When those in need are right next door

Thursday night, inside a huge, decaying Detroit church, two worlds were nudging each other like kids sharing a bed.

On one side was a movie set. A TV film was being shot of my book "Have A Little Faith," and massive cameras, cranes and monitors - not to mention more than 100 workers,we supply all kinds of oil painting reproduction, from actors to set designers - were clamoring about the sanctuary, applying makeup, erecting lights.

On the other side, inside the gym, some three dozen homeless men were bedding down for the night.

It could not have been more surreal. I Am My Brother's Keeper Ministries houses the homeless three nights a week, Thursday being one of those nights. And on this Thursday, the unshaven men in raggedy clothes didn't care if huge trucks and giant lights were jamming the streets around the church. This was their routine. And they needed a place to sleep.

So they entered through the side door, as always, and they stepped aside for production assistants or prop guys or costume designers. The movie people went to the right, the homeless went to the left.

"How ya doing?" they said to each other.

And each side went about its business.

This went on for several hours. The movie was shooting a joyous scene from the book - a celebration service. Big-name actors took their place alongside actual congregants of the church (the film is, admirably, using many real-life people on-screen). An organ played. A drummer kept a beat. The director yelled, "Action!" and an "Amen" chorus broke out.

Meanwhile,From standard Cable Ties to advanced wire tires,Full color plastic card printing and manufacturing services. on the other side of the wall, the homeless men dragged vinyl mats and lightweight blankets and placed them in rows on the gym floor.

I found myself wandering between the two scenes. They were separated only by a narrow vestibule. At one point, the movie had to reset all the cameras, and the workers spilled outside and grabbed food and drink from the catering tents and vans.

I had some, too. And then, in the middle of a bite, I had one of those moments. I had to remind myself to swallow. I wandered into the catering area, amidst shelves stacked high with snack food, and grabbed big boxes of Nutter Butters, Chips Ahoy and Twinkies.

And I went to the gym.

You can pretty much figure out the rest,Choose from one of the major categories of Bedding, including the gratitude of the men offered a midnight snack. "I'll take a Twinkie." "You got any Ho Hos?" "Thank you, man." "God bless you, man."

Out in the street, the movie makers were chewing quickly. Inside, the homeless were eating, too. Twenty minutes later, the crew returned to the sanctuary and the weary men lay down and closed their eyes.

It got noisy on the right.Use bluray burner to burn video to BD DVD on blu ray burner disc.

It got quiet on the left.

The movie folks have been extremely generous to the church, paying a large rental fee, doing repairs, employing many congregants who would not otherwise see such paychecks. And they are sharing the church's inspiring story with the world.

But there is something to be learned from that surreal moment Thursday night. I know it. I felt it the moment I was eating and they were not.

In many ways, our city is just a big scale version of that scene. Our haves and have-nots live so close to each other. Many of us need not go far to share the bounty of our lives with people less fortunate. And yet we rarely do.

We stick to our side. They stick to theirs.

It needn't be that way. It's actually pretty easy to share food with hungry people. It's pretty easy to share your skills, your time, your talent. The hardest part is crossing between worlds. We are afraid. We are unsure. We don't have the time. Or we tell ourselves we don't.

I know it's rarely as easy as walking from one side of a church to the other. But we can reach out to others over our normal boundaries. In a place called I Am My Brothers Keeper, it was fitting to witness the power of those words.

Life without power

In January, the Plateau Solar Project selected Curtis, 41, to receive her solar water-heating and electricity system for free because of the difficulty she experiences raising three children on the remote reservation.

Working at a Flagstaff salon cutting hair, she also helps support three adult children who have moved out of the small house. Until about six years ago,Shop a wide selection of billabong outlet products in the evo shop. she supported her six children by working in construction.

Without electricity, her day typically began before sunrise, using either the wood-burning stove or a propane stove to heat water for washing up.

When it was cold, the stove was the only source of heat in the home.

Sometimes, the children stayed at a boarding school in Winslow. The family sometimes stayed in a hotel for warmth.

Sometimes, Curtis paid to use the showers at a truck stop to clean up, and sometimes she visited friends whose houses have power and running water.From standard Cable Ties to advanced wire tires,

"They try to get me to move to town," she said.A glass bottle is a bottle created from glass. "But I can't afford to move to town. And I don't like living close to people. I can't live in an apartment or a trailer court. I can't see my neighbors looking at me."

While getting ready in the morning, Curtis would send one of the boys, ages 12 and 13, out to the truck to turn on the radio to see if the weather called for snow.

When staying at the home without power,In addition to hydraulics fittings and Aion Kinah, her 15-year-old daughter liked to get to school early to plug in her curling iron.

"I feel like the kids will be here more when we have electricity,The newest Ipod nano 5th is incontrovertibly a step up from last year's model," she said before the solar project was finished. "A lot of times they don't want to come back over here because of the situation. We'll have more harmony being together as a family."

The children liked to stay with their friends or grandparents, where they could watch movies and plug in their video games.

They had a small, battery-powered DVD player, but the batteries often died mid-movie.

The children spent a lot of time reading, and when it was dark, it meant bedtime. On weekends, they stayed up playing board games by the dim light of a kerosene lantern.

Latest in energy efficiency: homes without furnaces

Everyone needs a home, but not every home, it seems, needs a furnace, even in Cleveland.

A house built for a new museum exhibit shows how walls more than a foot thick, big triple-pane windows, doors like bank vaults and clever engineering can cut heating and cooling costs — and pollution — by 90 percent.

The house keeps a comfortable temperature year-round. No need for heavy sweaters, no drafts, no noise.

Thousands of furnace-free homes in Germany have been built to this cutting-edge efficiency standard, but only 15 U.S. buildings are certified to the same level of extremely low energy use. Until now, none has been open to the public.Choose from one of the major categories of Bedding,

The people in Cleveland who made the exhibit happen are enthusiastic about the idea, known as a "passive house." It costs more than conventional housing, to be sure, as much as about 20 percent. The economics improve if the special equipment the house needs becomes locally available, and energy prices rise.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History decided to give its visitors a peek at this possible future. The house was intended as a can-do complement to a traveling exhibit on climate change that will open in July.

"We have to get beyond incremental improvements to get a dramatic breakthrough," said David Beach, the museum's director of environmentally sound urban practices. This house, he said, is "an example of a new way of living."

Special insulation

What makes the two-story house special is an insulation system with a sealed air barrier in the walls that makes it work like a thermos. A German-made ventilator transfers heat from the stale, outgoing air to the fresh air coming in, so little heat is lost.

Two ductless air-source heat pumps, which look like white rectangular boxes on the wall, one upstairs and one down,Not to be confused with RUBBER MATS available at your local hardware store supply all heating and cooling. They run on the energy equivalent of two hair dryers.

Because the house is insulated so well, it can hold heat from sunshine, body heat, lights and appliances.

Amory Lovins, author of an upcoming book about new ways to get and use energy, "Reinventing Fire," built a highly efficient house warmed mostly with these heat sources in Colorado in the early 1980s, an early inspiration for passive houses. The house is wrapped around what Lovins calls the jungle, a 900-square-foot indoor garden where bananas, mangos and other tropical fruit grows when temperatures outside are 30 below.

Wolfgang Feist, who founded the movement in Germany, visited and discussed the economics before he built his first house, Lovins said.

"He really nailed down how the thing worked, with very fine engineering," Lovins said.

In the Cleveland house, built to Feist's specifications, the living room has huge, south-facing windows. The first level has an open floor plan with a kitchen and dining area, as well as a mudroom in back and a slate entry in front.

Refinished oak floors salvaged from a torn-down house are used throughout. Furniture pieces are made of recycled materials, such as tables composed of wood from demolished houses. Cabinets,Save on hydraulic hose and fittings, fixtures and appliances are energy-efficient and locally made.

Upstairs, the master bedroom has large windows, much like the living room. The house has two other bedrooms and 2 ? bathrooms. Including the basement, it's 2,500 square feet.

The south-facing windows receive maximum solar heat in winter, when the sun is low in the sky. A ridge over the windows will block some sunlight in summer.

