[Greenbuilding] That Natural Feeling

[Matt Dirksen]

To me,

It goes back to the constant imbalance of attention put upon a single principle of "green design":  that of improving energy efficiency as the single most important aspect of green design or construction. It will typically occupy half to 3/4's of any conversation I have about green; not by choice but by familiarity by all parties.  Once there is time to move on to the rest of the principles, we are all tired of talking and sharing.

I typically find it my job to simply offer the "balanced approach" to people, not shove it down one's throat. Like anything, one can take it or leave it.

As much as I am delighted to see us celebrate a 5,000 square foot net zero PH home, it also pains me too. At the end of the day, there always seems to be a paradox around every corner.

Thank you all for your passion on this list. It brings me joy to know I am not alone out there... a warmth that can't be measured by btu's per square foot.

Matt Dirksen
Greenbelt, MD
 



On Jan 10, 2011, at 4:11 PM, Frank Cetera <alchemicalfranklen at gmail.com> wrote:

> AC - loving your sentiments, no doubt cause they somewhat echo mine.  But getting folks in the green building arena in my town to think natural is a big goal.  Making the connection to the Earth through natural materials, and not highly processed and manufactured from states away; having "openings" in the shell that make that connection to the natural environment; not worrying down to the smallest BTU if the energy saved in high-tech manufacture bests the energy lost in natural low/appropriate techniques when making decisions; using natural materials and eleme4nts instead of mimicking them with produced structures - a sliding metal wall with openings in it meant to create a flickering light inside the home that is reminiscent of leaves on a tree when you could just plant or save the tree.
> 
> Ahhh, to not be "locked" away in my home, as I often feel locked away from the outside in my office or other public buildings that fight their hardest to keep all the elements out!
> 
> ~Frank Cetera
> www.alchemicalnursery.org
> 
> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 2
> Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2011 10:47:47 -0500
> From: action jackson <benigncraft at gmail.com>
> To: greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] Greenbuilding Digest, Vol 5, Issue 9
> Message-ID:
>        <AANLkTiksPEgr+-tT5+=k3MqXMfbMzu8G3Zkg1rK9HbMP at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
> 
> hey folks -
> 
> fer my two cents on passivehaus:
> 
> AWESOME! now people can build homes to an inappropriate scale and have
> little human physical connection to the outside environment. THAT will put
> us more in touch with needs of the planet- surely!
> 
> look- I think we all need to be honest about the conversation we are having
> here- if it is about SURVIVING on the planet - humans have done quite well
> (in some of the most inhospitable places on the planet i might add) and not
> only survived but CULTURALLY THRIVED there- using small scale -low tech
> shelters of local natural materials to take temporary refuge from the
> outdoors- where they LIVED.
> 
> if the conversation is about maintaining our lifestyles- then start the
> number crunching- decouple yourself from the planet that sustains you
> (because that knowledge will serve us well when we colonize mars) - and rock
> and roll !
> 
> I prefer  the planet we have -
> 
>  but I respect the solutions in either conversation- I just think we need to
> delineate clearly.
> 
> to borrow an adage from the foodies (who i think parallel us in many ways)-
> stands to reason- food /clothing /shelter
> 
> *Eat food*. *Mostly plants*. Not too much.
> 
> Build shelter.Mostly natural.Not too big.
> 
> 
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