EcoVertex

Final Chapter, Next Book

2007-10-15T14:32:00.000-07:00

I realize that this house project has served to propel me more completely into a green and sustainable lifestyle. Hence, the title..... Final Chapter, Next Book.

This renovation project is finished and it culminated in a public showing yesterday as one of the homes featured on the Sonoma Community Center Kitchen Tour . My home was by far the smallest and most "restrained" of the homes shown, but I was proud to hear that it had real livability and warmth. And while my friends have to be kind about my work, strangers don't. The comments I overhead from people seeing my house for the first time were gratifying. Many were astonished that the home was green because it challenged preconceived notions that they had about what a green home looked like. And I was pleased to hear how the space was incredibly well utilized and included many practical elements.

I want to share some of the final photos here. While I still intend to replace the roof and add solar, I'll take a few months off. I will use this venue to comment on more of the lifestyle choices that come with being green. So stayed tuned!

The "Great Room"

The Kitchen and Baking Pantry

The Master Bedroom and Bath

Oh Canada

2007-08-20T20:49:00.000-07:00

I recently visited Victoria, BC with my mother and I have to say that I was smitten with so much about the city. I had been there before on business but never really got the chance to explore it fully. Aside from the physical charms, I am so impressed with their commitment to maintaining an eco-balance.

One of the things that struck me was about how “green” practices weren’t called out as a suggested “alternative way of living”, but you get the feel that the local population just gets that they need to live more responsibly and respectfully when it comes to their environment.

For example, there weren’t the long explanations in the hotel about saving water, and thereby the planet, by not washing the linens. Rather it was suggested that if you wished not to have your sheets changed, you merely placed the pillows at the bottom of the bed. There was a recycle bin in the room…. like the ones you see in offices in the U.S. That’s the first I’ve ever seen one in a hotel room. I was also pleased to note that most of the taxis were hybrid cars.

This very clean city clearly takes pride in disposing of trash in appropriate ways. What interested me was that it’s also a city that owes its commerce to tourism and even the “visitors” seemed to honor the proper disposal of trash. I was one of many people intrigued with the solar power containers that crush recyclables. See photo below.

A visitor to the Royal BC Museum www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca is treated to many delightful and engaging “cultural” exhibits, including a well-done video about global warming. There was no “hedging” or balancing the information as is often the case in the U.S. Rather, the museum suggested that enacting the solutions was the responsibility of every citizen on the planet. Sometimes you have to admire the directness of our northern neighbors. I wonder if this “enlightenment” comes from their respect and reverence to the many “first people” tribes that are recognized as significant contributors to the local history. It seems to have engendered a belief in the local population about the importance of maintaining the balance between man and nature.

Whatever the reasons, I applaud western Canada’s stated support for restoring our planet.

Online Shopping Expedition

2007-08-07T16:15:00.000-07:00

Of course, it was necessary to find just the right accoutrements to complete the move back into the new home. I tried to incorporate as many of my old furnishings as possible by changing lampshades, updating knobs etc. Of course, there still were some things that had to be brought in order to complete to "look". While searching online, I found some exciting web sites that I share with you here. Happy shopping.

www.terrestra.com: I just love their Riverside sea glass dishes.

www.urbanadesign.com: A very chic and practical take on contemporary pieces to add to your home.

www.bongenre.com: Use these very stylish melamine plates instead of paper or plastic next time you have a soiree outdoors

www.sprouthome.com: When not in Chicago or Brooklyn to see the store in person, check it out online.

www.wisteria.com: No one edits or chooses more stylish products from around the world than this charming couple. I feel as if I know them by seeing what they select over the years.

www.pacificmodern.biz
www.natureshardware.com

Two of my favorite sources/designs for cabinetry hardware. I was so taken with the Sartre (perfect name) knob from Pacific Modern that I used it in my kitchen.

www.eco-artware.com: An interesting collection of “reuse” items. Got to have the motherboard luggage tags!

www.branchhome.com: I've included the “seatbelt” hammock photo here because it is so ingenious.

www.totallybamboo.com: Check out the bamboo backsplashes. Next house, I’m going to incorporate one these rich pieces.

www.greenlightconcepts.com: What can be done with old traffic light parts? Stunning lights for the home.

www.eatitworld.com: An interesting collection but limited collection of eco products. I am intrigued with the metal luggage.

www.environtrading.com: I am not convinced that the products here are all that enviro-friendly, but you have to check out their extensive closeout section for great bargains.

www.designpublic.com: I’ve enjoyed watching this online retailer’s selection grow. They seem to be nipping at DWR’s (Design Within Reach) heels in terms of product offerings. They are not all green, but they are all very cool.

Coloring a Kitchen Green

2007-07-23T12:34:00.001-07:00

I've started showing the finished house and I seem to get the same question, "what makes this kitchen green?" I decided to highlight the features here as it may help guide others as they choose which elements to incorporate in their renovation projects.

In short, creating a green kitchen is all about: energy efficiency, non-toxicity/healthy environment, responsibility, and livability.

This renovated kitchen incorporates all of those features in the following ways:

Energy Efficiency

All appliances are top energy-star rated. The environment makes best use of HVAC efficiency and insulation that is present throughout the house. It was tested for leakage and great care was given to reduce waste.

Windows are Marvin’s Integrity, energy efficient line.

Non-Toxicity and Healthy Living.

All paints, finishes and adhesives were mostly non-toxic. That includes the paints (Yolo, Benjamin Moore Aura, and American Pride). The Alder cabinetry was stained with non-toxic water-based stain from Unaxol (see last post).

Responsibility.

That comes from having a size-appropriate space where the concept of “smaller is more beautiful,” comes to life.

All of the wood is FSC compliant, which means that it was harvested in an ecologically responsible manner. The white maple floors are pre-engineered from EcoTimber. www.ecotimber.com

The glass backsplash is from Artistic Tiles www.artistictile.com which prides itself on being socially and ecologically responsible in the production of its materials.

The countertops are French limestone and were “reject material” from another job. Part of being responsible is to reuse, recycle and re-craft current materials whenever possible. The breakfast countertop is a “reuse” of tabletop that was re-fabricated and now has a new purpose as a small desk and breakfast countertop.

Separating the open kitchen floorplan from the great room is a glass material that again is considered ecologically friendly, from 3-Form, www.3-form.com. The product is called pineapple weave and is recycled glass and natural materials sandwiched together in an usual and appealing way.

The pantry countertop, from Eurostone (www.eurostonecountertops.com), is a composite material that is made up of the fragments of granite that fall to the floor and are thrown away. This product collects that refuse and crafts it into a luxurious “granite-like” material.

Water demand is met by a Nortiz tankless water heater and an on-demand hot water generator at the faucets from www.chilipepperapp.com. Both save water and cost the homeowner less to operate.

Livability.

Being green does not mean giving up livability. This kitchen and baker’s pantry were designed to meet all the needs of cooking, entertaining, and living. Great care was given to mapping out all of the various functions and then providing the necessary space and materials to fulfill on those expectations. In doing so, use of space was carefully considered and only materials were used that would have minimum impact on our environment.

Finishing Touches

2007-07-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

I realize that I’ve been away from my “green house journal” for a while. I’ll blame it on wanting to unpack fully. As well, I had the first of many houseguests who are staying with me over the summer. I wanted to make sure the place “showed” well.

I do have many observations that come with living in the space and I’ll try to capture them here for my new few blogs.

Today’s topic: water-based stain and lacquer.

I remember early on in the project, I had a wood finisher who gave me an estimate on some furniture repair. She was very interested in my green project and asked for a tour. As we went though the plans and ideas, she asked about cabinet finishes. What followed was a very interesting discussion between her and my contractor, whose first love is cabinetry. As it turns out, they both agreed that this was the one area that the products are disappointing. While it is true that some of the most harmful and toxic elements that one encounters in a home is what they use to seal wood, there’s a reason for the products. Wood floors, cabinets have to stand up to wear and as such, the process for doing so seems to require caustic products. Any alternative, to date, as been outrageously labor intensive and therefore cost prohibitive.

Well, I was determined to find a solution and I trusted that Cemil’s cabinetry perfectionism wouldn’t let me trade off too much in aesthetics or performance. We settled on Unaxol, distributed in the U.S. by www.mobydicksupplies.com. And while the aesthetics are initially acceptable….. even, dare I say natural, there are some cautionary notes.

First, I noticed that during installation there was evidence of more dings than there should have been. Cemil was very careful, but this eco-friendly product requires more care than non-eco finishes. While it’s only been a month since I’ve been living in my new environment, I can already tell that the wood cabinets won’t hold up as well to scrubbing as the toxic alternatives. It means, that I will have to take a bit more care when cleaning up the cabinets. I will also keep a can of the stain handy in order to touch up any worn spots.

Spreading the Green Word

2007-06-17T21:48:00.001-07:00

I've been bogged down with moving back into the house. I also took a week off to help my mother in South Carolina get her house updated and sorted out. I want to report on a couple of events that lead me to believe that green is no longer just for the initiated.

I had a new piece of furniture delivered to the house in Sonoma and it just so happens that the day it happened on the day that the painters were finishing up and we had a house full of workers who were putting finishing touches everywhere. I was caught off guard when one of the delivery men pointed out that he normally can smell the effects of new construction when he walks in the door. He said that it normally caused him to wheeze a bit. But this house was different, he pointed out. It is always nice to get unsolicited confirmation that your work is recognized.

Then there's the South. I grew up in the South, so I lovingly embrace its traditions. But often times, it means that there is healthy skepticism for anything new. And I feared that this was the case. Of course, my elderly mother seems game for being part of any new movement that makes her life easier and more productive. She still teaches university and is a whiz on the web, which she uses for her literary research. I've been very heartened by her interest in all things environmental and green. She regularly sends me articles that she's clipped on alternative fuel cars (she's subscribes to Car and Driver magazine) and features from the Wall Street Journal.

She enlisted the aid of Roy Grubbs for his painting services and insisted that he use the low-VOC paint from Sherwin Williams www.sherwin-williams.com (Duration). She rescues greyhounds so she needs a durable and washable paint. So far, the results live up to expectation. It was fairly odor-free. It went on well, according to Roy. And the gentle test scrubbing that I did before I left seem to hold up.

I spent the week adding the "expert" commentary on green design to anyone that my mother would engage in conversation on the topic. While I understand the look of polite tolerance that one often encounters in the South, I do think that we "converted" several skeptics in our travels around the Charleston area.

It's all about spreading the word and living by example. Isn't everything?

When Green Becomes Beige

2007-06-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I think that too much is being made out of “green” as a lifestyle choice. Of course, I think we all need to take stock of what we do and how it affects longtime viability of the environment. But a part of me longs for the day when green practices will be so ubiquitous as to make calling it out as separately will be unnecessary. However, we are in a period of building awareness and as such, one has to be diligent in thinking about your activities in terms of whether they are good for the environment or not. That's new for most people.

I recently watched an interesting program on the Sundance Channel (www.sundanchannel.com/thegreen) in the series “Big Ideas for a Small Planet.” This particular segment focused on sustainable design practices. The program featured the activities at various furnishing companies and how they are producing products in a more sustainable way.

What came through in the discussion from the DFE team (design for the environment team) at Hermann Miller www.hermannmiller.com in Holland, MI. Their goal is to be a zero landfill company that creates zero hazardous waste and generate zero emissions by the year 2020. The company which gave us the Eames and Aeron chairs now has launched the Mirra chair that is made of 42% recycled products and is 95% recyclable at the end of the chair’s life.

While the goals of the company are impressive, I was really intrigued by the discussion that the resident designers had on just what it means to create “sustainable” furniture. They seemed dedicated to a philosophy that manufacturing quality products that are ecologically sustainable should be standard operating procedure and the fact that the products are green should be transparent to the customer. I agree and applaud that attitude. As example, take a look at the Mirra chair as it doesn’t look “green” to me! It just looks like a fabulous product.