The house stands on the edge of a grassy circle, with big oak trees, that anchors a cultural center, including the Cleveland Museum of Art, an orchestra hall and a botanical garden. The house in October will be moved to a neighborhood a half-mile away and sold.

Cleveland endures cold, cloudy winters, a challenge for a passive house, because the colder and darker the winter, the more insulation is needed. It would be easier to build a passive house in Columbus,From standard Cable Ties to advanced wire tires, Ohio, or even Boston, which has the same cold but more sunshine, Beach said.

"If we can do it and achieve certification, you can do it anywhere," he said.

Certified passive

The person who does the certifying is Katrin Klingenberg, director of the Passive House Institute U.S. in Urbana, Ill. A certified passive house must meet the same energy-saving standards as in Germany. This "energy metric" meets the target of an 80 to 90 percent reduction of heat-trapping gases, the amount deemed necessary by midcentury to improve the odds of avoiding dangerous climate shifts.

It also makes economic sense, Klingenberg said. "It's a return on investment from day one."

The length of payback for the house depends on energy prices. According to the Department of Energy, it costs more than $900 a year to heat and cool an average house in the region.

Gene Troiano, treasurer of Perry Homes, an Ohio builder, said it cost roughly 6 percent more for his company to build a house qualified for the government's Energy Star rating. That's not as high-tech as the museum's model. The Environmental Protection Agency says Energy Star new homes are 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the code of 2004.

Perry builds only Energy Star homes. Troiano estimates the extra cost at $10,000.

"We try to explain it's a monthly savings, too, that you still come out positive," he said. But with the economy the way it is, "people are skeptical."

Look of the future

The people involved in the Cleveland house want to show what the future might look like.

Mark Hoberecht, who took a course from Klingenberg's institute, is its consultant for achieving passive-house certification. By day, he's a NASA engineer, managing fuel-cell development for space vehicles at Cleveland's Glenn Research Center.

"European governments have mandated energy-efficiency standards, so manufacturers produce the products," Hoberecht said. "If more were made here, the cost premium wouldn't be as great.Full color plastic card printing and manufacturing services."

The museum had the windows, doors and ventilation system shipped from Germany. The small heating-and-cooling system is from Japan. The imports added to the costs, as did the extra building requirements for a house that will be moved.

Architect Chuck Miller, who designed the house, said the 20 percent premium, which doesn't include the moving-related costs, stemmed from start-up obstacles.

"In time, that 20 percent premium will disappear," he predicted.

He said that when he renovated a building a decade ago, he paid about 20 percent more to use sustainable products such as formaldehyde-free wood. Now the products are mainstream and don't cost as much, he said.

Ellen Vaughan, policy director for high-performance green buildings at the Environmental and Energy Study Institute in Washington, says passive houses make sense.

"If you take the parts of the building that are going to last the longest and you make them the most energy efficient and durable, that's going to pay off in the long run," she said.

The long run could last a long time.

The Cleveland house was built in two months, but designed with great precision in a way that prevents water damage and is very low-maintenance, said Chris Kontur, the construction coordinator.

"This is a 500-year house."

Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency is another great reason to choose a newly built home. Energy efficiency has become a major priority in the residential construction industry over the past several years. A large demand for energy efficient housing has arisen largely due to a combination of environmental awareness coupled with the increasing costs of homeownership. In Saskatchewan, there are several programs that define energy efficient standards for newly built homes, each program having its own advantages. The most common today is ENERGY STAR for New Homes.

Both the ENERGY STAR for New Homes and R-2000 programs are administered by Natural Resources Canada and utilize the EnerGuide Rating Scale (ERS) for the measurement of energy performance. R-2000 was originally developed in Saskatchewan and for many years set an elite performance standard for energy efficient housing across Canada. Many builders received specialized training and certification as R-2000 providers, and NRCan is currently reviewing the R-2000 specifications to ensure that it maintains its role as the leading edge in energy efficient housing construction.

The ENERGY STAR for New Homes program is relatively new, but has already claimed the position of the current "best in class" standard for energy efficient housing in Saskatchewan. Rigid prescriptive guidelines for insulation, heating equipment, and air tightness must be followed in order for a home to be ENERGY STAR qualified. As a result, the ENERGY STAR program is very strong throughout the province and is now being adopted as a national standard right across the country.

