Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Samantha Kaplan
Go Green Construction
818-718-7477

LOS ANGELES GREEN HOME TOUR PROVIDES BEHIND THE SCENES LOOK AT GREEN CONSTRUCTION
Tour participants learn about sustainable design, construction, and materials at The Go Green Home

PLAYA DEL REY, CA - August 31, 2009 -- Green Construction held its final construction-phase tour at The Go Green Home on August 29, 2009 from 11am - 3pm. This tour offered almost 100 visitors an inside look at the cutting edge design and construction practices that have created this highly efficient home.

"I believe green is 80% planning, 20% materials," says owner/builder Fernando Feldman who shared many of his trade secrets with tour-goers on the 29th. "We took the time upfront to design a house that requires less energy, less water, and fewer materials, and this has made the biggest impact. To take one small example, this house is fully lit during daylight hours without a single bulb being turned on."

Feldman introduced the tour goers to various green home systems including; high-efficiency insulation, Typar weather protection, Life|ware home automation and lighting control, STEP Warmfloor radiant heat, water filtration, and grey water recycling. A photo montage on the ground floor depicted the deconstruction process employed by Go Green Construction that enabled it to recycle 95% of the pre-existing structure. TOTO, a sponsor of the Go Green Home, had representatives on-site educating tour goers on the availability and benefits of low flow plumbing fixtures and dual flush toilets.

Tour goers ranged from students to industry professionals, with a majority of visitors coming from the green, design, architectural and real estate industries.

The Go Green Home is the first single-family residence to have an eco-elevator, and yet this efficient home is 63% above CA's Title 24 Standards for energy efficiency, where the vast majority of such residences exceed this standard by a scant 1-2%. At the end of this year, the finished Go Green Home will opens its doors to demonstrate the benefits of using renewable energy sources, highly efficient plumbing fixtures and insulation, and environmentally friendly finish materials.

Feldman is quick to add, "And far from imposing limited and austere design choices, as some may mistakenly think, green is hospitable to and even encourages a wide range of innovative design solutions. The Go Green Home is a living model of the many ways families can go green in their homes and their lives."

More information about this project can be found online at www.TheGoGreenHome.com.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Samantha Kaplan
Go Green Construction
818-718-7477

THE GO GREEN HOME ANNOUNCES TOTO AS SPONSOR

PLAYA DEL REY, CA - April 15, 2009 -- The Go Green Home is pleased to announce that TOTO is among the sponsors of this pre-rated LEED Platinum single family residence in Playa Del Rey, CA.

The Go Green Home, a living laboratory of green design, will open in Summer 2009 to educate the public and building industry professionals in building and living greener. This residence is a design/build project by Go Green Construction being developed as a case study in optimizing energy efficiency, durability, indoor air quality, and water conservation.

"TOTO's dual flush and single-flush high-efficiency toilets have been incorporated into our plan from day one. With its efficient, sophisticated product line, it was an easy choice for our eco-luxury home," said owner/builder Fernando Feldman.

"Since 1917, TOTO has actively advanced environmental stewardship," said Lenora Campos, a company spokesperson. "Today, we stand ready to help Californians meet Governor Schwarzenegger's demand for an immediate 20% reduction in their water consumption with high-efficiency toilets, faucets, and shower systems. To that end, we are pleased to sponsor The Go Green Home and its mission to advance LEED for Homes rating system in the state."

Development of this high performance home has involved many pre-construction steps including: design charrettes, consideration of site orientation and solar modeling, extensive materials research, and advanced engineering techniques. Among its green features are: the deconstruction of the pre-existing structure (with 95% of all material diverted from the landfill), an abundance of natural daylight and a 5.6 kW solar array, a gray water recycling system, home automation, and living walls. The home is 62% above California's Title 24 Building Standards, an improvement, which, the company believes, must soon become the rule, not the exception.

"In participating in LEED [Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a program of rating Green Buildings, set forth by US Green Building Council], we knew its parameters for sustainability and environmentally progressive issues would be involved in every decision in our design process and in our choice and use of materials," said Feldman. "Further, in partnering with significant corporations such as TOTO, who are like-minded and environmentally conscious, we know we are committing to a project undertaken at the right time, with the right message. We are delighted to have found a company offering high quality products, and wholly committed to being green.

"We are certain The Go Green Home will prove a new home can be built without a huge carbon footprint, and whose homeowner will not have to compromise comfort, cost, or convenience in achieving a high level of green."

For more information please visit www.GoGreenHomeLA.com.

About Go Green Construction, Inc.
Go Green Construction is a full-service design-build company serving the greater Los Angeles area. Owner Fernando Feldman is a certified green builder, and has over 30 years of experience in the construction industry; he is passionate about implementing energy-conscious, sustainable building practices that will benefit his clients and generations to follow. For more information about Go Green Construction please visit www.gogreencalifornia.com.

