Time for a holiday treat! Thank you Tess.
1 12oz pkg. Semi Sweet chocolate chips
1 Cup chunk style peanut butter
2½ Cups miniature marshmallows
¾ Cup raisins
Microwave chocolate and peanut butter in a 2 quart bowl on medium, stirring after each ½ minute until melted. Fold in marshmallows and raisins and pour into a foil lined 8” square pan and chill until firm.
You can double the recipe and use a 13 x 9 foil lined pan.
Design has begun on what is intended to be the first Emerald level certified Green Home in the state of Illinois. SWA Architects is working alongside JAW Builders of Wheaton to design a home that will achieve the highest level of green certification from the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Program.
SWA Architects has taken an increasing interest in green building over the past few years and hope to enlighten our readers on the process and benefits of designing and building green.
Green building also means green living and we hope to demonstrate what that means, so we will be updating you throughout the entire process; from design of the home, to bidding and selections, and all the way through construction. We invite you to follow us along the way and even lend a comment or question as we work toward achieving the goal of Emerald certification.
First Passive House in US, Smith House, Urbana, Illinois
With “Green” becoming a key word in our everyday vocabulary, questions in the architectural and construction community have arisen regarding the most environmentally friendly way to build. Do we focus on recycled building products, reducing construction waste, or designing and building a home that thrives on energy efficiency?
While the perfect world meshes all of these elements, reality does not always allow this, economics often being the key hindrance. That being said, there are programs and models out there to keep us thinking of new and innovative ways to build. One such program is the Passive House standard. Developed in Europe (Passivhaus) in the early 1990’s, the essential concepts of creating a home that uses 90% less energy than a standard home, gained much acceptance in the residential market of Europe, and has begun to garner interest in the US in the last decade.
Designing and building a Passive House focuses on making the home as airtight as possible. This concept Read the rest of this entry »
