The Whole HOG: October 2012

Water-centric Green Design News

Happy Halloween! From urban-sized electric vehicles for the developed world to a cardboard bicycle that could have a transformative effect in the developing world, this October we have a newsletter chock full of transportation to move you.

Five HOGs act as a water storage supply for ELT Easy Green’s living wall in downtown Toronto. See how it’s done in our video update (compliments of Greg Garner from ELT Easy Green) from the Toronto Dominion Centre.

And four HOGs provide rainwater and grey water storage for an urban home in the Philippines, designed by Buensalido Architects. The stark simplicity of the home shows contemporary Filipino architecture in its best light – the natural kind (from windows and skylights throughout the home). Take a video tour; the HOGs come on at minute 5:57.

And Greenbuild is just around the corner! We’re looking forward to seeing you there.

October 2012: In Bloom at the Toronto Dominion Centre

Toronto Dominion Centre Living Wall Watered by HOGs

The ELT Easy Green living wall at the Toronto Dominion Centre is in bloom! We first introduced the the stand-alone green wall, built in front of the Toronto Dominion Bank, in our July edition.  The wall commemorates the launch of the Green Portal, an online tool that charts the energy use of the TDC’s six towers in real time.

Watch the video update here. Get views of downtown Toronto – the TDC is one of the largest commercial developments in North America – and see how the green wall was constructed. And check out the HOG tanks showing off their slim-lined versatility.

Five HOGs hidden inside ELT’s Easy Green wall at the Toronto Dominion Centre, at left,  keepin’ it green.

The Whole HOG: July 2012

Water-centric Green Design News

This July, we’ve got a HOG(podge) of happenings, both recent and upcoming. Find open doors, extra deals and an opportunity to win HOG tanks for your campus inside. See what our distributors (and exhibitors) have to say about green building too.

One of the largest commercial developments in North America, the Toronto-Dominion Center in Canada, is opening the door to all things green with the Green Portal, an online tool that charts the energy use of their buildings in real time. ELT Easy Green built a living wall using five HOG tanks cleverly hidden inside to commemorate the launch. Discover the details.

Sodastream opens the door to a reduced carbon footprint with a home soda maker that creates sparkling water at home. Read all about in our B.U.G. Design section. In the meantime, settle in with us for a good read and bring on the bubbly!

July 2012: Living Wall at the Toronto-Dominion Centre Launches the Green Portal

The Toronto-Dominion Centre (TDC) in Toronto, Canada is opening the door to all things green with the installation of a double-sided living wall by ELT Easy Green. The wall celebrates the launch of the Green Portal, an online environmental management tool for one of Canada’s largest commercial developments.

A living wall, installed by ELT Easy Green, marks the launch of the Green Portal for the six business towers of the Toronto-Dominion Centre. Check out more installation pictures by clicking on the image above.

The TDC is one of North America’s largest business communities with six buildings, 4 million square feet, and 21,000 office employees. Two of the towers have LEED© Canada Gold certification. The living wall installed in front of the Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower features ELT Living Wall Panels, three Rainwater HOG tanks, and a TurboRain solar powered irrigation pump.

The HOGs were the best fit, according to Greg Garner of ELT EasyGreen who managed the installation, because “the shape of the HOGS allowed for them to be placed inside the wall and in the base while keeping the dimensions as small as possible.”

One tank, installed horizontally in the basin, receives the water from the other four tanks (installed vertically side by side) and sends it to the solar irrigation pump. The HOG tanks, which are filled manually to maintain a steady water supply, solved the problem of finding an underground water source. A staff person fills the HOGs for the automatic irrigation system to run every other day.

As for the Green Portal, “The principle that says ‘you manage what you measure’ is now being effectively applied when it comes to sustainability best practice at Canada’s largest office complex,” says TDC General Manager David Hoffman.

The Green Portal shows a real-time dashboard-style display of building energy use for tenants and management to track and compare energy use and consumption among the Centre’s six towers.