Going Green

Here in Walnut Creek, CA the city has announced last month that it is going green. I hope that it will mean a switch to biodegradable plastic bags, more incentives for using solar, free parking for all electric vehicles, tighter regulations and increased penalties for polluting etc... We shall see- time will tell.

Hello!

I would think that this is the new reality. After all, we are already experiencing the effects of not caring for our environment. It might be more expensive and we will have several sacrifices that need to be done along the way but then, I am quite sure that this is not a passing fancy.

New reality!
Just like recycling is common nowadays and wasnt so hot 30 years ago.

Some commercial buildings now are built "green" and use much less energy, even using solar power.

Going green has become a big fat reality in Portland. Many of our new residential high rises downtown were/are being built green.

According to an article in the Real Estate Journal, some real estate agents are going green in order to differentiate themselves from the crowd.

Over 1,000 agents have taken a $395 class to earn ?EcoBroker? designation, which they display on business cards and websites. Many other regional initiatives are taking hold. The article even features Moss Real Estate Group, ?New York?s first green brokerage?.

The green craze may just seem like a trend to some, but many agents consider this a long term investment. People have started thinking (or at least aspiring to) of ?green living? as a practical lifestyle. Savvy agents are taking note and adapting.

You should know about Newpointenergy.com which makes homes green by adding wind and or solar power plus power management and also installs sealselection500.com very high R value spray in foam insulation and ultra efficient hvac systems.

Energy star rated homes, and many smart home features have been sort of the hot discussion topic in some of the new homes being built in my area lately. And not only green building, but a lot of demolition recycling going on as well. Some interesting stuff is being taken out of homes that are being demolished and being re-used in other homes.
There is a web site for this called www.greendemolitions.com and I think it is great what they are doing for charity - check it out!

i would say it is a new reality.

Hey Tom are you going to spam EVERY thread on this board?

I observe three components to the Green.

1. Scientific, sustainable natural resource use, health, energy efficient, comfort, etc.

2. Green Environmental Spirituality

3. Green washing (Green Marketing/ Green Showoff without real substance)

 

I believe part 1 is going to be new scientific and economic reality. Part 2 can be and has been reality for some depends on their choice of spiritual value. Part 3 will be gone soon, whether it be a business or personal vainess.

My 3 cents.

As a LEED certified contractor (LEED is the certification from the U.S. Green Building Council) I have watched this trend slowly evolve in Central Florida. When I ask my clients what opened them up to green building they always have one point in commen, the savings in the end. I believe we will see more and more aspects of green building become standards 10 years from now. It is true, the cost of constructing green may add another 10-20% to the overall construction budget, but if you plan on living in the home for 5 years or more you will be rewarded with the benefits. You can also be assured you will add value to the home when you plan to sell the property. I must warn people living in the Southeast, be sure if you plan on incorporating green aspects in new construction and renovations to be sure the contractor has either a LEED certification or a very good knowledge of the products being installed. The Southeast has very high humidity and many of the green products being tested and manufactured in the North and West are not well suited in the humid environment. I have gone and inspected many other contractor's work to find mold and mildew issues less than one year after the construction. Mold and mildew can cause a downward spiral of problems. I believe in green building. I hope everyone will took into incorporating green building in either their next home or in a renovation. It can truely save you money in both bills and taxes, maintains a healthy indoor air quality and helps protect our resources for our children's children. There are many ways you can improve your home to cut cost with a very low budget. I encourage everyone to learn more about this trend and make it a reality.

I would believe that going "green" is becoming more mainstream as consumers are demanding more eco-friendly alternatives and companies are introducing more and more new products.  It is also becoming apparent that going "green" can increase your home's value while also reducing your energy costs.  For more information on how homeowners can make a difference I would recommend checking out this Home Remodeling site.

green is a going to someday be a reality but today  I think it's a fad or the "in" thing to do.   Much the same as home automation, VOIP and some of the other buzz words.   It's a wonderful technology that is available today but most people dont know about it or have misconceptions of what it truly is.  Once the general public  realizes  that "going green"  doesnt you need to wear a grass skirt made of wheat  and building your home out of recycled plastic bottles then we will be on the way. 

