[Greenbuilding] Green Building and Happiness.

[Michael O'Brien]

Hi, Gennaro--

I have never seen this idea better articulated, thanks for your wise insight!

When I was the City of Portland's green building specialist, I frequently met with people who were planning to build or remodel, wanted to make their home as green as possible, and were overwhelmed by all the options. They frequently got stuck on weighing overall social and environmental value of different choices--questions such as, is it better to go solar or install a rainwater garden? And of course they were already maxed out over all the complexities of financing, selecting a designer and contractor and thinking about functions and amenities they wanted to include. They always had been reading home porn magazines, so their idea of what they wanted was already way over their actual budget. As you point out, this set the stage for "expensive and stressful", even before really addressing sustainability.

To clarify their choices, I asked them to tell me which options they really liked, and encouraged them to follow their intuitive preferences. So for example, if they wanted gorgeous wood cabinets in the kitchen, I would send them where they could see and check out cabinets built from reclaimed wood and non-toxic finishes, and I buffered their choice with stories about how recaimed wood helped reduce new cutting in the forest, and wood from old growth trees was the finest quality available, and deconstruction creates a lot of good jobs for people while reducing waste--an array of factual information combined into an appealing story to back up their decision. I believe that understanding and internalizing the story for each decision helped them to make choices they found satisfying, and increased the likelihood that they would tell others they had a positive experience and outcome. I never have had anyone come back and say their house wasn't green enough, either, even if it didn't have all the bells and whistles.

The only topic I always introduced was weatherization, but I tried to fit it into their established needs or preferences. For example, many people who live in older homes here have experienced mold, so there was an opening to explain how warming up interior surfaces with insulation and air sealing, and providing better control over humidity with ventilation, would reduce or prevent future mold issues. Or a family with young children might like the idea of  improved comfort, especially floors where kids play. I almost never tried to promote saving money as a reason, it just wasn't compelling, even for those on tight budgets. ("Tight budget" was often a euphemism for "not a high priority".)

Portland is fortunate to have many capable designers and contractors, who already have incorporated green choices into their work--if you hire them, you've already simplified your own decisions. They are whizzes at reinforcing their clients ' ethics and values, such that the client ends up believing their completed green home was all their idea.

Always enjoy your posts, Gennaro, keep 'em coming!

Best,

Mike O'Brien

Mike O'Brien Photography
mikeoregon.zenfolio.com




On Jan 14, 2013, at 9:41 AM, Gennaro Brooks-Church - Eco Brooklyn wrote:

> I'm not sure if this is painfully obvious but in my competitive,
> expensive and stressful New York construction market I am seeing that
> one of the largest contributions to green building that I can make is
> to simply give clients a stress free, enjoyable experience (while also
> sticking to the most stringent environmental standards).
> 
> The definition of a green builder in my eyes is somebody who actively
> tries to improve the worlds environmental situation. And I think the
> cause of so much environmental destruction is caused by people who are
> alienated, uneducated and unhappy.
> 
> You can't do much if your insides are toxic, whether that is toxic
> organs, toxic thoughts or toxic relationships.
> 
> If I sit back and envision world peace I see people interacting
> lovingly and happily with themselves, others and the world. And when
> things are difficult (as life can be) people have the inner strength
> to overcome the challenges in a respectful and compassionate way.
> 
> So from this I am increasingly seeing that a super efficient house
> isn't worth much if the people in the house are alienated, uneducated
> and unhappy. Toxic.
> 
> As they say, to change the world you must first see the change in
> yourself, your immediate family, friends, community etc. So it makes
> increasing sense for me to make my interaction with clients a
> reflection of the above mentioned world peace.
> 
> The green building isn't just happening in the choice of wood you buy.
> It is also happening as you reduce the toxic interaction with people
> and place.
> 
> And it starts with my own inner peace, which is an ongoing process
> full of success and setbacks. And it continues in my interaction with
> clients. The goal is one of coming out of the job not only with a
> green house but a green relationship - free of toxins, destructive
> ways of speaking and acting, and full of sustainable things that allow
> the relationship (with ourselves and others) to grow and be full of
> life.
> 
> Like I said, this may be obvious. But my evolution as a green builder
> who constantly seeks whole system connections has led me to see the
> connection between my inner peace and my outer work of swinging a
> hammer. For me this has been profound and life changing.
> 
> Just saying.
> 
> Gennaro Brooks-Church
> Director, Eco Brooklyn Inc.
> Cell: 1 347 244 3016 USA
> www.EcoBrooklyn.com
> 22 2nd St; Brooklyn, NY 11231
> 
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