I read the following Editor's Note today in ED+C Magazine (Environmental Design + Construction) and was so relieved to see Michelle Hucal, editor of the magazine, voicing the concerns that so many of us in the sustainable design and construction industry struggle with every day.
How do we look ourselves in the mirror every day, doing what we do, and then purchase a bag of Funions?
In other words, we embrace sustainability; we recycle, reduce, and reuse; we shop local; we eat organic; we encourage fair trade. We live the lifestyle we teach. But, sometimes.... just sometimes.... we buy the irresponsible product. Oh, the guilt.
Here's some wonderful insight from a woman, as she says, "with an extensive social network of green-minded professionals" that still buys artificial snack foods because they taste so good. Thanks, Michelle, for reminding us that we're all still human and doing the best we can:
We’re all consumers. And while ED+C doesn’t target the mainstream consumer, we’re happy to see that the environmental industry is progressing rapidly into the mainstream. Green building has started — though only slightly — to penetrate the entire consumer market. More and more people are being encouraged, or even coerced, to go green because of environmental concerns. And, many consumers have chosen to do the right thing for the right reasons.
But I worry about information overload. And greenwashing. It’s a good thing that consumers are being targeted by the mainstream media. (I’m excited to catch the first episode of the new Planet Green from Discovery, a 24-hour eco-lifestyle television network.) And, I look forward to reading some the green magazines on my nightstand, like Green Guide from National Geographic.
But when I view this information, even I have questions. I wonder what the average consumer must think. How do they determine the best avenues for truly going green? For example, I have switched to mostly compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs), but was freaked out as a parent when my local news station broadcasted a scare about toxic mercury exposure should one break. And though I buy organic groceries as much as possible, I can’t help but sometimes choose on-sale and great-tasting artificial snack foods.
Sometimes it’s knowledge, other times it is convenience (i.e., availability and cost) that persuades me to purchase the environmentally friendly choice. I also have to constantly weigh my options, do more research and ask questions. And as the editor of ED+C with an extensive social network of green-minded professionals, I have the opportunity to ask experts. But it often comes down to a personal decision. For example, should I install certified carpet in my dining room, or a hard-surface floor? And if I select hard surface, do I choose a certified wood, linoleum or cork?
I will likely base my decision on comfort and practicality (including durability and maintenance), aesthetics (of course it has to look good!), cost, and “greenness,” probably in that order. Fortunately for all of us, many green products fall into the conventional product price category. I can find certified products at my local home improvement stores because many of the products that are often considered traditional — like hardwoods — are attractive, and affordable and green.
This growing demand for green products on the shelves of big box retailers and home improvement stores, in grocery stores, and on the Internet, has resulted in greater availability at less cost. Manufacturers are seeking to capitalize on the market, which increases variety and drives down prices.
However, we still have a long way to go toward fully educating the public. A recent study reported that “when it comes to making their homes green, consumers are paralyzing themselves to inaction based on overwhelming notions of what is required and what it costs,” according to Eco Pulse, a national study produced by Shelton Group.
Today, I encourage you to spread the good green word among consumers. Do your homework. Weed out the greenwash. Share your knowledge! Inspire others to go green through documented experiences, personally and professionally. Tell your neighbors, your family, your friends and your coworkers why and HOW to go green. Share this information with me, too, so I can pass it along to our readers, at hucalm@bnpmedia.
Until next time,
Michelle
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Advanced Sustainability
This article is not for those newly initiated into green building. It's not for the faint-at-heart, nor is it for those just learning about sustainability.
Why? Because this article pushes our view of 'green' into the next phase.
So you've wrapped your mind around the idea of recycled and renewable, life cycle costs, carbon footprint, and energy savings. Now, let's talk about embodied energy.
Embodied energy refers to the energy required to extract, manufacture, transport, install, assemble and supply to the point of use a product, service, or material.
On the surface, a product may appear 'green', but what happens when we take into account the full, embodied energy?
The following is an article from Forbes Magazine:
When Building Green Harms The Environment
Matt Woolsey, 07.15.08, 6:15 PM ET
Gay Browne and her husband Tony have set out to build the greenest house in Montecito, Calif., in a small gated community near the ocean. They'll find the task much simpler than when they pursued the same green goal, in 1994, in Pacific Palisades, outside of Los Angeles.
Back then, builders had no idea about which materials were truly sustainable or were start-to-finish green, as opposed to being "greenwashed"--materials and appliances that might purport environmental friendliness through advertising or a fancy seal, but are environmentally detrimental. When Gay needed counter tops, she took a Geiger counter to a rock quarry to find the stones with the lowest radiation levels; she even found the one insulation maker in the country that used cotton batting instead of environmentally harmful fiberglass. In other words, she had to do everything herself.
Today, Browne, as the founder of greenopia.com, a site that helps consumers distinguish between those products that are highly efficient and have a low footprint from those that are masquerading as environmentally conscious (likely to take advantage of the growing green-materials market), has a much better idea as to what home-building materials and procedures are the greenest. The site is now a go-to resource for truly green construction, as buying greenwashed materials isn't just the slightly less environmentally friendly alternative; these products can increase your carbon footprint significantly.
Enthusiasm Despite The Downturn The remodeling market has slid with the housing market. Starting at the end of 2005, activity in remodeling has been decreasing steadily, according to the National Association of Homebuilders' Remodeling Market Index. David Seiders, the NAHB's chief economist, estimates that the market will further weaken through 2008. However, research from the NAHB and the American Institute of Architects indicate that green building is a growing component of the overall sector, and that green contractors have longer backlogs.
As a result, an increasing number of products are being positioned as green to take advantage of one of the few growing segments of housing. The most common false claim involves hidden trade-offs, according to research from TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, an Ottawa-based firm that, in November 2007, tested 1,000 household products making green claims. A good example of a hidden trade-off is concrete, which seems green once you own it, but is environmentally harmful to produce.
"Concrete is very durable, all natural and technically recyclable," says Eric Corey Freed, the principal of organicARCHITECT, a green architecture firm in San Francisco. "But its chief ingredient is Portland cement, which is heated to 5,000 degrees during manufacturing and lets off high carbon emissions."
How a product uses energy over its life makes a big difference as well. Carpets, for instance, might be made from sustainable fibers or recycled soda bottles. Assuming it's not backed with vinyl, which some are, think about the idea of the carpet itself. It requires cleaning, vacuuming and collects dust and pollen more than hardwood does. You need to amortize every extra watt it will require--and sneeze it will cause--over its life.
Supply-Chain Uncertainties. Another problem stems from how global supply chains work. Very few green operations are completely vertically integrated, meaning that it's rare for a company to own and operate every phase of the manufacturing process. From the time a piece of bamboo is harvested in China to the time it's installed as flooring in an Omaha living room, it's often gone through the hands of multiple companies--some green, some not so much.
While the flooring company in Omaha can truthfully say that it's using sustainably harvested wood (though bamboo is technically a grass), the shipping and trucking companies used to get the materials from China might not be green-oriented, and the factory where the bamboo is pressed might bond it with formaldehyde, or use a toxic finishing product.
"Consumers are looking for easy answers, and when I shop I prefer to see a logo on something and just buy it," says Scot Case, vice president of TerraChoice. "But the biggest piece of advice I have is don't buy a product because it has some green dot on it unless you understand exactly what that green dot means."
If a company doesn't chart all the materials used, makes claims on only one component of its sustainability, or makes no mention of manufacturing techniques, it's important for consumers to call companies and demand a material safety data sheet, which details every material used in the product, its disposal instructions, what sorts of gasses it emits, its level of toxicity and disposal instructions.
But another important tactic is conservation. For example, PaperStone and Richlite make high-end, recycled countertops that will more than likely outlive you, but so will your current granite countertops. Another good example is linoleum floors, which don't off-gas anything harmful, are easy to clean, aren't toxic and will last 25 to 50 years. Neither granite nor linoleum is as green as post-consumer compressed paper countertops or bamboo floors, but if you throw away the old floor and counter top in a landfill just for the sake of switching to a greener material, you're not doing a lot to reduce your footprint.
When a remodel is absolutely necessary, however, take the phone book out from under the short leg of the table, and look up salvage yards. In many cases, older is greener.
"Salvage companies are inherently green," says Freed. "We have clients who buy a new house and want to remodel it, and will throw away a perfectly good toilet and bathtub because it's the wrong color. If we can't change their mind, we try to salvage it."
Though if you've got a flair for design and carpentry, you might want to refashion what wood or metals you're throwing away. As anyone who's ever been to an artisanal furniture store can attest, old barn doors and rafters are converted into high-cost furniture.
"I really like the antique look of reclaimed stuff," says Browne. "But they really do mark it up."
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2008/07/15/green-home-decisions-forbeslife-cx_mw_0715realestate.html
Why? Because this article pushes our view of 'green' into the next phase.
So you've wrapped your mind around the idea of recycled and renewable, life cycle costs, carbon footprint, and energy savings. Now, let's talk about embodied energy.
Embodied energy refers to the energy required to extract, manufacture, transport, install, assemble and supply to the point of use a product, service, or material.
On the surface, a product may appear 'green', but what happens when we take into account the full, embodied energy?
The following is an article from Forbes Magazine:
When Building Green Harms The Environment
Matt Woolsey, 07.15.08, 6:15 PM ET
Gay Browne and her husband Tony have set out to build the greenest house in Montecito, Calif., in a small gated community near the ocean. They'll find the task much simpler than when they pursued the same green goal, in 1994, in Pacific Palisades, outside of Los Angeles.
