20. Atmosphere of The Green Trees Tunnel

One early summer day, I was driving to a tiny water front town. My car passed through the city, went across the open sunny space on the outskirt of that town, and before I reached the boundary of the next town, I had to pass through a green tunnel of trees. When I entered it, suddenly I was wrapped with a nice cool pleasant feeling. There are many urban tree canopies and tree tunnels, but this particular tunnel had a special impact on me. Since then, I have been thinking about tree shade that stays comfortably cool during the hot summer.

A Pass Surrounded by Trees

Tree shade coolness wouldn't be obtained in the shade of the building. It is nature's air-conditioning. Trees pump water up from their roots, the temperature of leaf surfaces decrease, evaporating moisture from the leaves remove heat energy from the surrounding air. Transpiration is an important role for trees. This process maintains a constant temperature to prevent damage from high temperatures and keep us comfortable and healthy. Moisture from the soil where the tree stands help too. On a hot day, tree shade "fell like" temperature will be lower than asphalt and concrete areas, possibly by more than 27˚F (15˚C). 

The "feel like" temperature is how we sense our perceptions that depend on humidity or wind and
differ from weather or room temperature. We may feel cool or warm at the same temperature. It's iffy, and there have been a lot of calculating formulas with claims and ideas. So to gain the benefits from tree shade, the most effective way is to study and get a better understanding of where to plant trees.

Some might say "Staying in an A/C room is enough". Of course air-conditioning makes us feel cool and creates a healthy environment. However, global warming is worsening. Could we help by gaining a better understanding nature? By using A/C effectively and efficiently we are reducing energy use?

When I went into the green tree tunnel, not only did the temperature drop down, the atmosphere had also changed dramatically. A natural phenomenon occurred from the evaporation of moisture from tree leaves and the ground, wind, the terrain and so forth bringing positive and negative ions into balance. The type of air was different from any machine made comfort.

And now, I have a similar experience in my house. After GAINA was applied in my house, the air quality has changed. Customers of GAINA commented on experiencing similar things after using GAINA, "Cool in summer" and "Air quality softened" are the common theme. This product originated from observing nature, and a keen desire to help the global environment by reducing personal and commercial energy use.

Since we are part of nature, respecting it will help to improve our lives. I appreciate the nice learning experience from the green tree tunnel. Embracing the understanding of how living close to trees is so important for health and comfort, I'm now enjoying a comfortable atmosphere inside and outside during the hot summer's day.

19. Forest Air

Tree Canopy Shade

Forest air is refreshing and makes us feel good. While surrounded by trees, taking a deep breath when walking is so relaxing.

When I was a child, I went to the forest a lot. My father was an owner of a small family forest, handed down for several generations. We lived in an urban area, in Southern Japan. Every weekend, my father and uncle got together and went to grandmother's country home, and took care of the family property. 

Forests have to be managed well to keep them healthy. Breeze needs to pass through. Unnecessary undergrowth, bushes and branches cause harm to the forest so it had to be removed. It was hard work, especially in summer. Weather was very hot and humid, it was like South East Asia.

I helped my father work. I cleaned undergrowth and carried baby trees to plant. When I got tired, I took off and followed animal trails. Everybody was busy so they didn't notice where I went. I learned about the forest and how everything was inter-dependent by observing nature.

View from my house

Many years have passed. Now I'm living in the Pacific Northwest. And I enjoy having woods behind my house. Trees help clean air, control temperature, and manage storm water. If we properly maintain urban forests and enhance their health, the green infrastructure benefits our community.

I enjoy walking for hours in the forest, however not so much at the Mall or in the downtown area. Of course, I like to go shopping. But, if I don't rest frequently, I get a splitting headache, even though I'm not prone to headaches. Nature must have something that empowers me.

This may be one of the most fascinating aspects of GAINA. For example, the ion measurement within a GAINA coated room has the same ion distribution of mountainous areas at over 3200 ft above sea level. Special ceramic beads in GAINA are what improves air quality, by balancing positive and negative Ions. Negative and positive Ion balance is important. Now, I have that forest air right out my back door and balanced ions inside with GAINA coating.

From time to time, I think about my father's forest. When he was planting baby trees, he said to me,  "I plant, you take care, and your children will cut these trees". Owners of forests attached to family land, took great pride and were committed to their trees. However, grandmother, father and uncle have past away, and the forest was left alone without a caretaker. Cheaper imported lumber caused the decline of forestry. Many family forest owners can no longer survive. They don't have enough financing to continue as competitive forest-land holders.

National Park Forest

It's sad but I'm not disheartened by the forest situation. In time, I believe the forest will recover sooner or later, especially with help from caring people. Trees take years to grow, and the forest is resilient. I just need to be patient.

When I go into the forest, the trees, the colors and the smell of the air invigorate me. I had wonderful times when I was a child and even now my love of nature brings me great joy.

18. Experience from coating GAINA

Every time I go into our house guest room, I feel very at ease. This coming September will be the second year since we coated GAINA, the insulation made of ceramic beads. In our house, we painted select rooms and ceiling areas, leaving some rooms as they were before to compare.

We are not the first to use GAINA coating. Some US businesses visited Nisshin Sangyo already, the company as best selling Eco Paint in Japan.

Originally, the ceramic insulation developed by NASA. Because of the effectiveness, ceramic insulation widely used and has been commercially available in the world. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) was inspired to use their space technology to develop their own version. Duplication required expertise and strict safety measures. New Enterprise Promotion Department shared their ceramic beads insulation data with several interested developers.

Many Japanese leading paint companies failed at duplicating a usable ceramic coating, because the technology was far too advanced. That is why JAXA was supplied about Nisshin Sangyo. The small company reached a considerable level already. Now, GAINA is part of the JAXA COSMODE PROJECT. Scientists are continually finding more data in regards to its health benefits. That could be the reason I feel refreshed whenever I go into the guest room.

Right now, a long-term guest lives in our house. She has several health problems including allergies to cats and dogs. We have 4 cats and 5 dogs (at first 6 dogs). In the beginning, we thought for her to stay here would be impossible. However, she actually doesn't seem to mind. Time to time, cats and dogs visit her room, and make her smile. It wouldn't be possible without GAINA filtering the air of allergens.

My previous article mentioned that after we painted, we immediately felt different, and more peaceful. However, after our long-term guest came, the effect became more obvious.

For her privacy, the North Side guest room door was closed most of time. There were two windows. During summer time it was nice and cool, however in winter time it wasn't warm enough, because of heat loss through windows. Till we can upgrade the windows, we put in a portable far-infrared heater. In minutes it quickly warmed the whole room up and made it comfortable, and GAINA retained the heat effectively, She did wear summer dresses the entire winter.

Nisshin Sangyo took a long time to become the best seller of this product. At first, the public didn't understand about ceramic beads insulation. In time, word of mouth spread of its effectiveness. It is now the #1 paint in Japan. That is significant proof of its effectiveness. Right now, the main selling product for the company is the outside coating. However, they say the inside coating has better effects. Therefore, their business will continue to grow. We coated GAINA inside our house to have our own experience to make sure.

There is a lot of information out there about other ceramic coating insulations. GAINA is superior in its effectiveness since it originally came from NASA. However, each ceramic insulation products have different levels of effectiveness. The manufacturers can provide scientific information. However, I'm interested in actual experience. Does it save our money? Does it make our life comfortable? And I say "Yes, GAINA does". So I recommend it wholeheartedly to anybody who is interested in saving money and wants to feel nice living at home.

17. Polystyrene foam Insulation made me to think

Everybody wants to live comfortably! Cool in Summer and warm in winter. To achieve this, I thought for a long time, it was a necessity to have a Heat Pump or HAVC system. Of course, I had heard about insulation. However, I didn't think much of it due to a lack of knowledge. One day, that all changed when I saw SIP (Structural Insulated Panel) homes.

At a  building site of these houses, the contractors showed me a panel of polystyrene foam sandwiched between the interior and exterior of the entire structure, in floors, roofs and walls. They explained that the 2500 sq ft home  would have a monthly average electric heating bill of approximately $30 (rate at that time and some variation by region). I was amazed at how much insulation could effect our lives.

Although I'm not living in a SIP home right now, there was a time when my husband and I considered that option while searching for a new home. We didn't capitalize on our newly acquired knowledge because we didn't have enough time for future construction. We needed to move out of our previous house immediately. After first securing our financing, we were forced to find a home that was already completed. Soon we found it. Not even one month later, we were all moved in.

A View from My Kitchen Window in Spring

Anyway, we like our home, especially the location. It's close to parks and protected green-space. However, as time goes by, we noticed our heating bills were very expensive during the winter months.

