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Common Ground: Building een0507.htmlAds by GoogleUsgbcEco-Friendly Natural HomeNatural Flooring in Classic DesignsLow Prices. Free Samples. OrderNowwww.SimpleFloors.comHOMESHOPSAN FRANCISCODIRECTORYCALENDARADVERTISEGreen Building BookLeed BuildingLeed CertifiedLeed CreditsEco Toilet SolutionProdex Total InsulationGrow a Green Kitchen *Envirolet composting toilets are the for metal buildings, pole barns, and Sub-Zero & Wolf are locally grownenvironment-friendly choice.homes.in the USA. Learn how to go AGreenKitchen.comARCHIVEABOUT USSUBMISSIONSSEATTLECHICAGOLOS ANGELESSearch this site:July 2005Building GreenThinking about greening yourhome? Here are some buildingsand resources for inspiration.by Carol SteinfeldOn a hot June day, the Real Goods SolarLiving Center in Hopland is an oasis of cooldelight. Water mists from an ivy-entwined“drip ring” installed in a dome-shaped trellisabove a spiral fountain. Visitors cross theaquaculture pond in Nauticraft pedal boats,and laughing children whirl about in asolar-powered merry-go-round. Wide-eyedshoppers and tourists explore the shelvesinside the landmark Solar Living Center, anautilus-like series of tiered glass-frontsegments that houses the Real Goods storeand headquarters. Built with rice farm waste,it is the largest straw-bale store in the world.Easy Green at HomePerhaps the easiestways to build for lowerenvironmental impactare the simplest: Build small or with highdensity (lots of peopleusing less building). Build spare (dispensewith non-essentialfeatures such asdrop-down ceilings, extrafinishes, and floor andIts natural, curved shape allows sunlight toilluminate the interior throughout the day, so wall coverings).little additional lighting or heating is needed.The building’s photovoltaic panels generatemore electricity than the building consumes,so the excess is sold to the local powerutility. Wood-burning stoves provide backupheat. Manually controlled hemp awningsprovide shade in the summer. The thickwalls cooling the building during the daycapture cool nighttime temperatures. Inbathrooms, old toilet tank lids serve as walltiles while panels of multicolored recycledplastic divide the stalls.The Solar Living Center was designed by BayArea architect Sim van der Ryn. Completedin 1996, the building received much fanfareas example of “green” building. But a lot has1 of 5 Build close to services todecrease car usage. Use locally craftedbuilding materials. Rehab an old buildinginstead of building a newone.Before installing awind turbine or solarpanels, consider theseeasy steps:envirolet.comAds by Goooooogle Older homes in the BayArea are often poorlyinsulated. Install gasketingaround doors to theoutside. Consider blow-in1/2/08 8:10 PM
Common Ground: Building Greenchanged in nine years. Green Building is nolonger a curiosity: it has blossomed into a 15billion-dollar industry, according to theSustainable Buildings Industry Council.Today, daylighting, natural ventilation, passivesolar heating, solar electricity, low-toxic paints,green roofs, low-flush toilets, recyclable floorcoverings, and walls made of recycled, reusedor easily replenished materials are increasinglycommon in both public and private buildings.This transformation has been driven, in part,by the discovery that many conventionalbuilding materials and design practices havebeen linked to health problems (“Sick BuildingSyndrome”). In addition, they have alsocontributed to the contamination of air andwater by relying on increasingly expensive,polluting and non-renewable oil, coal andnuclear energy. These days, Green Buildingsare seen as a badge of commitment toprogressive change.Also mobilizing the Green Building movement isthe emergence of a certification program thatmeasures the green components of a building.The LEED program (Leadership in EnergyEfficient Design) is now required for all publicbuildings in San Francisco and a growingnumber of US cities.Local LuminariesThe Bay Area’s mild climate and progressivedesign culture have combined to make GreenBuilding a natural choice. Here are some localexamples: Earth Justice, an environmental lawnonprofit, relocated its San Francisco offices toan Oakland building that was rehabilitated in2000 after sustaining extensive earthquakedamage. The LEED Silver-rated buildingfeatures carpets made of natural sisalfibertacked (not glued) to the floor, bambootables and cabinets; shelves and partitionsmade of Douglas fir salvaged from an Oaklandwarehouse, flooring made from recycled tires,recyclable furniture, south-facing windows toallow daylighting, motion detectors to regulatelights, and drywall consisting of 15 percentrecycled sheetrock. In many areas, concretewalls are left unpainted and floors are simply2 of 507.htmlinsulation. Upgrade your furnace toreduce natural gas and oiluse. If replacing flooring,consider fast-growingbamboo or mesquitewood over oak and pine. Choose water-basedpaints and finishes overchemical products. Thesealternatives might cost afew dollars more, butyou’ll appreciate their lackof headache-inducingfumes and you’ll bekeeping toxics out of theresource loop. Consider linoleum, awood-based floorcovering. Today’s updatedpatterns won’t remind youof the avocado kitchenfloor you grew up with. When replacingappliances, look for theEnergyStar label. Choose a front-loadingwashing machine, whichuses less water than atop-loader — that’s lesswater to heat. Evenbetter, wash clothes incold water withbiodegradable,phosphate-freedetergents. Pull your fridge out oftight, unventilated spacesand away fromheat-producingappliances. Replace your lawn withlow-maintenance,low-water plants. Severalbooks on this approach,called “xeriscaping,” areavailable in bookstoresand through the East BayMunicipal Utility District Replace your oldthree-gallon-flush toiletwith a1.6-gallon-per-flushmodel. Despite whatyou’ve heard, mostlow-flush toilets work1/2/08 8:10 PM
