Building Green one driveway at a time...

There are a lot of new driveways slowly getting built around the city these days. More calls and questions about permeable paving and our ecogrid then ever before. I'm really pleased to see Torontonians are looking at the ecogrid for their driveways. Although we're getting a lot of calls from people who are looking at fixing up their driveways with the e40 - I've been answering more and more questions about alleyway parking areas.

I walk everywhere - don't own a car - which isn't really necessary for me personally in the city of Toronto. It means I get to see a lot of back alleyways, cross a lot of parks, and see things at a walking pace.

And wow do I see a lot of alleyways here in Toronto that are really in need of fixing up. The City of Vancouver really seems to get it .... terrafirm has done a lot of work with CoV. And then Chicago is really making the move too. Hopefully Toronto will get the idea - because to be honest - its much much easier to build a green driveway then to build a green roof.

Usually parking areas in the city are fairly small - and some are terribly neglected. A lot of the houses in my area are 50-90 yrs old. The laneways are about 50 yrs. And most of them are crumbling chunks of pavement, broken asphault and deterioating cement. If they aren't that - they are probably like my landlords: compacted gravel and weeds.

There's a pretty simple solution for most laneways, alleyway parking and parking pads. Dig up the old stuff - excavate it out - put down some fresh gravel, some e40 (or e50) Ecogrid - fill it up with more gravel. It lasts indefinately. Think about that.. eliminate ruts and potholes - and don't worry about it for 20 yrs. Now that's sustainable green living! (plus hey - its 100% recycled materials - and it can be recycled too - not bad!).

Or better yet - look at building a green parking area. Most of the time you only park there at night. The grass has hours of sunlight in the day. It soaks up the rain and gets rid of the mud. Suddenly, that ugly patch of concrete becomes a green spot. Put in one of the new low-mow grasses so you don't have to worry about cutting it as much - and now there are some really sturdy, drought resistant grasses that are tough.

Thats the plan too. Turn the driveways of yesterday into green areas. As far as a company goes, really, its a simple and beautiful idea. Simple to install. Simple design.

It would likely save so very many of the trees too. I've spent most of the past weeks talking to various tree-companies. yay for Arborists! They usually look at our ecogrid - like the e50 - and realize how it works. Smart bunch. I think they have the best grasp of what permeable paving does - and how easy it is. I've been impressed. Maybe its something about the trees and finding a solution that works so well with the ecogrid? I suspect so.

Whenever I walk through the streets and alleys of Toronto - I have become keenly aware of the pools of water. I look at them and see the standing water - or see it slowly finding its way into the drains. Its a shame. That water heading to the stormwater drains could be filtered - it would go through the permeable paving grid - and sink into the soil. The ground would eventually filter it. All those trees would get a bit more water - which is why I guess the arborists get the solution so quickly.

So that's part of my life. The rest of it is making steampunk jewelry - recycling watches, computer parts and whatnot - but the other half is talking about digging up driveways. To be honest I scratch my head on this one... but hey. Its green. So I'm happy.

But to be honest... I love talking to people even after having done 10 yrs of tech support - and this really feels different. I know that when someone commits to replacing their crappy asphault driveway and replacing it with Gravel - or GRASS! - then I feel like the world just got a bit greener. And of course it has.

Permeable Pavers vs Blacktop aka Asphalt driveways - Thinking Green - an alternative driveway solution

Almost every day I talk to people and inevitably the A-word comes up:
"I'm thinking of putting in an Asphalt Driveway...
"I've got an Asphalt Driveway and I want to get rid of it"
"How does EcoGrid compare to an Asphalt Driveway?"
"My wife/husband wants a blacktop driveway but I like gravel..."
"This stuff is more expensive than getting an asphalt driveway, right?"

So lets take a look at some basic information.

What is Asphalt:
Wiki has this to say - asphalt aka blacktop aka bitumen - "asphalt (or asphalt cement) is the carefully refined residue from the distillation process of selected crude oils." bitumen is used as a binder (5+%) in the making of asphalt. Again, wiki gives us some insite as to what that means. "Most bitumens contain sulfur and several heavy metals such as nickel, vanadium, lead, chromium, mercury and also arsenic, selenium and other toxic elements."


Not anything that really should be used in the vast quantities that it is, imho. From an Eco-perspective, this really isn't a great choice. But realistically, most people will go with the familiar and not think too deeply about what products are best for the environment.

For many people it comes down to price. What will save them money. That is why I get so many calls that want to talk about blacktop vs grid. So lets put aside the environment for a minute.



What does it cost????????

