FHB editor blogs the GreenBuild Expo
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(or at least is attempting to….)
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Some encouragement from my superiors has me contemplating the <!—-><!—-> <!—->Green<!—-> <!—->Building<!—-> <!—-> world as I sit in my hotel room (and I openly admit that with heavy eyelids I type begrudgingly – but not too much, Boss). I just arrived in <!—->Denver <!—-> to attend the GreenBuild Expo (www.greenbuildexpo.com) in hopes of gleaning further insight into the vast and ever expanding world that is now commonly termed <!—-> <!—->Green<!—-> <!—->Building<!—-> <!—->. I hope to share some thoughts with you all as the next few days here unfold. I’ll be attending a few seminars, meeting with industry experts and visiting booths to learn about new products. I’ll share some of what I learn (or am confused about) here each night (hopefully). If you so choose, feel free to respond and engage in some dialogue. I’ll respond as promptly as I can. Or you can chat amongst yourselves.
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My fellow editors and I have visited with builders across the country who are focusing their efforts on “Green/ Sustainable†practices. We haven’t necessarily sought them out as “green builders†– mostly we just connected with them as we normally connect with tradespeople – through networking (and beer drinking – but most of you already know that). Much of the time it seems as though what the ‘Green’ elements of their practices come down to is that they’re simply doing things well – building well-designed, tight, well-crafted houses that are comfortable and healthy to live in. They’re being mindful about what materials they use and how they use them. Some of them are doing creative things with construction debris (one architect I visited in <!—-><!—->Asheville <!—-><!—-> buried his drywall scraps under the Porte-Cochere portion of the gravel driveway). And some are pushing for more unique ways of using/disposing of water, power, etc. Surely Fine Homebuilding seems to have been covering that beat for a long time. <!—-> <!—->Green<!—-> <!—->Building<!—-> <!—-> doesn’t feel like all that new – and it really isn’t. Some would argue that it’s what we’ve been about since we started with issue #1. It’s still tough – for me anyway – to get a handle on what the hype is all about. I don’t mean to sound skeptical about it – I’m not. I’m genuinely curious. Is there a difference between <!—-> <!—->Green<!—-> <!—->Building<!—-> <!—-> and quality building? Will the term wash away in a few years and just become the readily acceptable practice (and code)? Tough to say.
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With so many companies sprouting (sorry – had to throw one pun in) new products and ideas – navigating the green world is becoming increasingly difficult. Green washing could potentially run rampant. Maybe in some places it already has.
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My eyelids are heavy. It’s a long day ahead of me tomorrow. Hopefully I’ll have some interesting information to share – and tomorrow’s entry won’t be such weary drivel.
Cheers,
Chris
(i edited the link from my original post – it was wrong)
Edited 11/14/2006 11:00 pm ET by Cermides
Edited 11/15/2006 11:08 pm ET by Cermides
Replies
Some would argue that it’s what we’ve been about since we started with issue #1.
Chris-
Yes, you can't get much more Green then that igloo builder on the back cover:o)
The end move in politics is always to pick up a gun.
R. Buckminster Fuller
One thing I’ll say at the start is that the USGBC (http://www.usgbc.org) is one huge organization - and it seems to still be oriented to the commercial industry. I walked half of the show floor today in not a lot of time because 80 % of the exhibitors had little to nothing to do with residential construction. We figured that would be the case - but thought with the LEED-Homes pilot program happening the conference floor would have more happening with residential construction. Thankfully the educational seminars do - and I attended one of them this morning.
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“Sold! Growing Demand for High Performance Homes†was about how the housing market is shaping the green building industry (at least here in <!----><!----><!---->Denver<!----><!---->). A large developer of mixed-use projects w/in the city of <!----><!---->Denver<!----><!----> talked about his company’s vision for sustainable, mixed-use communities. It was nice to see developers and architects working w/in an urban environment sincerely committed to sustainability - even when certification for their projects is running them about 1% of the total project cost (when project costs range in the tens of millions 1% ain’t cheap). So somehow it’s not all about money. But what was more interesting was Built Green Colorado’s (http://www.builtgreen.org) Kim Calomino’s discussion of how the association’s program got started in 1995, and how it’s grown to where it is now. As an aside, I’m still a little unclear on how it differs from LEED-Homes certification - other than it’s a little more climate-centered. In a recent trip to Asheville, NC I heard several comments that having a national program doesn’t make much sense when you get down to the real pieces and the regional programs have to survive to make Green building a truly sustainable industry-wide movement. I’m not sure about that. Frankly I don’t think anyone knows at this point how certification programming is going to shake out. Seems like it will be a lot of revision for a good while.