 

Over the next few years with the rise in costs of fuel  and building materials  it will become less expensive to go green that it would to stay with traditional building methods. What do you think is going to happen to most natual products over the next decade?   higher fuel costs, materials in shorter supplies, land labor rising means that natual materials will soar in price leaving you no choice when "green"  windows cost less than wood and  cost of heat/air  will skyrocket making the choice of conserving energy a no brainer.

 

anyone care to bet where the cost of lumber is going to be in 5 - 10 years ?  I am betting it will be a better investment than oil if your in it for the long haul as we decrease our dependency on fossil and petroleum based fuels by utilizing solar, wind, hydropower  and converting our vehicles to electric, hydrogen, and alternative fuels. 

So what IS green construction, generally?

 

Bamboo floors and trim instead of wood, I'm guessing.

 

Solar panels, I suppose. Those things are butt ugly, and i'm not terribly interested in getting them unless they can run the central air system down here in the humid, moldy South.

 

I've owned older homes with plaster walls and no pink-stuff insulation. So will thick walls come back in construction as more eco-air friendly, especially if "going green" means to get the fumes and such out of homes that lead people to be ultra sensitive to chemicals?

 

Hot-water tanks or tankless sytems will be a part of it, I would assume. Not sure if granite, quartz are  "green" or if the mining puts more chemicals into the water tables as would using other products for kitchens and baths. Or if plastic DuPont type stuff is more 'green' because it can be made instead of mined, or the process is more chemically and so not as green.

 

All of this stuff confuses me. Just make sure I have my Wi-Fi, please.

The term 'green' sort of annoys me, as it seems like a fad and doesn't really mean what people think it means all too often. 'Green' to me means building health, e.g.: using materials that don't create a toxic homestead, so, low VOC paints, low formaldehyde wood products, smart architecture that emphasizes passive heating and/or cooling, water-conserving appliances that don't compromise their core functionality, energy efficient everything, and great insulation making up the entire indoor envelope. In otherwords, green really just means pragmatic and wise building. None of these things should represent a compromise to build or to live in. Most of the additional costs are quickly recouped and then continue saving, particularly as energy rises in cost.

 

"Non-green" is just bad building. Poor insulation, resistive electric heating (baseboard electric heat should be outlawed), wasteful appliances, toxic wood products and paints, all usually in the name of saving a buck.

 

If you do want to start talking about compromises, sure, photovoltaics and solar thermal are great options if you can afford them and can be integrated into homes in an aesthetically neutral way if the home was correctly sited when built. Personally, I want these less for 'being green' and more for 'being energy independant.'  Economically, it still makes the most sense to 'be green' by conserving usage, rather than necessarily generating onsite...

It's a trend with a reality in it, and I hope the reality continue to grow over the trend.  I'm feeling more promotion, consumer education and marketing by media and industry wants to push forward to capture more "green" products.  Without economic benefits (short & long term), they have no interest to pitch on this. 

 

With soaring energy bill (reality) here in Hawaii, solar-panel installtion demand is all time high.  Some "eco-friendly" feature are easily adopted if they don't damage the wallet (or get your money worth), and not sacrifice their life-style or convenience. 

 

We are easy to buy into "40% less (sugar, fat, calories)" chips, while eating the same size of the bag.  I would be all for energy efficiency, but "spend less" is hard to swallow for the big appetite.

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's here to stay but beware ofn greenwashing. Also, you will pay more, no doubt about it. The other thing is, ask where that "green" product comes from. There's a lot of energy spent on transporting it from Asia or South America which takes away from the whole green thing. I know people who purchased wood flooring that wasn't FSC Certified but got it from within a 500 mile radius of where it was used. That was the trade off. It's all about trade offs. Don't be fooled. Lots of spinning going on out there.  Check out the LEEDS for Homes section. Google it.