Homeowners Are Using Experience to Educate

Homeowners Avrim and Vicki Topel are using their experiences building a LEED Silver home in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania as a chance to educate others on how to do the same.  They have written a book, Green Beginnings: The Story of How We Built Our Green and Sustainable Home, and recently announced the release of a companion video.

The video and book show the process of building a sustainable home from the viewpoint of the homeowners, a different perspective than the normal project case study.  The home, constructed by green builder and timber frame artisan Hugh Lofting, has become the catalyst for a nationwide educational and outreach program started by the owners.

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The program started with the publishing of the book and offering public tours of the house.  With the added medium of the video, audiences are able to see and hear about the experience of building a green home from both the design professionals and the homeowners.  This unique views allows the public to see the inner workings of a complex project, and will, hopefully, inspire them to do the same.

Currently the book and video are available only through the Green Beginnings web site, but other venues are being looked at.  In addition, the Topel’s are looking to add their experiences to university and college courses on architecture and green building, allowing up-and-coming professionals a chance to see a real world example of sustainability and integrated design in practice.

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