PS: I also really like what the Salm brothers are creating at www.mioculture.com. Especially this creative wall covering, made from 100% post and pre-consumer waste paper.

Child's Play

2007-06-03T21:13:00.000-07:00

I have a very creative friend in Southern California. When she told me about what she was doing to create an additional play area for her two children, I asked her to send photos.

Being "green" is all about using the space you already have, more efficiently. My friend certainly did that with an "extra" balcony in her home. As you can tell from this photo, she created a "baby" house out of a little-used balcony off her bedroom. It's every child's dream play house and takes the concept of a tree house to new levels.

I applaud my friend's ingenuity. Oh, and her husband did an amazing carpentry job, for an amateur!

First, the Inspiration

2007-05-29T20:38:00.000-07:00

As I near the end of this wonderful project, I realize just what a journey this has been. Since I was trained in publishing and marketing, I can’t help but do a mental de-brief. So the next few postings will be in sharing those methodologies and systems that provided the necessary organization helped to ensure the success of this project. I apologize if some of my recommendations and observations are obvious and elementary, but I’ve come to appreciate that it is rare that a project of this magnitude gets delivered on schedule. Ok, we are 2 weeks late, but that’s because we made quite a few alterations along the way that expanded and enhanced the final outcome.

I have to first commend my partner in all this, Cemil Hope. He’s the dream contractor who also fills in as architect, design partner, project foreman and teacher. This was really a journey for the two of us.

Because I had done many renovations before, I decided to forego the help of a professional team (architect, designers, specialists). As a result Cemil and I had to communicate often and well. We created many systems of tracking and communing that kept us together and informed.

First, we had to establish the look and feel of the end product. I collected, edited through, and generated lots of tear sheets to demonstrate my desires for each room. These were culled to the winners and became the basis for what were trying to achieve. They got posted on black art boards and became basis for my inspirations boards. I added samples of the materials I chose as I went along.

Also called mood boards, concept boards, storyboards, the concept is the same: they are the visuals that helps keep the materials integrated with the original concept.

Now that it is 6 months later, these boards are a little worse for wear, but they helped to keep everyone on track and allowed me to show vendors what materials would work with the overall room design. Often times, these boards are provided for you by your design team, but I think doing them yourself at the outset of a project is very empowering and ensures that your aesthetic is being met.

Trashy Story

2007-05-24T18:56:00.000-07:00

I was catching up on some reading the other day and came across a very interesting visual from www.plentymag.com. They used a picture of a trash can to highlight the statistics on the amount of trash we produce every year. That stats:

• 236 million tons of trash a year. 1,640 pounds of waste per person, per year

• 35% of trash is paper

• 12% plastics

• 3.6% furniture and furnishings

• 3.1% clothing and footwear

• 1.2% consumer electronics

**Sources: Jan.2007 issue of Plenty Magazine and EPA http://www.epa.gov/msw/facts.htm

It got me thinking about a documentary short called Recycled Life (www.recycledlifedoc.com) I had recently seen at the Sonoma film festival about the thousands of families living in Central America’s largest garbage dump in Guatemala City. The movie is heart wrenching because of the generations who have made their home and living sorting through the trash that people throw away.

As Americans, we seem to think that we have the land mass and thus the right to dump whatever we want into it. Well, there are plenty of examples as to why that thinking is shortsighted and downright idiotic. Were we a smaller country we might have the same issues that were highlighted in Recycled Life. Frankly, if we continue to produce the amount of waste that the EPA reports, we too will have a similar crisis as many other countries are dealing with today.

Conservation, recycling and economical use of materials is the answer. It’s not hard to figure out. Every single person plays a role. A friend of mine who is a senior executive at Georgia Pacific told me of a group of some of the larger retailers who have formed a group to institute changes in the amount of packaging that is produced. I applaud their efforts and look forward to what they come up with.

I was aghast at some packaging offenders by green companies. I’ve already talked about DriTac (see A Cautionary Tale on April 10) in an earlier post; the adhesive came packages as if it were Faberge eggs. I’m disappointed by various CFL bulbs that are secured in plastic so that it takes a good 3-4 minutes to get them open. There’s got to be a better way!

On the plus side, I just received a “green” PC from the folks at Zonbu (www.zonbu.com) and the first thing I noted was the sensible packaging. It arrived in perfect condition and the packaging was cardboard as you can see from the photo. More later on this interesting approach to reducing the amount of waste and energy use from consumer electronics.

Green Furniture that's Long on Style

2007-05-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

It’s not a home until you fill the rooms. What fun to be able to choose from some of these wonderful designs that are green and sustainable. In the past, green furniture meant pieces made from burl wood and bamboo. But as some of these designs show, you can satisfy any style, any aesthetic.

El-Furniture is created by Jill Salisbury in Illinois. Barbara Barry (www.barbarabarryco.com) has nothing on the pieces that Jill produces as evidenced by this photo here. www.el-furniture.com

Arper is an Italian company and their innovation and design captures the Italian essence that we have come to appreciate in clothes and leather goods. www.arper.com

Acronym Designs is headquartered in Kansas City and there’s no lack of sophistication in the sustainable furniture that comes from this company. See for yourself at www.acronymdesigns.com.

Anthony Brozna is a Virginia-based eco designer with a great eye. His pieces are very appropriate for all styles and aesthetics. See the sample piece here. www.bronzawoodworking.com

Mebel is based in San Francisco but most of the production for these beautiful pieces is done in Connecticut. A fabulous modern aesthetic with great originality. I love their Mondrian inspired screen.www.mebelfurniture.com

Gore Design is a green design studio in Tempe Arizona and they do beautiful work. You get a sense of their style and voice from their website. You get a sense of their sophistication and the work they turn out is lovely, as you can see from this example. www.goredesignco.com

If Only......

2007-05-16T11:26:00.000-07:00

The wonderful thing about the developing category of green design is that everyday a new and exciting product is introduced to the marketplace. So it is inevitable that before my house is done, I would have come across some things that make me wish I could turn back the clock. Oh well, there is always the next project to try these out in.

Some of my new favorites:

Barkskin is a lovely wall covering that can also be used for lampshades. It’s literally “bark” that does look like skin. It comes in may colors and configurations…. As many as there are trees. www.barkskin.com. See room photo at right.

Caesarstone is another wonderful quartz surface material that has as many uses as granite . It’s amazingly hard and looks a lot like my favorite countertop material that I did use www.eurostonecountertops.com. See it here at www.caesarstone.com. It also reminds me of another favorite, www.coveringsetc.com.

Bohemian Stone Works takes concrete countertops to a unique and natural level. The end result is a really wonderful, natural look: www.bohemianstoneworks.com.

Slatescape is another “fiber cement” product that is quite sophisticated in its final state. Its uses are varied and very much like real stone www.americanfibercement.com.

Syndecrete
takes concrete to artistic levels as the fireplace photo to the right demonstrates. www.syndecrete.com

Icestone is an interesting product that is very similar to Vetrazzo (www.counterproduction.com). The color variations are many and it’s got a very nice feel. Makes a wonderful countertop in kitchen or bath. www.icestone.biz

Side note….. see the coordinating knobs at www.janicepeacock.com.

Eleek.
They make sinks, countertops, lighting, these guys do it all. I particularly love some of their sconces fabricated from recycled metal. See photo of light and sink www.eleekinc.com.

Sonoma Cast Stone is right in my back yard and I think they do a fabulous job with concrete. They manage to produce fabulous sinks, pavers, furniture, tiles, surrounds. Just looking at their portfolio gives me so many ideas. www.sonomastone.com

Livinglass. A friend of mine, Richard Silver, just discovered this product at HD EXPO in Las Vegas last week. He knows how much I love the 3-Form glass product and liked how I used it in this renovation. These guys take it to a new sphere. I am impressed! www.livinglass.com

Floor Gres is an Italian company and they know how to work with stone in all its permutations. Again, this stone product is very much like the Eurostone that I used and has as many applications as stone. Check it out at www.floorgres.it.

Wood That Could

2007-05-13T20:30:00.000-07:00

Among the termite damage that we discovered was a portion of the fence that surrounds my property. This portion of the fence is the oldest and we share it with an older neighbor who hasn’t spent any money to maintain her home so while other portions of the fence had been updated, this section has probably been up for over 20 years. So it isn’t surprising that many of the supporting posts were riddled with termites.

Cemil had his team pull out the posts and take off the boards. What we did discover is that some of the old redwood boards are in good shape and quite lovely. Once planed, they can be reused. And so they will. We are going to create a pool equipment enclosure and having these nice old redwood boards will give the new construction and old feel so that the “new” pool house will blend in nicely with my older, weathered outdoor teak furniture.

The learning…..even old wood can be renewed and reused and make a beautiful and cost efficient addition.

When Any Old Door Won’t Do!

Ok, so I was not an integral part of the decision-making that went into getting new doors into place. I only knew that the old ones were warped and always had to be held open by doorstops. Cemil chose the doors and he made sure they were not your usual Douglas Fur. Rather, they are MDF and are of 97% recycled material. Formaldehyde free, of course. And they are now up and ready for painting. I can vouch for their being solid and attractive. And they are green too!

I have to put in a plug for Truitt & White for anyone in the bay area of San Francisco who is looking for a building supply partner. They are able to offer lots of advice and their green knowledge and product experience grows daily. (www.truittandwhite.com).

Green Shopping in London

2007-05-10T17:33:00.000-07:00

Favorites:

Of all the stores that I happened on in my quest for sustainable and organic products, I have to say that I really enjoyed a small antiques store on New King's Road at Waterford (Fulham Broeadway tube stop) that reupholsters settees, chaises and fainting couches in the most delightful fabrics. The store had about 6 on display and the owner says that he scours tag sales and restores them on a regular basis.

Runner-ups:

Summerill & Bishop Kitchen Shop for their wonderful collection of interesting houseware products and many are vintage pieces. (www.summerillandbishop.com).

Books for Cooks (www.booksforcooks.com)
not only has just about any cookbook that you could want but they also have an area in the back of the store for the chef/owners and store enthusiasts to gather and sample what’s baking in the oven that day. I felt guilty about tearing a shop person away from her tea and pastry in order to ring me up.

Channels furniture design has innovative designs and many are from sustainable woods. (www.channelsdesign.com)

Borough Market is a Saturday morning must. Its collection of artisanal foods and organic products is impressive. I'm told that you can regularly spot most of England's new chef stars here. For me, it rivaled San Francisco's famous Ferry Plaza Market. Go hungry and buy picnic food. (take London Bridge tube stop)

Around London Town

2007-05-10T16:05:00.000-07:00

Now that I have recovered from the airplane croup that is inevitable on very long flights these days, I can get back to recording my observations. Also to helping Cemil with the finishing touches on the house. We are 3 weeks away from completion and this is where the beauty of green finishes will become evident. But I tease you, as that will be the next blog.

A side note, I heartily recommend No Jet-Lag, a homeopathic remedy. This was the I first time I used it and I did much better than my boyfriend who depended upon his prescription on Ambien. (www.nojetlag.com)

I wanted to share several more interesting observations that came from my week in London doing green discovery.

Love it:

Noticed that they are using more and more “wooden” disposable cutlery than plastic. I think they are so much more compelling and given that they are generally made from “leftover” pieces of veneer, they are easier on the planet than all that plastic stuff.

Recycled glass dishes that were made in Spain at a store in Notting Hill called Ceramica Blue (www.ceramicablue.co.uk). I found similar ones from www.vivaterra.com. Sadly there was a fabulous copper colored one in London that I can’t find at Viva Terra.

