bGreen: Thoughts On Green

BostonEco TweetUp

We’re going to be at the BostonEco TweetUp Wednesday. Are you? We have attended all of the BostonEco TweetUps and highly recommend you do too! It’s a great chance to check out a new Boston venue and connect with eco minded people. In fact, it was at a BostonEco TweetUp that we found our Mobile Showroom. So come by and maybe you’ll leave with a 27ft truck…



To sign up click here



For more information on the event click here



Where: Cafeteria Boston

279a Newbury Street

Boston, MA 02116



When: Wednesday April 28th



Why: Stop asking so many questions

Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day! Yes today is actually Earth Day. It’s hard to know exactly when it is because Earth Day seems to have turned into Earth Week. Which is just fine with us. In fact, we think there should be Earth Year…maybe that’s taking it too far. We might run out of events to go to. Speaking of Earth Day events, how about a recommendation? If you will be downtown tomorrow make sure to check out 9.25 The River’s Earth Day concert on the Greenway. You can read more about it here.



By now we are sure you’ve heard the news but just in case, here’s a friendly reminder. For this week bGreen is offering 20% off the entire site for Earth Day.







We thought about making a dance video featuring the “bGreen dancers” and some tips on how to make your Earth Day (and life) more green. Then we realized that we were the bGreen dancers. So rather than subject you all to us dancing, we are going to offer 20% off the whole site! No coupon necessary. Just place your order and you will be given 20% off.



Don’t worry. One day you’ll see a video of us dancing and sharing green tips but for now enjoy your 20% off at bGreen.



Also, make sure to look for the bGreen Mobile Showroom around Boston on today. Honk or say hello if you see us.

Green Travel to NYC

We were in New York City last weekend.  Man, that city is expensive, busy, and makes me feel happy we live in Boston.  Getting there is not easy, especially if you’re considering traveling green and making smart fiscal decisions.



The cost debate:

• Amtrak: $450 round trip for two people.  Acela on the way to NYC, Northeast Regional back to Boston.



• Flying: Prices vary by day/time/weekend, but generally it’s not much cheaper than Amtrak. To fly on a weekend mid-April it’s $336 per person on JetBlue.  Plus the cost to get into the city.



• Bus: Amenities are nice (bathroom, wifi, etc), and cost is relatively cheap (approx $80 for two people round trip).  Time is the issue.  Last time we took the bus on a Friday night it took nearly 6 hours!



• Driving:  If you’ve already got the car, it’s simply the cost of a tank of gas and tolls (about $75 total).

Generally speaking, the rail systems are going to be your most eco-friendly transportation.  They’re transporting a large number of people at once, and operate on a fairly energy efficient system.



A similar debate can be made for flying - transporting a large number of people, fairly efficient.  Short haul flights (Boston to NYC) are mostly on par with rail for emissions and efficiency.



Driving is probably the next best alternative, especially if you can carpool or drive a hybrid.  Kudos if you can do both!



Finally, the bus.  We really don’t like the bus.  Depending on your time of travel, the bus can be either one of the most efficient or least efficient methods of transport.  Couple that with the bus being loud and the longest of the travel methods, and we think you’re best to just avoid it.



In conclusion, if you’re a big spender, go with Amtrak.  You’ll love it.  If you’re like the remaining 99.99% of the population, we suggest driving from Boston to NYC.

Confessions of a former SUV Owner, Part Deux

Well, a week has gone by and I have a car. It was a stressful process but I found the perfect car for my life right now. I am now the proud owner of a 2007 Mini Cooper. It had every extra feature I could have ever wanted and was right in my budget range(15k max). The first week in my Mini has been great. I’ve fit into parking spots I wouldn’t have even taken a second look at with my Jeep. Best of all though,  the MPG is unbelievable! It seems  like I’ll never have to fill this car up.



I have learned a lot from this car search. In fact, I think it has changed the way I will shop for a car in the future. I did the majority of my shopping online and only went to see a car if met my needs, which made car shopping so much easier. Rather than spending a day going in and out of dealerships,  I could see everything in an hour right from my desk. I was also shocked when I was able to negotiate the price over email. It made my visit to the dealer a much more pleasant one!  (Yes, I still tried to get more off at the dealer, who wouldn’t?). The bottom line? Well,  there’s a few things:

1. The online world is still changing the way we shop and will continue to do so (we like this and are trying to change the way you shop for home products)



2. Think about your lifestyle BEFORE you get a car. I went from an SUV to a Mini and it hasn’t changed my life adversely at all. Why did I need all the space? In retrospect, I have absolutely no idea – possibly helping friends move. Guess what friends? Move it yourself (I still love you and will give you rides in my Mini but I am no longer the guy with a big car).



3. Be smart about the big purchases you make in your life. If you’re spending a lot of money on an item, you have every right to be sure you feel comfortable about what you purchase. I walked out on more than one salesperson who was trying to bully me into a car I didn’t want. Can’t help but think about bGreen in this regard. One of our main goals is to give you the best shopping experience. We want you to be happy with what you buy!

For some perspective, check out this photo/sticker of my old car and new car.

