How's Your Global Warming Now?

I recently had the fortune (misfortune?) to be seated on a flight next to a very chatty and opinionated traveler for a 2 1/2 hour flight. Before we even left the ground he had already grilled me for where I was going and what I was doing.

When I told him I was traveling to teach a class on Green Building I got both barrels on what he thought about Green and everything involved. A little back story for those of you not blessed with living in Montana like me, this year winter started sometime shortly after Halloween and aside from a few nice days in April it lasted clean into May, ending sometime after 2PM on May 23rd to be precise.

Armed with this, he laughed and said, "Where's your Global Warming now? There's no way you can claim it's happening, I even saw where the glaciers are getting bigger in Argentina," he continued, "How can you even think that Green Building is a good idea now?"

I was at that fork in the road where I could have smiled, shrugged and not bothered to fight it but all I had to read was the skymall catalog and I knew I couldn't fain enough interest in it to just ignore him and start reading. Besides, I thought, if I let him have it back it might just upset him enough to dislike me and then he won't talk to me for the rest of the flight, either way should work.

I think my first line was something like, "Wow you really have no idea what green building is do you?" It froze him and I started in to tell him that no matter what's happening with global warming green building is still a good idea. Forget about carbon emissions, glacial ice melt, rising sea levels and all the associated fears of rising earth temperatures. Green building is about much more than that.

Conserving the finite resources we have, including water, natural gas, all of the fossil fuels. Building a home that is designed to last longer, require less maintenance, and maintain a healthier quality of air. This is what green building is all about. Global warming be damned green building is nothing more than building better and building smarter and anybody who thinks that doesn't make sense just doesn't get it.

As it turned out we spent the next 2 1/2 hours talking about what green building is, but more importantly much more about what green building is NOT. I keep hearing the same themed, recurring myths of green building..."It's expensive."..."It's too hard to figure out."......."It's straw bales, solar panels and wind power."......."It's ugly."....."It's just a fad."......"It's just about global warming."...Etc., Etc. Etc. They're all wrong and they're all bred from the same misinformation or total lack of information that many great myths come from and we still have a long way to go to dispel them. (The earth IS round by the way, despite what Friedman says)

We parted ways and both learned a lot in the time we spent together. He learned a lot about the guiding principles of green building and definitely had a small change of view, and I learned that we still have a long way to go in the education process before the consumer, builder, and everyone else understands and are on the same wavelength on what green is and is not. On the return flight by the way, I had an empty seat next to me and was quite happy for the peace and quiet.

Windows in Short

I recently started doing a Green Building question and answer "advertorial" series for a local newspaper and sponsors. It's already clear with the first round of solicited consumer questions that many people want the answers to green building questions to be as black and white as the newsprint. Sorry, it just doesn't happen that way.

I thought it would be good to repost the questions and the answer here. Believe me I also realize that it saves me a tremendous amount of time and with just a little cut and paste I have posts in two places. Efficiency at its' best!


Question: I am going to do a large addition to my home. What the best window is to use? From F.N., Missoula, MT.

John: The simple answer to the question is to use the best and most efficient window that your budget will allow. All windows are rated for energy performance by the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC.) They are rated in five different categories, but the U-value (the amount of heat loss through the window) and Air Leakage rating numbers mean the most to me. A window with a low U-Value (The current minimum for Energy Star and also available tax credits is .35 and the lower the better here.) and also a low Air leakage rate will keep the warm air in and the cold air out in the winter, and the reverse in the summer.

Windows with low U-value and low air leakage rates are available from a number of quality manufacturers in several types; wood clad, vinyl and other composites and all can perform very well. Once you’ve identified a window type and several manufacturers within your budget, ensure that the window you select has Low-E reflective coating to keep winter heat in, durable construction and hardware, and that the manufacturer has a solid warranty backing their window.

After selecting the best window that you can within your budget, it is equally important to make sure that the window is installed properly. For greatest efficiency and moisture protection, the window needs to have proper flashing and a good air sealant on the exterior and adequate insulation around the interior of the window. Following these simple guidelines will give you the best performance and most return on your investment no matter which type or brand of high performance window you choose.