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Pocono News Section
Thinking Green From Homes to Skyscrapers
Thinking Green From Homes to Skyscrapers - Monday, April 7, 2008 at 5:00PM EST
Reported by: Kristi Capel
Monday, Apr 7, 2008 @05:00pm EST
A major part of our ongoing PA Green Reports deal with the little things we can all do to make this a better world. There's one sector of our economy that's embracing green in, a big time way. Architects and builders are thinking green from homes to skyscrapers.
When most people think of environmentally friendly homes, solar panels probably come to mind first. And even though those are a part of the green trend, everything from building materials to irrigation can make a difference.
Would you like to live in this 4 bedroom, 3 bath home? Wait until you hear what the utilities cost. William Ball of Stellar Sun said, "It's 3200 square feet, nice windows, hardwood floors, it's a nice home but it only uses about 35 dollars a month worth of electricity."
That may sound too good to be true, but it's a reality for William Ball and his family. Ball started his environmentally friendly construction business Stellar Sun many years ago, and he certainly practices what he preaches.
His home is fully solar and was built using durable material. "We are moving more and more to low VOC, volatile organic compounds, stuff that doesn't have formaldehyde in it, things that are sustainable," he said.
Take this deck, for example. Instead of using wood, a material that rots and wears down, ball used porcelain tile and steel railings - materials known to last. And his lawn? Grass free to cut down on mowing fuel and fertilizer use.
This home is also the model of energy efficiency thanks to extra thick, reinforced walls. "We're being able to build more and more efficiently. Super efficiently compared to the standard 2 by 4 construction type wall that you'll see out there," said Ball.
Even the scenic touches are environmental. This gold fish pond runs off rain water collected in 55 gallon drums. That water is also used for irrigation. "It's just the thing of the future, it's one way of saving some of the resources that have already been used," he added.
Johnny Varnadore is talking about a new kind of recycling that re-uses excess building material. l & W Environmental recently started collecting lumber to be re-used or converted into mulch. They also collect shingles and concrete which can be made into road base. "Everything that's back here right now would have gone straight into the landfill. None of it would've been saved," said Varnadore.
So whether you're looking to build an all green estate or just find good use for some extra two by fours, in today's society, you're just one of many. Just to give you an idea of how quickly this trend is catching on, it is estimated that green construction will increase 400% by the year 2010. | | |
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