At that time my interest in reducing Global warming and Energy conservation were also growing. Both issues are now generally accepted public concerns. Expensive heating bills and environmental issues led me to think of ideas about adding insulation in my house. But, how?

Still, I had little knowledge. How about Straw-bale construction. It would be wonderful. Or, maybe not, here in the soggy Northwest. When I learned that some cities banned polystyrene foam cups and food containers I was relieved that we didn't purchase a SIP home. EPS (expanded polystyrene) are very common in our lives. I thought about polystyrene insulation. Polystyrene foam has been widely used as a building material also.

There is a concern of Styrofoam damaging our environment and spreading to the rest of the world. Being unwelcome in many communities, some businesses have moved to reduce or switch to other products. It may not be easy for some businesses. However, society and the global manufacturing industry are always advancing. Embracing new ideas and technology to create better, healthier, and safer products.

When a new idea comes, we are likely to get confused. However confusion is not so bad, rather it makes us think and encourages us to improve. Yes it is true that we are naturally curious creatures. So I continuously search for ways to make our living more comfortable while being environmentally safe. I may not find a perfect solution, but I will find satisfaction in a better life.

16. Fireplace Popularity

The fireplace is not so popular in our house anymore. Of course, it is March. Spring's here and it's getting warmer. Who wants to stay by the fireplace? Well, I'm not talking about spring. This happened during the last winter.

Nobody at Fireplace
(pet-mat has enough space from fireplace for air)

In my previous article, it was talking about warmth on cold days. I know its better to show data. But when my husband and I coated GAINA in September of 2013, we didn't prepare well. So, we don't have exact numbers. We feel the results are amazing, so we went to the ones most likely to know GAINA's data. (in the future, it will come)

Meanwhile, I noted some comments, rather I should say, observations. They are our pets. You may think "What!?" Basically, animals are not persuaded by advertising, it's not possible to tamper with the outcome of their data either, simply, reacting according in the situation. They are just being honest.

Gathered together before coating GAINA. 

Anyway, our pets (cats & dogs) love laying in front of our fireplace, during the cold winter. Sometimes, they demanded me to turn on gas fireplace, staying there for long periods of time. The heat seems to entice them. Ah, when I touch their warm body and fur, even the smell warms my heart.

Yes, I know, we are spoiling them. Of course, we have to be careful for their safety, such as ventilation to get fresh air and not to get them burned.

The second winter has past since we coated GAINA. The manufacturer mentioned that as time passed, we would keep getting better results because of curing. And it was true. The effectiveness is better than the first year. Our pets proved it.

Panting... Too hot!?

For example, our golden retriever who has hip-dysplasia and arthritis, used to lay in front of the fireplace a lot. Nowadays however, she immediately start panting and moves away quickly. She now likes to lay at the cool entrance rather than at the fireplace even through the winter months.

She hates sitting on cold ground because of her hip condition. When she went to dog training class, her hips gave her trouble. Obeying the "Down" command on cold ground for extended lengths of time, was too much for her tender hind quarters. She couldn't walk well after a few days in class. Now, even though she enjoys training, she refuses the "Down" command when on cold ground.

Nice & comfortable in Winter

It's not only her, the little doggies won't stay near the fireplace either. When I turn it on they disappear immediately. So that's how our fireplace lost popularity. They still love the heat from the fireplace, just for short times now.

I love our fireplace. Both its warmth and watching the swaying and dancing of the flames are so soothing. However, I think wood stoves are the best for heat. Pellet stoves and gas fireplaces are both great. If I had enough space, I would like to have both of them. There are also eco-fireplaces that are nice to have. No matter what, many are drawn to fireplaces in cold winter days.

Well, since our pets stopped demanding us to turn on the gas fireplace, we have lower energy bills to pay while having plenty of warmth inside. These are my observations on the long-term effects of applying GAINA in our house. Happy pets~Happy humans!

Happy Family (watching my husband)

Dedicated to the memory of Tuffy (second from right). He died on March 30th, 2014.

15. Bathroom in Winter

It's February, the end of winter and the shortest month in the year. February has only 28 days (29 days in a leap year). The Ancient Roman calendar begins in March and ends with December, the rest of the winter days were left off, not counted for agriculture. January and February were added later. It seems like February just got the leftovers. Nobody knows exactly why, but we don't mind having a shortest winter month anyway. And this winter, I experienced something interesting from the bathrooms.

guest bathroom

This is the second winter in the house coated with ceramic insulation. Ceramic Insulation Coating controls heat flow to keep cool in summer and warm in winter. There are several products, and we chose GAINA.

We have a nice warm house in winter now, and the bathrooms are the warmest place in our house, Our bathrooms don't have any windows. Since windows are one of the main reasons for heat loss, it's natural to think the place without windows should have less temperature change. But...GAINA made a big difference.

The walls and ceiling of the bathrooms were coated, they stay at a comfortable temperature and have nice soft air. A lot of people start and end everyday in the bathroom. Many would love to have a good quality bathroom. So, how about the bathroom with a window in an existing building. Does GAINA work there also?

guest room

Well, our guest room at the north-side of the house has two windows. In this room, I noticed that the air is soft and clean, but felt a little bit cooler. Ceramic Insulation Coating is not a heater. To warm up, the room needs a heat source.

For example, there are two rooms, exactly the same, but one room was coated with Gaina and the other with regular paint. After both doors are closed, both rooms lose heat from windows and the temperature drops. The difference is, the GAINA coated room loses heat slower than the other room, and when the heater turns on, the temperature immediately rises. That's what leads to energy conservation and saving money. How much lost or gained temperature depends on the houses and buildings. Climate doesn't seem to matter. I think this product has a lot of potential and value.

Right now there are no international standards to represent GAINA, authority's are working to establish those standards. Some may have differing opinions of ceramic insulation coating. Eventually the truth will come out.

Ancient Roman people were less active in the winter months. For centuries people survived cold winters by saving food and staying indoors. This seems like hibernation to me. Now-a-days we stay very active during the cold months because we have better heating available. Sadly however, we waste a lot of energy. We need to find a global solution for conserving energy and preventing further global warming. GAINA is designed to be part of the solution, not the problem.

14. Adding Insulation Materials

Adding insulation is very effective for saving energy. It keeps the inside of the house warm or cool while spending less on energy bills. Some of my friends installed thermal insulation material on their walls and ceiling and got good results. However, I thought, "It's for old houses, not for my house."

My husband and I purchased a newly built house with insulation already installed. I thought today's insulation performance of new houses was up to date in the market. So insulation wasn't on my mind. I was rather interested in a better price. How many people would care for insulation performance when purchase a newly house anyway?

Home builders and developers have to contend with building costs in the sales market. The house must have the appropriate price for what consumers want. Most builders and building suppliers put forth a lot of effort to find feasible construction costs, while adhering to building codes. These are the minimum standards for the site, equipment, and structure. Application of these building codes protect peoples lives, health and property.

Naturally, builders commonly use popular insulating materials that are inexpensive and easily installed. The construction permit assures some insulation, not necessarily the best performing material. Unfortunately, some builders may not have accurate knowledge about the products they choose and assume that it is good enough to just install any type of insulation that meets minimum requirements, which may lead to inadequate performance and sloppy work.

In any case, it's good to remember that meeting the minimum requirements of building codes does not fully guarantee quality. To obtain a higher level of energy efficiency, it is preferable to prepare the interior walls and ceiling prior to building completion. It would be nice to have the option of different types of insulation materials before purchasing a house. How much more initial cost would there be compared to the long-term saving on future energy bills?  After all, we have to pay both the mortgage and energy bills every month. However, providing such comparisons involves so much work, this doesn't happen. Our goal here at Gaina is to provide as much information as possible to ignite customer interest about the performance levels of different types of insulating products and show the savings of both money and energy in the long run.

I remember when my parents built their house 40 years ago. My father owned a lumber company and my mother had experience working in a construction office. So quality and performance of the building materials used was important to both of them. Yes they spent extra money, but they really enjoyed the superior quality of their home. After my father died, the house was sold and renovated. I was very happy to hear the carpenter's comment, "The house quality is still high, the lumber used in the construction of this house is hard to get now". I wish I could tell this to my father.

paint with brush

Several years passed since my husband and I moved into our new house. I wanted to find something for energy saving. Like I said, I didn't think much about insulation at first. That changed when I found Gaina. The presentation of this product amazed me and immediately decided that I wanted Gaina in my house.

At that time, we couldn't buy Gaina here in the United States. Since no other product compares in quality or performance, I didn't mind the little bit of trouble importing it. It is not cheap, but not too expensive either. Installation is not difficult. With Gaina applied, this winter we are enjoying warmth, clean air and saving money. That means we have acheived comfortable living.