[Greenbuilding] embodied energy was Polyiso strength on roof

[conservation architect]

All the participants on this list aspire to a low carbon footprint.  We are a community of people who have a common understanding with varied strategies for applying.  

I hear the case for the all natural material home.  I know these home are beautiful.  I am sure you put a lot of love and passion into every piece.  

I side with the lifecycle benefit of higher performance foam products in combination with natural materials being net positive. If we actually run out of consuming fossil fuels which these foams are made from, we are already toast. Greenhouse gases are accumulative in the atmosphere.  Will we stop the net addition year after year?  We can not consume all the fossil fuels.  That said, if we prioritize the use of fossil fuels that builds durable long term reductions in the burning of fossil fuels, that is a good trade off.  EPS as a disposable coffee cup (bad), as a durable thermal envelope combined with carbon free renewable (solar, wind, hydro, et) providing emission free comfort and protection from the extremes of our natural cycles (good).  These goals can also be reasonably obtained by execution really high standards in the design and implementation of natural materials.  

The cost of many of our strategies makes many of our clients a niche market.  Only if these standards become main stream can we have the desired impact on the climate.  

Eli 


From: Gennaro Brooks-Church - Eco Brooklyn 
As Frank says even if EPS was the best option I would still try to find a more natural option. For many reasons but maybe one that you would understand is what happens when we don't have the oil to make the EPS anymore?

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