Green buildings do not have to look like yurts. True, a yurt can have its own beauty, but understandably not everyone wants to live in one. Uniformity or plainness of design is one factor that hampered wider acceptance of alternative building practices back in the 1970s (let's face it, some of those houses were just plain ugly). But a green home can look like any other house: colonial, modern, southwest, ranch -- you name it. Even on the inside, green homes can be just as varied in design, just as stunning, as any conventional home.
On another level, green buildings are inherently more beautiful because builders and homeowners take the time to understand how the house works and what materials will work better than conventional products. Reclaimed wood, recycled glass, certified lumber -- the list of beautiful green materials is very long indeed.
MYTH #4: Green building doesn't work
The list of consumer concerns about how well a green building works is long: "The low-flow showerheads leak." "Bamboo flooring warps easily." "Zero-VOC paint doesn’t cover walls as well as the paint I've always used." "Compact fluorescent lights give off a weird bluish glare.” Some complaints have been justified, but these concerns tend to focus on exceptions rather than on the big picture.
In general, sustainably built houses tend to be more energy efficient, more durable, and less costly to maintain. That said, some green products have had quality issues. But keep in mind that conventional products have also had quality concerns, not to mention unacceptable effects on our health and the environment.
Many green products were designed to do something better than a conventional product, not specifically because they could be considered "green." Inevitably, if a green building product does not work, market forces will force it off the shelves, just as under performing conventional products are gradually abandoned in favor of something else. Today, manufacturers of low-flow showerheads, bamboo flooring, and low-VOC paint are creating reliable products. Although the industry has had some growing pains, in the end green building is simply better building.
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Excerpted from Green from the Ground Up by David Johnston and Scott Gibson Copyright © 2008 by David Johnston and Scott Gibson. Excerpted by permission of The Taunton Press, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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