Back then, builders had no idea about which materials were truly sustainable or were start-to-finish green, as opposed to being "greenwashed"--materials and appliances that might purport environmental friendliness through advertising or a fancy seal, but are environmentally detrimental. When Gay needed counter tops, she took a Geiger counter to a rock quarry to find the stones with the lowest radiation levels; she even found the one insulation maker in the country that used cotton batting instead of environmentally harmful fiberglass. In other words, she had to do everything herself.
Today, Browne, as the founder of greenopia.com, a site that helps consumers distinguish between those products that are highly efficient and have a low footprint from those that are masquerading as environmentally conscious (likely to take advantage of the growing green-materials market), has a much better idea as to what home-building materials and procedures are the greenest. The site is now a go-to resource for truly green construction, as buying greenwashed materials isn't just the slightly less environmentally friendly alternative; these products can increase your carbon footprint significantly.
Enthusiasm Despite The Downturn The remodeling market has slid with the housing market. Starting at the end of 2005, activity in remodeling has been decreasing steadily, according to the National Association of Homebuilders' Remodeling Market Index. David Seiders, the NAHB's chief economist, estimates that the market will further weaken through 2008. However, research from the NAHB and the American Institute of Architects indicate that green building is a growing component of the overall sector, and that green contractors have longer backlogs.
As a result, an increasing number of products are being positioned as green to take advantage of one of the few growing segments of housing. The most common false claim involves hidden trade-offs, according to research from TerraChoice Environmental Marketing, an Ottawa-based firm that, in November 2007, tested 1,000 household products making green claims. A good example of a hidden trade-off is concrete, which seems green once you own it, but is environmentally harmful to produce.
"Concrete is very durable, all natural and technically recyclable," says Eric Corey Freed, the principal of organicARCHITECT, a green architecture firm in San Francisco. "But its chief ingredient is Portland cement, which is heated to 5,000 degrees during manufacturing and lets off high carbon emissions."
How a product uses energy over its life makes a big difference as well. Carpets, for instance, might be made from sustainable fibers or recycled soda bottles. Assuming it's not backed with vinyl, which some are, think about the idea of the carpet itself. It requires cleaning, vacuuming and collects dust and pollen more than hardwood does. You need to amortize every extra watt it will require--and sneeze it will cause--over its life.
Supply-Chain Uncertainties. Another problem stems from how global supply chains work. Very few green operations are completely vertically integrated, meaning that it's rare for a company to own and operate every phase of the manufacturing process. From the time a piece of bamboo is harvested in China to the time it's installed as flooring in an Omaha living room, it's often gone through the hands of multiple companies--some green, some not so much.
While the flooring company in Omaha can truthfully say that it's using sustainably harvested wood (though bamboo is technically a grass), the shipping and trucking companies used to get the materials from China might not be green-oriented, and the factory where the bamboo is pressed might bond it with formaldehyde, or use a toxic finishing product.
"Consumers are looking for easy answers, and when I shop I prefer to see a logo on something and just buy it," says Scot Case, vice president of TerraChoice. "But the biggest piece of advice I have is don't buy a product because it has some green dot on it unless you understand exactly what that green dot means."
If a company doesn't chart all the materials used, makes claims on only one component of its sustainability, or makes no mention of manufacturing techniques, it's important for consumers to call companies and demand a material safety data sheet, which details every material used in the product, its disposal instructions, what sorts of gasses it emits, its level of toxicity and disposal instructions.
But another important tactic is conservation. For example, PaperStone and Richlite make high-end, recycled countertops that will more than likely outlive you, but so will your current granite countertops. Another good example is linoleum floors, which don't off-gas anything harmful, are easy to clean, aren't toxic and will last 25 to 50 years. Neither granite nor linoleum is as green as post-consumer compressed paper countertops or bamboo floors, but if you throw away the old floor and counter top in a landfill just for the sake of switching to a greener material, you're not doing a lot to reduce your footprint.
When a remodel is absolutely necessary, however, take the phone book out from under the short leg of the table, and look up salvage yards. In many cases, older is greener.
"Salvage companies are inherently green," says Freed. "We have clients who buy a new house and want to remodel it, and will throw away a perfectly good toilet and bathtub because it's the wrong color. If we can't change their mind, we try to salvage it."
Though if you've got a flair for design and carpentry, you might want to refashion what wood or metals you're throwing away. As anyone who's ever been to an artisanal furniture store can attest, old barn doors and rafters are converted into high-cost furniture.
"I really like the antique look of reclaimed stuff," says Browne. "But they really do mark it up."
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2008/07/15/green-home-decisions-forbeslife-cx_mw_0715realestate.html
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