West Coast Green Knows the Way to San Jose
A shift in locale (from San Francisco to San Jose) did nothing to change the energy and the recent West Coast Green. As we any conference we tried to see as much new buildings materials, spy as much green washing and attend as many seminars as possible without suffering from green overload.
After scoring the main trade floor, we hit the Lawrence Group designed and SG Blocks built, Harbinger House, which impressed us more than last years version (despite the fact of its inside location) with its innovative use of shipping containers. Because we export hardly anything anymore, shipping companies have find new uses for these 8,000-pound containers, so rather than ship them back empty they sold them and here they built a 1700 sq. ft two-story house.
The simple yet functional interior fit right to our liking with Vetrazzo countertops, and bathroom vanities, and the Verve lighting control system. The Agilewaves caught everyone’s interest with their web-based Resource Monitor, that monitors electric, gas and water usage in real-time, while automatically calculating carbon footprint. To be honest, we did catch one showerhead that appeared to not be low flow but if it is we want one for our shower.
For the seminars, the always engaging and entertaining Hunter Lovins along with William Hayward led our favorite seminar as they covered The Business Case for Building the Green Way with humor and aplomb. While most everyone continues to question the price of green building, Hunter runs the other way to show the ultimate cost of NON-green building. If you don’t believe us then check out her presentation which she assures us will be uploaded on her website any day now.
Who wouldn’t appreciate Hunter’s humor while the conference center room’s ineffective and noisy HVAC system blasted out wafts of noise cool air? We do.
Not so much a comment or question, just a request:
The National Wildlife Federation recently finished a send-a-letter-to-the-EPA widget and Facebook application that sends an official message to the Environmental Protection Agency urging them to recognize the impact greenhouse gases are having on our planet. We’re trying to drum-up up some support for their cause. If you’re so inclined, we’d appreciate a link to either application or simply spread the word! Thanks so much!
Widget: http://www.clearspring.com/widgets/48dd4c8e92491714
Facebook Application: http://apps.new.facebook.com/speakupforwildlife/