The new website, www.postgreenhomes.com (don’t visit now . . . it isn’t up yet), is an application designed to let you customize one of our homes much in the same way you might customize a computer or car. Upgrade flooring, change the color of counter tops, add solar panels and much more. In the end you will have the home you want and a price to go with it.

Tied into this party will be the announcement of a couple of exciting new Postgreen Homes projects and the opportunity for interested buyers to customize homes in those projects on the spot. We will have computers set up so that anyone can test out the new site, and if they are feeling particularly impulsive, buy a home. If that isn’t enough, we will also be introducing new models and at least one new facade design at the event.

The party will be taking place in the impressive gallery space at our new office building, 2424 York Street in Fishtown. We will be posting more information on this party as it comes together and will be sending email invitations soon.

When: July 30, 2009 at 6:00 p.m.
Where: 2424 E. York St., Philadelphia, PA 19125 (map)

So, who’s coming? Let us hear it in the comments.

“We see this partnership with Greenable as a reinforcement of our commitment to both sustainability and design,” says Chad Ludeman, President of Postgreen, “We are building affordable, green homes, but that doesn’t mean we are willing to forgo quality aesthetics.”

Greenable also brings the ability to provide green interior design expertise to Postgreen’s buyers. Customers purchasing one of Postgreen’s LEED Platinum houses, and hoping to match their interior with the sustainable, modern design of their new home, will find Greenable a great resource. Architecturally unique and healthy homes like the 100k models, will be well served by design that respects function, indoor air quality, sustainability and style.

“Most people believe the myth that building green costs more,” says Greenable’s Design Director and co-founder Lynne Templeton, “This is not at all true and we are proving it now in a big way.”

Moving forward, Postgreen will provide Greenable with an ongoing showcase for their design expertise and material solutions. And Postgreen’s constant push to improve every aspect of their homes through the exploration of new materials and methodologies offers an excellent opportunity for Greenable to test innovative concepts in real life applications. Together, Postgreen and Greenable are commited to  introducing the world to increasingly more effective green solutions.

“There is a wonderful opportunity here for both companies to flex their creative muscle and produce a product that will surely set new standards for beautiful, efficient, and affordable green buildings and homes,” says Greenable co-founder Angelo Anastasio.

“We expect this partnership to grow and evolve,” says Nic Darling of Postgreen, “As we continue to refine our design and improve the sustainability of our homes, Greenable’s knowledge of materials and building science will be extremely valuable.”

The two companies share common goals for the future of green building in Philadelphia. Together they position themselves as a driving force behind Philly’s goal to become America’s greenest city.

The Postgreen site is undergoing a major renovation behind the scenes. The site will have a new look and a new strategy in which the blog may or may not have a role. So, for the time being, we will not be updating.

Worry not though, there is plenty of opportunity to follow what we are doing over on the 100k blog (as many of you already know). Get regular project updates, ridiculous videos, educational articles and philosophical musings. Trust me, you will soon be so tired of reading our scribbling (okay typing), that you will hardly miss the Postgreen blog during its hiatus. Of course, we haven’t updated in a while and the complaints aren’t exactly flowing in, so I guess no one’s missing it too much anyway.

Thanks for subscribing and keep and eye on the site. Cool stuff is on its way.

Postgreen’s Groundbreaking Video

Phillypreneur’s 100K Groundbreaking Video

One last video is one from PlanPhilly.com that we are unable to embed. It can be found in the recent section of PlanPhilly’s news section.

Philadelphia, PA October 2nd, 2008

Contact:
Nic Darling, Marketing & PR Guy
Postgreen
215.739.1578
http://www.postgreen.com

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Philadelphia, PA September 25th, 2008

This is our first try at the Viddler 15second format of Twitter friendly videos in the form of a Press Release.

