Green Building Curmudgeon

I recently read an incredible book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, by Michael Pollan. He writes about the food industry - industrialized farming, huge cattle feedlots, how corn is a prevalent ingredient in almost everything we consume, and other delightful subjects. It is enough to make you stop eating altogether. One subject he addresses is the idea of organic food. While its origins go back to J.J.

As homes become more and more efficient, we need to look for new frontiers in energy and resource conservation. One of the next ones on the horizon is water heating. We have many great options for heating water efficiently including tankless heaters, super high efficiency tank units, geothermal, and solar. They all have their pros and cons, depending on the particular project. One thing that they all have in common is that none of them are effective when connected to a poorly designed hot water distribution system.

It’s the piping, stupid!

I hear one particular question very frequently these days – “How much more does it cost to build a green home?” While this is an excellent question, it makes me realize just how far we still have to go in order to move towards a completely sustainable economy. Everything comes down to dollars with everyone. Even people with practically endless amounts of money are cost conscious. Not that it is a bad thing to be aware of what you are spending, but it isn’t good to make every decision based on cost.

I read an article in The New York Times today about the concept of “nudging” people towards better behavior. The story noted that after etching images of flies in the urinals at the Amsterdam airport, “spillage” on the men’s room floor dropped by 80%. An expert in behavioral economics stated “Men evidently like to aim at targets”.

As I was reading about a bill in the Georgia legislature (unlikely to pass) forcing utilities to stop buying coal from mountaintop removal, it occurred to me that our dependence on fossil fuels and the havoc that they are wreaking on the environment is kind of a cruel joke played on us by the Earth.

Free samples mean customers for life

Just leaving the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas, and even though attendance was down, it is as overwhelming an experience as ever.

First, let’s get rid of the formalities. Las Vegas has to be the most surreal place on the face of the earth. The scale is not even close to being human - everything is huge – the buildings, the roads (typically 8 lanes wide), casinos, hotel rooms, and this trade show.

How to Manage a Green Building Team

Don't let the little things bite you in the assets.

Project management, while not rocket science, requires skills that range from technical to interpersonal to creative. Project management for green building adds layers to this already complex process.

I was listening to NPR the other day and heard a very interesting segment on problems in the paper-recycling industry.

It seems that the bottom has fallen out of the market for wastepaper to be recycled. The price recently fell from $150/ton to about $20/ton, making recycling very difficult from a financial perspective. The primary side effect of this is that more paper will be put in landfills until the market comes back up.

I got a press release in the mail today for a new product called “Doorbrow”, including the following points:

“…a revolutionary new product…” , “…will minimize water intrusion and sun deterioration…”, “…prevents leaks between a building and its entry door, effectively eliminating water intrusion…”

I recently had the privilege of watching modular homes be built in a factory and then installed on the job site, and I must say, I came away pretty impressed. These are two homes that when complete will be LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED for Homes is the residential green building program from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). While this program is primarily designed for and applicable to new home projects, major gut rehabs can qualify. certified, as well as meet the requirements for EarthCraft House and the new NAHB Green Building ProgramThe NAHB Green Building Program includes: the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines, the National Green Building Conference, the NAHB Green website, the Green Building Program Hotline, the National Green Building Program Awards, the Certified Green Professional Designation, and the green building training and education that support the designation and guidelines..

Modular homes, also known as "systems built," are a far cry from the old mobile home that was rolled to the site and finished with an aluminum skirt (and a couple of pink flamingos, for good measure). While each component of a modern modular home is roughly the size of a mobile home, they are assembled onsite into medium to large homes that to all but the most knowledgeable visitor look no different than a stick built home.