August 30, 2008

Getting started with a green renovation

Hello, I want to take my residential home green. I need info on local suppliers or contractors that can help me do that. I live on Staten Island, 10310. Any info you can provide would be greatly appreciated. Chris Chris, It’s great that you’re taking this step. I don’t know where you’re starting from, but you can visit our website for suggestions of simple changes to help green your home . I also don’t know if you have any ideas on what types of green projects you’d like to accomplish. This would depend on your preferences and on how much you care about different environmental issues. For more involved projects, here are a few places to get you started. CONTRACTORS Giancola Contracting – builds Energy star homes. I don’t know if they do renovations, but it’s worth giving them a call. Threadcollective They do environmentally friendly design work, but aren’t the people to call if you just want to install new equipment or windows or such. NYSERDA – you should definitely visit their website to see about financial incentives for the kind of work it sounds like you want to do. (Residential incentives are here. NESEA Sustainable Yellow pages – The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association has a directory of environmentally friendly suppliers and contractors. GreenHomeGuide directory – Also has a searchable directory of green architects, contractors, and designers.

Eco-friendly furniture cleaning

Hello, Do you know of any places that do organic/eco-friendly upholstery furniture cleaning in New York city? Thanks, Elaine Elaine, I personally have hardwood floors and garage-sale furniture so I haven’t really been in the market for furniture cleaners (though I’m looking forward to a point where I am). However, here are some places that advertise as using environmentally friendly non-toxic products. Servicecenter of New York: 888-742-5784 Master Carpet Cleaner: 800-887-3177 York Carpet: 800-310-4640 Since the term environmentally friendly is bandied about a lot, you can ask them about what types of products they use. Key points (from the Big Green Apple Guide) are – Non-toxic: By federal law, products cannot be marketed as non-toxic unless they meet certain standards. – Plant-based: Choose companies that use plant-based products over petroleum-based detergents. – Avoid VOCs: Volatile Organic Compounds are often found in cleaning products as solvents or scents. These will evaporate (hence the term “volatile”) in your home and remain in the air you breathe. Most are not very harmful, but some are and it’s best to avoid them. – Biodegradable: Biodegradable products will break down into naturally occuring compounds when rinsed down the drain and sent into the nearest waterbody. – Avoid Phosphates: These compounds are natural fertilizers and when added to wastewater, cause algea to grow, which decreases oxygen levels and kills fish (eutrophication). So call them up and ask them what types of detergents and cleaners they use. You may not be able to find one that meets all these criteria, but the more the better. I actually called a few of these places myself. It being Saturday, I was not able to get an answer, but they were very willing to discuss it. They advertise as being environmentally friendly so they should be able to back up this claim. They are also going to be using these products in your home so you have a right to know what’s in them and where they came from. Good luck. Steven Lenard GreenHomeNYC

Eco-friendly upholstered furniture

I am looking for upholstered furniture vendors that make eco-friendly products. Thanks, Charles Moran Charles, For this answer I went to the GreenHomeGuide, which has a great directory of furniture vendors that all comply to some standard to sustainable production. Below is a link to a quick one-page article with information on what eco-friendly means in relation to furniture. Then two vendors in the northeast that had carry upholstered lines. GreenHomeGuide has a product directory and these two were a small sample of the furniture companies on the site so I encourage you to log on and check out the rest of them. It’s at. http://www.greenhomeguide.com/index.php/knowhow/entry/638/C221 Q Collection 915 Broadway New York, NY 10010 Phone: 212-529-1400 Fax: 212-529-1499 Furnature 86 Coolidge Avenue Watertown, MA 02472 Toll-free: 800-326-4895

NYC metro area resources and contacts, Part I

I’d like to learn more about how to convert my Cape Cod into a green house. Please recommend resources and contacts in NYC. Celeste Beatty Celeste, Good for you! It’s great to see you putting effort into greening your home. I’m going to give you a bunch of resources and links and a little bit of basic strategy. Feel free to write back and let us know how the project goes. In terms of strategy and I think you should concentrate on the parts of your house that consume things and try to reduce that consumption. You shouldn’t spend time and money replacing components with green materials if they are just sitting there being useful. If they have already been manufactured, transported and installed, whatever damage is involved has already been done and the best thing to do is let them live out their useful life. If you are thinking about remodelling anyway, or things need to be replaced anyway, then think about replacing them with green materials. Otherwise, leave things alone till they break. The exception to this is indoor air quality. You may wish to replace indoor finishes that are off-gassing VOCs or contain lead paint or other hazardous materials as a way to improve your indoor air quality. While this will involve an environmental cost in production and installation of the new finishes, it will be worth it if you can significantly improve the more local environment in which you live. In terms of consumables, there are lots of parts of your home that are consuming energy and/or water and replacing those with more efficient models can have significant environmental benefits. Start with the small stuff like replacing incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent ones (and if I may suggest not to scrimp on these. The cheap no-name brands can produce absolutely ghastly light, but the full-price models are lighting my way though this letter and look great.) Then move on to appliances, replacing especially old models with newer, more energy efficient models. Generally look for the Energy Star label (certified energy efficient) for these, or compare energy use directly. Most appliances have labels with energy consumption figures. When replacing working appliances, think about the energy gains through increased efficiency that are accrued throughout the life of the unit balanced against the costs of producing the unit. Small gains in efficiency from replacing a 2000 model may not be worth it, though my mom should definitely replace the rounded-door 1960-vintage fridge in the garage (but never will). Next you can go for more significant improvements in larger systems such as your heating, hot water, or AC systems. By systems I mean also the plumbing, venting, and insulation of your house, improvements to which may have a greater effect than replacing a heater or boiler. I don’t know enough to say any more except to get a good contractor. Check out the Greenhomeguide, which lists area contractors, architects, and products. You can also find more information at the below links. Department of Energy Sustainable Communities Network: General principles Rocky Mountain Institute Home Resource Efficiency Info: General Principles Energy Star Program Website: Energy Star Program information New York State Energy Reserch and Development Authority: Incentive Grant and Rebate information DOE Federal Taxbreaks information