Discovery:

I had read that some interesting design is beginning to happen in Brick Lane (the main artery of what has been called “Banglatown” in London’s east end). I did find some wonderful quirky boutiques, many of vintage clothing, original jewelry, and some groovy home furnishing stores. I also discovered a wonderful organic restaurant, Story Deli, where I had a delightful flatbread. I particularly like their innovative ways for storage in a very small space. They had these interesting stools made of heavy waxed paper that also doubled as storage bins under the “tops.” They told me that they were available at a shop in the area but it is only open on weekends. I’ve included a photo, as they would be easy to replicate.

Kudos:

A friend of mine from San Francisco introduced me to Nina Campbell, a world famous designer (www.ninacampbell.com). So since Nina is based in London, I rang her up to see if we could get together. Well, she generously invited me around to her new home off Fulham Road and hosted a luncheon with some of her friends. It turns out that she has a great deal of interest in green design and invited several of her designer friends to view a presentation I pulled together of some of my favorite products. The group included Susan Crewe, editor of English House and Garden and John Lees, a local architect who has been doing green work for sometime (www.leeassociates.com). I enjoyed meeting these “tastemakers” and hope that I was able to contribute in some small way to their considering more green products in their work.

I promise to share my some of my picks with you in later blogs.

London State of Mind

2007-05-01T14:49:00.000-07:00

I have been offline because I spent a week in London exploring the state of “greenness” in the design community here. And I’m pleased to report that, in typical British style, they are doing an amazing job of catching up and will, no doubt, surpass the U.S. in embracing sustainability. While it is true that America is at its best when we really invest and focus on innovation. But, sadly, we are not so adept at changing our lifestyles or thinking beyond our own borders.

Global warming is an undisputed reality, despite what holdouts like Rush Limbaugh and fringe, Exxon-Mobil supported “experts” from the Competitive Enterprise Institute (see article in May "green" issue of Vanity Fair).

Happily, a quick survey of the British papers (from the Guardian to the Daily Telegraph) all seem to be equally concerned about what British citizens and the government need to do to stem the inevitable consequences of the destructive tide that we are facing if we don’t act as a global community now.

The U.S. seems, as is often the case, to be debating the various merits of options. As a result, the debate is stifling real progress. This crisis calls for more of a concerted effort than Americans are generally comfortable with. That doesn’t seem to be the case for the Brits. In spite of this enthusiasm I have for the emerging UK focus, they still have to play catch-up but I am very confident that they will get on with what needs to be done.

An interesting time to be in the UK on a quest for eco-friendly activities:

•The London marathon was held and it was one of the hottest on records. The newspaper headlines reported how difficult it was for the runners and predicted that the continued “unseasonable” heat is going to be difficult for the country, citing the expected steamy underground environments and preparing for passengers who are likely to be overcome by very “sweltering” temps.

Expectation: 117 plus degrees and stockpiling of water for travelers

•Designer Anya Hindmarch and Saintsbury experienced unexpected enthusiasm for limited edition reusable grocery bags that sported a motto, “I’m not a plastic bag” and sold for 5 pounds. Consumers lined up at 3:00 a.m. to get one of the 20,000 limited edition bags and were reported to already be selling on e-bay for 175 pounds.

Result: Saintsbury announces a monthly “make a difference day” in which similar PR stunts will be revealed. Communities and stores around the country announce the banning of plastic bags and consumers will now have to pay for carrier bags.

•Ineffective recycling efforts are being reviewed. Currently the concern for terrorists has resulted in the removal of bins for trash and recycling in tube stations and in many public areas. As a result, recycling has taken a back seat. However, the press seemed to be reporting on ways to return a focus on making recycling easier and more available. I have no doubt that they will have solutions by summer’s end.

Observation: Unlike the US, where we have plenty of land to “dump our trash,” all of London’s, for example, is put on barges and send down the Thames to Essex where available land mass is limited. So it’s imperative that England get serious about the amount of trash they produce. It’s not an option for them as they don’t have the land that we do in the U.S.

•Attitudes seem to be more open to eco-solutions than I’ve noticed in the U.S. In my informal and very unscientific interviews of various shop owners and residents, I encountered less skepticism and more interest in my eco ideas than I’ve experienced in the U.S. outside of California. Maybe because this is a citizenry that has gotten used to taxes and mandates (such as the congestion tax for cars that enter London and is now being proposed for NYC) and rather than rail against them, they seem to almost accept it as a way of life. Libertarianism is not as deeply entrenched in the UK as in the U.S.

•Organic food is finally catching on in London. For the first time, I found evidence that England is making note of healthy eating. I was delighted by a visit to the Borough market on a Saturday that made me feel as if I was back at Ferry Plaza in San Francisco. Organic purveyors of meats, produce, breads, and juices were everywhere. As I wondered around Notting Hill, Chelsea, and even East Aldgate, I found wonderful little organic eating establishments. I happened on a Whole Foods and several British knock-offs, like Planet Organic and One Stop Fresh (www.onestopfresh.com)

Next Post: More on green design in the UK

A Cautionary Tale

2007-04-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

This may be an expanding post as we discover the “challenges” that some of these new products present. Having been in high tech for the past 15 years, I’ve grown accustomed to “beta” versions. And it is no different with these new green applications. While many of them are wonderful and ready to embrace, there’s bound to be a period of discovery about their wonderful idiosyncrasies.

As we begin to install the many green finishes that I’ve raved about in earlier posts, there are a few learnings the manufacturers don’t tell you about. I prefer tothink that the lack of information is oversight and not as a means of misleading customers. In fact, when brought to their attention, the manufacturers seem to appreciate the feedback. Let’s just hope these companies use the information to help educate their customers. After all, it’s always best to set expectations at the beginning of a relationship, right?

Several times in the past week or so Cemil and I have had some doubts about our choices. But in the end, we managed to find a way to work with the products and they are in the house. But, I hope this information will save you some of the frustration that we’ve experienced.

Richlite. We really do like what this product, but there are some caveats in working with it. It is a countertop product that can be used in as many ways as Corian. It’s made of paper (see more about the manufacturing process here www.richlite.com). Our issues are:

Color. It changes, pretty dramatically…..much as what happens to newspapers when left in the sun or as they age in your attic. I’ve included an example with this color change with the photo. The small green sample is what my countertop “will” become over time. The larger sample is where it is right now. Currently the green has definite bluish tints, but is going to deepen with yellow tones into a rich olive color. And the olive color is the one that I anticipated with the rest of the finishes that I chose. The manufacturer’s representative said that it is the “organic” nature of the product and that one shouldn’t base a color scheme around it. And I grant him that wood, metals and some stones will age and burnish over time, but we can anticipate what happens to copper, as example, (because of past experience) and rarely do these products change their tonality (cool to warm tones—as in the case of this green).

Durability. By that I mean, how the product holds up to wear and tear. While I can’t comment on that yet, Cemil can. He’s had Richlite countertops in the baguette color in a home that his family uses. And he’s noticed that it will hold on to soap residue (particularly colored soaps) and other stains. Of course, this product can be sanded and re-polished, but that seems to be a lot of work for most people. For this reason, we both think the darker colors are the way to go in Richlite.

Organic floor adhesive from DriTac (DriTac 7500 Eco-urethane) www.dritac.com. In the end, we are pleased with the performance of this adhesive that is keeping our EcoTimber pre-engineered maple floors in place (www.ecotimber.com). As Cemil has commented…..should a tornado ever hit Sonoma, he can guarantee that the floors will be the only remaining part of the house. But it took several frustrating hours to discover the idiosyncrasies of this product and when we reported back to the manufacturer, they seemed surprised by what we learned.

First, the product uses way too much packaging. It’s just not green to use metal containers, extra thick cardboard boxes, and styrofoam to deliver these containers.

Second, the instructions provided with the product do not caution you about the following:

1- Transfer small amounts to plastic containers as the a) product dries quickly, becomes too thick to use; b) doesn’t stick to plastic in the end and cleanup means merely lifting out a latex looking mask; c) is impossible to apply in large containers.

2- Work with small amounts of the glue at a time—preferably only applying to floor one plank at a time. The adhesive dries very quickly, is thicker than most, and has a memory. So when putting your pre-finished floorboard in, you must put it in place quickly and don’t even think about moving it too much. Keep in mind the “thickness” of this adhesive and allow for that in your measurements.

3- Keep rechecking your work because of the “memory” aspect of the adhesive. If you need to shift a board, then you have to work harder to get the board back to where you ultimately want it.

4- Applying the glue seems to be much like frosting a cake with a very tacky frosting. I watched Cemil and Jim “twirl” the adhesive around so that they could then trowel it onto the floor. It takes some practice to feel comfortable with the application process.

EcoTimber pre-engineered maple flooring. It's beautiful but there are a few things you should be aware of when choosing this particular product from EcoTimber.

* All EcoTimber is graded according to European standards so that means you get A/B not just A boards. And as such, you will find more knots, heartboard anomolies, and mineral streaks than what one might be used to (see picture for example). The company said that you can expect dime size knots and we found many more that were quarter size. Apparently they use computer equipment to "grade" the material and they are calculated for dimensions and size of dark material. Not quite effective, according to my untrained eyes! Most of this is generally calculated for when adding 10% for waste.

* The light maple is more of an issue. There are going to be more "organic" elements that can distract from the overall look. It means that you should count on another 5% of waste. That can really increase the cost of your flooring.

Ultimately, we are still pleased with these products, just not with the information that was provided by the manufacturers. And we all know that getting new products established and having them take hold is as much about ease of use as about how they look.

Tile Style

2007-04-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

We've gotten to that stage of the project where the magic really starts to happen. The finishes are now getting installed and all the design planning is ready to be judged. So far, no real regrets.

The bathroom tiles are certainly living up to expectations.

In the guest bathroom, we used white subway field tile from Fireclay www.fireclaytile.com. There were several reasons in using this resource: 1)it is local (San Jose, CA); 2)none of the glazes contain lead; 3)the "Debris" series that I used is manufactured using 50% post-consumer and post-industrial recycled materials. I liked this effect because it gives a slightly less "finished" result and there's a warmth of the material that comes through the white tile. Those who have seen it agree, that the effect is quite compelling. I used a recycled glass contrasting band in green.

In the master bathroom, I can't do justice with a description of the glass tiles that I used from. As I look at my newly tiled shower stall in the cane iridescent 1 inch glass field tiles from Oceanside, www.glasstile.com, I think of a jeweled box. It's a lovely effect and again I really like the irregular nature of the the glass pieces. Constatine, a tile "artist" who installed the product, did complain that the transparent nature of the color I chose made his work a bit more difficult. He had to have a smooth (not troweled) based on which to lay in the glass tiles and in spite of their being held together by 12 x 12 inch sheets of paper, they were heavy and took great care in getting them to hold in place. He did a masterful job and I love the final look.

I paired this with a fabulous pebble rock flooring from Fireclay's collection called "jelly bean". Not only do the weathered pebbles feel wonderful underfoot but the effect is a bit like looking down through a clear water stream to a rocky bottom below. It was easy to install and the only hard part was picking and applying the grout so that it wouldn't be too deep to cover the pebbles up too much.

All in all, the choices were not only natural but beautiful. The price ranges were from $13 per sq. ft. for the pebble rock; $20 a sq. ft. for the field tile; to $28 a sq. ft. for the glass tiles.

How Green Can You Go?

2007-03-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

This week was full of starts and a few stops. By that I mean, we were all ready to move into final stages of putting in the finishes when we made some interesting discoveries. I’ll try to highlight a few of them here.

Flooring. EcoTimber (www.ecotimber.com)is ready to be laid, but we spent the week waiting for the Eco Urethane adhesive from DriTac. It arrived a week late and has delayed our start. As it turns out, that was for the best, given some of the changes that we’ll be making after our preliminary energy audit (see later discussion) and the relocation of floor vents.

Packaging. Meanwhile, we began to remove the packaging from the pre-engineered white maple that we are using. And I came to really appreciate the “ungreen” nature of packaging. The plastic and cardboard just kept piling up higher and higher. Yes, it all ended up at the recycling center, but it does raise an interesting question. When are we going to get serious about sustainable packaging? Especially for “green products.”

The adhesive was the worst “green packaging” offender that I’ve experienced. It came in very sturdy plastic containers that were individually placed in thick cardboard boxes and firmly held in place by styrofoam blocks. Way too much packaging!

Our pre-energy audit.

Early on, Cemil had researched to find a consultant that would come in and advise us on just how we can maximize our construction to make a very energy efficient home. Well, we were amused and impressed with the team from ReNu (www.renuyourhome.com).

Their mission:

"The emphasis of our company is to help homeowners make their homes not only better looking but also more energy efficient, more comfortable, safer, and healthier to live in. We perform 'Healthy Home Assessments' and do all the remediation work that would be required to bring a home back into shape. You could think of us as Personal Trainers for your home"

Their methodology:

Cemil and I were reminded of “Ghost Busters” when the ReNu team showed up at the house with 4 people and enough equipment to climb Mt. Everest. An infrared camera was used to point out all the leakage—through walls, around light sockets and electrical outlets. It was clear, that we still have a lot of work to do to “seal” up the house in order to “tighten” it up. But as we do that, it’s important to realize that a tight house requires sources for fresh air to balance it out.

As Robert Mitchell, President, kept pointing out “a tighter house is what we all want but that means a source for controlled fresh air.

The results:

Because we are using ReNu in 2 phases, we won’t know how we perform until we implement their recommendations. A few key areas that we will address in order to have a more energy efficient home:

*use lots of foam to seal the cracks and crevices
*use mastic to seal the grills and exterior exposures
*pay close attention to creating a tighter seal in the crawl space beneath the house
*think about using solar thermal to help diminish the energy used for hot water production
*relocate existing floor vents for AC and heat to ceiling and on walls opposite the windows because our heater unit is in the attic and it is more efficient than what the route that is currently used for getting the heat/ac to floor ducts which are currently placed under windows.
*insulate all the plumbing
*add extra insulation to the attic by using blow-in cellulose
*don’t oversize your heat or AC—bigger is not better in this case

Paint the Town Green

2007-03-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

It might seem unusual to be painting the walls of a project that is only half way done, but Cemil feels that having a coat of paint on them would protect the "prone to dings" sheet rock as we head into the installation of cabinets and finishes. I didn't argue because I was so curious about the colors and various paint brands that I had been researching.

So Lester was called in to put up the first coats of paint. I had carefully provided him and Cemil with a spreadsheet of all the colors and paints. All totaled, I ended up using 5 different brands and 10 colors. I'm sure Lester was curious about my hanging out with him all day and "interviewing" him on his opinion about the various paints. He provided some valuable feedback and I got to experience the painting part with him. While I'm not sure I converted Lester (he's a loyal Kelly Moore guy), he did agree that the quality was good, the colors nice, and the lack of smell was new for him. He didn't even have to add vanilla to the paint to kill the odor and I reminded him about the advantages of no lingering off-gassing. He's more informed after our 3 days together, and time will tell if he begins recommending these paints.
Lester and team

Let me first confess that I didn't try AFM Safecoat, the "primogeniture" of green paint companies, because Cemil had not been pleased with its coverage and I found the colors to be less than inspired. Though the president of the company did tell me that they were launching some new "decorator colors." Besides SFM Safecoat (www.safecoat.com), by virtue of longevity, is on every one's green paint check list.

I wanted to try some new brands. After having gotten my paint education at two bay area "contractor" paint stores, Gray's Paints in Palo Alto area and Tamalpais Paints in Marin as well as "green" paint resource, Ecohome Improvement in Berkeley, I was armed with gallons and quarts from 5 different brands.

Yolo Colorhouse. www.yolocolorhouse.com

American Pride. www.americanpridepaint.com

Aura from Benjamin Moore. www.myaurapaint.com

Sydney Harbour. www.sydneyharbourpaints.com

C2. www.c2color.com

And the review:

Yolo. My favorite. The colors are wonderful. I've met the two founders of this company and their creative backgrounds in the ad agency world comes through when you look at the color palette choices, the packaging and the attention to final product. While there isn't an extensive choice of colors with Yolo, the ones the do have are "tried and true" winners. And they coordinate in a way that makes you feel as if a professional designer chose your colors. The product goes on well and even the deepest of colors covers in two coats. There was absolutely no odor with the paint and Lester agreed that it was an impressive product. My only complaint is that it doesn't come in quart sizes. Price: $40 a gallon.

American Pride. More colors makes them a good addition to Yolo. The paint is equally "green" with no smell and also coats well in dark colors. They, like Yolo, have large swatches that you can buy and tape to the wall to see how the color looks without having to paint a sample. As was the case with Yolo, the eggshell finish wasn't chalky in the least.... as some have complained. And it comes in quarts. Price: $36 a gallon.

Aura from Benjamin Moore. The advantage is the access to this through their many outlets. Clearly Benjamin Moore has spent time, money and effort to establish this paint with the professionals. No complaints on the selection of colors. The coverage was as expected with any of their paints. They have yet to launch the semigloss line, but matte, eggshell and satin are all available and perform well to scrubbing. It is fast drying which makes it a favored for paint contractors. The price is competitive. They haven't created an eco friendly PVA yet, so you'll have to use from their old Eco Spec line (seems to be phasing out). There is some odor, so it doesn't feel as green as the other two I've mentioned. Price: $52 a gallon.

Sydney Harbour. An Australian product, this is a beautiful paint line that feels very specialized and high end. The price is $90 per gallon which makes it too expensive for most to use. They do have quarts so I used it on an accent wall. And it was beautiful coverage with virtually no odor either. I can't speak for how it holds up to scrubbing, but it too lacked the chalkiness of the clay and lime paints that are considered the "greenest" of paints. If not for the price, I would have rated this one higher. Price: $90 per gallon.

C2 Paints. I was talked into this as a "low VOC" newcomer. I have to say that the display in the paint store, next to Pratt & Lambert, was impressive. Again, one can buy large sheets to avoid painting splotches on your walls. I've also read that you can return any unused portion and they will "recycle" it for another homeowner who wants the same color. I haven't tried that yet and I do have an extra unused quart. The colors are certainly lovely and coverage is good. But this paint had the odor of any other brand that doesn't claim to be low VOC. So that moves this brand to the bottom of the list for me. Price: $48 a gallon

I won't go into the details on the challenges in VOC ratings with paints. In any emerging industry, the lack of standards makes it hard to compare products accurately. Go here for a good explanation on the paint issues http://www.greenhomeguide.com/index.php/knowhow/entry/920/C224. Suffice it to say, that paint is the area that will need to be monitored for the new entrants and measurement standards. As I was told by the owner of Gray's Paints..... it's all about the fact that glycol is the offender and that's the pigment. So, except for milk paint, it seems that there is no real "chemical-free" paint.

My attitude is that voting with your dollars on better choices for things like paint and wood is helping to build demand. That will, in turn, drive innovation and standards. So my advice: don't be afraid of investing in any of these paints I've recommended. Pay a little extra (not much) and enjoy an environmentally-responsible, odor-free, beautiful end-result.

Other useful information:

http://www.oninteriordesign.com/on_interior_design/2007/01/going_green_wit.html

A handy paint usage calculator:

http://www.benjaminmoore.ca/howto/paint_calculator.aspx

Giant leaps forwards and small steps backwards

2007-03-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

My recent trip was unexpectedly extended by a family emergency. I had lots of time in waiting rooms for reading and idle chatter. It seems that in this week alone, there have been some major announcements and media reports about the state of the environment. And still there are skeptics, I've come to discover.

As a new convert, it means that I've been obsessively focused on the impact that my actions have on the environment. I admit that I am probably a bit "evangelical" about my conversion. But given that I spent the last week in South Carolina, you'd have thought that any kind of evangelism would have been deemed as acceptable behavior. I did find the Whole Foods in SC, but was disappointed to see a parking lot filled with SUV's and other gas guzzling vehicles. And I noticed that everyone in the store seemed to prefer plastic bags to paper or providing their own. And as I am prone to do..... I did take it upon myself to instruct the bagging personnel as to why paper was preferable to plastic. I'm sure my instruction wasn't appreciated in the manner that I meant it. I learned that very few customers bring in their own bags, even with a 5 cents per bag incentive. I can only imagine the attitude at the Piggly Wiggly across town.

I had an unpleasant exchange with the specialist caring for my Mother about why he should believe in any of the "stuff that Al Gore espouses." Seems that he repeated a news report (Drudge Report & Fox News) that Al Gore's lifestyle didn't reflect his environmental platform. I looked up the attacks brought by a group that "promotes personal freedom and limited government." I found a considered response about Al Gore's home energy consumption that reveals his large home (which also is his office and accommodates security detail needs as ex- VP) does consume large amounts of energy, but he purchases most of it from green energy sources and offsets the remainder. He happens to live in a state that produces much of its energy from hydro and nuclear sources. My question to this GI doctor.... "what have you done to help preserve our environment?" I guess if he treated asthma instead of colon diseases, he might not have been so quick to dismiss the overwhelming evidence of atmospheric degradation from CO2 emissions and resulting health issues.

As someone who grew up in the South, I'm often defending my region because of its "illustrious" history. However, the reticence to embrace global warming as a crisis is not limited to the South. The weekend before, I had been in Long Island with friends and was equally surprised to find several deli-style eating establishments that did not recycle glass bottles and thought it unnecessary to do so. So ignorance is not necessarily regionally based.

The media seems to have daily coverage on our environment. Happily, Hollywood recognized "An Inconvenient Truth," by awarding it an Oscar. In the week following, though, the Bush administration is releasing a report (a year overdue) that will show "emissions of gasses by the U.S. that contribute to global warming will grow nearly as fast through the next decade as in the previous decade." Of course, it's not surprising given the general tepid, if not hostile, commitment of the Bush administration to saving our environment. (New York Times 3/32007)

Happy to report some positive things that I encountered on my trip:

* Novartis (Swiss drug company) is providing Prius cars for their drug reps next year.

* PG&E is converting their crew fleet of trucks to biodiesel and alternative fuel vehicles

* Wall Street Journal, that protector of corporate activities, devoted a section in the 2/12/2007 edition to green energy. And they were quite bullish on it making economic sense.

* I met with a NYC apartment developer who is considering retrofitting his buildings to be more green.

Next posting-- about paint

Offsetting Your Guilty Conscience

2007-02-22T18:28:00.000-08:00

The question. What are carbon neutral or offset (also known as green tags) programs?

You can become carbon neutral by investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that reduce carbon emissions. So on the one hand, you produce, and on the other, you reduce.

As I get ready to drive to the airport, hop a plane to NYC and use a cab to get to my final destination, I can’t help but think about what carbon issues I am causing with all this. My awareness for my carbon footprint came to me early on in my awakened green consciousness. As I result, I’ve bought my carbon neutral driving pass from www.terrapass.com. An alternative is www.driveneutral.com.

As well, Cemil purchased a wind power card for our project, which looks like phone card. It is meant to offset the power we are consuming in the renovation process they are available in more “green” establishments like Whole Foods. Or go to the website www.renewablechoice.com,

Still, my guilty conscience is not totally assuaged by these actions (my boyfriend has termed my green tag investments as 21st century indulgences). I still feel as if I need to offset more of my lifestyle. The upcoming plane ride comes to mind. Just as I prepare for the trip but putting my toiletries in baggies and printing down my boarding card, I will buy my carbon offset for the jet fuel that is about to be consumed…. and the cab ride….. and the energy consumption from my hotel stay. When they say, nothing in life is free, believe it. That includes the energy we used and what it take to produce that energy. The environment deserves its fair share.

Think about it as you do your diet. You know that there is more than the food cost to the chocolate that you are about to consume. You’ve long gotten used to rationalizing to yourself that the eating it will mean 20 minutes more on the Stairmaster. Well the same holds true for energy consumption. Carbon neutral contributions are like your extra time on the treadmill.

Of course, there’s always controversy and a naysayer or two. Just recently, there was some press in the UK about the speculators who have set up scams and schemes under the guise of doing good http://www.enn.com/net.html?id=1841. Sadly, they have tarred the reputation of the good programs. My reason for this post is to set the record straight and provide links and information that will restore your interest or faith in continuing with the contributions.

More Information:

Several months ago, www.ecofabulous, ran a piece about carbon offsets by David Shearer (a respected eco-advisor, www.climateclean.net)

His 6 questions are worth posting here as you vet the organizations you are thinking of contributing to:

1. Can you provide detailed information on specific projects that result from your offsets?

2. Which objective standards do you use to demonstrate the high quality of your offsets?

3. Have your offsets been verified against an objective standard by a credible third party source?

4. Do you sell offsets that reduce GHG emissions in the future? If so, how far in the future?

5. How permanent are your offsets - 10 years? 20 years? 50 years? Evidence of permanence?http://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

6. If trees are used for offsets, how do you measure the carbon reductions? How do you ensure that they are not burned or cut down?

Other resources/research to explore:

www.carbonoffsets.org
www.carboncounter.org
www.myclimate.com
www.renewablechoice.com
www.planktos.com (to offset travel)
www.nativeenergy.com

Space: It’s all about how you use it

2007-02-14T15:44:00.000-08:00

I like to tell people that my renovation is about creating a jewel of a house. For a whole host of reasons, I’ve come to prefer small, refined and beautifully crafted spaces to big statements of success. I really abhor the hummer and McMansion society that has defined America in the last two decades…. starting in the dreaded 80’s.

I hope the great awakening in this century is about less consumption, more conservation and less of a desire for bigger cars, homes, possessions, footprint etc. If society would realize that: “bigger isn’t always better;” “more is less;” and my new favorite…… “the wise man carries his possessions within him”.

Let me be honest though, I’ve had my own share of consumption vices in the past. I’m still in recovery from a lifetime of amassing a collection of shoes, dishes, even cats. But as I tell my friends, going green is about making small steps to change some of the more egregious practices that degrade the health of the planet. Eventually those small steps multiply and you are able to do more, comfortably about a new way of living. This is a marathon we are in, not a sprint.

On small space usage.

Cemil, my trusty green guide, has taught me how wasted space in a home is just unacceptable. As a good student, I’ve now become very adept at coming up with solutions for every little nook and cranny in this house project as a result of relocating rooms and walls. And I now have some of the coolest features in my small home and I can’t wait to live with the conveniences that they afford.

My beloved baker’s/butler’s pantry.

I love to bake and in the past I would have to do so while my boyfriend was in the middle of creating some elaborate Mediterranean feast. His garlic mincing would often meander over to my pastry rolling area, exposing it to unsavory additions. Anyone who uses a rolling pin also knows that there is an optimum height and it’s not the same counter height that you use for chopping vegetables. But now I have my own baker’s pantry that has been crafted to my specifications. With: lowered counters; a touchless faucet for floury hands; an extra dishwasher to keep my food processor from being confused with the one making a soffrito. And of course, just the right number of cabinets to accommodate rolling pins, cooking sheets, and measuring cups.

Side note: this space used to be a washer/dryer room that was misplaced in the center most part of the house. The washer and dryer have been stacked and put in the garage and this new center of the house will now produce freshly made cakes and pies!

A corner kitchen desk.

In creating the necessary returns to complete a room design, it often means that there are little niches that are generally unused. One such space revealed itself between the baking pantry and the kitchen. It was just the right space for a little desktop surface and a bookshelf for cookbooks. The counter area is just the size for a laptop, but it means that quick lookups on www.epicurious.com will become easier.

The cat excretorium.

With four cats, one is bound to have issues with cat pans and waste disposal. So Cemil came up with a clever solution that has been coined “an excretorium” by my boyfriend. It’s been carved out of a back hallway that abuts the garage. So on the inside, the cats can enter their own tiled bathroom through a little kitty door. On the outside, I will be able to access the cat pan area from the garage in order to remove the waste, wash down the area with an internal faucet, and whisk the offending refuse away to the outdoors. Cemil will install a motion-sensor fan to come on 10 seconds after a cat leaves the excretorium.

A guitar cubbyhole.

The boyfriend is a musician and he plays guitar. As a result, he has several. In the past, we always leaned them in their cases in the closet or corner of the room. But they always interfered with the space and were constantly being moved to get them out of the way. Cemil pointed out that we had a narrow, but deep space that came about as a result of carving out a coat closet and bookshelves from a wall in the office. As I looked at it, it seemed perfect for tall slender guitar cases. So now the guitars will have their own closet, behind a closet.

Wall safe, James Bond style.

Since the bedroom has been carved up to accommodate a walk-in closet and more spacious bathroom, we felt that we needed to balance it by putting in built-ins. This does two things: 1) the room won’t feel so small as there won’t be lots of furniture to clutter it up; 2) the room is more symmetrical and truly becomes a cozy place that feels “dedicated” to its defined use, as a bedroom. In making these changes, we created a “dead” space that was too small for another built-in. But it wasn’t too small to insert a safe that will be neatly disguised by a movable wall piece and a painting...... hence, the James Bond reference.

Bookcases instead of cabinets.

I have noticed, sadly of late, that homes no longer seem to have a prominent display of books. I will give the benefit of the doubt, and assume that many people just hide their books way. I prefer to think that versus the alternative: which is that people just don’t have books anymore. Anyway, I decided that a significant amount of wall space would be devoted to bookshelves. I’ve added them in as many places as I could and truly believe that they make a good bed backboard, end of hallway statement, and should be a key element of a room claiming to be an office or a “library.” So now all my books can come out of boxes and from storage and beckon to me to reread some of my favorites.

After all, if we carry our possessions with us, let our imagination and knowledge be the result of what we’ve read in literature!

Not all wood is created equal

2007-02-06T21:58:00.000-08:00

Little did I think my life would come full circle. 1981 was the year I got my first job and it just happened to be in lumber…… well, in publishing about wood harvesting and production. I was then, a recent college graduate who wanted to work in journalism. So I became a sales representative for a publishing company that targeted advertisers who sold products and services to loggers and wood producers. (www.hattonbrown.com).

And now, 25 years later, I find that I am fascinated by the production of lumber….. again. But I’ve learned a lot in the intervening years. For one thing, the term “FSC” was not one that we bandied about in the 80’s. As with lots of things, we were generally unaware that lumber was a commodity that might one day run out. Yes, there was controversy over the protection of the spotted owl and a general appreciation for “responsible” conservation of forests. In fact, any logger would have agreed that clear-cutting was a myopic way of producing lumber for a consuming nation of wood products.

Sadly, large logging, paper, and lumber producers don't seem to have a “stewardship” philosophy about the forests they are cutting down. And neither does our current government. After a series of EPA chiefs that have been more aligned with lobbyists than the natural resources they were entrusted to protect, we have a scarcity situation on our hands. As with water (see earlier post) and oil, wood is likely not to be readily available to our future generations if we don't change our practices now-- in this generation.

That’s why wood is now a focus for green renovation. How can we consume responsibly? What wood is readily available? What are alternatives?

FSC lumber: It’s the guarantee that lumber has been produced “responsibly” and by using these “approved products,” it effectively assures that there will be more wood for the next generation.

www.sectionz.info/Issue_6/facts_footnotes.html

www.forestfriendlylumber.com

Reclaimed lumber: Lots of industrious people have decided to trade in what others cast off or dispose of. As a result, there are wonderful recycled wood floors, beams and architectural elements that are waiting for a new home. A former Ziff Davis colleague has a thriving business that caters to the high end and the end result is beautiful wood full of sheen and character.

www.restorationtimber.com

Dakota burl and Biofiber sheets: These products are made in Minnesota of waste crop materials-- but the bottom line is that they use less virgin materials, less embodied energy, and less chemicals.

Kirei board: (pronounced ki ray') is an engineered panel product constructed from the stalks of the Sorghum plant. The stalks left over after harvest are heat-pressed with a non-toxic adhesive to form a lightweight, strong, unique product. Kirei Board is used for all interior architectural millwork applications. It is not rated as a structural panel for exterior applications.

Bamboo plywood: is made from 100 percent rapidly renewable bamboo, using adhesives that are both strong and emissions free. It can be cut and sanded using conventional woodworking equipment. It can also be glued or mechanically fastened using the same materials and fasteners commonly used with wood. Bamboo is a low resin, open grained material that takes stains and finishes exceptionally well.

Water, water everywhere?

2007-01-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel a bit like the Rosanna-Rosanna Danna character that Gilda Radner created on Saturday Night Live. It was like that for me when I first explored my choices for showers and toilets. I was under the mistaken impression that except in those rare cases in California when there wasn't enough rainfall or snow that the globe didn't have a sustained water shortage issue. Or if they did, it was weather-related and would merely mean that every several years we'd have regional droughts and be urged to curtail our water consumption. Oh, did you say water shortage?

But upon further investigation, I've learned that water is a scarce resource as is oil or wood. I'll credit Fine Homebuilding magazine for many of the details that I am about to impart here. But any casual web research will confirm that water is a commodity that must be nurtured and tended to carefully. And in spite of the EPAct of 1992, it seems to go mostly unnoticed that water, as with electrical consumption, was addressed with standards that now seem to be craftily skirted by manufacturers. Thankfully, this law is why many of the new toilets are meeting higher European standards.

But consumers seem to be generally unaware of how irresponsible it is to waste water. Think about it, you don't see car ads (not even for Hummers) that feature the general wanton consumption of gas. However, there are many slick ads for the ultimate shower experience, featuring a glassed-in unit with sometimes 3 or 4 pulsating shower heads. Some boast that they deliver 32 gallons of water per minute. As Alex Wilson, president of BuildingGreen (www.buildinggreen.com) describes it: "profligate waste, tantamount to outdoor air conditioners in the courtyards of Saudi oil sheiks."

So what's the situation with water shortages?

1- Global warming is causing watershed changes and places like the Western United States are greatly affected. Some of the fastest growing cities, Las Vegas and Albuquerque as example, are expected to chronically fall short of their water needs in the next decade, even in the best of weather circumstances. And remember that these locations are expanding their populations and thus expanding water consumption.

2- There is, and always will be, a finite amount of water on the planet. So as populations increase, the same water will be cycled over and over to meet demand. And that cycling requires energy to purify etc. This is a global issue and the situation is already dire in China and Africa.

3- Long, powerful, consumptive showers mean hot water needs to be generated. And that leads to significant energy consumption in order to facilitate the 80 gallons per minute set-up that I recently saw advertised as a "vertical spa environment."

4- Water is a shared commodity. I read an analysis that for every 3 people who put in one of these over the top systems, it negates the efforts of 100 people putting in efficient products. There are Hummer water users living among us!

What to do?

* Think twice before installing multiple shower heads. Install low flow units.

* Repair leaking toilets; replace old water-consuming toilets.

* Limit the number of those long luxurious showers. Luxuries are to be savored and indulged in only occasionally-- thus making them special!

