The Why and How of Sustainable Design – Part I

You may have heard it in the movie Avatar  .“We are all connected”. You may have visited The Symphony of Science site, and heard this from Carl Sagan, Ann Druyan and Steve Soter, or you may have visited hundreds of blogs such as Support4Change.com and read their views on the importance of our understanding that we are all connected.

Humans are becoming more aware of our connection to the universe and how what we do, no matter how small, has an impact on something else on our planet and even our universe. In 1961 Edward N. Lorenz, an MIT meteorologist, spoke of and popularized what is now called the Butterfly Effect, which states that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in Beijing could effect the weather thousands of miles away at a future time.

We have had the privilege of observing our own impact on the planet over the last several hundred years. Therefore we do have at least a rudimentary understanding of the effect that man has on this planet. From building our houses, or traveling, or recreating, we know some of the effects. And these effects are much more serious that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings.

How many of us are there?

So what does this have to do with sustainable building? First let’s look at some basic facts. We all live in a shelter of some kind. Almost 100% of these shelters are man-made. They were designed by men and women, and they were built by men and women. They chose the building site and the materials, and laborers built the shelters. Since virtually everyone lives in a shelter, it is probably the most widely used “product” on our planet. Therefore, it has an enormous impact on the world we live in. To make this point even more vivid, at this time there are 6,697,254,041 people living in shelters. That’s billions. Much more than your town or your country. And by 2100, just 89 years away, the conservative estimate is 9 billion people. That’s 9 billion people living in homes. Besides what we are sheltering now, that’s over 2 billion more people in shelters.

“Green” building is not a fad. It is a necessity. It is time to look at this very seriously. We must become aware that everything we do has consequences. So let’s study and educate ourselves how to do a better job. Let’s start with how to design, choose our materials, and build our homes so that they last longer, function better, are more comfortable, and have less negative impact on our planet and our future. There is no better win-win than this.

May I have a glass of water?

I was at a recent seminar hosted by Ferguson and presented by Kohler. The topic was “Sustainable Bath and Kitchen Design”. It didn’t stop there though. It encompassed the whole home and beyond. The class was presented by Anupa Maru, a very astute Sales Engineer from Kohler. She spent several hours going over an excellent slide show and explaining the far-reaching consequences of our building decisions. Kohler was founded in 1873 when they coated a hog scalder with enamel and became an overnight sensation as tub manufacturers. Do you think they were educating people about water conservation? No they weren’t. That was not a problem at that time. But now they understand that they have other responsibilities beside manufacturing some of the best plumbing products in the world. They sell millions of faucets, tubs and toilets, all of which use WATER.

It is a sobering thought that we are drinking the same water that has been on this planet since the beginning of time. “They” are not making any more water. It has been cleaned, filtered, and condensed. It has been used for industry, cleaning, irrigation, recreation, and … drinking. The same water! And yet most of us take it for granted. There is plenty of water at the faucet, and that is all that matters. Think again. The water which we take for granted is becoming more scarce in many parts of the world. That’s why Kohler and other responsible companies have decided that it is time to make the most of the water we have. They do this by making more efficient products and educating the public.

Read on… Improvement Through Design – Part 2:  Water use on our planet and in your home, and choosing better products: