Green by Design Post

Green By Design just participated in the Mill Valley Chamber annual green business forum a week ago and the keynote speaker was conservationist Hunter Lovins. Hunter doesn’t just talk the talk – she walks the walk – and has for many years. Her local contributions are many including her ongoing involvement with the Presidio School of Management’s program in sustainability. Over and over again Hunter is getting out the message that we must change the way we do business. We must conserve resources. And, in doing so we not only benefit our planet, we benefit our own community and our bottom line.

Speaking to an audience in Mill Valley is an easy sell. We know that sustainability is not option. The city council has had the wisdom to adoption mandatory green building measures for new homes. I hear too much talk. Few municipalities have an up to date webpage that states what is planned for going green. Even fewer can state what has already been accomplished. If you want to be proud of Mill Valley go to the City of Mill Valley web site and look at the City Green section.

I am proud to be green in Mill Valley!

Photo by Gary Ferber

Are you planning to attend the upcoming West Coast Green home show and conference at Ft. Mason? October 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd we will be there with bells on. Plan to stop by the Green By Design booth # 228 in the Herbst Pavillion. While looking over the web site for West Coast Green I can see many new products I want to learn more about. There will be dynamic speakers and most important to me this year – many opportunities to network with other companies in the Bay Area dedicated to building green.

I want to thank the group of people in advance who are working hard behind the scenes to set up our Green By Design booth. Ingrid Ramsay with the Innovative Design Group. Ingrid invests so much time and enthusiasm promoting green building - please stop by to see the beautiful FSC certified Zebra Wood cabinet on display. Innovative Design Group cabinets are made locally just up the road in Rohnert Park.

Thank you to Pat Miller, founder and creative wizard of Bohemian Stoneworks. In spite of moving to a wonderful new facility in Sebastopol, Pat and his team have found the time to promote their beautiful concrete countertops, vessels and tabletops. Made with recyled content and created by craftsman right in Sebastopol – they are green and local too. Two beautiful tables will be on display in our booth.

Thanks to Janis and Sean Hannigan who co-own Haute Textile Flooring. Headquartered in Mill Valley, mother and son team carry many lines of flooring from FSC hardwoods, to cork, and natural fiber carpets. Need an expert to help you decide on your next flooring decision – Sean and Janis are the best in the business. Be sure to stop by booth 228 to see some of the great selection Haute Textile Flooring carries.

Few builders match the expertise of Caletti Jungsten Construction. John Caletti and Jeff Jungsten are at the epicenter of green building in Marin County. Beautiful, energy- efficient, durable homes. Interested in latest clean tech systems? John and Jeff are building a new home in Kentwoodlands with geo-thermal. If you want to look at sustainable construction – then you need to see what Caletti Jungsten are doing!

Last but far from least I want to thank my terrific and talented staff at Mahoney Architects & Interiors. We have done so much over the past year to promote going green in the Bay Area from hosing green chamber events, supporting clean energy initiatives, to leading smaller educational events on rainwater harvesting, energy efficient lighting and showcasing emerging green building materials. When I asked my team, “Will you all support going to West Coast Green?” I was given a resounding and positive answer – “Yes!” Because we believe it is the right thing to be doing.

Stop by to see the green projects we have designed. Our recently completed Levinson Residence in Tiburon is getting recognition – from the SF Chronicle, the Marin IJ, Marin magazine and West Coast Green. Our project is won the WCG Remodel the Future award this year and it is one of the first remodels to be Green Point Rated.

Thanks – I am so happy to be a part of the Green By Design team.

Learn from Super Natural Home author Beth Greer as she highlights products available from Green By Design. In this segment, Beth highlights the common toxic products we commonly furnish in our homes – and what to do about them. In particular, Beth explores toxic-free bedroom products and offers a few tips on how to create a healthy sleeping environment. From new mattresses to fresh advice about skipping on the morning ritual of making the bed, there is something for everyone. Watch the segment online and contact Green by Design for more information about toxic-free living. If you are considering a Green Remodel in the Bay Area, we recommend Mahoney Architects and Interiors, a Build It Green certified company.