NYC metro area resources and contacts, Part II

I am looking for a list of contractors and architects who specialize in sustainable building/renovation/demolition in Manhattan or NYC generally. Do you all maintain such a list or know somebody who does? Thanks for the great work, Shannon Shannon, We do actually know who maintains a list like this. Greenhomeguide maintains a directory of GCs, designers, and architects who specialize in green design in New York. There aren’t too many in NYC listed there, but it will give you a start. You can also go to the US Green Building Council’s New York Chapter website (off of www.usgbc.org) and cross-check the membership against professionals you may know. Chances are they at least care about green design and will be willing to work with you if they aren’t especially knowledgeable. The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s Sustainable Yellow pages is also a place to find New York Area sustaianble architects and design professionals. Steven Lenard GreenHomeNYC

NYC metro area resources and contacts, Part III

Hello, My husband and I want to buy and renovate a home in NJ and we want to incorporate as many green/sustainable elements as possible. Are there any architects that you can recommend in the New York/New Jersey area that specialize in green building? Thanks for your advice, Amy Amy, The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association maintains a Northeast Sustainable Energy Association’s Sustainable Yellow pages, which has a number of architects and building professionals with green experience in New Jersey. There is Greenhomeguide, which maintains a directory of GCs, designers, and architects who specialize in green design, mostly in New York and California. You can also go to the US Green Building Council’s New York and New Jersey Chapters websites (off of www.usgbc.org) and cross-check the membership against professionals you may know or give them a call and ask them for references. Chances are they at least care about green design and will be willing to work with you if they aren’t especially knowledgeable. Steven Lenard GreenHomeNYC

LEED points for trees?

Does LEED give points for planting or preserving trees? Julie Lubin LEED NC does not give a credit for planting or preserving trees per se, but Sustainable Site Credit 5.1 gives a credit for preserving or replanting native vegetation, which in many places includes trees. There are also several other Sustainable Sites credits that require planting of vegetation for open space or stormwater control. LEED is also developing a LEED – Neighborhood Development standard for community planning which may include something about trees, but that’s just pure conjecture.

Switching to green power

Alternatives to plywood subflooring

I am looking for an alternative to plywood as a subflooring material since plywood contains formaldyhyde. Could you please give me suggestions? The easiest way to reduce formaldehyde emissions from subflooring is to use exterior-grade plywood instead of interior-grade. The waterproof glues used in exterior materials contain phenol-formaldehyde rather than urea-formaldehyde. While this is still formaldehyde, these products emit (according to one source) 10-20 times less formaldehyde than those used in interior grade plywood or particleboard. This may cost a bit more, however. There are several other options as well including: Cork made with polyurethane-based or non-phenolic binder Strawboard (made from pressed straw) using non-formaldehyde resins Cementboard (concrete core with fiberglass facing). This is more expensive than other options and is used primarily when floor height or moisture are concerns.

Re-using kitchen cabinetry

Hello, I am a kitchen and bath designer primarily focused on renovations. Often, the kitchen cabinetry being replaced are in decent condition but just not the owner’s taste — this cabinetry is just thrown in the dump. Is there an organization who may be able to re-use or re-sell kitchen cabinetry? Thanks for your help. G. Watanabe This is another great question. Thanks for asking! There are a number of organizations in New York that facilitate reuse of construction materials. Wastematch is a website that includes listings of available materials and people who want different materials. You can post that cabinetry will be available at a certain time in a certain neighborhood for free or for a price. People can also post that they need kitchen cabinetry and you could contact them and set up an exchange. I just checked and there is a listing for “1950s metal kitchen cabinets” on there right now. There is also an organization called the Green Worker’s Collaborative based in the south Bronx, which is advocating for the creation of a recycling industrial park in Hunt’s Point. The idea would be to create a central location for a materials exchange so that people could drop materials off and not have to coordinate with people who want their stuff. Lastly, and perhaps best, Build It Green, in Queens, collects salvaged materials for resale. I might personally suggest that you try to form relationships with some of the used furniture stores in areas you work. I see lots of places that sell used furniture, and while cabinetry is a bit more complicated a sale for them, if the material is in good shape, you may find a seller who is willing to stock some of the choicer pieces. If you find anything else in your travels, please let us know about it so we can spread the word! These types of architectural materials exchanges are popping up all over the country (especially in places that require sorting and recycling of C+D waste) and the main ingredient they need for success if volume. Thanks again for the great question and good luck.