Consciousness and Contradictions in Green Building
By Maurice Levitch, AIA
Last month, West Coast Green, the largest residential green building conference and expo in the country, was here in San Francisco. It was great to see so many of the material suppliers, designers, architects, Realtors and builders, featured in Builder/Architect and local to our community, all in one place. In addition, attendees from all over the country and the world had an opportunity to see the latest green materials and systems, and to learn from experts in the field of green building. On the last day, most importantly, homeowners were invited to participate and learn more about green building.
Although there are always contradictions, it was interesting timing. Mayor Gavin Newsom had a tough choice: to speak at the opening session of West Coast Green or to welcome thousands of shoppers to the grand opening of Bloomingdales at the remodeled Westfield Shopping Center minutes away. Even as a staunch supporter of the environment and green building, the mayor followed the money.
In the United States, most are conscious that we consume and waste far more per capita than any other country. It is both true and a perception that since we are a rich nation, we can afford to. If those at Bloomies perusing the newest fashions in evening gowns, or taking in a trunk show featuring the retro-influenced styles of Norma Kamali knew that their green homes would not only be more energy efficient and healthy, but also worth more money, they would be on the way over to the conference after tea.
The good news is that green building organizations and policymakers are helping to spread the word that green building is not just for altruistic people or "tree huggers." Green building is now in the mainstream, and is even an effective tool for developers who want an edge over the competition. If developers can make more money and produce higher quality tract homes, then there must be something right going on here.
Build It Green, based in Berkeley, with support from StopWaste.org, has introduced a program whereby builders of new single- and multifamily homes can have their homes rated by independent, certified raters (remodeled GreenPoint Rated Homes are coming soon). Much like the "Energy Star" label, a GreenPoint Rated Home label is recognizable by others to represent a superior product. Now home buyers have a clear choice to pay more for an independently rated quality home, just like a shopper will pay more for Ralph Lauren dinnerware at Bloomingdales, but with far greater benefits to health and environment.
On the other hand, so much of building green is cost neutral. Here, with a little education and planning, homes can be healthier and energy efficient without costing more up front, while saving energy dollars down the road. Even though in California, minimum energy-efficiency standards are required by code (Title 24) and typical features in all our buildings; keep in mind that a builder who builds only to the minimum specified by code is a "D-" builder.
Until green building becomes the industry standard and a minimum requirement for construction rather than the exception, we need to support and participate in programs that educate and serve the public and our environment. We cannot afford not to.
For more information on Build It Green, go to www.builditgreen.org. To learn more about the GreenPoint Rated Program, go to www.greenpointrated.org.
November 2006 Builder Architect Edition Issue