About TOTO
TOTO is the largest plumbing manufacturer in the world with over $4.5 billion in annual sales and 80 affiliated production facilities globally. Since 1917, TOTO Ltd., Japan, has been a pioneer in high-performance plumbing systems that bring consumers superbly designed products that are water and energy efficient. In 1989, TOTO brought its innovative technology and commitment to excellence to the US market. A full line manufacturer of luxury plumbing products that optimize healthful living, TOTO USA, INC.'s success derives from its unsurpassed commitment to quality, reliability, technological innovation, and sustainability -- a commitment that pushes the company beyond industry standards. The winner of numerous domestic and international awards and recognitions, TOTO USA is certified by ISO 14001: 2004 and ISO 9001: 2000. The only plumbing manufacturer to be honored as Water Efficiency Leader by the Environmental Protection Agency, TOTO seeks perfection by design as it continuously innovates sustainable water technologies that enhance the lives of its customers and the environment. For more information, consumers may visit www.totousa.com or call 1.888.295.8134.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:
Samantha Kaplan
Go Green Construction
818-718-7477

THE GO GREEN HOME CASE STUDY DEMONSTRATES EFFICACY OF GREEN BUILDING
This Live Model of Green Design Proves that Building Green is Cost Effective and Yields Maximum Environmental Benefits

Westchester, CA, January 10, 2009 - Residents of Westchester, Ca, a charming LAX adjacent community, have witnessed the construction of scores of new homes and apartment complexes in the last decade. In many cases, the footprints of these developments are massive and have an adverse impact on the area. Go Green Construction, Inc. is developing a model of green building excellence in the heart of this neighborhood demonstrating that homes can be built with minimal environmental impact. This case-study home, The Go Green Home will be completed by 2009 and preparations are underway to make tours and workshops available which will offer the public, environmentalists, developers, designers and community leaders the opportunity to explore the results of green building and lifestyle choices.

The Go Green Home is a 4,300 square foot living laboratory of green design, materials, and innovation and is pre-rated for LEED platinum, the highest green building standard set forth by the US Green Building Council. It is the first home in this neighborhood to have a 5.6 kW solar array, grey water recycling system, home automation, and living walls. The home is 62% above California's Title 24 Building Standards, and the company is hoping that soon this will be the standard, not the rule.

Go Green Construction created this case-study to demonstrate that a home can be made for efficiency and endurance, while the costs remain competitive with conventional construction. "We want homeowners to see how easy and cost-effective it is to make green choices when building or remodeling," says Feldman.

The pre-existing structure has been carefully deconstructed, with 95% of materials being reused or recycled. The Go Green Home is now framed, and the grand opening is scheduled for late Spring 2009. For questions about green building or more information visit www.gogreencalifornia.com/case.html.

About Go Green Construction, Inc.
We are providers of sustainable building solutions for Southern California. We pride ourselves on delivering quality craftsmanship using renewable materials. We have decades of experience serving the residential market in Southern California, providing expert consulting, design and construction services. Our creations offer an attractive alternative to traditional construction while promoting a healthier environment for our clients and the planet.


UPDATE:

THE GO GREEN HOME PROJECT UNDERWAY

September 17, 2007 - The project we call The Go Green Home is a 4,391 square foot home we are building in the Westchester area of Los Angeles. It is a living laboratory of green design, materials and innovation; check our website for more information at gogreencalifornia.blogspot.com. Today we met with Shellie Collier, our LEED A.P. (Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design - Accredited Professional) who will guide us through the process of becoming LEED certified. We are aiming for Platinum, the highest rating granted by the United States Green Building Council.

Shellie documents the entire pre-construction and construction process, and at its conclusion submits a notebook to the USGBC for review and certification. This notebook details each step taken, from preservation of existing landscape to ordering of materials to installation of Forest Stewardship Council-certified framing products.

We are maintaining our own notebook to mirror Shellie's, page for page, notation for notation. Every detail is documented: for example, one LEED requirement stipulates the home must be located near open space. This is established using Google maps; the page is printed, the URL noted and copies inserted into each notebook. LEED demands this same attention to detail for every aspect of the building that has the potential to earn points.

Shellie is an independent contractor working for Davis Energy Group, a USGBC-designated LEED for Homes organization in California. She is a designer-builder-project manager in her own right; check out her webpage at www.homagedesign.com.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

FOUNDATION EXCAVATION UNDERWAY AT GREGORIO RESIDENCE

July 11, 2007 - Today we are pouring the concrete foundation of the Gregorio residence remodeling project in Lake Balboa, CA. We utilized a high-fly ash content concrete as part of our commitment to make this remodel as "green" as possible.

Over half the electricity produced in the U.S. comes from coal-fired power plants. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal burning and can be substituted for more than half of the Portland cement typically used in a concrete mixture. Use of fly ash in concrete is beneficial to the environment in several ways:

1. It keeps the fly ash from entering the waste stream
2. It saves the energy ordinarily used to manufacture Portland cement
3. It needs 10% less water than traditional concrete

Because less water is used with high fly ash concrete, and because of the chemical reaction between the fly ash and lime which is given off in cement hydration, the end product is denser and stronger than traditional Portland cement-based concrete. Fly ash is made up of tiny, glassy beads; its physical composition creates a lubricating effect which enables the concrete to flow and pump better, filling the forms more completely. Additionally, high-fly ash concrete costs the same as or sometimes slightly less than traditional concrete.

According to Headwaters Resources, for every ton of cement manufactured about one ton of carbon dioxide is released. Replacing that ton of cement with fly ash saves enough electricity to power the average American home for 24 days, and reduces carbon dioxide emissions equal to two months' use of an automobile.

Producer R. J. Bain from Discovery Home's "Green That House" program was onsite today filming the pour - they've been tracking the progress and filming various "green" elements as the remodel moves forward.


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

EXCAVATION UNDERWAY AT GREGORIO RESIDENCE

June 25, 2007 - The mini-excavator and our crew were busy digging the foundation of the green addition to the Gregorio residence. For this adaptive-reuse project we're using Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs) that are put together like a puzzle. These will create the floors and walls of the addition. SIPs consist of a dense, 10" layer of foam sandwiched between large sheets of engineered wood panels. This combination creates an insulation barrier that outperforms traditional fiberglass batt insulation up to 300%.