Now as much as I'd love to say a sq/ft of EcoGrid is XYZ price - I'm not going to do that - because as sure as faith what will happen is someone will say "according to your blog you wrote the price is XYZ and I don't care if that was 4 years ago!!! It's on the NET!" Prices go up and down, yes down. But mostly they go up. :) So you can go to http://www.terrafirmenterprises.com/ and contact them for the latest price.



How does it compare in PRICE to EcoGrid????

Well first of all, I don't know what the local prices of an asphalt driveway might be. Believe it or not the costs really vary from company to company and across the country. Call up a local company and find out. Then send us an email at TerraFirm and we'll give you a quote. Or call 1-866-934-7572 and leave a message.

Now here's the trick....

So when you call up Yer-local-asphalt guy and ask him he'll say, "oh its XY price". And then you go to the EcoGrid site and ask and maybe I'll call you and say its ABC price. And then you think ABC is more than XY. Or about the same. ... and that's as far as most people think.

Here's where the hidden price costs you money - and why pinching a penny means you're losing your pounds:



1. Asphalt needs drains. And curbs. And likely its going to need ditches. That price is not going to be included when you call up the company. Its likely that the longer your drive, the higher the price. And having spent a few hours on the phone with many people - there are more and more cities requiring drainage for parking lots... especially for small parking lots. And drains are expensive to install. And maintain. And if its not done right there's silt and muck to worry about when the drains clog up.

2. Now that you've priced the asphalt with the drains, and curbing and perhaps decided to dig the gutters yourself (or decided you'll skip those - which can lead to long term problems)... What's next? So you've got your blacktop laid down. Don't forget you can't drive on your new asphalt driveway for a few days. So first there is the PITA factor.
Six months is what it takes to cure before you should seal it. And yes... you should seal it.

- so factor in sealant in your costing factor. And wait... before you seal it you need to clean it (at least if you plan on doing it right). You shouldn't just wash it off... you actually should buy specialty cleaners. That's another cost. Here's some info on sealing your blacktop chosen from a random site. Plan on doing it every 2-3 yrs.

3. If its a new blacktop driveway or parking area you should also factor in the costs of the gravel underbase. Ideally it will need to be around 10 inches plus deep. Of course that depends on your soil etc. That's a lot of gravel and excavation... but really you want this chunk of blacktop to last.

So now you have an idea of what your real costs are - at least a ballpark - then you should look at what a grid system costs:

1 . No drains needed. You can either stagger the grid for curves and/or cut it to shape.

2. If you go with gravel - you might need to brush out the gravel - and after a few years perhaps top it up. You won't need anything near the costs of topping up a non-grid gravel driveway because the grid stops it from compacting and scattering all over.

3. If you go with grass - well you'll have to cut the grass. And water it. And for a while, just like a brand new lawn, you will have to reseed bare patches. Some landscapers suggest you over-seed for the first year or two so that weeds don't get established. Since you've done some ground prep to lay the gravel - there's less chance for weeds anyway.


REPAIRS

Asphalt cracks. If its not done right then it sinks in spots, cracks and starts falling apart. I'm sure most work out okay, but I've walked across many a parking lot full of cracks, water pools and missing chunks (especially around drains). Don't ask me about repairs to an asphalt drive - but I'm suspecting they need a lot more patching and maintenance.

EcoGrid won't crack or splinter. The EcoGrid is environmentally neutral in accordance with DIN 38412 UV and frost resistant too. If you need to pull up a section you can... sure its a bit difficult because its tabbed together but it won't be the huge project that repairing an equal section of asphalt can be. Plus you don't need to be an expert to install or pull up a section. (one of the few reasons I can think of "repairing" would be if you actually need to change your design - ie: expand or make it into a gravel driveway ... or turn a section into grass).


All in All... after all this info...

ASPHALT IS REALLY BAD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT. heh. :D

and you know what... EcoGrid is the best engineered permeable paver and soil stabilization product available today. And that's why i'm doing this. Because i honestly believe its a good, simple way to help people find a good way to make a great choice.

5 Simple Ways to Live Greener - Eco-Landscaping ideas and tips!

5 Simple Ways to Make your Outdoor area Greener!

I was reading an article on Green Driveways/ Green Patios. There were a lot of suggestions and that led me to looking at more articles. More articles and more suggestions. I've put together some basic suggestions... simple, inexpensive and yet - greener! I figure most people are intimidated by the Big Projects. They would love a green roof but are worried about their existing structure. They don't want to rebuild a roof. Too much money! They probably have done some of the basics: They garden. They compost. They've planted a tree. All great things.

