For a change of pace, I am going to a major green event that is not explicitly about food. West Coast Green happens again this weekend, running Sept 25 - 27 in San Jose. I missed it last year, when other responsibilities kept me from indulging my taste for green building. It's a truly dynamic field - so much innovation, constantly in development. Rather like the perpetual remodeling of kitchens, the new homeowner's vice.
No matter how recently a kitchen has been re-outfitted with shiny new appliances, flooring, counters and cabinets, this is the room most likely to be gutted and re-designed by a house's new owners. So I am hoping to see a number of green building principles being demo'd, particularly on Saturday (when homeowners can attend for only $20). First, salvage and re-use. Second, energy efficiency through design and conservation first, new technology second. Third, non-toxic materials made from renewable stock, sourced if not locally, then regionally.
Can an overhauled kitchen still be considered a green kitchen? Depends on what you have to start with, and build upon. I'm hoping to catch what the author of the Not So Big House, who has expanded her arena to the Not So Big Life, might have to say about the re-making of already workable spaces. Should be interesting.
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