes to expose people to the concept that affordable, energy efficient and healthier homes are within reach. For Econstruction NW, this also means building smaller homes under 2,000 square feet.
“We’re not building ‘McMansions,’” Haig said.
Many of Haig’s new houses implement SIPs technology. SIPs, or Structural Insulated Panels, are made of two OSB (oriented strand board) panels sandwiched around a layer of expanded polystyrene and are used in place of lumber.
SIPs have been on the market for 40 years, but their popularity is largely overshadowed by the higher cost. While it’s true that SIPs construction adds about 10 percent more to the cost of materials, according to Haig, it actually saves on labor costs because the oversized panels are so easy to install.
An advantage of using SIPs over lumber is that they are more air-tight and energy efficient, eliminating the thermal breaks that typically occur at the wall studs of a house. There is also less material waste because SIPs are custom-made in a factory to specifications.
Because interior air quality becomes a factor when creating airtight housing envelopes, SIPs houses built by Econstruction NW are equipped with a Heat Recovery Ventilator (HRV). The HRV unit swaps indoor air for fresh, outside air while retaining the indoor air temperature. The unit also keeps the relative indoor humidity around 50 percent, thus inhibiting the growth of molds, mites and other indoor polluters.
SIPs designer, Patrick Sughrue of Structures NW in Vancouver, says that HRVs are a standard part of the building envelope packages he provides for green builders like Econstruction NW.
Because of the health and environmental hazards of fiberglass, some insulation alternatives used by Econstruction NW are rockwool, denim batt and sprayed foam insulations. Rockwool is made from minerals, heated to extreme temperatures, then spun like cotton candy to form a mass of fibers. Haig uses rockwool as a sound barrier for interior walls. Denim bat insulation is made from recycled materials, usually jeans, and provides a sound and heat barrier for both interior and exterior walls. Floors are insulated with sprayed closed cell foam insulation, which is noted for its superior insulating properties as well as the interior air quality it affords.
In addition to new housing, Econstruction NW also specializes in energy retrofits and remodeling. Haig focuses on his goal of creating healthier homes by using reclaimed and formaldehyde-free wood, as well as chemical-free carpeting and tile, and buying materials locally when possible.
Econstruction NW
Vancouver
Richard Haig, owner
econstructionnw@gmail.com
360-798-6770
Planting a seed….
Filed Under A Green Life, Featured North Bank magazine stories, Vancouver | Leave a Comment
Kristi Pilgrim won a 3-pack of Grow-A-Cards from Ecolution NW, 1709 Broadway St., in Vancouver, in last Friday’s Fiver giveaway!
Ecolution NW is a green products retailer and sustainable builder/remodeler. The shop specializes in local and green home improvement products and projects. Call 360-852-3699 to start your project today.
J.
Check ‘Em Off
Filed Under A Green Life, Craft, Vancouver | Leave a Comment
The Check ‘Em Off green holiday bazaar is at noon this Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Marshall Community Center on Mcloughlin Boulevard and Fort Vancouver Way just east of Uptown Village, Vancouver. The focus is on gifts that are local, handmade, reused or reusable. This one, I cannot miss.
J.