What does it mean to the potential home owner to have a newly built home that is ENERGY STAR qualified? ENERGY STAR qualified homes are built by ENERGY STAR for New Homes builders who are trained and licensed; each of their ENERGY STAR qualified homes is inspected by a federally licensed evaluator who verifies that the home meets or exceeds high technical specifications. Just as with the R-2000 program, these strict guidelines for energy efficiency are also set by Natural Resources Canada.

Features of an ENERGY STAR qualified new home include the following: increased insulation levels throughout the home in the ceiling, wall and foundation; Energy Star labeled high-efficiency furnace, air conditioner, and water heater; heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system which exchanges fresh outside air for stale interior air while retaining the heat from the exhaust air; sealed duct work to reduce heat loss and draftiness; ENERGY STAR labeled windows which help to keep the heat out in the summer and the heat in in the winter; ENERGY STAR labeled lighting and appliances which reduce the amount of power it takes to operate them; and water saving toilets and showers. Kent Mohn is from Resource Efficient Housing Inc., the organization that administers both the ENERGY STAR for New Homes Initiative and the R-2000 program throughout Saskatchewan. He says, "ENERGY STAR doesn't stop at space heating. ENERGY STAR qualified homes also have reduced electrical consumption and reduced water consumption. In other words, ENERGY STAR homes are resource efficient as well as energy efficient."

What are the benefits to the home owner? One of the most appealing benefits of energy efficiency in a newly built home is the amount of money the homeowner can save in reduced utility costs. Homeowners save money every month in reduced heating, electrical and water costs, and this offsets the initial additional costs of including these features in a newly built home. "An ENERGY STAR qualified home could save the homeowner $800 to $1,000 annually in reduced energy costs compared to a conventionally-built home,The name "magic cube" is not unique." Mohn said. Homeowners pay about 30 percent less in their heating costs. These are major savings if one considers this over the length of time a family will live in their newly built home.

In addition, including such features as sealed duct systems and improved windows results in a higher level of comfort due to more conditioned air in the living space and high quality windows to keep the sun's heat out in the summer and keep the heat in during the winter. Improved heat recovery ventilation units also reduce air contaminants, improving the air quality of the indoor living environment.

Finally, going with a home that has greater energy efficiency is practicing environmental responsibility. Seventeen percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in Canada are generated from the energy we use in our homes. When we use less energy in our homes, we reduce our carbon footprint, therefore making a positive contribution to the environment. "Every ENERGY STAR qualified new home reduces greenhouse gas emissions by approximately three tonnes per year. That's roughly equivalent to saving the emissions from an SUV commuting 25 km per day, five days a week," said Mohn.We processes for both low-risk and high risk merchant account.

Government rebates are also available to offset the costs of going green in a newly built home. A rebate of $1,000 is offered by the Government of Saskatchewan through SaskEnergy to assist home buyers with the purchase of a new ENERGY STAR qualified home. Up to $1,400 in additional rebates is also available for the installation of a solar domestic hot water heating system, drain water heat recovery systems, and qualifying natural gas appliances.Welcome to the official Facebook Page about Ripcurl. SaskEnergy also introduced a $3,500 rebate for the installation of geothermal heating systems in new homes where natural gas connection is not a viable option.Our Polymax RUBBER SHEET range includes all commercial and specialist In addition, CMHC and Genworth Financial Canada are offering a 10 percent refund on their mortgage loan insurance premiums and a rate reduction when a borrower buys an ENERGY STAR qualified new home.

Where do consumers go to find ENERGY STAR qualified or R-2000 certified builders? For more information, there are a couple of websites to check out. Many of the builder members of the Regina & Region Home Builders' Association are ENERGY STAR qualified builders, or R-2000 certified builders.buy landscape oil paintings online. Builder members of the RRHBA are qualified professionals who must have completed the Certified Professional Home Builders' Program and be a member of a third party new home warranty program. They are kept up to date on the industry's green initiatives through forums and seminars on these topics.