Visiting a friend down the street the other day opened my eyes to something I had never thought about before; flies. More specifically was why did they have such a terrible problem with flies and I had seen so few at my house? When I told my hosts that I didn’t have the same issue they were floored! It seems that they have been battling these little pests since late spring and it was only getting worse. It was a mystery and I wanted to see if I could discover what was going on.

My first guess was it was a chemical that our bug company uses so I gave them a call. They were pretty sure that the organic chemical they used would not keep flies away like that so I was searching again. Then I found it; basil! Believe it or not, houseflies hate the smell of basil and avoid it like the plague. We grow tomatoes and I plant basil as a companion plant to keep as many bugs off of the tomatoes as possible because there are a lot of bugs that don’t like the smell either. So now you know, plant basil around your house or keep a potted plant or two in your home to keep the flies away. I just took one over to my neighbor!

One of the best ways to grow your own food on a year round basis is to build your own greenhouse. This way you get to choose the size based on the available space you have at your home. It does take planning and work and you need to make sure you read a lot about the subject because there is a lot more to it than sticking some plastic up over a frame and putting plants inside, You will need to have ventilation and circulation and there are calculators to help you figure that out OR you can call a retailer who is selling the materials and they can help you as well. Have your dimensions ready and a sketch ready to fax if need be.

One of the best covering materials is Solexx panels and rolls. It is very easy to install and has a great rating for all types of climates including very cold temperatures. You will need to get the thicker 5mm for these extreme climates and the 3.5mm for your normal climates. Since each panel has been treated twice for the effects of ultraviolet, it helps to filter out harmful rays and extends the life of the panels and rolls and is one more reason to consider them for your greenhouse.

With the state of the economy over the past couple of years, we in the construction world have wondered how environmental trends in our industry would fare. If the 2010 National American Institute of Architects Convention is any indication, the LEED trend is increasing exponentially. This year’s convention, held on June 10^th – 12^th in Miami, was a demonstration of the force that continues to propel “green” building and products with LEED requirements in the architectural markets. Most of this movement can be attributed to the inventive nature and cutting edge outlook of the architectural community as many of the exhibited products this year, as in recent years, have more integrated LEED characteristics with little to no increase in costs. I have to admit in the beginning of the LEED movement I never thought it would come to possess so much authority because of our budget oriented industry – I’m glad my initial observations were inaccurate.

It’s also inspiring to see domestic competition in deep-rooted markets. One such product exhibited this year is Formica’s Vivix, a direct competitor to Trespa. Formica will be rolling out Vivix with concealed and exposed fastener systems, both with patents pending. Final testing was to be finished by the end of June so a full roll out of the product by late summer or early fall of 2010 is likely. Vivix has a deep and attractive color pallet and I believe it will prove to be a considerable competitor to other products in the high pressure laminate market.

It’s so easy to look at what has happened in the Gulf of Mexico and blame BP for the oil spill. That’s not saying that BP was not at fault because truly they are. It’s simply saying that we have drilled in very deep water for a long time without a large incident like this and have been really lucky considering the amount of drilling that has taken place as well as the risks and shortcuts that have come to fruition.

Those who have lived on the Gulf Coast for a long time have seen evidence of oils spillage over the years. There has been oil that has been recovered on the beaches and out in the ocean just never in the amount that we see right now and of course never devastated the wildlife and fisheries like this spill has and will. But we should have known something like this would eventually happen. Even though the oil companies have a lax plan for these occasions they knew it was possible because they had a plan. But it was always worth it so they could deliver oil to the American public as cheaply as possible. It just turns out that we will be paying for this cheap oil for a long time and the bill will be higher than we ever thought.