Podcast Episode 115 — Martin Holladay Redux!

Rebroadcast of an interview with our green building expert.

By Michael Moran Alterio

The guys have the week off for this episode, so we’re taking a second listen to Podcast Episode #37, an interview with Green Building Advisor editor Martin Holladay. We were not shooting video back then, so this is an audio-only podcast.

Martin built his first passive-solar house in northern Vermont in 1974, and he has lived off the grid since 1975. But he does not necessarily recommend off-grid housing in general, partly because of the environmental advantages of a connection to the grid and because of the cheap energy future that he sees coming, with a couple caveats. “It’s somewhat of a fetish for green builders and energy-efficiency nerds to say, ‘You can’t have too much insulation.’ Well, frankly, you can. Energy won’t be expensive forever, and energy won’t be dirty forever.” The guys have a lively discussion on the ways that the building trades can — and can’t — contribute to the fight against global warming.

Martin has worked as a Fine Homebuilding editor since 1999 and is now senior editor at both Fine Homebuilding and GreenBuildingAdvisor.com. His weekly blog at GBA, “Musings of an Energy Nerd,” focuses on energy-efficient residential construction.

Can’t get enough Martin? We’ve had him on the show three times in all. Here are the other two episodes:

Podcast Episode 38

Podcast Episode 105

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The Fine Homebuilding Podcast embodies Fine Homebuilding magazine’s commitment to the preservation of craftsmanship and the advancement of home performance in residential construction. The show is an informal but vigorous conversation about the techniques and principles that allow listeners to master their design and building challenges.

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