* Don't run the water unnecessarily while brushing teeth, shaving, and washing dishes.

* Hold out for a full load of dishes, or use a shorter cycle. Same for the washing machine.

* You don't have to flush every time.

* Be responsible about water usage in your yard.

Other useful tips and information here:

www.wateruseitwisely.com/index.shtml
www.epa.gov/OW/you/chap3.html
www.earth911.org

Filling out your jeans

2007-01-24T16:48:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it, I am always looking for that fabulous pair of blue jeans that are stylish and comfortable. As a result I have a closet full of them. Some are far too low for anyone over 20 to wear. Others are for my "fat" days. And still more probably looked ok in the dressing room, but by the time I got them home the magic had gone. I feel guilty at the waste of my hard-earned money to buy them at silly, inflated prices. I am also embarrassed by the way they pile up on that unreachable part of my closet. Many end up at Goodwill and that asuages the guilt some.

Today, I'm a new fan of jeans. Not as a fashion statement, but as an integral part of a "green" renovation. There's new meaning to the phrase: "she really fills out her jeans."

For me, filling out your jeans has come to mean using them to keep the cold out in winter and the heat out in summer. It's all about filling in the cracks and crevices between sheet rock with your Levis, Jordache, Sevens and Gaps. Anyone who has been around when fiberglass insulation is being installed, will appreciate the difference when your R-value comes from a batting made of comfortable blue jean material-- or natural cotton fiber insulation, as it is known. I stayed away from the house on the days when the old fiberglass insulation was being removed and reused in the attic for additional insulation. But I was happy to hang around Cemil and the crew when they brought in the blue fiber bundles. I found myself going through the house and patting the exposed framing with the blue insulation. It just felt so soft, like a broken in pair of blue jeans.

I couldn't wait to research this ingenious reclamation product of a ubiquitous and natural material (as I'm sure my closet of jeans isn't unusual). Of course, I read the caution about how this material can hold in mold once it has gotten wet. Cemil pointed out that any insulation product can do that. So don't let it get wet! Furthermore, when the blue jean insulation dries out, it can still be effective as it retains its ability to provide R-value. The same can't be said for fiberglass insulation. It is also treated with a natural fire retardant so it is comparable to fiberglass products in this regard.

I'd read the back and forth about cellulose vs. "batted" insulation techniques and I can personally attest to the sound-dampening quality that the blue jean insulation has in my project. Cemil mentioned using it before in home theater installations for that very reason. It's really quite noticeable. In this project, most of the additional insulation is needed in inside walls, so it makes the decision of the batt vs. blown product easy.

Imagine my surprise, when my new Bosch dishwasher came in and instead of their using the "pink" insulation product, I noticed that they used the blue stuff instead. Clearly Bosch finds it to be a comparable product and one that is consumer-friendly. Who wants formaldehyde in their house, anyway?

Blue is the new pink, as far as I'm concerned.

More information can be found here:

www.bondedlogic.com
http://www.aip.org/dbis/stories/2006/15161.html
http://inhabitat.com/2006/11/26/recycled-blue-jean-insulation-by-bonded-logic/
http://www.environmentalhomecenter.com/shop.mv?CatCode=PRODUCT&ProdCode=COTTON_INSULATION
www.greenhomeguide.com/index.php/knowhow/entry/974/C236

Beneath the Surface: part 2

2007-01-19T22:03:00.000-08:00

I think I now know what Jacques Cousteau must have felt the first time he plumbed the depths of a coral reef. There are so many beautiful surfaces that I’ve discovered and I can hardly wait to see them in situ.

My favorites that I’ve decided have to be included in this renovation.

Richlite: www.richlite.com

Manufactured of paper-based fiber composites, it is used for a variety of architectural, food service, recreational and industrial applications. All Richlite® materials are manufactured out of environmentally sustainable resources harvested from certified managed forests in North America.

My review: This is the staple of most green home interiors. It’s a hearty product and most of us have experienced it through cutting boards that were made popular in the last few years. It’s a bit ordinary looking…… until use and age burnish it. I’ve chosen sage green for my Butler’s pantry and I can’t wait to really give it some harsh treatment so that I can discover its true inner beauty.

Euro Stone: www.eurostonecountertops.com

Quartz-based surfacing material with unique characteristics. Leading edge technology mixes 93% of Quartz material and 6-7% of a polyester resin binder to produce a recomposed material with physical properties and performance characteristics better than natural stone.

My review: This garnered many accolades from almost everyone who has seen the 2" x 3” sample that I’ve been carrying around. A beautiful stone that combines the best of Vetrazzo (www.counterproduction.com) with the refinement of marble or granite. I’ve chosen a rare stone color of green for the countertop in the guest bathroom.

Oceanside Glasstiles: www.glasstile.com

Glasstile is made from silica sand, an abundant natural resource, and up to 86 percent recycled material. They use more than two million pounds of glass from curbside recycling programs (called cullet), turning waste that would otherwise end up in landfills into expressive and sustainable design materials.

My review: These are the people who created the Ann Sacks glass tiles (www.annsacks.com) that became so very popular through distribution in the upscale Waterworks chain in the last decade. Who doesn’t appreciate the luminescence of glass as a backsplash, a countertop or shower surround? I’ve chosen a tranquil Cane color in small tiles for the mater bath oversized shower unit. With a natural pebble rock stone floor, I won’t want to leave the shower.

I am also using iridescent green “ribbons” to contrast with the white subway tiles that I’ve decided on for the guest bathroom.

3 Form: www.3-form.com

Recognizing a fundamental need in design and construction, 3-Form created the first customer centric resin product offering high-level aesthetics without ever sacrificing safety, affordability or environmental responsibility.

My review: The most ingenious and design-forward product that I’ve discovered thus far. Interior Design magazine just concurred by naming it in it’s “Best of the Year” issue (No. 15). I just LOVE the variety of this product. They produce both plastic resins and glass forms. The uses for this product are many. I am using a thick glass piece that envelops a layer of, what looks like, grass cloth, for a bathroom countertop in the master bath. The design I chose is called “pineapple weave”

I’ve also chosen it as a backsplash to separate the open-style kitchen from the greatroom. It will back the Viking cooktop and serve as a beautiful way to collect any spray from cooking before it splashes into the other room.

The resin pieces will create movable “privacy” walls in both bathrooms for the toilet area. And thinner version of the resin will be used in the top row of kitchen cabinets in order to break up the bank of wood with a bit of fun opaque material. Finally, I am using it in the pockets of the sliding doors so that I can create a soft glow of light while also giving necessary privacy.

I have spent literally hours picking out samples and designing my own in order to come up with the optimum mix. They will all be reused as stylish and unique coasters. Anyone who loves design will feel like a kid in a candy store when they see the varieties of this product.

Beneath the Surface: part 1

2007-01-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

As someone who was using to picking out slabs of marble, concrete or limestone for a renovation project, the choice of suitable green surfaces was an intimidating one. I admit to having been unappreciative of what science and technology have managed to do in the creation of faux surfaces. Ok, I’ve always been a snob about using “real” stone whenever financially possible.

Before beginning my research for this project, I guess I always thought that a slab of granite was a “natural” choice. What I didn’t think about was how much we destroy the earth and the way workers are exploited in the excavation of that beautiful natural material. I attended a presentation about 6 months ago at Green Fusion Design Center (www.greenfusiondesigncenter.com) and the speaker showed photos of an inactive quarry site in Italy. It looked like a World War II bomb site. Seeing those those photos reminded me of a time about 5 years ago when I had gotten lost while driving around northern Italy. I came upon an abandoned excavation site and noted then on how much it marred the picturesque environment that surrounded it.

A little more research revealed how deplorable the conditions are for the workers (in Brazil, they are children) tasked with removing those slabs. Their working conditions and what they get paid makes Kentucky mineworkers from the 20’s look like they had plum jobs. Then there’s the energy consumption from shipping the product across the globe. Talk about a carbon footprint…. Well, I can’t look at a marble slab again and see its unadulterated beauty.

But I am not a Marmoleum person (www.themarmoleumstore.com). And I just don’t go in for those rustic Santa Fe style tiles either. And that’s why I felt intimidated. After all, I pride myself on coming up with a solution for just about any situation. But this one, I felt, wasn’t going to be easy.

Happily, I found my own vein of beautiful substitutes that don’t destroy the environment in being produced and don’t cause workers to suffer a premature death from some debilitating lung condition. In fact, I found so many lovely surfaces that I’ve sprinkled them throughout the house.

First, there just has to be some stone in my home. Through research, I found that soapstone is being quarried responsibly in North America. But there are only two places that I discovered: Ottawa, Canada www.soapstonecounters.com and Virginia www.alberenesoapstone.com. Cemil made a phone call to Virgina and we learned that they are not actively pulling out the soapstone today, but have enough product to meet current demand. Plus, the energy to ship from Virginia is far less costly than bringing it in from Europe. Soapstone has made a resurgence due to a Finnish company that uses it to create house-warming ovens of all types (www.tulikivi.com). Check out www.vermontsoapstone.com for a good primer on the various applications of the product.

I became enamored after seeing a large Tulikivi fireplace in Green Fusion that generates enough gentle heat to keep their warehouse warm on the dampest of Northern California days. Customers seemed to purr like cats as they sat on the soapstone benches around the insert.

There is a great discussion here about soaptone: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg1202232932093.html?10

I am excited about having some stone in my house and this time it’s going to surround the fireplace insert. I can’t wait to put my hands on the hardened, soapy-feeling talc of my new soapstone from Virginia. So perfect for a girl from the South! And I’m sure it will be a favorite place for Milla the cat.

Next posting: part 2 of my surface discoveries

The Power of the Flush

2007-01-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

Oh the conversations I have had about toilets lately. Truth be told, I had become toilet-knowledgeable before I began this project. I can’t explain why toilets interest me, but they have for some time. Needless to say, my unique knowledge has made for some interesting dinner conversations.

Several months ago, I helped a friend replace a toilet in her SF apartment and she ended up blogging about our experience (www.downtheavenue.com). Much of the information that I collected for her has served me well this past 2 weeks as I was making my toilet short list for the Sonoma renovation.

A few toilet facts from www.worldtoilet.org:

· An average person visits the toilet 2500 times a year. About 6-8 times a day. You spend about 3 years of your life in the toilet.
· Poor toilet condition is a worldwide problem. More than half of the world population has no proper sanitation.
· Suppression of urination due to dirty toilets can lead to kidney and bladder diseases. In order to avoid visiting public toilets, some people refrain from drinking and suffer dehydration.
· Most toilets are designed incorrectly.
· Females take 3 times longer than males.
· Toilet remains as a 'taboo' as people are shy to discuss the subject.
· There are toilet associations worldwide promoting toilet education and culture.

So I am not totally alone in my toilet fascination.

Thankfully, toilet technology has progressed significantly in the last 20 years. The 1.6 GPF toilet is now de rigueur in any toilet line. Kohler, www.kohler.com, for example has a 1.28 gallon flushing option that saves up to 2,000 gallons per year. But the leaders, and those companies most often named for their efficient design and low water use, are Toto www.totousa.com and Caroma www.caroma.com. The latter is known for their dual flush systems (for the “yellow, let it mellow” advocates).

I found many useful resources for toilet research. I don’t know who Terry Love is, but I found his comments to be helpful, http://www.terrylove.com/crtoilet.htm.
I also recommend www.greenhomeguide.com, especially for their discussion on skid tracks.

At the end of the day, it comes down to comfort. And by that I mean: seat comfort, comfort with the flushing "action." I’ve made it my mission to have as many conversations as is delicately possible in order to collect real-life testimonials. But my best suggestion is to take a week to visit many toilets and don't forget to raise the lid and notice the brands. Make notes of the way they sit and how they flush and any possible spray associated with the flush, whether you are pleased with the noise level, and check to see if there are residual issues. Yes, do talk with people about their opinions on toilets.

I was recently at an elegant luncheon at La Grenouille French restaurant in New York City and had a very enlightening conversation with a high-powered attorney friend who told me about her recent experience with a Duravit www.duravit.com toilet. She had it installed recently in her upscale condo and was horrified by the water that sprayed out everywhere when she flushed it. She hadn’t wanted a toilet/bidet in one, but that’s what she felt she had. She immediately had it removed and replaced it with a very suitable Toto Pacifica unit, www.totousa.com.

As I narrowed my options, several considerations took precedence. First, I had a very small space in one bathroom and that meant that I needed to choose a wall-hung unit. You see many more of these in commercial applications and abroad. So my choices were limited to a few Duravit models, one from Porcher and several from Caroma. I was a bit “gun shy” after my conversation at La Grenouille, so I made it my mission to track down the Duravit Foster and try it out for myself. Well, yesterday I found one and I’m happy to report that I had a very satisfactory experience and nothing that shouldn’t have gotten wet did.

Another consideration, which informed my final choice of the wall-hung unit and the Toto, was my desire to make this home as easy to maintain as possible. Clearly not having to clean around those knobs that secure the toilet was a plus. The Toto unit has a totally enclosed trap which means….. no knobs to collect God knows what. And the benefits of a wall-hung unit are obvious. But there are some challenges in the installation part and I found this discussion very helpful and I’m sure Cemil, my contractor, was delighted when I passed on the URL to him: http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/bath/

Who knew that toilets could be such a fascinating endeavor and engender such spirited discussions? But given that we spend 3 years of our life on them, it’s worth the attention.

Duravit wall-hung toilet installed

Geberit carrier before final bowl installation

7 Steps to Effective Appliance Decision-Making

2007-01-06T05:37:00.000-08:00

I feel as if I have been on the Iraq study group for the last week. I can't help but feel my new appliance choices are the most important, if not the most expensive decisions, that I have made thus far in the project. Of course, I am being a little dramatic. That's only because I am in spreadsheet hell. I've tried to capture the details by making copious notes. And like the Iraq study group, my decisions/recommendations are merely based on an unscientific combination of information, insight, personal biases, and gut. Oy vey. But I've got the facts to back up my decisions when I question them next year........

My objective was to make informed choices that address price, performance, greenness and aesthetics for the following appliances:

Cook top, double ovens, 2 dishwashers, refrigerator, washer/dryer, wine chiller, microwave. While I can't save you the informational hunt, I can give you a road map that should shorten the journey a bit. My 7 steps to effective appliance decision-making:

1. Start with a short list based on general reading, manufacturer's web sites, and what you've liked in the past. By starting here, you can begin to rule out based on the greenness and performance filters. You will be surprised by how poorly some of your favorites are rated.

2. Then go to your trusty Consumer Reports online www.consumerreports.org. It's worth paying for the subscription and they have a fairly good "green" ratings area.

3. Then, and only then, go to the Energy Star site www.energystar.com. I suggest this because it is organized alphabetically by every possible brand, model that you can imagine has ever been made. To go there without a short list is not a good idea. Compare the short list ratings and that should give you "finalists."

4. As you go the the next step, realize that you should be ready to stay committed to your favorite or let it go for the next one on the list if you read some disheartening reviews. You must be aware of which you are doing, rather like watching the Westminster dog show. If you have a favorite and you will not be deterred with any bad reviews, then stay vigilant. If you are really equally divided between two products, then let the reviews guide you to one over the other.

5. Now for the subjective phase. The reviews. Remember that they are opinions. Some informed, most are not. But they are worth gathering with the caveats mentioned in step 4. Various sites that help you gather what's been written:

www.epinions.com
www.nexttag.com
www.bizrate.com
www.shopping.com
www.howstuffworks.com
www.consumeraffairs.com
www.mysimon.com
www.dealtime.com
www.ths.gardenweb.com/forums/appl/
www.consumersearch.com

6. By now you've noticed the business model for "hosting" reviews. By that I mean, most of these sites pay the cost of maintaining the web site by advertising and "deal flow." That means, that the site you are on will encourage you to buy through one of their sponsors and entice you to do so by providing price and model comparisons as well as reviews. I appreciate that information and it's very handy for the next step that you will need to take.

7. Finding the best price. If you are reticent to place the order through one of the many vendors that were offered up in your review search, then consider the pricing from Sears, Home Depot and Best Buy. By knowing the price differences by MODEL, you will be in a good position to negotiate. I am armed with pages of costs from these vendors and will go into each and see what they are willing to do for my sizable order. Like buying a car, negotiations are part of the game. You can get concessions on delivery, installation (if you need it), upgrades to models, add-ons, extended warranties etc.

I bet you are wondering what I chose? Remember that I spent days making these brand choices on a whole host of personal needs......... at least that's what my spreadsheet work will attest to.

Washer/Dryer: stackable Kenmore HE2
Double ovens: Jenn-Air 30" dual convection/thermal
Cook top: 36" Viking design series
Dishwasher: Bosch
Dishwasher 2: Kenmore 18"
Refrigerator: LG side by side
Microwave: Whirlpool
Wine Chiller: Vinotemp VT 58

Green is not just the "new black"

2007-01-03T09:57:00.000-08:00

It’s this century’s little black dress

I’ve been away from the computer and the project. Truth is, I’ve been in New York City for the holidays. And for the first time that anyone can remember, there was no sign of snow at Christmas. You have to appreciate that something is out of whack with our planet when San Francisco is colder than New York in December.

It was a good visit in so many ways. I got to catch up with dear friends and family members and bring them up to speed on the details of my renovation. I received so much encouragement. Not surprising, my Swiss friend, with whom I spent Christmas, already knew so much about the products I was reviewing and my green construction practices. It just reminds us how far behind the U.S. is with ecology innovation and acceptance.

The plane trip meant that I got to catch up on reading and I tore out some interesting articles and commentaries. I’ve decided that the volume of articles on ecology and the environment is not a statement about “green being the new black,” as my boyfriend likes to say. Rather, it’s due to the curiosity and interest from a public that has awakened to some of the issues and want to know more. The biggest challenge will be in turning that casual interest into lifestyle changes. But in the words of actress Daphne Zuniga, ”the enormity of becoming green in a day would make anyone want to hide under the covers.” Instead this eco activist/actress, in a Shape article, suggests that everyone should start with something small….. such as replacing three old light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs which ends up saving 300 pounds of carbon dioxide a year.

I rarely pick up Met Home anymore these days because I find it to be more about chic and modern aesthetics than the kinds of practical guidance that I need in redefining this country home in Sonoma. But I just couldn’t resist picking it up at the JFK newsstand. And sure enough, the bible for all things hyper urban included the usual in cool white interiors but also had many references to green design. I particularly enjoyed an article by Karrie Jacobs, the founding/past Dwell editor, who talked about her new book, The Perfect $100,000 House. She discusses the efficiencies of prefab house construction (we aren’t talking double-wides here). I’ve had many conversations with knowledgeable architects about the ability to create fuel-efficient and cost-effective housing with wonderful features by embracing pre-fab techniques. I suspect that anyone who reads this book will be as convinced as I that an inexpensive but fabulous 1,000 square foot house is possible.

While I normally browse the New York Times online, I was away from it for the week. But I threw the hotel-provided copy into my bag and I wasn’t disappointed by their coverage of green lifestyles. Sure enough, I tore out another handy chart on how we can all make decisions and alter our lifestyles ever so slightly in order to achieve positive personal and environmental results. A few examples:

· Drive 400 miles at 65 MPH instead of 75 ends up saving $7 per trip and 48 pounds of carbon dioxide.

· Buy a vehicle that gets 2 more miles per gallon than the average and save $212 a year and over 1,500 pounds of carbon dioxide.

· Replace a 20-year-old refrigerator with a new one and save 243 pounds of carbon dioxide. The tricky part is to make sure you dispose of the old fridge responsibly (see earlier post on reclamation sources)…… and not put it in the garage to hold your stash of party drinks.

It is estimated that we produce 44,000 pounds of carbon per person, per year. So anyway to reduce that number is key. My personal goal for 2007 is to reduce my emissions by 3,100 a year (as recommended by the Kyoto protocol).

Now as I near the time for declaring New Year’s resolutions, I feel good about my jump on my goal of living a more ecologically responsible life.

Alicia Silverstone, actress (from my less “high-brow” plane reading):

We get the message at an early age that one person can’t make a difference, but that’s simply not true. It’s the little things that matter. The people who don’t need a grocery bag because they bought their own, or who shop at the local farmers market, or who buy hybrid cars—these are the real super heroes. They inspire me because they are making a difference, not only in their lives but in the lives of others.

Green, greener, and greenist

2006-12-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

As a newbie to the land of green advocates, I sometimes feel like a pledge in a highly orchestrated social entity. I chose this path for myself; I wasn't converted in that Tony Robbins kind of way. Rather, I came to this in my own way and in my own time. Yet, I'm sure those I chat with around the water cooler sometimes just want to discuss the recent episode of Top Chef. They probably think I'm a bit of an evangelist. But I have to say that I'm pretty "light green" in the scale of greenness. Apparently that is the way one's commitment and knowledge is described by those who have been designated as the arbiters of the gradations of green.

My ability to become light green has been a result of my diligence in sifting through the information that is out there. And sifting is exactly what it feels like. There's lots of it but it's very fragmented and some of it is good. Most of it is pretty difficult to find valuable. Embracing the literature/information in this category takes a real commitment of time and perseverance. I caution you so that you are not inclined to give up once you type "green" into your Google search engine.

I've created a category in my blog of what I call media resources. It is here that I've listed, and will expand over time, the the best of blogs, information-rich web sites, online/offline magazines, and general background materials that can provide with enough green tint of varying degrees to help you on your way.

Daily:

Ideal Bite www.idealbite.com. Themed and quite easily digestible. It's a well laid out e-newsletter. Light green and easy reading.

Eco Fabulous www.ecofabulous.com is a blog from Zem Joquin. You may recognize her from House and Garden as she's been recently named their eco columnist. Zem's got great style sense and I love her recommendations of chic and interesting green products. Light green and easy to identify with.

Grist www.grist.org is for the medium green who really want to get a greater sense of what it means to advocate for green lifestyles. It can get a bit too green at times for the lighter tinted of us, but it does remind you of what it means to evolve your commitment.

Reference:

Green Home Guide www.greenhomeguide.com is a must while in the throws of renovating. It's an online source for all those questions that will come up as you tackle your decisions. My favorite discussion, thus far, was on how to choose the right toilet. It's written for light and medium greenies. I promise, it won't intimidate. It just isn't as complete as it needs to be.....but that's to be expected in these early days.

Green Light magazine www.greenlightmag.com is the Real Simple of the category. Its articles are short and pithy and don't require much thinking. Overly simplistic for those who prefer a Vanity Fair read. It's a light green read of the category and worth checking out online, but probably not for a subscription.

Tear Sheeting:

I have several friends with publishing backgrounds and we all seem to flip through magazines with each other in mind. We rip out articles, ads, ideas and share with each other. I have stacks and stacks of tear sheets to file, put in the mail to the above mentioned friends, etc. The best places to tear sheet are:

Magazines:

Dwell
House and Garden
Real Simple
Fine Homebuilding
Natural Home

All of these have their own web sites as well.

Books:

The Not So Big House series by Sarah Susanka
Good Green Home titles from Jennifer Roberts
Natural Remodeling by Carol Venolia
The Green House: New Directions in Sustainable Architecture by Alanna Stang, Christopher Hawthorne

Renovate....Reclaim.....Recycle

2006-12-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

I realized that this was going to be a different kind of project when my neighbor asked me if I was going to have a debris box in front of the house. He wanted to take advantage of it for some disposal of his own. I didn't know the answer but said I would ask Cemil, my contractor.

