REGREEN:
Greening Homes Without Starting from Scratch
Doug Smeath,
Posted
08/01/2008
More and more, today's homes are defined not only by what they
do but also by what they don't do. The increasing availability of
new technologies and innovative products means kitchens and
bathrooms today don't have to waste water. Heating and cooling
systems no longer have to waste energy by running inefficiently and
battling poorly insulated exterior walls. Paints and cleaning
products don't have to endanger residents' health by mingling with
the air people breathe. Rooms don't have to be filled with fixtures
and décor that waste natural resources. And a home doesn't have to
be built new to be made green.
A recently released free-to-download program from the U.S. Green
Building Council and the American Society of Interior Designers,
both in Washington, D.C., has already helped thousands of builders,
designers, construction professionals and savvy do-it-yourselfers
get the tools they need to make their home remodeling and
renovation projects green. REGREEN, which launched in March at
ASID's INTERIORS 08 conference (www.asid.org/interiors) in New
Orleans, is a residential remodeling program created through the
collaboration of professionals in all sectors of the home building
industry.
"This is the first time we've really pulled together the
professional interior designer with the builder in any sort of
national green residential remodeling program," said Linda
Sorrento, director of education and research partnerships at USGBC,
who was involved in creating REGREEN. "There are many programs
across the country, but this is the first time there's really an
intersection between these two professions."
That intersection is important because it creates a more holistic
approach to green remodeling. A truly green project requires
everyone involved being on the same page from the start, sharing
common goals and working together to make sure the outcome is just
what the client wants, according to Victoria Schomer, a residential
interior designer with ASID. Without that partnership, Schomer
said, a designer risks coming into a project after a builder has
worked on it and being faced with the question, "You've built a
great building, but can someone live day-to-day there in a way
that's sustainable?" And that disconnect can go both ways, as
interior designers also must be careful not to compromise green
buildings' improved performance. Without collaboration, the smart
green choices of one professional could be negated by the
oversights of another.
Unlike USGBC's other green homebuilding tool, LEED for Homes,
REGREEN is not a certifi cation system. Instead, REGREEN is a set
of best practices guidelines. REGREEN provides building and
interior design professionals with performance-based objectives and
detailed strategies. It walks them through 10 specific project
types: kitchens, bathrooms, bedrooms, living and working spaces,
finished basements, weatherization, major additions, gut rehabs,
deep energy retrofits and outdoor living spaces.
Building or remodeling a green home does not have to be difficult
or costly. The key is having a plan from the start of the design
phase all the way through to the project's completion. REGREEN will
help you identify possible issues that may need to be addressed by
discussing integrated predesign considerations. It will guide you
through the project with a discussion of the project's scope and
strategies, and it provides case studies for all 10 project types,
helping you visualize what your green remodeling project can look
like when it's finished, as well as offering lessons learned from
other green renovations. The REGREEN guidelines, sample case
studies, FAQs and more information are available for free download
at the USGBC's consumer-oriented
Green Home Guide, www.greenhomeguide.org. Green homes are not only
good for the environment. They're also good for residents' health
and their wallets.
A green home is filled with appliances and fixtures that use less
energy and water, preserving valuable resources, helping in the
fight against climate change and saving residents big on utility
bills. Their indoor air is safe and healthy; free of chemicals that
can be emitted by paints, adhesives, cleaning products, carpets and
other items. They make use of recycled materials, rapidly renewable
materials, and sustainably grown and harvested natural
resources.
REGREEN focuses on more than just the process and products of the
remodel itself. A project is only as green as the habits it
encourages in residents. "It's about supporting sustainable
lifestyles," Schomer said. It also aims to avoid redundancies and
information that goes beyond what would be needed for any given
project. And it tries to draw that sometimes fuzzy line between
"what is green and what is just good practice."
Doug Smeath is consumer Web site marketing manager for the U.S.
Green Building Council, Washington, D.C. Visit www.usgbc.org.
www.usgbc.org; www.greenhomeguide.org