Happy Thanksgiving!

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Cookie Gobblers made for cookie gobblers…I ran across these on the Internet and thought they looked like a fun project to make and then destroy…though my teeth cringe a little about enduring that much sugar.  The cookies pictured above were from a site called HI Cookery and included instructions for making them here.  The instruction even included a video!

For those with even more ambition, here’s a recipe for making Turkey Cookies with more “from scratch” ingredients.  They’re shown in the picture at the right.  This one requires actually baking some chocolate cookies rather than just cracking open an Oreo.  I found this one at the Worth Pinning site here.

I know you were just dying for a suggestion on how to use up that Candy Corn left over from Halloween…  Here you go!

Happy Thanksgiving from everyone at Easterday Construction Co., Inc.!

Net Zero Energy Walgreens in Evanston, Illinois

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Imager borrowed from evanston.patch.com

Combining efficient energy use with wind and solar energy production, the new Evanston Walgreens will have net zero energy use.  See the article here.

Too bad the new WECS ordinance being considered for Culver would stop a store like this from coming into Culver.  (A Walgreens would best fit in a C-2 Zoning District which does allow for the use of  a WECS, but the further restriction that no WECS maybe located within 1500 feet of an R-1 Zoning District would make it virtually impossible to place such a store within Culver’s Town Limits.)

Evanston is north of Chicago which generally would put it in a latitude where solar energy collection has diminished returns.  It’s proximity to Lake Michigan does make it likely to receive fairly consistent winds.

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Telkonet Thermostat

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Telkonet Thermostat Image borrowed from www.eregrinegroup.com

Check out the Telkonet thermostat.  I’ve previously written about the Nest thermostat and the Honeywell Wi-Fi thermostat.  Telkonet claims to take it another step further.  Not only is their thermostat programmable, accessible from the Internet and “smart”, but it can calculate roof comfort by aggregating data like time-of-day, solar load, brightness, humidity and occupancy patterns.  It’s Ecoinsight feature determines when a space is occupied or vacant and reverts to preset temperature limits.  Check it out at their site here.

The Ecoinsight thermostat is more for commercial applications than the other two.  While it has Internet connectivity, it may require special networking in order to access it.  This is more efficient where you have multiple installations.

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Double Duty Light Fixture

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Arcalux HRMS Image borrowed from American Green Technology website
Arcalux HRMS
Image borrowed from American Green Technology website

American Green Technology has a light fixture that does double duty as an air purifier.  From their website:

“Hospital-borne infections are a leading concern for medical professionals and patients. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 5 to 10 percent of all patients contract at least one hospital-acquired infection during their stay in an acute-care hospital. There are indications that the future of surgery as we know it may be affected because of uncertainties and fears of post-operative infections.  The CDC estimates that 1.7 million hospital-associated infections (HAI’s), from all types of bacteria combined, cause or contribute to 99,000 deaths each year and is now the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, greater than Breast Cancer, Aids and Automobile Accidents combined.”

Isn’t that depressing!  That makes me feel good about my next hospital visit!

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