GREEN SYSTEMS
At the most basic level, our homes protect us from the environment; in turn, it’s our responsibility to protect the environment from our homes. Our homes consume and produce more fossil fuels and expel more emissions than gas-guzzling cars. For example, the average home puts out ten thousand pounds of carbon dioxide annually; compare that with a compact vehicle, which sends out a thousand or so pounds each year. While heating and cooling systems are integral to comfort, creating a temperate climate indoors can have a negative impact on the natural world. It’s imperative to invest in eco-friendly alternatives, such as photovoltaic panels and passive solar cooling.
More advanced modernists take it beyond the solar panels: installing rainwater collection systems, mounting wind turbines on the roof, employing a troupe of goats to trim the lawn and shrubs. Sure it’s expensive to be (even superficially) sustainable. If you can’t afford to invest in turbines or gray-water systems, at least learn the terms and processes enough to speak with authority on the subject. In this section we’ve defined the vocabulary and outlined the essentials so you can choose which efforts to undertake and which ones you can safely stall on.
Eco-Chic
Even if you can’t walk the walk, you should be able to talk the talk. Here you’ll find a list of words and terms to bandy about in general conversation. As with any movement, there is a backlash advancing; stay ahead of the curve and read up on eco-brainwashing conspiracies and theories so you can speak sagely about how the “green” movement is (or isn’t) really just a way to boost consumerism.
CRADLE TO CRADLE (C2C)
A product that is sustainable from manufacture to disposal. There are some carpets and flat-pack furniture that are rated Cradle to Cradle (C2C), including the packaging materials.
ENERGY STAR
A program developed by the U.S. government to rate everything from lightbulbs to washing machines according to energy usage. Extra points for scoffing that the rating is basically moot because it relies on manufacturers to self-report energy savings.
FSC-CERTIFIED
Short for Forest Stewardship Council, FSC is a rating that is given to woods that are supposedly sustainably harvested and manufactured. You can find everything from shingles to furniture made with FSC-certified wood. Like Energy Star, detractors point to the fact that many board members are actually the owners of companies that the FSC is rating, but at this point the certification is so ubiquitous as to be above reproach.
FLAT PACK
Furniture or other goods that arrive “ready to assemble” or packed flat. The idea is that the packed product cuts down on shipping, which is often the greatest source of emissions related to furniture manufacture and distribution. Consider how many tables can be shipped assembled versus the number that could be shipped in pieces.
GEOTHERMAL
This source of heat lies beneath the surface of the earth. It’s considered 100 percent renewable. The energy is harvested through special high-density polyethylene coils laid under the ground that can then be used to power hot-water heaters and other systems.
GREEN
At this point, the word “green” can mean anything remotely eco-friendly. Used indiscriminately by marketers, a product with a minute amount of recycled content can be touted as green. You could ostensibly package a chemical pesticide in a recycled plastic container and call it green. For credibility, it’s best to use “sustainable” in place of “green.”
GRAY WATER
Waste water from laundry and bathing that can be recycled for irrigating lawns, hosing off concrete patios, and washing the Vespa. It can be unhygienic, however, depending on one’s bathroom habits (e.g. shower urinators). It can be collected using a separate plumbing system from sewage water and immediately used for irrigation. If you store it in cisterns, you will need to invest in a device that treats the gray water for microbial bacteria.
HYDROPOWER
Energy derived from the movement of flowing water. In order to harness hydropower for the home, you need to have access to flowing water. Hillside locales are best, but a portion of a surging stream can be diverted to turn a turbine, which in turn powers a small generator.
LEED
Stands for “Leadership in Energy and Environ-mental Design.” There are two sides of LEED. It’s a points-based system for determining a home’s environmental impact. It is also a label that is slapped on products such as paint, paneling, and carpet. Mostly a marketing tool for manufacturers to increase sales based on their item’s perceived “greenness.”
Low-VOC
VOC stands for volatile organic compounds, which continue to release their gassy stench onto the world long after their initial use. VOCs include gasoline, acetone, and formaldehyde and are most often lurking in paints and other surface coatings. Look for low-VOC paints at your high-end paint purveyor.
PASSIVE COOLING + HEATING
These design features create comfortably temperate interiors without using fossil fuels. Methods include strategic window placement and installing thickly insulated walls.
PASSIVE HOUSE
Otherwise known as Passivhaus, this is a German standard for building efficiency that is totally voluntary and, being German, kind of severe.
PHOTOVOLTAIC
A technological system that converts energy gathered from solar panels into electricity.
POSTCONSUMER
A material that is recycled into something else after its original use is completed. For example, you might buy wall insulation made from recycled denim.
PRE-CONSUMER
Material that would otherwise be tossed during manufacture that is reworked into another product. Some snap-together flooring is made from pressed wood trimmings gathered from milling.
REMANUFACTURE
A used item that is taken apart, cleaned, and upgraded to be as good as new. You can buy remanufactured furnaces, for example, that are just as efficient as a freshly manufactured furnace. Remanufacturing cuts down on emissions by eliminating the processing of a new product. In a pinch, you can pass off most any product as remanufactured without anyone knowing the difference.
WIND TURBINE
A turbine (sort of like a windmill) that is powered by wind. There are residential models that can be mounted to the roof to capture wind power for home electricity consump-tion. However, to create enough energy to be worthwhile, the turbines need to be very large and very tall, which can detract from the carefully chosen roofline (refer to page 97 for more on rooflines). A mini turbine may not generate as much power, but it makes a statement about your (lukewarm) passion for fighting global warming.
ZERO ENERGY
A house or building that produces as much or more energy than it consumes.
A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.
ALDO LEOPOLD (1886–1948)
The forefather of modern environmentalism, Leopold went on hikes with his fater in the woods of Iowa as a young child, which instilled in him a love of the outdoors. He’s most famous for purchasing eighty acres of once-lush forest in Wisconsin that had been logged and deforested and turning it into an eco-haven. His book about the experience still sells tens of thousands of copies annually. Oddly enough, he was a big smoker and died from a heart attack fighting a fire on that same property.
Notable Works: A Sand County Almanac (book).
