Yankee Ingenuity: A New England Home Uses Innovative, Eco-Friendly Technology
(Page 3 of 4)
September/October 2008
By Laurel Kallenbach
What’s great about where you live?
The natural beauty of the Maine coast and forest, including the birds and animals. We especially love the way the sun and moon rise over the ocean.
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If you could invite anyone to dinner, who would it be?
Barack Obama.
Do you use Netflix or the local video store?
We rent from the local video store because it’s owned by our neighbor and we want to support the local economy.
Guilty pleasure?
Long hot showers. There’s not really much guilt involved because we get “free” hot water as a byproduct of the geothermal system.
How to build green without breaking the bank
Project architect Dwayne Flynn explains how he built green for the same cost as—or less than—conventional.
■ Buy local materials to reduce the embodied energy required for long-distance shipping. Ask your locally owned building-supply store if it can match the prices of a retail chain.
■ Try PureBond formaldehyde-free plywood, available nationwide,
■ Get formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation; it’s now widely available at comparable cost to chemically treated fiberglass.
■ Paint with low- or no-VOC finishes. Some paints work better on sheetrock, others on wood, so test before using.
■ Compare FSC-certified wood. The Grassis’ Brazilian cherry flooring from EcoTimber cost the same as nonsustainable hardwood.
■ Use fly ash concrete, which reduces the amount of high-embodied-energy Portland cement in the mix.
Five green finishing touches
Of all the elements Tony and Sally Grassi love about their home, five stand out as favorites.
1. Wood. All wood came from sustainably forested local trees or is certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Instead of pressure-treated timber, which can contain arsenic or copper, the Grassis chose natural hardwood such as black locust.
2. Steel. A substitute for formaldehyde-containing laminated beams, recycled steel supports add a modern architectural element and contribute to the home’s open effect.
3. Glass. Tony and Sally like lots of natural light and an outdoor feel, so they used insulated, low-E windows with aluminum cladding to reduce weathering from ocean spray.
4. Radiant heat. Underfloor tubing provides even, comfortable heat at a lower thermostat setting than forced air and eliminates the dust circulation associated with forced air.
5. Native landscaping. The couple is eradicating invasive, non-native species left by previous owners because they threaten native forest growth. Their landscaping features native plants with no chemical pesticides or fertilizers and just a few grass patches for their grandchildren to play in.