And that's when I realized that this was a "green" project and that didn't involve a debris box. Of course, it makes sense when you think about it. How can you feel good about creating a sustainable and healthy environment when you are adding to a community's landfill. "Think different" in green means to recognize that out of sight is not out of mind. To be eco-aware means to think about everything that happens to the environment even when it isn't in your backyard.

Unfortunately it takes some ingenuity to recycle with today's resources. Less difficult now than a decade ago, but not what we need in order to assist sustainable practices. We need to build a greater infrastructure and channel to recycle unused items. I hesitate to use the word trash, because in the renovation process.....one person's trash is another person's find. As my Texas friend likes to label her finds, treasures.

Luckily Cemil is quite practiced at responsible disposal. He takes care in removing materials so that they can be used again. And we are also lucky to have the resources from being co-located to land of early adopters, Marin. For example, there is a very sophisticated recycling program, Marin Resource Recovery Center www.marinsanitary.com and from the sounds of it seems to be an efficient system of machines and manpower to divide and categorize any waste material immediately. As Cemil describes it to me, I envision a scene from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

But after the baseboards, drywall, flooring were all removed to the resource center, we still had to dispose of the oven, refrigerator, kitchen cabinets, lavs, and lights. All worked, but they just weren't up to the standards and aesthetics of the new design. Cemil suggested Craig's List www.craigslist.com. I knew of its charm as I've posted there for employment opportunities and occasionally would check it out for specific pieces of mid-century modern furniture. A friend of mine who owns a fabulous home store in San Francisco, Ma Maison, www.mamaison.com swears by it as a virtual flea market for pieces that she uses in her store for display purposes.

I just never thought that used kitchen cabinets would be something that dozens of people would be searching for on a Monday. Sure enough, they are..... apparently. Cemil reported back that within 1 hour of posting the cabinets, he got 30 e-mails. And his first phone call was to an older woman who lives within 20 miles and she helps non-profits in her retirement, it seems. So I feel good that these cabinets will go to a some worthwhile endeavor and will have a fitting second life, so to speak.

I was aware of how to recycle computer parts and old electronics. Since that was the theme of the day, I dropped off some inoperable laptops and printers that I'd been storing in the garage on my way to see the job site. Again, I used a Marin location, Marin Computer Resource Center, that takes any electronics that you can carry in and they break them down for parts in a kind of Mad Max way and fix up systems for non profits and the like. (www.mcrc.org) www.mcrc.org. In San Francisco, check out www.greencitizen.com

I'm now fully initiated into this new informal channel of "re-users" and I might even be tempted to become one myself. Terri, the treasure hunter, would be delighted. Of course technology has made it possible for treasure hunters and "distributors" to be put together in a wider area. Of course, it needs to be easier. I'm advantaged by my sustainable sherpa that I have in Cemil. Without him, I would have been at some considerable loss as to where to go. But imagine, if you will, a future where distribution points are clearly available in the most convenient locations: parking lots of large retail giants, for example. And knowing that the products will be reclaimed and reused by such organizations as Habitat for Humanity, big users of gently used cast-offs from home renovations. www.habitat.org

Another northern California resource is here www.buildingconcerns.com.nocal
http://www.buildingconcerns.com/nocal/resrecov.htm

Demolition, dust and decisions

2006-12-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

I pride myself on being extremely organized. I began this project with research, an extensive library of books, magazine articles and a tabbed filing system of all my ideas. So when demolition day rolled around, I felt like I was ready for anything.

Well, I'm proof that, in spite of extensive preparation, you can't possibly anticipate everything that you uncover when you start removing walls and molding. While I figured there would be some dry rot, I never thought I'd have termites in an interior hall closet. It probably means that we have termites in the foundation. And how do you deal with that in a green and natural way? It doesn't mean that you tent the house and fumigate it with chemicals as is so often done. My contractor suggests that we bring in a natural termite expert who can guide us on how to lure away the termites from chomping on my delicious birch framing wood to something else-- equally compelling we hope. A sort of "pied piper of termites" approach.

My reading on the subject:

www.purehealthsystems.com/termitnator.html

www.alsnetbiz.com/homeimprovement/boric_acid.html

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/08/30/HO249239.DTL

A bit about my contractor. He's actually my partner in this expedition. I've described Cemil (www.hopecabinetry.com) to friends as a cross between yoga teacher and contractor. He's the perfect blend of expertise, green knowledge, practical thinker and artisan. Cemil is really the Renaissance green builder. We share ideas, we muse over what could be, and together we find innovative solutions. In short, we are completely in sync. I'm so lucky to have him for my first foray into this new green world of renovation because it means that I'll learn and contribute in ways that few would have the time or patience to allow.

Back to my house carcass. That's what I have now. No plumbing, no cabinets, no fixtures, and gaping holes where closets and the utility room used to be.

What has become certain is that the washer and dryer get relegated to the garage and become stackables: saves space and energy. I'm a family of 2, with "several" cats and don't have massive loads of wash going every hour. I had a tankless water heater (www.noritzamerica.com) installed earlier this year because my large tank water heater was always running out of water when we had more than 2 people shower. I love this new water heater and am now glad for the space that it saves. I also got a rebate. And it means that my washer/dryer area can be expanded in the garage to the space that the former water heater took up.

I am excited. By reorienting that room, I can now have a butler's pantry of sort and include a small wine refrigerator and an extra sink....... and have enough room for all my baking utensils. I've learned that to be green also means to live comfortably in small spaces. While I'm not suggesting we live according to the U.N.'s recommendation of "usable space per person" calculation, I am acutely conscious of how Americans have come to think bigger is better. Well, unless you live in Texas, there's no reason for enormous mansions that take up land, consume energy and are a testament to waste rather than taste. Cemil and I both take extra delight in discovering a use (and it doesn't always have to be completely practical) for every bit of space.

I am thrilled with the emergence of these new decisions. And while it means that I have to add a few new tabs to the "notebook," it also means that this truly is an adventure. So surprises are to be embraced, not feared.

End note: While removing one of the window sills in the bedroom, we found a 1993 penny, the year the house was built. I plan to add a 2007 penny to it and return them to their resting place. I wonder what materials and technology the 2020 remodel will entail? I hope they realize that that was the year that the climate catastrophe was reversed and this generation made sure that the next one would inherit a sustainable and healthy environment.

A convenient intersection of circumstances

2006-12-06T11:50:00.000-08:00

Along the way, you begin to notice how things just seem to happen in ways to make your decisions self-evident. More religious types might cite this as the hand of God, I prefer to think that I am more in-tune with my intuition and apply it to what is happening around me.

The intersection began on a flight back from New York where I had a series of political conversations about what issues could bring a divided nation together. It was a week of intense discussion on just what was it that the country could agree on as key to our survival as a nation. And since terrorism is still an issue of division, no obvious answer seem to emerge. I turned the page in the New York Times and saw an ad from a significant Christian evangelical group that spoke to the need for Christians to take a pledge of stewardship to protect the planet and as such, they would be honoring our creator. It went on to explain that to destroy the earth was to dishonor the God and the teachings of Christ. Suddenly I felt a kinship with this group of people as I had never before. See www.christiansandclimate.org.

My sister-in-law Suzanne, a thought leader in our family, asked me to attend and support her efforts to bring global warming issues to the attention of the Chicago area garden clubs. This influential group of women choose an issue each year to focus on for their annual meeting. Given their connection to their beautiful gardens, it seemed a natural to understand how the nature in their own backyards was going to be affected by climate change. I was never prouder of my gender and of Suzanne then when I got to see her introduce an august panel of experts from around the world. The speakers received rapt attention from a group of 400 women who were there for the education. This was not idle exercise for them. I came to appreciate the power that these women had in changing opinion when I talked with them at the end of the event.

I felt compelled to analyze my own carbon footprint afer seeing Al Gore's movie, An Inconvient Truth (www.climatecrisis.net). I realized that my practices needed to change. Recycling my waste into blue and green cans was not enough. I needed to make more informed decisions and contribute to restoring this planet to health in a greater way. I took stock of my daily practices, and found that I could incorporate small but important changes in my life. They included:

Buy a new hybrid? I decided to keep a used car out of the landfill. But I bought a "21st century indulgence" from Terrapass (www.terrapass.com). I drive less now and I'm somewhat relieved by the fact that my "contribution" to alternative energy investments through this carbon offset fund is a good thing. And the next new vehicle I buy WILL be a hybrid or maybe even an electric car.

Change my cleaning products. I had always prided myself on being economical in my decisions on detergent and household cleaners. I didn't stop to think of what I was introducing into the sewage and into my surroundings with the artificial "pine" scent that was masking some noxious an unnecessary chemical.

Buy less "stuff." Oh, I admit that I am a commited consumer. I love the aesthetics of all kinds of products. But I consume too much and that means lots of packaging and more to recycle. I have a childhood friend who has been an ecologist forever, before all this heightened awareness, as she's always believed in recycling waste. She's beautifully renovated at least 6 homes with the cast-offs of other people. I admire her.

Use less. I've always had lots of canvas bags that I picked up at trade shows and shoved in the back of the closet. Well, now I use them instead of taking new paper bags every time I buy groceries. It's a small thing, but I love the conversations I've had as I pull out my bags and refuse the use of the store-provided ones.

And the final intersection of events was a decision to renovate my weekend home in Sonoma. We had been looking for a new place for many years and just never found a place that we liked as much as what we had. The only reason I wanted to move was to have a more updated and efficient home. Because I like to cook and entertain, that was the primary driver for a wholesale refab. So as I cast about for contractors and finishes, it felt increasingly "right" that I should explore what I could do that was "green." And by that I mean, healthy for the planet and healthy for me in the products I choose and how I recycle and reuse.

As future posts will detail, the decisions are not always easy to make and my hope is to share my learnings with you.

The beginning of the rest of my life

2006-12-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

A diary is a very useful way to remember the details of a period in one's life. That's what I intend to do here. My work life, to date, has been about supporting the use of information to entertain, educate and enlighten.....mostly as a magazine and web publishing executive. Then the election of 2000 happened and it underscored for me just how much "information" was being exploited to sway public opinion. And in my opinion, not for the good.

The last 2 years have been about my discovery and transition to use information to promote an understanding about the choices we make and how they affect our world. Much of the progress made in the last few decades to create an educated populace with a bigger world view and understanding seemed to be in regression. Sadly, I've observed that our tolerance for diversity of opinion and people who are "not like us" seems to have been buried along with the bodies in the world trade center. It clearly isn't the world that I'd hope it would be when I graduated from an Alabama high school in 1976.

I've always appreciated the importance of your actions and consequences. I have been taught to believe that it's not about what happens to you, it's about what you cause to happen. With that philosophy emblazoned on my tee shirt, I decided to look around at the world that I wanted to live in and ponder what it was that my generation would leave for the next one. My decision: to make the next period of my life be about creating a better place to live and work.

You begin to ask yourself a few questions as you take this positioning for your new life adventure.

1- What is work about in the 21st century? How does innovation happen and what are the opportunities for people like me?

2- How can my work be an example to others? How can I inspire great work around me and realize economic fulfillment?

3- What's it like to live in this world that we've created? Is it a healthy place?

4- How can you maintain a connection to others in a world that is moving at the "speed of information" and is truly global?

4- How will my work and life affect others.... good and bad?

My answers took several years to emerge. My clarity of thought is still emerging. But I've got some very clear objectives that I seek to accomplish. In my next entry, you will read about how I came to decide on a green renovation project as my entry into a new life adventure.