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This is an article reprint from the September 2009 issue of Eucalyptus magazine. Readers turn to Eucalyptus for information they can trust on topics such as health, organic foods and products, nutrition, fitness, eco-friendly living and sustainability, natural beauty, supplements, pets, personal growth, and much more. We empower readers on their personal path to wellness and sustainable living. Reprints of both cover stories and special features are available to businesses for sales and marketing purposes as high-quality, four-color advertising brochures. A reprint of a cover story or special feature provides a cost-effective opportunity for your organization to stand out and make a lasting impression. Extend the value of your marketing efforts, increase your exposure, and differentiate yourself in the marketplace with high-quality, four-color reprints, available in two-, four-, and six-page formats.
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CloCkwise from upper left
Salvaged, 60-year-old redwood siding from a
Palo Alto house is set up on site to be reused
as interior paneling. Solar panels are laid out
for installation on the home’s roof. Peter Lyon,
a Campbell-based general contractor, has spe-
cialized in green building for the last five years.
bay area life | Vibrant HealtH | eCo-liVing euCalyptusmagazine.Com
greenbuilding
As we strive to live an eco-friendly life, we carefully consider the clothes we wear,
the food we eat, and the cars we drive. But what about our homes and our office
buildings? What kind of imprint do they leave on our health and on the earth?
Green building, also known as sustainable building, is a relatively new field, but
it is quickly gaining momentum, especially since the election of President Barack
Obama in 2008. The core concept of green building is to use sustainable materials
and more efficient resources in the areas of construction, operation, maintenance,
and demolition.
The need for greener construction practices is obvious. According to the U.S. De-
partment of Energy’s Center for Sustainable Development, buildings consume 40%
of the world’s total energy, 25% of its wood harvest, and 16% of its water. Sustain-
able building practices should produce several key benefits. They should lower
electric and water utility costs while increasing energy efficiency, promote water
and other resource conservation, create healthy indoor air quality, and produce
better neighborhoods and livable communities, with greater reduction of pollution
in all areas.
What does green building mean for
individual contractors, or for someone
trying to remodel their own home?
Peter Lyon, a Campbell-based general
contractor, has spent 32 years in the
construction business, the last five spe-
cializing in green building. Lyon and his
staff help their clients navigate through
the green building process, and that
often includes dispelling the belief that
green building is too expensive.
“It’s a mistake for people to think that
they can’t afford green. It’s just not the case. There are things that can be done
that don’t cost a thing,” Lyon says. “When there are greater up-front costs, they are
often offset by lower maintenance and service expenses over the years ahead.”
changingthe world
one building at a time
by brandi-ann uyemura and ann marie brownpHotograpHy by kyle CHesser
Anchors are installed to support the
rooftop photovoltaic system. opposite,
CloCkwise from upper left: No-
VOC paints, low-VOC paints, and recycled
paints can be used in any house remodel.
A bank of dual-pane windows is installed
alongside a passive solar hallway. These
skylights open up to create a “thermal
chimney” effect, allowing unwanted heat
to escape from the house.
Start Small when you think GreenOne misconception is that green building has to start from the
ground up, or that you have to completely remodel your home in
order to make it greener. In construction, there are many differ-
ent levels of going green. The greenest buildings are “zero green,”
which means the building creates its own heat and air-conditioning
and powers its own food sources and water. But small changes
can make a big difference, too, such as replacing old windows with
double-paned, energy-efficient models, or installing a whole-house
fan or solar attic fan. Other low-cost green modifications include
installing high R-value wall and ceiling insulation, or adding lighting
controls such as motion sensors and dimmer switches.
Sustainable plumbing fixes are also relatively inexpensive. Hom-
eowners can minimize wastewater by using ultra-low-flush toilets
and low-flow showerheads. Tankless or point-of-use water heaters
may seem costly to install, but soon pay for themselves in terms of
energy savings. A gray water system can recover rainwater or other
non-potable water for landscape irrigation.
“Building green isn’t an all or nothing proposition,” Lyon says. “It’s
a matter of making choices, and deciding what makes sense for your
home and lifestyle.”
With the growing popularity of the green movement, an industry
has boomed. More products and greater choices can leave con-
sumers confused about what’s out there. (See our green building
guidelines on page 24 to help navigate the choices).
“We evaluate the good and bad, because not every product that’s
‘green’ is good. Many companies are trying to ride the coattails of
the green movement. Some products are expensive to put in and
more expensive to take out, so we try to steer our clients away from
them,” says Lyon. His company’s standard policy is to install only
products that have had at least five years of testing in the field.
out with the old, in with the old In sustainable building, the re-use of old materials is as important
as incorporating new, eco-friendly technologies. One of Lyon’s
recent projects was the transformation of a 60-year-old Palo Alto
house by gutting, reframing, and rewiring it. One of the greenest
aspects of the job was removing the house’s exterior redwood sid-
ing, then sandblasting, cleaning, and reinstalling it in the interior
hallways as paneling.
“We didn’t have to throw away all that redwood. We recycled and
reused it, and it’s the focal point, the center of the house,” says
Lyon. “It’s gorgeous and highly green.”
GreeninG the Great indoorS For a building to be green, it must be healthy for the environment
and healthy for its occupants, too. Lyon states that this is in direct
opposition to “sick-building syndrome, which is all about concrete,
steel, bad air, and fluorescent lighting.” On average, Americans
spend about 90% of their time indoors, and yet the air inside new
or remodeled homes and office buildings is often much more pol-
luted than outdoor air. This is largely due to the toxic chemicals
found in some building materials, such as kitchen cabinets and
shelving made from particleboard or medium-density fiberboard.
This type of “wood” is held together with adhesives that release
urea formaldehyde for years after installation.
Again, making the green building choice to improve indoor air
quality is not necessarily costly or difficult.
Most homeowners repaint at least one room
in their house once a year. It is easy and
healthful to switch to no- or low-VOC paint,
since volatile organic compounds have
been found to have adverse health effects.
Homes with wood-burning fireplaces can be
retrofitted with low-emissions wood stoves
or inserts that are certified by the Environ-
mental Protection Agency. Flooring choices
like carpeting and hardwood floor finishes can be made from either
toxic or non-toxic materials, so home remodelers can simply select
the healthier version.
To learn more about green building practices, or to find local sup-
pliers of green building products, visit builditgreen.org. Build it Green
is a non-profit organization based in Berkeley whose mission is to
promote healthy, energy- and resource-efficient homes in California.
This article was published in Eucalyptus Magazine, September 2009.
top In this Palo Alto home, old redwood siding
was stripped from the house’s exterior and
“repurposed” as interior paneling.
special thanks to our subcontractors
Vision Design 408-749-1622
s.r. freeman framing 408-364-2200
Dallas Carlock plumbing 408-354-5413
building solutions 866-899-2517
performance foam tech 831-784-1376
Hammerness Drywall 408-266-0150
Dan boulware Custom tile 408-846-0700
authentic Cabinetry 408-559-9475
kevin Copley painting 408-370-2496
PeTer Lyon GeneraL ConTraCTor, InC.Campbell 408-871-8665 www.peterlyon.com