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Anyway - a marketing consultant for the Built Green homes program gave a great presentation that summed up the findings of some very extensive research they did. Basically what it came down to is this: consumers (people buying the homes) are driving the green building market here in <!----><!---->Denver<!----><!---->. And their perceptions of what green building means is a little cooky. The marketing researchers found that consumers didn’t want to spend extra money on “Green Built†homes unless there was “something in it for them.†(k - no surprise there). But what was surprising is that before they learned about Green Built homes they presumed that a healthy, environmentally friendly home meant it wasn’t as well built as a “normal†home. There’s other data they had I won’t bore you with. But a couple of ad campaigns they created sum up how they decided to promote the Built Green program. And according to the marketers, perceptions among consumers are changing. Check out the commercials at http://www.builtgreen.org/media/tvads.htm they’re pretty funny.
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Walking on cowhide…
I was a vegetarian for about 6 years until I went to work on a ranch in <!----><!---->Wyoming<!----><!---->. I made it through the better part of that year without eating meat, but finally caved one summer afternoon at the smell of a steak sizzling over the camp fire (my apologies to all you vegetarians if that made you wince). That was 5 years ago and I haven’t looked back. Until this afternoon. It was a tad startling to walk down one of the aisles at a Green Building Conference - to see this:
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Tool manufacturers will tell you that as FHB editors we don’t have a problem calling things as we see them - even when it might cause for an uncomfortable conversation. So I didn’t hesitate to introduce myself to the company’s owner, furrow my brow and ask, “Um, are you serious?†He chuckled and said he’d gotten a few complaints from vegans walking the show (no kidding). But after he explained that the leather was actually made from pulp which is made from scraps of leather that would otherwise end up in the landfill I felt the lines of my disgust blur. Which seems to be a common theme with all of these “green†products coming on the market. Plenty tout their green qualities, and I tend to be a little suspect of many of them. I had neither the time nor the energy at that point to push him further with more questions. Part of me felt like it was a good thing to be doing if it helped keep landfills cleaner. Most of me knows there’s likely plenty more in the process of actually producing the product that make recycled leather flooring and wall coverings about as green as burning pressure treated wood in an open can to keep warm in the winter while you watch cows graze in the pasture.
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I also talked with a few fellow journalists who are pushing to produce copy that serves either their existing readership or a new, yet undefined audience. Many of them are working in the theory end of things. That is - they’re covering the concepts behind building green homes - mainly for architects and designers - but it doesn’t seem like they’re covering really how to build them. Does anyone have an opinion about this? Do you feel like you’re getting the information you need already about Green building - or is there a gap in that knowledge? Is there a go-to resource for green (like FHB is for tradespeople/diyers)? I keep coming back to wondering where people are learning HOW to do these things. How are you learning the right way to install PV panels, or geothermal pumps? Or how to compare systems.
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Cheers,
Chris
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btw - Justin - you better be enjoying yourself in Vegas - we expect good stories from you next week.
Edited 11/16/2006 7:35 pm ET by Cermides
View ImageThe end move in politics is always to pick up a gun. R. Buckminster Fuller
Some resources and products from the show...
A Steep Green Roof: Green Roof Blocks just came out with a products for pitched roofs called Steep Green Packs. Fully saturated the packs weigh 17 lbs per sq ft. http://www.greenroofblocks.com/
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Education and training in the Northeast. Based in Boston, The Green Roundtable is offering programs to help architects and designers incorporate green design into their work. They're working on developing programs for contractors, as well. http://www.greenroundtable.org/
FSC-certified will find you. Instead of searching for FSC-certified products, you can go to http://www.findfsc.org and enter the products you're looking for. Your request will go out to people that carry the product and they'll contact you.
