Should I preface this post by explaining that Al Gore is full of it and an Inconvenient Truth is nothing more than a play for money and votes from left-wing Hollywood? Yet even knowing that global warming is a liberal marketing ploy, there are things that can be done individually and locally to perhaps be a little friendlier to ye olde third rock!
Just so you know where I'm coming from.
Charlotte isn't exactly at the forefront of ANYTHING that the left wing likes. Recycling is just now being required in many areas (yes, I myself have been recycling for several years) and SUVs are as popular as ever (yes, I too make fun of the Barbie moms in their Land Rovers with cell phones firmly planted in their ears). However, we're starting to see some really positive movement toward homes that are better stewards of the earth.
Case in point. I had a meeting last week with some clients who are looking to build a modest custom home. (Modest custom home in Charlotte=$600,000 or thereabouts.) They want to be as green as possible in this house. Without the house being so weird and out of place that it would be difficult to sell down the road. And without driving up their costs any more than necessary (or recoverable-money not necessarily being a renewable resource!).
What can they do? Well, an item that is green and not weird are custom cabinets made of native wood. No pesky chemicals to leach back into the air, soil, or water. Check! Another item that's inexpensive and not weird, in fact is quite desirable, is radiant heated floors. A couple of hundred bucks and a little labor when the tile floors are being installed and you've reduced your heating costs and made your own life a little more comfortable in the process! Check! Every house has to have windows (again, we're trying NOT to be weird!), right? We're going for lowE windows to improve insulation and reduce heat gain in the summer and heat loss in the winter. A little more expensive than standard builder windows, but not out of control. Check!
What about water? In particular, the hot water that we American love so much? Couple of options. Tankless water heaters are about twice the cost of standard water heaters, but they result in lower energy costs since you're not continually heating 40-75 gallons of water at all times. And they never run out of hot water...aaaaaahhhhhh....Or you can take that up one notch to instant hot water tanks at your spigots. Check out the latest ones from Bosch, again, a little pricier but you're not wasting water waiting for it to run hot. A benefit on two counts. Check!
What about the outdoors? Let's not forget that pesticides and fertilizers for that beautiful, lush lawn will run off into the ground water at some point. So we'll be selecting natural, native plants from the landscaper. Sure, there will be a small lawn (again, we don't want to be weird and have a house that we can't sell again!), but the majority of the lot will have azaleas, hollies, daylilies, wax myrtles, crape myrtles, monkey grass...etc. Low maintenance, don't require a lot of fertilizer, and are drought resistant. The existing trees on the back of the lot will provide shade and will be watered and protected against stress. Check!
So there you have it. A non-weird house with smart innovations that can help this homeowner do one small part toward improving the environment-and save money at the same time.
Green is good!
*(with all due respect to Gordon Gecko, I really think he meant ‘green' instead of ‘greed'). =)
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Way to embrace a contest! Great job!