[Greenbuilding] 100 miles builds

[Jason Holstine]

Id argue that's overly generalist and not necessarily true. (a) better they rebuild at net zero than trash, but putting that aside... The old home may have been a creaky sieve with asbestos and lead paint hanging out. How healthy and responsible is that? But if it can be deconstructed and many parts reclaimed and reused--in this project or donated--then replaced wth a healthy, highly efficient, water smart and durable space that can last longer than the old place....and fosters local jobs and other green projects, could be a big net gain.

Sent from my iPhone. My thumbs apologize for poor grammar.

On Feb 25, 2012, at 9:53 PM, bill.allen at verizon.net wrote:

> I recently saw a lovely, old home torn down in order to be replaced by a new, "net zero", "green" home.  Sad.
> 
> Another rule of thumb should be "the greenest home is an existing home"....
> 
> Bill
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gennaro Brooks-Church - Eco Brooklyn <info at ecobrooklyn.com>
> Sender: greenbuilding-bounces at lists.bioenergylists.org
> Date: Sat, 25 Feb 2012 21:00:34 
> To: Green Building<greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>
> Reply-to: Green Building <greenbuilding at lists.bioenergylists.org>
> Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] 100 miles builds
> 
> One rule of thumb I think is pretty universal is that less building is
> greener than more building. Period.
> I'd like to see that rule of thumb actually be universally implemented.
> 
> Gennaro Brooks-Church
> Director, Eco Brooklyn Inc.
> Cell: 1 347 244 3016 USA
> www.EcoBrooklyn.com
> 22 2nd St; Brooklyn, NY 11231
> 
> 
> 
> On Sat, Feb 25, 2012 at 3:45 PM, Chris Koehn <chris at koehn.com> wrote:
>> Salt Spring Island is next door to us. I'm looking at it across the Satellite Channel as I type. I've built on Salt Spring. It is a special kind of place. Not only does it attract many well heeled, socially responsible types who can afford to pay sometimes substantial premiums to "do the right thing" (Randy Bachman lives there, etc etc); it's also within 100 miles of some of the most productive and abused forests in the world. Building with wood is a no brainer anywhere around here, and in fact I'd wager that your average local Joe Builder does a better job of this simply because it's cheaper to buy local wood than that which comes from the mainland- completely without regard for the more important question (IMHO) of how that wood was harvested and where it came from. More so on Salt Spring: it's an island only accessible by ferry, with few locally generated materials beyond wood, clay, and stone- and not all of these is being utilized sustainably.
>> So while I personally applaud this project, it's important to understand the specific conditions that come along with any effort to build local. It's more important to understand the qualities, drawbacks, and sustainability of local materials, how they have been used historically, and how we might maximize their usefulness and longevity to suit local climates and conditions.
>> 
>> Chris Koehn
>> TimberGuides Design & Build
>> Vancouver Island BC
>> 
>> 
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