I would like peoples’ thoughts on this…….. what comes to mind when you hear the phrase, Green Building?

I’ll give you mine (oh joy!). I think what started as a metaphor for the conscientious awareness of our relationship to the world around us, has been hijacked by the marketing types. Green now seems to be a synonym for trendy and overpriced.

Speaking as a builder who’s prime focus has been on sustainability since 1995, I’d like to see the term disappear altogether! 

I believe that the last thing we want to do is make thoughtful, energy efficient, sustainable construction a boutique choice, something only for those with deep pockets.

 If we are going to affect a change (whether it be the quality of the air we breathe in our homes, the cost of energy to heat our homes, or the long term impact on the world), sustainability has to be part of the definition of home. 

I don’t mean to be preachy or to come at this from a negative angle, but I think this is a conversation worth having. 

I tend to prefer a more meaningful term. I propose we use the word sustainable in place of green.

Sustainable implies a relationship between raw material and end user, between resources and product. You can’t be in manufacturing and use  raw materials faster than they are created….it’s not sustainable. You can’t exist on a planet using raw materials at a rate faster than they are created….it’s not sustainable!

Enough said. I’ll be quiet — for now!