by Rachel Preston Prinz and Carrie Christopher
Designing a truly sustainable home is an art, and when it is done well, it is an art that is based on science. Many people like to think that “going green” can be achieved via a checklist like LEED and trusting things that are labeled “green”. In reality though, that is not enough because a lot of what is considered “green” today is really just “greener”. Many modern “green” products use the same old technologies with a few less chemicals. That is not truly sustainable. Whereas some traditional techniques are thousands of years old and do not need chemicals at all, last longer, and support traditional craftwork. Because of the challenges in finding the right balance, in our office we developed a sustainability philosophy to guide our projects. These criteria will guide us as we talk through all of the aspects of design in this book.
We choose materials based on criteria that give our clients the most truly sustainable buildings:Many of the materials we assume and have been told are “green” are actually dangerous. For instance, many bio-based plastics are toxic. They are just assumed to be less toxic because they support the sustainable renewables industry. Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle, for instance, is PET plastic but with one ingredient from sugar cane. The rest of the bottle is made from p-xylene, a hazardous chemical linked to brain damage in newborn animal studies. So, the PlantBottle might be seen as a better option than the original bottle, but it is hardly safe or sustainable. We pay special attention to these materials.