A growing FREE resource for green products and info: http://www.greenbuildingpages.com/main.html
NO VOC caulks and adhesives: They've been making products for the commercial industry for over 12 years. Now they are moving into the residential market. http://www.chemlinkinc.com/
Edited 11/16/2006 7:31 pm ET by Cermides
View ImageThe end move in politics is always to pick up a gun. R. Buckminster Fuller
A new certification standard is emerging. LEED for Homes is currently in its pilot stage, which began in August of ’05, and is currently working with 200 builders across the country. It will officially launch in Summer of ’07 http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=147
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Custom Builder in <!----><!----><!---->Syracuse<!---->, <!---->NY<!----><!----> embraces LEED for Homes Pilot program. Kevin Stack of Northeast Natural Homes spoke about his involvement in the LEED- Homes pilot program. Very passionate guy doing some cool things in his homes. We’ll likely mine him for insights and possibly some articles on green practices in the future so keep a lookout for his name. Kevin’s been building green homes for a long time - way before LEED was even thought of. One interesting quote (I think he was quoting another organization I didn’t catch the name of): If all the fly ash that’s generated each year were used in concrete production, the reduction in CO2 is equivalent to the elimination of 25% of the world’s vehicles. Kevin is adamant that building a green home doesn’t have to cost more. http://www.northeastnaturalhomes.com
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In a session with over 500 attendees, the speaker asked how many people had compact fluorescent light bulbs in their homes. Everyone raised their hand (except <!----><!---->me.<!----><!----> Yes, I was embarrassed). Just an interesting observation. Probably many more of the nearly 15000 attendees are using them as well. I immediately thought I should change all of my light bulbs when I get home. But I also thought I should buy stock in a compact fluorescent company. http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls
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Chemical company going green. BASF claims they’re the world’s largest chemical company. Surprisingly, they weren’t self-conscious about being at a <!----><!---->Green<!----> <!---->Building<!----><!----> conference. Their presentation was about a near-zero energy home that was completed in <!----><!---->Patterson<!---->, <!---->NJ<!----><!---->. I visited the home in April. Many of its aspects are impressive (particularly the energy bills). Check out the home’s systems at http://www.betterhomebetterplanet.com/index.php?mode=systems
Pay particular attention to the roof system - solar panels, cool metal roof, and the hot water system just below it. They are working toward making all of their products and processes green.
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Moving toward One Planet Living. BioRegional works with WWF to build communities based on research models that claim scary things about our future. The research says that the way <!---->Europe<!----> currently lives, we’d need 3 earths to sustain their lifestyle. And <!---->North America<!---->? We’ll need 5. So they’re trying to turn things around. One success story is in <!----><!---->London<!----><!----> called BedZED. It’s radical stuff, and typically off our radar, but I thought you would find it interesting (and inspiring). http://www.oneplanetliving.org
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<!---->Even NASA's going green. During lunch I ended up at a table with a project manager for NASA who said that every structure they build from now on has to have a LEED Platinum (the highest rating) certification. Again, off our radar but interesting.<!---->
UCLA professor dedicated to energy efficient buildings. Dr. Murray Milne has developed Home Energy Efficient Design (HEED) - Energy modeling software that is FREE! Figure out how efficient your current house is (or isn’t), and how efficient the house you’re about to build will be. Check it out at http://www.aud.ucla.edu/heed and http://www.aud.ucla.edu/energy-design-tools.com
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Edited 11/17/2006 10:34 am ET by Cermides
"...but it doesn’t seem like they’re covering really how to build them. Does anyone have an opinion about this? Do you feel like you’re getting the information you need already about Green building - or is there a gap in that knowledge? Is there a go-to resource for green (like FHB is for tradespeople/diyers)?"
Helll no there's no source. That's what is so frustrating about it. It's hard enough to come up aith a working definition or green building, much less find relevant info aboput HOW to go about various techniques. Between New Shelter magazine and Mother Earth News, many of us started thinking about solar orientation, thermal mass, heat exchangers, earth shelters, other alternative type ideas, but that was in the late 70s/early 80s.
Many people embraced those ideas and there are now 30 years worth of examples, both good and bad, of many of those techniques, but that's not a lot. Compare that to the 100 years or so North Americans have been stick building, and you start to understand why there's so little practical knowledge available today. I think the advent of the internet has helped rekindle a groundswell of interest as people find each other and trade stories/ideas. But this is a serious departure from the way we've thought about building in this country. It's going to take time.
I don't know beans about the business part of publishing, but I have to believe there is a void there that is a ripe opportunity, especially in this day and age of desktop publishing.
It's definitely going to take time. But momentum seems to be building.
I agree with you that there's an opportunity to serve readers with content focused on green building - but i think the trick is figuring out what people need to/ want to know - (and, of course what they're willing to pay for). Figuring out the aspects of green building we're not covering that you all want us to cover is hard - believe it or not we don't get a ton of feedback in that regard.
This trade show has been an interesting opportunity for me to get a really broad view of green building's landscape. Though the USGBC has been about commercial construction for a long time, their efforts toward residential construction seem sincere and committed. But as you said, time will tell how/ if green building is on your mind as you lace up your boots each morning. ("you" meaning all tradespeople).
