Using “Green” vs. “Green Washed” Products
I have been building “green built” homes for a few years now and something has come to my attention more recently that was quite alarming for a “green builder.” I built a beautiful, energy efficient 2800 sf home a couple of years ago that I thought was, for all intents and purposes, fairly “green.” I later found out that two of the products that I used on the home were simply “green washed.”
Before I go into too many details let’s define the two and make sure we understand the difference. There are many definitions for the term “green” so the best way I can sum it up is that a green product is one that is manufactured and used in a way to use the least amount of natural resources and is environmentally sustainable. A “green washed” product may seem to meet the same criteria but falls short in some way or another. As you read ahead you will understand the difference.
In the home I built, most of the exterior walls are built with 2x6s and the cavities filled with cellulose (recycled newspaper) to be more effective. The product not only insulates better than fiberglass, it also has zero waste. We also wrapped the home with a perforated foil house wrap that would keep the home cooler during the summer and warmer during the winter. All penetrations sealed to prevent leakage and an energy recovery system installed so the home could breathe while recovering the warm or cool air in the home.
We installed an energy efficient furnace for the main heat source and a 63% efficient EPA II approved wood burning fireplace as an alternative heat source. We also installed tank-less water heaters to cut down on the use of natural gas while heating the water used. We installed energy efficient lighting throughout the home to save on electricity as well.
That all seems fairly “green” when you look at saving natural resources but the issues came about with the finishes. Although, we did make all of the custom trim out of trees that were taken down to clear the lot for the home. We bought other products that seemed to be environmentally friendly and later found them to have a more negative impact on the environment than expected.
We bought a full crate of terrazzo at a discounted cost to install on the bathroom and laundry room floors. The intent was to cut the tile in different patterns to make the best use of the full crate while having little waste. We also used reclaimed slate roofing tiles as accents on one of the floors. Seems to be “green”, yes? Well, it actually was not. In further research, I found that the terrazzo was manufactured in Turkey and shipped to the US. So it actually took more natural resources to use the terrazzo than it would have to buy a material that was manufactured here in the states.
The same goes for the 1,100 sf of bamboo flooring installed throughout the first floor. Yes, bamboo is a sustainable product because it can be re-harvested, some species multiple times a year, but we have the same issue with where it comes from. The flooring was manufactured in China and shipped to the US so we have the same issue of the over use of natural resources.
So when you look for a product for any project. Make sure you look at its complete impact on the environment. Past, present and future.
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![[realname] - kmstrauss Profile Photo](http://www.altglobe.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/50/profile_photos/IMG_0161.JPG "kmstrauss Photo"){kind=small}
I am a married 35 year old father of four. I own a construction...
kmstrauss
June 28, 2009
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Comments
You're Not The Only One
It happens to the best of us. I recycle for a living so I guess I've got a green job but sometimes mistakes are made with the results being not so green like the customer who called me today requesting a trailer pick-up but when the tractor-trailer got back to the shop it had been incorrectly loaded resulting in it only being half loaded. Without going into detail, it was an easy mistake that could have easily been avoided had I better educated my customer.
RecycleBill
I love salvaged green
I love salvaged green materials. We made our raised beds in the garden with old dock boards.
Cory Trusty
http://aquarianbath.com
Greenwashing is everywhere
This is really important information to remember at a time when "green" has become a very popular buzzword. People will try to market anything as "green," when often if is anything BUT environmentally friendly. I wrote a post earlier this year about greenwashing: it's often used to market food and cosmetics, where there are no regulations for the use of words like "natural" on product packaging. It's always important for us as consumers to educate ourselves about the origins and ingredients of the products we purchase! Thank you for the important reminder!
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