NARI GUIDE


Are you Green Curious?


BY JASON HOLSTEIN, STEVE OFFUTT, SAM YOUNG


A


lthough green building has been catching on for over a decade now, many people wonder where to start. Te good news is that it is really easy to


“go green” with the right considerations.


First of all, what does “green” even mean? It’s not just one thing or another. We look to include ALL OF THESE features in all projects:


1. Health: products and designs that foster health- ier people, air and water—indoors and out.


2. Energy Smart: use—and pay for—as little electricity and gas as possible.


3. Renewable Energy: of the energy you do use, it should come from solar and wind as much as possible.


4. Water Smart: only 1% of the planet’s H2O is drinkable and droughts are spreading. New technologies and classic concepts do more while using less.


5. Environmentally appropriate: the materials used won’t endanger forests (that give us the oxygen we breathe), bodies of water, biodiver- sity, land and soils—all of which our econo- mies depend on to hang around.


22 create | A REMODELING RESOURCE FROM NARI METRO DC


6. Think local: buying products that are made in the USA—and more local—to foster a stron- ger economy for all of us, and reduce trans- portation footprints.


7. Resilient Design: In the face of a changing cli- mate and extreme events, a building with the right features can help its occupants survive and “ride out the storm”.


8. Universal Design: designing with features that allow residents to age in place gracefully and independently, or simply to deal with injuries for any age.


While there are often going to be trade- offs in any project, if you only focus on part of this list, you’re leaving important features on the table. Think big picture! The great news is that several best practices will make it much easier to maxi- mize this list in any project:


1. Take a strategic and holistic approach to make your project easier and avoid headaches, delays, confusion, and cost overruns. To do this, start with three broad elements for your project:


●


Design: specify as many details as early as possible!! Integrate all design points and


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32