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November 27, 2007
Bona fide and nationwide! NAHB is going green
According to a recent survey by the National Association of Home Builders 90% of the builders and developers polled are interested in participating in some kind of voluntary green building certification program. You can check out the full press release here.
This press release was circulated in anticipation of the NAHBs green building program to be launched at the International Builders Show in February. Stacy blogged a great entry about that program and though I share her enthusiasm, I also have some reservations.
On the one hand I am glad that the NAHB is launching a green building program. Every step toward lifting the collective building consciousness helps move the whole industry closer to goal. The NAHB has the money to get this into the industry and with some due diligence might actually make a measurable difference in how homes are built.
But on the other hand I have a hard time not being cynical. It is no surprise that a trade organization with the might and resources as the NAHB would be shouting the need for voluntary programs over mandatory ones. But if 90% of the industry already agrees in the concept of voluntary green building programs, why (according to the NAHB website) have there only been a total of 100,000 homes built using the existing 50 green building programs already out there?
Is it that builders have a hard time finding the local programs or that it is easier to agree to green building in a survey but less attractive to actually participate in the programs.
We will see in about a year the impact of the program, how many of that 90% actually pick up the flag and change building practices. Hopefully the NAHB will be as vocal about promoting the voluntary program in 2009 as they are today. But if industry powerhouses like the NAHB can’t start to rapidly move the building industry to more sustainable construction practices, what will be left but for a push to get Washington to start mandating change?
Posted by Andrew Hunt at 2:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 22, 2007
Now for thoughts on... flooring material?
When I blogged about countertop material, I got such a great list of resources and things to consider that I decided to ask you readers again, on a different topic - floors.
What do you think of sustainable flooring materials? What are the options, the considerations and the costs?
We're going to be adding about 800 square feet of office space above the garage in our new home. I don't want to carpet it, for a variety of reasons.
I'm looking for natural, reclaimed, recycled or easily renewable flooring options - that DON'T cost an arm and a leg.
Talk to me. What are your thoughts? Bamboo is an option (that has downfalls), reclaimed barn wood (I thought this would be inexpensive but OUCH it's not), I don't love marmoleum and other synthetics...
I'm secretly hoping Melissa will see this and write me another essay on the environmental friendliness of flooring materials. LOL.
Posted by Stacy Hunt at 10:53 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack
November 19, 2007
Sustainable Countertop Material
I've got a thousand other things I should focus on, but let's face it, in the end I'm a girl, and this girl's got to have her kitchen, and a nice countertop in it.
So I'm in the market for sustainable countertop material. What are the questions we ask when we're looking for a sustainable countertop?
I want something local. Don't want it shipped in, using energy and creating pollution to haul it halfway across the globe. Don't want it to be old growth wood, or forested in an inappropriate manner. Want it to be durable, so I don't replace it in 10 years. Want it to be made of a renewable resource. Want it to be safe and healthy for me and the people who manufactured it. Ideally, I'd like it to be made of natural products.
How about this one?
50% - 100% recycled paper fiber and nut resin. I wonder what it looks like in person...
http://www.paperstoneproducts.com/
Anyone have any other suggestions?
Posted by Stacy Hunt at 9:19 PM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
Two Acres and No Mule
We intended to go to Missoula just to look, and bought a house instead. We're moving in May, and between now and then we're planning to green the place as much as we can - what hasn't been done for us.
We're lucky. The place is solidly built, with a good, dry crawlspace under the main house. On the other hand, it's under-insulated, completely drafty, and the mechanical equipment is a little questionable. Okay, a lot questionable since it's in unconditioned closets in the garage. And there's a huge freakin' hole from the mechanical closet into the crawlspace. But beyond that, it's all good. Not much needs to be remodeled.
The property (2 acres, no mule) is full of native, low water grasses, plants and fantastic rock gardens. And there's a monster composting system going on (and a llama farm next door, free manure).
We've got five months to get the place ready for us, which includes adding offices for my husband and I over the garage, a few minor cosmetics, a new roof, and doing all of the energy upgrades we need to knock down the utility bills...
Wonder how green we can be and not break the bank?
Posted by Stacy Hunt at 9:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
November 13, 2007
And the company that has the most green buildings is...
...a company from my native Pittsburgh, the town that everyone associates with steel mills and so much pollution that the streetlights used to come on in the afternoons.
Not anymore, apparently... as PNC (Pittsburgh National Corporation) Financial Services Group, Inc. has more buildings certified through the USGBC's LEED Program than any other company on earth. And they also built a pretty spiffy ballpark here (which is rapidly being surrounded by terribly designed parking garages).
They just branded their own green buildings - Green Branch (sm), to show their commitment to the environment. Read more here: http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/prnewswire/NETU07513112007-1.htm
Part of me says GREAT. Whatever the motivation, I'm glad businesses are jumping on the green bandwagon. Part of me says they're just doing it for marketing value, and consumers aren't wise enough to look beyond the greenwashing to see... are they really a green company?
What are your thoughts? Are corporations who are supporting the green initiative greenwashing themselves, or are they making a significant impact?
Posted by Stacy Hunt at 11:47 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
November 6, 2007
Like a chicken in every pot... sort of
Why are we not including some basic sustainable components like rain water harvesting systems and eco-friendly compost solutions in every new home?
We know that storm water run-off is an environmental thorn and a growing concern for aging municipalities. We also know that 20 percent of the waste hauled off to our landfills could be recycled onsite through composting. Both rain collection and composting technologies were common place in homes until we started mass producing developments.
Why did we abandon such practical and simple solutions?
Yes, yes, I know, there are many other sustainable battles to fight when it comes to residential construction. Issues like radon, mold, R-values, water quality, VOCs, and the whole energy bug-a-boo. But an important part of shifting the collective consciousness is to show that every little bit helps and sometimes the best solutions are ones we left behind in search of bigger, easier, and faster.
What other old school, tried and true technologies could we reintroduce as low cost, common sense, sustainable options?
Posted by Andrew Hunt at 11:10 AM | Comments (14) | TrackBack
