HOW TO BUILD GREEN

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HOW TO BUILD GREEN
by JANE BOGNER
SUNDAY, March 07, 2004

After reading that the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) office in Santa Monica was the greenest building in the county, I was primed to learn more. The NRDC building is named for Robert Redford, who is not only a trustee and a founding member, but also put his own money in the $8.3 million project.

From an interview in the Grist Magazine online, Rob Watson, NRDC senior scientist stated, "Buildings are far and away the worst thing humans do to the environment. The built environment devours half of all the world's material and resources, half of all forests. Think about it -- the concrete, the drywall, the lumber, steel, vinyl, and granite, not to mention the furniture. Think about all the toxins produced in the mining of materials, the air pollution, the chewed-up land. No other human activity even comes close to this kind of impact."

The building industry estimates that 26 percent of the materials purchased to build a new home goes in the landfill A 2,000 square foot home can generate over 12 tons of waste. With that in mind, I drove down to San Ramon to attend a Green Building Remodeling Workshop sponsored by Contra Costa County. I had preconceived notions that I would be learning about recycled building materials, but came away with an array of sustainable information.

Americans are after the quick fix, the easy way to do things. In this haste, low costs are a carrot for the consumer, but those low-cost materials generally have a short life and are quickly on their way to the landfill costing the consumer more.

The first objectives of a new or remodeling building project should be for Zero Waste and Sustainability. This means a ton of research before the first shovel of dirt is moved or materials are ordered.

Marc Richmond from Austin Energy listed questions to answer in preparing for your remodeling project. He reminded us to be sure you really need rooms as you will have to build, heat, cool, furnish and clean them. He suggested that simply moving or changing furnishing could meet your needs. Homeowners should choose Energy Star appliances, water-savings plumbing and energy efficient lighting. You should also select paints with minimal nasty fumes, alias water-based paints, and pick light, reflective colors that will need less artificial light. Carpets require frequent cleaning and replacement and harbor mold and other allergens. If you choose carpet, consider carpet tile or recycled carpet. Ceramic tile, wood, cork, bamboo and real linoleum flooring lasts longer than vinyl.

Our Vallejo City Council is embarking on another try at revitalizing downtown. I hope they will adopt green sustainable build practices.

Sustainable architecture is about energy efficiency and clean technology, but it's also about many other things: location, indoor air quality, materials, water consumption, sewage, and ventilation systems. It is about going beyond standard code requirements to generating ideas that force new efficiencies to emerge. Elizabeth Moule, the leading architect on the Robert Redford Building, stated “her team's first consideration was finding an existing, salvageable structure in a downtown location. Rehabilitating an old structure in a developed area is more resource-efficient than building a new one from scratch in an undeveloped area.”

So who do you trust and what new building material or practice is good for the planet?

When you talk to a contractor/architect, ask if he/she is a certified green builder. Ask for references and look at what he has built. You can check out the local website for the National Association of Remodeling Industry (www.SFBANARI.com or 415 982-9200). They offer NARI Certified Green Building Professional Certification classes. Sonoma State University also offers classes for Certified Greenbuilders. The U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org) offers a LEED program for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Paul Roberts + Partners are local architects working on LEED projects. Paul’s cub scout pack is one of VALCORE’s member groups.

The Green Resource Center in Berkeley offers tools for Sustainable building. They are a coalition of architects, engineers, building contractors, homeowners and business owners. Contact them at 510 845-0472 or www.GreenResourceCenter.org for information on green products and practices. You can ask an expert for advice on your project.

You can attend the Recycled Products Trade Show at the Sacramento Convention Center on March 10 -11 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. This free trade show will feature Sustainable Building. Information is at www.ciwmb.ca.gov/BuyRecycled/Events/TradeShow/ or 916 932-2200. My packet from the workshop will be at the VALCORE office for the public to borrow. It includes a Green Building Materials Resource Guide from Alameda County, Home Remodeling Green Building Guidelines and the Contra Costa Builder’s Guide to Reuse and Recycling.

VALCORE NEWS

This year, registering for Earth Day in Vallejo is paperless. Exhibitors and volunteers can register on-line at www.VALCORErecycling.org on our new Earth Day page.

VALCORE welcomes it’s newest account group: North Bay Athletic Association. They have a gymnastics program and drink cases of bottled water. They will bring these CRV bottles to VALCORE and encourage their members to donate their CRV containers to their group when they recycle at our site.

VALCORE Recycling Vice President Jane Bogner's "A Sorted Affair" is published every other week in the Times-Herald, Community Outlook Section. For recycling information call Genie Kaggerud, VALCORE Recycling manager at 645-8258 or visit www.VALCORErecycling.org.