Cheaper toys are likely to contain lead in their paint. Lead in paint makes colors brighter and last longer and because lead costs less than alternates. Every item we purchase has a hidden price tag: the toll it takes on our planet. The price tag also includes impacts at the manufacturing level on the people whose labor provides those goods and the waste produced in their manufacturing and transportation. And finally to the impact of the product the day we dispose of it. How long does it last? Can it be reused? Will it decompose without a negative impact? Too much of the time the answer is no.

This is why I ask my friends and family to buy toys made in the US from companies that have a commitment to sustainability. My son and daughter (4 and 8 ) receive many toys as gifts that only last for one or two weeks. They are not designed for heavy use, they have small parts that easily break so the toy no longer works and they end up being discarded. I would rather not discard them if I could repair them!

How about the quick visit to the chain store by well meaning Grandma where she purchases pajamas that are polyester (made from petroleum) and treated with fire retardant. Want to put those on your child? So, why are we accepting these products in our stores? When making purchasing decisions lets consider a Life Cycle Assessment. Whether we care about the impact on polar bears or the impact of a product on our own bodies. Let us all make intelligent choices about what we buy.
Looking for a source for kid-safe toys? Try using the GoodGuide. You can even download the guide with free software on your iPhone. The GoodGuide rates toys not just on whether or not the contain lead, but other toxins as well. It also raters them on their environmental impact and the manufacturer’s social performance.

Let’s be thoughtful about the hidden consequences of what we buy. Vote with your dollars!

This is a good time to consider buying a new furnace, replacing drafty windows, putting insulation in your attic and/or installing solar panels on your roof. The new economic recovery package includes more than $50 billion in energy-related grants, tax breaks and loan guarantees to spur solar and wind energy development. The funds are also available to cut energy use in homes, businesses, schools and government buildings.

You may benefit for the tax breaks being offered for residential energy-efficiency improvements, such as more efficient furnaces and ductwork, replacing an air conditioner, installing dual glazed windows and better insulation in your home. States also receive funding for utility-sponsored rebates for the purchase of more energy efficient appliances and solar panels. Check out PG&E’s website.

Give your tax advisor or bookkeeper another week or two to recover from their work effort leading up to April 15th. But consider putting your hard earned tax refund to work by upgrading your home, and lowering your utility bills!

PG&E offers the Retrocommissioning (RCx) program and incentives to qualified participants.  The program is designed to help business customers save money by building energy efficiency and demand response capabilities into existing commercial facilities.

The RCx process helps to identify less-than-optimal performance in an existing facility’s equipment and control systems and making the necessary repairs or enhancements to save energy and costs.  Whereas retrofitting involves replacing outdated equipment, RCx focuses on improving the efficiency of what is already in place.

Incentives are based on achieved annual energy savings.  PG&E will provide diagnostic, engineering and cost estimating resources to identify and analyze potential energy savings projects.

The benefits are many:  more efficient building operations, longer equipment service life, fewer service and maintenance calls and lower energy bills.  The program is intended for commercial PG&E customers who own or operate a facility of 100,000 square feet of conditioned space or that consumes 2,000,000 kWh or 50,000 therms per year.  Access to funding must be agreed upon within 12 months.  For more information visit www.pge.com/rcx.

The Precautionary Principle is a moral and political principle, which states that if an action or policy might cause severe or irreversible harm to the public, in the absence of a scientific consensus that harm would not ensue; the burden of proof falls on those who would advocate taking the action.

The precautionary principle is most often applied in the context of the impact of human actions on the environment and human health, as both involve complex systems where the consequences of actions may be unpredictable and difficult to precisely quantify.
Simply stated:  Better save than sorry!

Most of us can’t determine when we are exposed to pollutants  & chemicals. Toxic products can and do damage our endocrine systems and immune systems. Today it is possible to make informed choices about the materials we are specifying for our homes.  Indoor air pollution is a very real and serious risk in modern homes, but one that you can do something about.  You and your children might spend more than a third of your life in your bedrooms.  It is especially important and beneficial to install only the healthiest materials available in those rooms.

As awareness about toxic off gassing of traditional cabinetry materials increases, healthy, non off gassing alternatives are being specified more often, especially as healthier materials become less differentiated in cost.  What value do you place on your health?  What is the true cost of a marginally cheaper material, if it has potential to cause you fatigue, headaches, asthma, ADHD, or even respiratory disease and cancer?  The long-term effects of your choices can now be weighted against the small price difference.

At Innovative Design Group (IDG) we offer cabinetry materials, which are NAUF (no added urea-formaldehyde), i.e. wood veneers by PureBond, Columbia Forest Products and melamines by Boise Evergreen. Our custom finishes are low VOC and formaldehyde free.  We offer materials, which are FSC, certified and are 100% recycled fiber.

In addition to lasting quality and innovative designs, I am proud that we are now offering our clients cabinets that will help you establish the most healthy and nurturing home environment possible while stewarding natural resources for future generations.

I am personally committed to introduce to my clients products that are available today to increase your level of health and safety and address concerns for the sustainability and health of your family and our planet.  Healing the world starts with our own actions and choices.

The first thing to do is make a habit of turning off the lights you are not using. So much wasted power is used on lights that are unnecessary. Take a walk around the house tonight and start to notice if you are leaving on lights in bedrooms, bathroom, or other areas that can be turned off. Awareness is the first good habit to develop.

Second, install dimmers on incandescent ceiling fixtures, recessed fixtures, or wall sconces. Most homeowners are able to do this by themselves. If you have questions tell the person at the hardware store what kind of fixture you have and they will help you find the right dimmer. If you dim down those fixtures you will not only save a good deal of energy, it will also give your home a much more romantic and elegant feeling.

Third, replace the light bulbs from lamps in living rooms and other areas with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL). When choosing compact fluorescents it is important that you get bulbs with a color temperature that is similar to incandescent. If they have ratings on the packaging look for somewhere between 2700K to 3000K . That is the warm color range that is produced by incandescent bulbs. You can also buy dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs that will dim with most standard dimmers…..so if your lamp has a built in dimmer that is a nice option. You may be surprised that you won’t notice any visible difference at all if you get the right CFL to replace your incandescent bulb. And they last much longer as well.

Just these 3 simple steps can make a big difference in your energy consumption….and your impact on our planet.

Given the current drought conditions in California, the upcoming Water Showcase (hosted at the PG&E center in SF on March 24th) takes on even more urgency. Many experts believe that water will overtake energy as the resource of greatest concern to Californians in the coming years. We live in a state with a growing population, limited water reserves and unpredictable rainfall. Water use also has significant energy implications.

The California State Water Project is responsible for moving water from sources to customers is the single largest user of energy in the state. Additional energy is required to heat, cool, pump and treat water. Roughly 30% of our energy goes toward delivering water to our homes and businesses. Reducing water use through conservation can extend our limited supply of this resource and produce significant electricity and natural gas savings. Don’t forget you can purchase dual flush water conserving toilets through Green By Design.

It provides at least $45 billion in funding for renewable energy, energy efficiency and other energy related programs. It also provides almost $20 billion in tax incentives for renewable energy and efficiency measures:

1. Extended tax credits for improvements to energy-efficient existing homes through 2010 and increased the tax credit to 30% of the amount paid or incurred by the taxpayer for qualified energy efficiency improvements.
2. Provides $3.2 billion for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant to help local governments implement energy and greenhouse gas reduction plans and programs.
3. Provides $3.1 billion to states to fund efficiency and renewable energy projects.
4. Provides $5 billion for low-income weatherization, increases the income level to up to 200% above the federal poverty rate, and allows up to $6,500 for upgrades per household!
5. Authorized $2.4 billion of qualified energy conservation bonds to finance state, municipal and tribal government programs and initiatives designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The bill would also clarify that qualified energy conservation bonds may be issued to make loans and grants for capital expenditures to implement green community programs.
6. Lots of money for many other energy initiatives the State is pursuing, including renewable energy, transmission, biofuels, home energy retrofits and electric vehicles.