Contact:
Nic Darling, Event Coordinator Extraordinaire
Postgreen
215.739.1578
http://www.postgreen.com

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Philadelphia, PA October 17th, 2008

Contact:
Nic Darling, Purveyor of Press
Postgreen
215.739.1578
http://www.postgreen.com

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Episode 18

• Lot’s of information about dirt, where its going and how we can get it to stay put.
• Apparently in the distant past, before the Internet, people sent something called “letters”, they sometimes forgot the name of an obscure movie forever and they looked up businesses in an overweight tome known as The Yellow Pages. Unfortunately, despite the fact that their use for anything other than a doorstop or a booster seat has been long since eliminated, these Yellow Pages continue to be produced and delivered, wasting trees, fuel and cupboard space. Now you can help stop this irrational printing of business information and ads. Sign up to have your home and/or office removed from the unsolicited delivery of phone books.
• Solar panels without the huge upfront investment? Leave it to the Nutmeg State.
• I don’t believe a disagreement with liars to be a political statement, so I feel alright about using this apolitical blog space to ask why the hell there doesn’t seem to be an appropriate and effective response to the falsehoods repeated endlessly in the conservative media? Look at some of these oil related yarns that are being spun right now. Unfortunately, with 63% of Americans supporting off-shore drilling, it appears that merely repeating a lie often enough can make it true. Let’s try it . . . I have washboard abs, I have washboard abs, I have washboard abs . . . damn.

Episode 19

• What are some things we could make with 6 million dead carp? The 6 Million Carp Man . . . Carp Mahal . . . 6 million “Dead Carp Behind Your Fridge” practical jokes . . . Wall-to-wall Carp-et for a good section of Brooklyn . . . Sorry, those were bad, but the opportunity does make one think.
• We care about the earth, but does that mean we also have to care about bats? If so, we might want to see what we can do about our alternative energy solutions causing bats’ lungs to explode.
• Speaking of wind energy, the issue, as one would expect, gets more complicated as we start making more of it.
• We think energy is costing us a lot out of pocket, but that doesn’t even account for the cost of subsidizing the poor struggling energy companies.

For the vast majority of us this isn’t really an option unless we want to start some sort of letter writing campaign to the owner of the building where we lease space or begin breaking window in hopes of getting them replaced. Construction decisions are rarely in the hands of lessees and probably with good reason. If you don’t own the building it is easy to imagine that something like replacing all the stairs with slides and fireman poles is a good idea (I already have some preliminary drawings).

There are, of course, some exceptions. Those of you who own the building in which you work or those who have some say in fitting out a new space can influence these choices. Even those of us who rent might be able to put in our two cents during a renovation if we have been good tenants up to that point. In these cases it is important to realize that improving the envelope of the building is the most effective “greening” you can do.

Insulation, windows and the materials used in the exterior of your office (or any other structure) far outweigh nearly any other green element you might use. Your fancy solar panels and geo-thermal system are all for naught without the proper envelope. Even if you don’t have control over you office environment this is important to remember for your home and any other structure you might build. I know my 100k birdhouse would be far less impressive if I hadn’t paid the proper attention to its insulation and windows.

Chad’s Green Tips

Chad is on vacation and after WordPress erased this post once, I have lost some of the will to research this topic myself. So, until Chad brings his green geekiness back from California, you will have to settle for a couple of useful links.

First check out this 100k house post on insulation from January of this year. I know that in internet terms that makes it 85 years old, but there is some good stuff in there.

If that doesn’t quite do it for you, I’ll take the lazy man’s way out and refer you to this Wikipedia article on r-values. After working your way through that beast you should be fed up enough to forget that I didn’t give you any window related information.

Don’t worry, we’ll make Chad update this when he gets back or maybe someone will give us some tips in the comments . . . anyone?

This post is part of our ongoing, 30 part series breaking down the Green Office Pledge. Sign up for the pledge and be sure to check out the rest of the series for more tips and anectdotes.

• The NY Times reports that 93% of home buyers won’t pay more for green. While I don’t think the stats backing this report are the most solid, it is another good arguement for our belief that green homes should cost the same as other normal ones.
• I like the idea of composting at home. How about composting with a bit more style and a bit less smell?
• I have a love-hate relationships with refrigerator designs. They are so big and bulky! Here are some of the best fridges on the market today. I could see the Conserv model from Texas making it’s way into a 100K House near you soon.
• I like silvery gray paints, but it can be hard to pull off with low-VOC’s. Here is a company that got it right with a thick, yogurt-like paint that only requires one coat and illuminates your walls.