We're featuring a story in issue 185 currently titled "What Does Building Green Really Mean?" Contributing editor Scott Gibson does a nice job of summing up the elements of Green Building - admitting that it is indeed a "working" definition. But so are a lot of things. The theory of it is definable, but the practices are going to be debated and revised for a long time. That's good, I think. You can't get better at something unless you're mindful about what you're doing in the moment while remaining honest/open about the possibility of changing to make it better. So the practice will evolve forever (hopefully).
Edited 11/17/2006 10:41 am ET by Cermides
Edited 11/17/2006 11:56 am ET by Cermides
"Figuring out the aspects of green building we're not covering that you all want us to cover is hard - believe it or not we don't get a ton of feedback in that regard."
I think it should be a regular column. That would be a good start. Might have an overview of three relevant topics, maybe one theoretical, one specific technique and one "here's one person's approach to...". At least that would be a start and let you get some feedback from your readers.
In fact, I know of one regular contributer who proposed this type column a few years ago. About the same time "Building Skills" was introduced.
Edited 11/17/2006 10:46 am ET by jimblodgett
Hello Jim,I was feeling a little green and read your post in the Building Conference thread.>>Is there a go-to resource for green (like FHB is for tradespeople/diyers)?<<It’s unfortunate that you can’t go to a bookstore or a magazine rack and find what you‘re looking for. I’ve been overwhelmed, and fascinated, by the volume of green building information that’s available.Here are some resources that should be useful: EBN-BuildingGreen.com - Home page for BuildingGreen, Inc. - Publishers of Environmental Building News and of other information resources for practitioners of sustainable design. http://www.buildinggreen.com/ Greenbuilding - A discussion group, with an archive.
http://listserv.repp.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_listserv.repp.orgOikos offers information on energy efficiency and environmentally responsible building construction. The site includes green building news, a directory of 2,200 green building materials, a book store and how-to articles. http://oikos.com/ Did you try the Sustainable Sources site that I posted in the other thread?I hope you find some helpful information in the above sites.
Thanks Smokey. I subscribed to the e mail discussion - every little bit of info helps.
Still haven't allocated time for a trip to the Sustainable Sources site you linked to. I will though, thanks again.Romania wasn't built in a day.
Glad to be of any help, anytime. Hopefully you'll find a few nuggets. Sustainable Sources is old and huge. It's the granddaddy of greenbuilding.
Who are the featured/keynote speakers at that conference?
Hi Jim -
here's a link to the keynote speakers. (i edited the link from my original post. sorry about that).
http://www.greenbuildexpo.com/Attendee/keynote.asp
William McDonough is, of course, among them. No question he's a sharp guy - smart, vanguard, etc. - but I have to say he has one helluva great marketing/pr firm working for/with him. I say that simply because he seems to be becoming almost a household name in the Green building industry. (I have his book, Cradle to Cradle but haven't pushed all the way through it yet).
Grist (http://www.grist.org) had an interesting article called "The Priest and the Prophet:Can industrial civilization really become sustainable? Should it?" by Charles Shaw back in August pitting McDnough against another visionary - Derrick Jensen. If you search either one of their names on Grist's website you'll find the article. It's an interesting idea - Jensen has a pretty grim view on what we're headed for somewhere in the future.
I'm not yet too familiar with several of the other speakers here at the show. Traditionally this conference has been a bit more commercial-centric. But with USGBC's pilot program LEED-Homes (http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=147) aboutto officially launch they appear to have amped up their residential offerings.
one more thing...
I have a camera with me and hope to post photos this week as well.
Chris
Sounds good. Will be awaiting the updates/photos.
jt8
"Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree." -- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Just read "Cradle to Cradle" a few months ago. Liked it a lot. Was really interested at the end of the book he holds Bill(?) Ford up as a good example of the difference one person can make...the significant changes he made in his factories and the way they do business - inspiring, really.
Lots of people poo-poo the current green building movement as marketing and grandstanding. But I've met a lot of very sincere people over the past year just trying to be part of the solution, any solution.
Here's something McDonough said in that book that struck home with me (paraphrasing) "...everything that here on this planet has always been here and will always be here, in one form or another..."
Sobering.
You're a brave man trying to maintain a blog after a long day pounding the concrete at a trade show Chris.
Anyway, just leaving another post in your thread to help you gain some more attention.
I'm having some serious problems putting together coherent sentences over here, and I've got day two of the STAFDA show tomorrow, so I will say cheers from Las Vegas...good luck with the rest of the trip.
Justin Fink - FHB Editorial
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