Common Ground: Building Greenstained. The Gap Headquarters in San Bruno isextensively daylit to allow employees to work innatural light, reducing the need for electricity andwinter heating. All workstations feature windowslooking to the outside or to atriums filled withplants. Movable reflectors direct sunlight whereit’s needed. According to its designer, renownedarchitect William McDonough, the building is 30percent more energy efficient than is required bystate regulations. A rooftop garden absorbsstormwater and insulates the roof. All wood isfrom certified sustainable forests. The effect is alight and airy building with little distinctionbetween indoors and nggreen0507.htmlquite well. Install faucetaerators and low-flowshowerheads with easyshut-off valves (to stopflow while sudsing up).Reduce, reuse andrecycle. The Bay Area isfull of salvage yards suchas Urban Ore (seeResources) with greatantique plumbing fixtures,as well as doors,windows, and tile. Checkthese out before headingto the home supplycenter. 2808 Adeline Street. For a four-unit building in Berkeley, the LegerWanaselja Architecture firm expanded an existing structure by raisingit and adding a floor beneath it. The house’s trim and doors did notend up in the dumpster, since care was taken to renew and reusethese elements. Construction materials included slabs of woodretrieved from storm-downed trees (turned into a kitchen counter andtabletops), pendant lights custom-made from French vinegar bottles,and a variety of automobile components — from rear-view mirrors tohatchbacks — incorporated into benches, shelves, railings, andawnings. Chez Tondre. To eco-renovate his turn-of-the-century Oaklandtwo-family home, budget-conscious community activist Babak Tondreinstalled certified sustainably harvested maple flooring, fluorescentlights, an extensive solar electric system (subsidized by state grants),a graywater system, a waterless urinal, and a low-flush toilet. Low-VOC(volatile organic chemical) paints and natural finishes were usedthroughout. Tondre relied on Urban Ore, the local recycling salvageyard, to pick up used tile for countertops, as well as a clawfoot bathtub,sinks, a stove and a refrigerator. California Youth Energy Servicesconducted a free energy audit on his house, checking for heat leaksand installing low-flow showerheads, a retractable laundry line andfluorescent light bulbs — all free of charge. Tondre replaced the urbanmonocrop of backyard lawn with a mini-Eden of fruit trees, a tiny duckpond, and chickens that now provide fresh eggs for breakfast. Tondreconducts frequent Green Home workshops at the Ecology Center inBerkeley.Location, Location, LocationSome buildings are green by virtue of what they don’t include.Sometimes the greenest thing you can do is to minimize heat leaks.The commercial adage “location, location, location” applies to greenbuilding, too. The Congress for a New Urbanism reports that a buildinglocated close to public transportation, employment, and storesultimately saves five times more energy than a LEED Platinum-ratedbuilding.3 of 51/2/08 8:10 PM
Common Ground: Building een0507.html“LEED is a checklist that’s good for doing things [building designers]wouldn’t otherwise do,” says Bay Area architect George Loisos.However, he fears that architects are often “designing to the test” andnot always looking at buildings as whole systems. Green Building, hesays, happens best when we look for opportunities and synergies andmeasure performance instead of prescribing stock solutions.“Sometimes the most sustainable thing is to not build at all,” Loisossays, chuckling. He notes an early green-building rating system byorganic architect Malcolm Wells: “His maximum design goal waswilderness: It’s beautiful, it feeds, cleans, and reproduces itself.” Weneed to look at buildings, their contexts and users as a whole system,he says. “Once we do that, our design goals are clear.”Oakland-based freelance writer Carol Steinfeld is the author of TheComposting Toilet System Book, Liquid Gold: The Lore & Logic of UsingUrine to Grow Plants, and Reusing the Resource: Adventures inEcological Wastewater Recycling.Resources: Urban Ore 900 Murray St. Berkeley, CA (510) 841-7283. East Bay’slargest recycling outlet and eco-park. Build-It-Green Resources for green remodelers, materials, andsuppliers. (888) 404-7336; www.builditgreen.org California Youth Energy Serviceswww.ci.berkeley.ca.us/energy/CYES.html Berkeley Ecology Center (510) 548-2220; www.ecologycenter.orgResidents in qualifying East Bay communities can receive free energyaudits by a team of local youngsters who will check your home forenergy leaks and install fluorescent bulbs, faucet aerators, and otherconservation devices free of charge. The typical Eco-streme Makeoversaves homeowners 23 a monthly!Recommend this page to a friendTop Ten pages recommended to friends:1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10.4 of 5Beyond Eco-ApartheidOne Great Big Plastic HassleDr. Bronner’s Magic Media Soap OperaDeath Midwifery and the Home Funeral RevolutionBrian Greene on the Theory of EverythingThe Sound of ScienceAwake At LastGreen Cities and the End of the Age of OilOur TownLet’s Get Vertical1/2/08 8:10 PM
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On a hot June day, the Real Goods Solar Living Center in Hopland is an oasis of cool delight. Water mists from an ivy-entwined “drip ring” installed in a dome-shaped trellis above a spiral fountain. Visitors cross the aquaculture pond in Nauticraft pedal boats, and laughing children whirl about in a
