Every day, the media unearths a new story about environmental degradation, shrinking natural resources, or evidence of global warming. We read reports of deformed frogs in the Midwest and melting ice caps at the North Pole, stories about poisoned groundwater in California, dead zones in the Caribbean Sea, and disappearing rainforests in South America. We begin to understand that severe drought in Africa or growing petroleum demand in China and India can change all of our lives. The evidence suggests to me that if we cherish our way of life and our children’s future, we have no choice but to grow greener.
While much of the news we hear about the environment is dispiriting, the increasing number of people and businesses who are tackling these issues is encouraging, even inspiring. Every year, more car makers are bringing cars to market that achieve higher levels of fuel efficiency and lower levels of emissions. More supermarkets are catering to the swelling ranks of consumers who demand organic and additive-free food. Cities and towns across the country are putting LEED standards in place for new municipal and school buildings.
Custom home builders are part of this story, too, as you will see inside this special issue on sustainable building. From the early days of the green building movement in the 1970s, custom builders have led the charge in the housing industry for greener building practices and have been first adopters of green building products. That tradition has not faded over the years, as we discovered when we began researching stories for this issue.
Senior editors Meghan Drueding and Bruce Snider found custom home pros who are in the forefront of building houses that work better and waste less. The measures they use range from obvious but often neglected ones, such as siting and orienting a house to grab light and warmth from the sun to more technical and sophisticated systems such as geothermal heating and wind power generation. You can see how these measures play out in the four houses featured in this issue. They show how beauty, comfort, and sustainability can go hand in hand.
Bruce also profiles architect Peter Pfeiffer, one of the leaders of today’s sustainable building movement (page 100). Pfeiffer’s practical approach to green building is well thought-out and relatively low-tech. Many of his ideas, including the way he goes about selling clients on green houses, can be readily incorporated into mainstream building practices. And I can’t sign off without recommending the product sections in this issue. Associate editor Stephani Miller has put together a fascinating array of very new products designed to help you build greener.
I hope the stories in here will make you feel as heartened and excited by the growing power of green building as I am. Though we may live on a crowded planet with finite resources, it is also one of expanding possibilities.
