How Much Green?

WHAT LEVEL OF GREEN DO YOU WANT TO BE?        

I recently attended a Green conference offered by one of my suppliers.  The speakers ranged from environmental groups all the way to a lumber supplier trying to rebrand themselves as a renewable resource.  One of the speakers was an architect out of Texas.  He talked about the three levels of Green and really struck a chord with me, reinforcing my own philosophy.

He started with Good Old-Fashioned Building Practices.  A few months ago I visited a $4,000,000 house under construction built on a bed of gravel, metal studs, with a cement coating on the outside.  I was shocked at their claims of building Green when frankly it looked like a good way of saving $40,000.  They purport to be Green because they avoided the transportation cost and energy expended at the concrete batching plant.

I still believe in a solid concrete foundation to support the investment, so to speak.  When that foundation fails, and it will, it will be extremely difficult to save that house. The energy it will take to make the repairs will negate any energy savings and claims of being Green.

Before you spend any money on Green products it’s really best to make sure that the exterior of the home has a controlled envelope (well sealed) and controlled fresh air intakes, quality windows installed correctly (an average quality window properly installed is better than any quality window improperly installed), and a properly installed and maintained heating and cooling system.  Other practices that I encourage include: installation of simple window coverings and ceiling fans, water-saving plumbing devices, carbon-dioxide monitoring, radon vents, and daylight basement designs.

These are some of the most effective investments you can make before going to the next level which we call Energy-Saving and Environmentally Sound Products.   

…more to come!...