AAVR Magazine

Green Building

I’ve always had a touch of interest in the environment, but that interest did not go much beyond recycling and tiny steps to reduce my carbon footprint. It is hard, though, to not find this stuff closer to top-of-mind with the media coverage that it has been getting.

I’ve been working with a green builder based in North Carolina, and this process has piqued my interest in the idea of green buildings. While most of us tend to think about cars, heavy industry and livestock as the major polluters, the buildings that we live and work in do not get much credit for the damage that they exact. Buildings account for 12% of all freshwater use, 30% of all raw materials consumed, 48% of all greenhouse gas emissions, and 70% of all electricity use.

I recently finished “The Green Building Revolution” by Jerry Yudelson. The book goes into great depth about how each part of the process of building, from placement to materials to building processes and landscaping, contribute to how much environmental impact a development or building has. Withcareful planning and engineering, the inputs and outputs from commercial and residential dwellings can be significantly reduced.

Specifically, the development that my friend is working on is called Lennon Hills. The team that has conceived this development is working to bring intelligent building practices to a region, Brunswick County NC, that is undergoing a great deal of rapid development. By incorporating innovative building materials and the latest in construction techniques with ENERGY STAR appliances, recycled-content cabinetry, natural daylighting throughout the house, environmentally friendly hardwood flooring, in addition to highly efficient Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs), these homes plan to use 60% less power, 40% less water, and 60% less heating and air conditioning than a ordinary home.

Sound like a commercial? I can’t help it, I did write the web site and most of the marketing materials (and borrowed liberally for this article). But the point is, speaking with my friend has gotten me very excited for the possibilities. Imagine the potential for energy savings in all of our homes with old windows, drafty doors, and poorly insulated walls? In fact, the other night, I went to see Former President William Jefferson Clinton speak at Radio City, and he was speaking about his excitement about the same concept. He is working closely with Mayor Bloomberg’s office here in New York, and they are going to refurbish the City’s public housing to make it more energy efficient. The result? While the current utility bill for public housing is about 500 Million dollars each year, it is projected to be only 350 million after the renovations. The money that is invested can be paid off with the energy savings alone.

I imagine that the public housing where these improvements are taking place will also become more pleasant as a result. Drafty windows and old leaky fixtures not only waste energy, they make life unpleasant. America needs to make more investments like this in upgrading our infrastructures and our buildings. These projects save energy, save money, and create jobs.

It’s easy to become overwhelmed in what could seem to be costly renovations to your house, but there are actually some small things that you can do today to “Green” your house a little bit. You’ve probably seen this stuff before, but it doesn’t hurt to add a couple reminders:

• Compost: I know, it sounds pretty hippie of me, but I’ve just started doing it, and it is embarrassingly easy. Actually, once you start, you’ll start to think that it’s absurd how much organic material gets thrown away, especially if you are like me and trying to grow things too. This guy has a great site that sells everything you need to get started. If you don’t want to go that far, community gardens are often happy to take your eggshells, coffee grounds, peelings and other degradable scraps.
• Make Smart Use of Daylight: In the summer, keep heat out with blackout or filtering shades and curtains. I just upgraded, and it makes a world of difference. In the winter, let sun in during the day, and close them at night to help insulate the windows.
• Opt for Paperless Billing: Some people like a paper trail. But most of us let our mail pile up as we pay our bills online. Most businesses offer an option to pay online, and if you take advantage of that, they usually offer an option to opt out of paper bills. In addition, ask to be removed from junk mail lists for catalogs and things you aren’t interested in. 44 percent of junk mail is never opened. Junk mail and unread bills not only waste paper, but also account for unneeded bulk in the mail system. That means more planes, more trucks and hence, more gas, used to bring you something you don’t want.
• Put Plastic On Your Windows: Sure it ranks up there in tackiness with putting plastic on your sofa, but if you live in an older house without double-pane glass, a layer of film behind curtains is hardly visible, and can make a major difference in draft and heat loss.
• Unplug Power Adapters: Notice those power bricks are always hot? That’s because they are busy stepping down voltage, and in the process turning expensive electricity into wasted heat energy. If something isn’t being used, it shouldn’t be plugged in, especially if you are on vacation. Power strips have a convenient little switch, and it’s good to get into the habit of turning it off when nothing is in standby mode.

There are tons more things you can do. For further reading, visit the Department of Energy, energysavers.gov, or the Us Green Building Council

Stay tuned- the next environment-related article will be about Geothermal heating. Oooooh.

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