Living Green, Building Green
Sandy Nichols introduced guest speaker: Neil Dilworth; A licensed architect, he was raised in
Dilworth cautioned us that everyone in the room probably had an idea what "being green" means, but no two will have the same opinion. You could be thinking about a green car, green water, a green initiative, NASCAR going green, green building and so on; basically it refers to the wise use of resources and material. The concept has been around for a long time. For instance, the Anasazi Indian tribe built their cliff dwellings under the cliff overhang where it would be cool in the summer and warmer in the winter. In 1964, the LA Department of Water & Power put their best thinkers to the task of coming up with an energy conservation program which it did; and it was not very popular until the oil embargo came along in the seventies. In the last ten years, there has been a significant increase in how we can save energy and resources; it has come about because of consumer demands. The internet is now crammed with information that addresses issues of saving energy and resources.
People are becoming aware and beginning to question whether or not to buy products that come from greener industries, they are doing more to recycle and reuse materials and items. The federal government and states do not seem to have a green standard; each industry has its own standard based upon a number of factors. Generally, a green concept to consider is: buy products locally, it reduces transportation costs and fuel; buy USA made, means that EPA and OSHA standards are being met, find out more on the internet; buy things that last; participate in recycling or reusing, by donating to thrift stores; if the combined cost of your electric/gas bill is over $125/month, you might want to consider hiring an energy consultant to analyze what you can do to reduce the use of energy. For further information, review the following web sites: www.thegbi.org , www.usgbc.org , www.nahbgreen.org , www.slogreenbuild.org .