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Wheel I am

curved porch in Healdsburg Everybody knows the feeling. You're in the middle of a mess/puzzle/problem and think, "somebody has to have figured this out before." I had the sensation as I tried to figure out how to create a curved porch last year. I have seen dozens of them, but I was left with figuring out how to do the details myself.Why should I re-invent something that's been done better by people more expert than me. This concept of honoring what has gone before is deeply embedded in our culture. Everybody has said at one time or another, "Don't reinvent the wheel." In honor of that common (meaning accurate and true) wisdom, I have created the Sustainability Wheel.

The LEED certification programs, California's Title 24 Net Zero homes, and the New Orleans Rebuld Green program all share common goals. Sustainability can mean many things to many users, and each region of the country might have a different emphasis based on local concerns. For instance a house in Minnesota will need much more focus on energy use in winter than water use. A new home builder in New Orleans has to worry about floods and humidity more than freezing cold. Both can use the same materials and techniques of sustainability, just in different proportions.

Earth image with spoked wheel of sustainability features on top The earth image symbolizes the concept of sustainability for me. A sustainable building respects the natural environment. Forests are protected by smart use of engineered lumber and wise land use. Fresh water is treated as the scarce resource it is. The very design and size of the house and how it is located with respect to sun, neighborhood, and community all matter and all can contribute to the sustainability of the project. With the cacophony of crises of energy, climate, water, and housing that echo through the media every day, sustainability provides a soothing rhythm that can integrate all the problems and turn them to solutions.

With the principles of reuse and recycling uppermost in my mind, I urge anyone with detailed plans for sustainable homes to share them with the community at large. We need great ideas, and we don't have the time or money to reinvent the wheel...again.

Please enjoy visiting any of my sites

Posted by Dave Roberts on 01/25/2009 11:54 AM

Comments (22)

Eco-All-Stars January 2009 Challenge in the ActiveRain Channel

january 2009 eco challenge

Post is included in group: ECO-All-Stars~ GREEN Resources, Trends & Friends
Post is included in group: Almost Anything Goes

22 Comments on Wheel I am

JAN

Hi Dave - What a great concept! Like my Dad always says ~ KISS ~ Keep it Simple Sweatheart!!!

There are many good programs out there developed by good people. The sharing of information, research and regional designs is a very sustainable practice!

Glad to see another entry in the ECO All Stars January Challenge! Your contribution is great!

Mary, If I can paraphrase your comment, I thin you hit on a great slogan:

"Sharing is Sustainable"

Hi Dave: Very nicely done! Have a question - I am going to make a Green presentation to my Rotary club and I have a earth in my powerpoint presentation. Can I borrow your earth? - Do you feel powerful by that question?

Sylvia. To paraphasae a classic Spanish saying, mi terra, su terra. Help yourself to the earth.

Good luck with your Rotary presentation. One thing I would emphasize to your Marin guys is that ever since Jerry Brown was governor in the 70's California has been very proactive in pushing for cost effective green building. Thirty years later we use far less energy per capita than any other state, and that's mainly attributable to those efforts.Simple things like insulated windows, the right amount of insulation, limits on glass, etc. all add up when you apply them to millions of homes.

You might also suggest to them that the cheapest energy by far is energy not produced. Most people aren't attuned to the idea that a kilowatt saved is equal to a kilowatt generated, but it is.

HI Dave!

I think we should all adopt that phrase!

Sharing IS Sustainable!!!

You have my permission~ Just credit me!!!

And Dave ~ Just reading your response to Sylvia ~ you make many valid points worth repeating.... and one major point,

"the cheapest energy by far is energy not produced"

I don't remember my foreign languages well enough to express in those terms so I'll speak in plain English...

"You hit the nail on the head!"

JAN

I am rebuilding my deck with composite wood. It is good to know that I won't be staining and sanding the deck again due to the wear of tear of the Colorado winters.

Dave: Thanks for letting me use the earth :-)

I also appreciate your input and will use both - and I love that 'The Cheapest Energy by far is energy not produced'. That will be one of the closing slides.

Thanks!

JAN

LOVE the wheel concept--nicely done, Dave!! You said a whole buncha stuff I meant to...

JAN

Since sharing is sustainable (brilliant) I, personally want to use both your great slogans and your planet - very well done, Dave!

Joanne O'Donnell, Chic Home Interiors

Joanne...and others, feel free to use anything here that helps spread the message of sustainability.

I just reblogged this. It is a great way to explain the big picture. I find myself frequently frustrated by seeing people trying to reinvent the wheel. There is plenty to do without adding what is already done. Thank you for this post.

Dave~

I am thrilled to see your inventions..."but now you tell us...I have created the Sustainability Wheel." and I am awed! ..and then you go one step further saying...

" I urge anyone with detailed plans for sustainable homes to share them with the community at large. We need great ideas, and we don't have the time or money to reinvent the wheel...again."

THANKS for your entry into the January Challenge... and good luck!

JAN

Dave,

Great post! I love the curved porch too! The roof line in the picture of the curved porch is architectural eye candy, as far as I'm concerned! ;-)

FEB

Hi Dave! Great post and love your sustainability wheel! We ALL need to be cognizant of not only protecting our earth but, just HOW to go about it regionally--as you said, we all don't have the exact same focus when building in various regions.

Debe in Charlotte

Dave- I particularly like your emphasis on the need for sharing ideas. Your post is part of a very important part of green living - education. I, too, like your wheel.

Michelle, Debe, Eloise... thanks so much for your feedback. Comments like yours remind me of how supportive and strong our ActiveRain community is.

FEB

Dave, you make a great point about "reinventing the wheel". Is that photo of your completed project? Thanks for contributing to the January challenge and GREAT JOB!

JUN

Hmmmmm Dave--I really like the wheel image. Having been green before it was officially a color, I am always interested in others people's ideas on the subject. Love the "sharing is sustainable" slogan! And in CA, we're not just regional, we have so many microclimates that there is so much to take into consideration... I do a few presentations locally each year to help educate our local community. And in Tahoe, the local community is pretty knowledgeable already. So Q and A after almost always provides new info from someone who has been doing a particular aspect full-time or longer... full circle to "sharing is sustainable!"

JUL

Love the wheel image, you could market that on T-shirts, branding for companies, you sort of have a gold mine there, Dave.

Thanks Michelle, I appreciate the kind words.

JUL

Hi Dave I am reblogging as well as you have already reinvented the wheel so I don't need to do so too.

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