So what's the next step? One of the tough things to do is to come up with simple ways to make your outdoor space a greener place. So here's a few suggestions. I'm looking at simple, green solutions, that won't cost a regular homeowner to have budgetary fits.


#1 THINK BLUE - WATER CONSERVATION
Water is a valuable resource that can easily be overlooked by most of us. Turn on the tap and it flows out. But when you've got mud or erosion problems then you can look at water as your enemy. My top, easy water conservation tip? Use a Rain barrel. Prevent stormwater runoff from your property - catch the rain from your roof and use it when you need it. There are mosquito-proofed rain barrels available. Check out River Sides for some fantastic suggestions! A 1-inch level of rainfall on 1,000 square feet of roof with eaves and a downspout produces 600 gallons of water. You can also choose to filter that water that falls on your driveway and all the little non-permeable surfaces. Which of leads to tip #2...



#2 GREEN PARKING AREAS - A LIVING DRIVEWAY

Get rid of the cement! Cement and asphalt are non-permeable surfaces. When it rains the water runs off to the sides or down straight into the drains. All the pollutants from your car don't get a chance to be filtered naturally by the soil. Typical pollutants from cars are things like: motor oil, copper, and zinc. (study by Univ. of Washington, Center for Water and Watershed Studies Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering on permeable surfaces).

By installing a permeable system like ecogrid you can quickly and easily fix up a parking area that has been a mess. You can then decide to use grass or gravel. Gravel (which won't compact because of the grid) is a great enviromental choice. Ecogris is also perfect to stablize your lawn, allow you to park your car - or have an extra space for guests to park. Now, instead of looking at an ugly slab of concrete you can replace it with a low maintence grass. It is like a regular lawn - so you quickly have some great options. Its a great way to green up the area, provide overflow parking and give you the chance to make a huge difference in a quick and easy fashion.

A "living driveway" is a beautiful thing.



#3 USE RECLAIMED or RECYCLED MATERIALS

Check out your local Craigslist and search for "gravel" or "soil" - there are always listings in the summer and spring for people who are getting rid of smaller quantities of materials. You can get river rocks, gravel and topsoil at a fraction of the cost. Sometimes its leftover from a project or someone else's reno's. Check out your local FREECYCLE too.

If you are using a "new" material - find out what is the recycled content. Is there an option you can use? Can whatever materials then be recycled?



Here's a shocker...

#4 BUILD A PATIO

Patios in general are a lot less maintence and often a lot less cost - then a deck. Decks - which are often wood - take a lot of upkeep. The wood is often pressure treated, and chemically treated to resist bugs. You can spend the money you would have spent on a deck project with landscaping. You can put down a green patio! Use something lightweight and lower costs for your patio like the el30 EcoGrid - which is perfect for landscaping but will not hold water like a slab of concrete would. You can get creative with the ecogrid design - planting mosses, seedums and grass as well as mixing it with gravel too. The area doesn't restrict you to using just grass. I've seen some lovely work done with river stones as well. If you are going to build a deck do think about using eco-friendly sealants.


#5 SHELTER YOUR WINGED FRIENDS

There are lots of winged friends around - birds, bats and bees - that are all part of our eco-system, and all are suffering to a degree whenever we take away part of their homes. If you plant a Living Driveway - you are already helping out.

But there's a few simple things:

- A winter bird bath! Birds are often desperate in the winter for water. For about $40 you can get specially designed heaters to keep the water from freezing. Its amazing to see how many birds will come to drink and bathe in the "dead" of winter.

- A Bat House - a great simple way to control insects! Forget the zapping noise. Let these shy little creatures find a space to thrive. Bats consume huge quantities of night-flying insects (like mosquitoes). Male bats love smaller bat houses, so you don't have to invest in a huge Bat House. A nice selection is here.

- Befriend a Bee - Build a Bee Home - I got a bit startled a few years ago when I'd first planted my deck garden. It was spring and there were large, mostly-black, agressive bees around! I thought at first of ridding myself of them - RAaaaaaaaaaaid! But decided to find out what kind of bees they were. Turns out these were carpenter bees - which are all buzz and little-to-no bite. Most of the agressive ones are males - who actually don't have stingers.

Why not think about creating a home for carpenter bees. They love wood (which is often the #1 reason they get killed off) - but dislike painted wood. So paint up the wood you want to protect and then in nice shady spots - give them a home. Everyone knows that Honeybees are worth protecting - but so are carpenter bees. Simply paint/protect the areas where you might have problems with Carpenter bees, and in that shady spot - nail up a piece of untreated wood.

Another type of bee - the Solitary Bee - can also use a home. Find out more about them here, and consider your winged friends.