LivingHomes

Tonight we went to see Steve Glenn, CEO of LivingHomes, speak on sustainability and prefabricated homes. The event was hosted at the South End Design Within Reach Studio.



In our opinion, there should be a trend towards prefabricated homes. There are cost savings, environmental savings, and scalability savings to be had by choosing a prefab home. Steve Glenn and the team at LivingHomes are adding an incredible element of modern design to their homes. Needless to say, we were envious of LivingHomes’s homes.



We asked Steve if his homes could be implemented in an urban environment.  His answer was “of course.”  In fact, many of their current projects are in the heart of San Francisco.  While I don’t see this particular application being accepted (or logistically possible) in Boston proper, I image Brookline and Cambridge could be amazing places for one of these homes.  Cost-wise, we calculated you could build a 1,500 sq. ft. LivingHomes home for around $450,000 - $600,000.  Not bad!



If you can catch Steve on his Sustainability speaking tour it’s worth taking the time to check it out. A list of his next stops is here.



We also really suggest you take a look at the LivingHomes website.  Their home customizer is amazing.  Similar to building your own car, you can customize everything about the house, see how it impacts your budget, and see how it impacts your LEED certification.  All the LivingHomes are built to AT LEAST(!) LEED Sliver standards.  Amazing stuff and a good take tonight.

bGreen Building Project #1 - North End Kitchen

The spring is almost upon us and at bGreen that means we are gearing up to launch our building brand. We have some really cool concepts that we can’t wait to share with everyone. We thought a perfect way to kick off this new bGreen venture would be to start with a project in one of our own homes. So project #1 will focus on changing out the counters in Barry’s (bGreen co-founder) kitchen. We are fortunate enough to have a head of building services (Matt) who has 20 years of experience and is LEED AP certified. He knows everything there is to know about home renovation and making it green. In fact, Matt’s own home is going to be LEED certified shortly.



Scope of the project:

• Replace Formica counter tops with green alternative (Richlite, Paperstone)



• Replace sink and faucet, adding a water filtration system



• Finish back splash with white subway tile reclaimed from an old project



• Extend existing counter top bar area into living area to create dining and workstation area (Plyboo)



• Recycle old counter tops, sink & faucet (Building Materials Resource Center)

Below is a project introduction video we put together, as well as some rough sketches of the kitchen area and proposed new dining area.  Enjoy, and if you’re interested in greening your own home with bGreen, please email us here or call us at 617-910-0880.







If the video above does not load (like in Internet Explorer), click the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4_J5eV6rDk



[caption id=”attachment_380” align=”aligncenter” width=”296” caption=”bGreen Building Project Kitchen Sketch”][/caption]



[caption id=”attachment_382” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”bGreen Building Project Dining Area Extension”][/caption]

bGreen Showroom

We’ve recently purchased some showroom space to support our bGreen Building initiative.  Out of this showroom, we’re going to be offering the latest green and eco friendly building materials, with a focus on the inside of your home.  Flooring, cabinetry, counter tops, wall coverings, etc.  We’re really excited about these products, and look forward to bringing them to the Boston community and beyond.  As details unfold, we’ll be sharing more information on the blog and our weekly email newsletter, which you can sign up for here.

Vilna Shul - Vilna Speakers Annual VC Panel

Last night we attended the Vila Speakers Annual VC Panel at the Vilna Shul, located in Boston’s historic Beacon Hill.  It was a great event, in a great location.



Regardless of whether or not you’re Jewish, the Vilna Shul is worth having a look at.  Originally built in the 1910’s, the building is currently raising funds for a complete restoration.  They’ve already done lots of work, including uncovering parts of the original paint job.  It’s really amazing to see this building located smack in the middle of Beacon Hill.  Take the time to visit this landmark, you will not be disappointed.



The event last night featured a panel of prominent VCs from Boston, moderated by Howard Anderson, Senior Lecturer of Entrepreneurship, MIT Sloan School of Business.  The VCs in attendance were:

• Elliot Katzman of Commonwealth Capital Ventures



• Jeff Fagnan of Atlas Ventures



• Jonathan Seelig of Globespan Partners



• Eric Paley of Founder Collective

This was a really dynamic and interesting group, and Howard did a wonderful job of moderating.



The dominant conversation was discussing East vs. West.  It seemed every topic somehow got back to the East Coast VC vs. West Coast VC.  Not sure this was intended, but that’s the way it went. There is definitely some passion involved with this topic, and it was clear the panel all had strong views on the topic.



The other topic discussed several times was how important it is to become part of the VC network.  As Jon Seelig said, it’s all about working with people you know and trust.  Network, network, network.  We’ve only been to a few of these events, but already we are seeing the same faces, and hopefully we’re getting recognized too.



The best line of the night was this:

Venture Capital is like sex.  When it’s good, it’s REALLY good.  And when it’s bad, it’s still pretty good.

So what’s our goal with going to these events?  Really it’s just to meet people in the Boston community.  We want to meet other entrepreneurs, and meet people who are funding these projects.  We’re not actively looking for any funding, and don’t really think we’re a VC backed style business.  But the great thing about being an entrepreneur is you never know when that might change.