Should we Still Shop ‘Til We Drop? Tis almost the season, and the world appears to be swirling out of control. With a mammoth financial crises in full swing and unemployment rising across the globe, gift-giving is not only more of a challenge in the usual ways, it has become an ethical challenge as well. For example, over the last several years we’ve been told that by spending we can save America. And, now it seems that by buying correctly we can also help to save the world. This is a tall order and a heavy responsibility. Almost enough to suck the cheer right out of the season. So how about this? Let’s forget about all that for a few moments at least, and just have fun poking around the rapidly growing arena of sustainable living and conscious shopping.

For starters we decided to ask a few green builders what they would want, or what they would suggest giving to other like-minded souls. As luck would have it, a number of them were gathered at the Fortnightly Club to celebrate the saving of Twin Maples, the Club’s circa 1908 neo-classical mansion in Summit, NJ. The building, which houses their offices, has been the site of numerous charitable events, and has the added fun bonus of looking like a miniature version of the White House. According to Laurie Finn, owner of La Jolie in Summit, NJ, and co-chair of the Twin Maples Centennial Show House along with Heidi Evenson, the project took two years to complete – probably some sort of record considering the challenges involved. It wasn’t easy, she said, but they did it; and they did it sustainably.

It was there that we met independent heating and air conditioning contractor, Antonio Poccia (USGBC-NJ). Mr. Poccia is the owner of Perfection Contracting, and the HVAC specialist who installed Twin the Maples’ geothermal system which promises to reduce the energy costs of the 6,500 square foot estate house by 50%. What would he suggest as a can’t-live-without gift for a green builder? One idea: a Hitachi PC-120 excavator ($30,000) used for creating horizontal earth loops, or possibly a John Deer 650J-LGP bulldozer ($112, 000 dollars) for regrading after jobs are done. He would welcome either or both for himself, he said, but he already has them. At Twin Maples, however, in an effort to keep the number of bore holes down because of landscaping and scheduling issues, they didn’t use either. They went with a leased well-drilling rig (another good, but somewhat more expensive gift idea), drilling four holes down to 475 feet each. According to Mr. Poccia, who recently completed a new building for his company in Newton, NJ, “Goethermal is going to be the way houses are heated and cooled in the future. He believes it’s the only thing that makes sense right now, he said. In most cases, his figures show that once geothermal is installed, energy costs are lowered enough to create a positive net savings after monthly installation loan and energy bills are paid. Add solar to the mix, he said, and the costs pretty much zero out. For this reason, he is now contemplating adding solar panels as a finishing touch to his new building. He is thinking this would be the good, green present he could give to himself for the holiday and for his financial bottom line.

USGBC-NJ potential board member, architect Anastasia Harrison, AIA, was also at Twin Maples that day. Ms. Harrison, who is with Wesketch Architecture, served as a green consultant for the project to make sure that all the new building technologies they were using properly integrated into the historic home. “When you have an old house like Twin Maples and you bring in new technologies, you have to look at the whole package,” she explained; this includes “the building envelope, replacement windows (in this case donated by Marvin), the heating system, the insulation (soy-based blown in by Foam Tight), and the integration of everything between the old and the new.” Her picks for Green Gifts? She would go with the whole green cleaning thing, she said. “We work in Green Teams – and we work so hard to meet the goals of our projects. Then we turn these houses over to the people who own them, and we don’t know what they do with them! They have the house. They have the certificate of occupancy. And everything is as good as we can make it. But how do we know they keep it that way?” she said. However, people seem to want to do their best, she noted, because they always ask about care. What should they use to take care of the floors, the windows, the heating systems? In Ms. Harrison’s case, once the house has been turned over to its new owners, a major goal is keeping it clean in such a way that it doesn’t become toxic. So she personally gifted Twin Maples with a whole line of Shaklee cleaning projects which are reputed to be non-toxic and non-polluting. She also recommends getting a device for monitoring home energy usage such as a PowerCast Monitor, which allows homeowners to understand how their daily habits affect the energy usage in their home. Taking these extra steps beyond the building phase, towards supporting the lifestyles of her clients, is what completes a project for her, she said.

Elizabeth (Beth) Kujan is an expert in sustainability planning, specifically in the area of carbon accounting and environmental disclosure. The real opportunity for energy efficiency is in buildings, she told us. “According to current research there are billions of dollars in wasted energy which could be captured, and gigatons of CO2 emissions which could be eliminated with proper accounting and planning.” Thinking about all that wasted energy, Ms. Kujan decided the gift she would like for herself is a heat exchanger that would transfer waste heat from servers and telco equipment (used for routing internet connections and telephone calls) to her office space so she could grow orchids all winter long! Is that a fantasy? Yes. Does she grow orchids now? Not at the moment. But she loves flowers and in fact grew bromeliads at one time (which don’t require heat). In any event, it’s a nice fantasy, and would be a great gift for any orchid lover, if waste energy were being used efficiently. Basically, the equipment is used like radiators in cars, only bigger, she said, so you would need a few big rooms at hand for optimum results. Prices range from – $1,000 – $200,000 and are subject to change _. Ms. Kujan served as the US account manager for Carbon Disclosure Project’s Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration managing 15 of 34 accounts. She has developed web-based training classes for first time responders to Carbon Disclosure Project questionnaires. The most popular is Greenhouse Gas Emissions Calculations.

Entrepreneur in Residence at the Institute for Sustainable Enterprise at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Jonathan Cloud, says he is not entirely comfortable with anything too commercial, because he views our present condition in New Jersey as simply not sustainable. As the leader of the FDU Sustainable Business Incubator, he argues that if we are going to cut our carbon emissions by 80% by 2050, as mandated in NJ legislation, we must convert most of our transportation (including cars, trucks, and buses) to run on green, renewable electricity. And since we’re already on this runaway train called global warming, he says we’re going to need to adjust to the realities of sea level rise, species migration, and a significantly higher cost of living. The only way out of this is to grow an entirely new kind of economy, a green and sustainable economy. This, he believes, means changing the way we do just about everything, from manufacturing, to shipping, to how we move ourselves from place to place, and to the kinds of homes, towns, and cities we live in.

However Mr. Cloud did come up with a few gift suggestions including a Green Hard Hat and several books. The proud owner of a Liberty green hard hat from Erb Industries given to him by ‘Summit Green’ founder Anne-Marie Treger, he said you can find them online in several varieties and prices. Here’s one: Safety Hat. “Sentry III“ 6 Point Pin-Lock System. Dark Green Universal slots accommodate hearing, welding and faceshield accessories. Comfortable 6 point nylon suspension with Coolmax terrycloth sweatband. Rachet holds cap in place. All hat and caps adjust to fit sizes 6 1/2 to 8. Priced From: $7.59 Manufacturer: Allsafe Services and Materials 1 Model Number: 3000069 UPC Number: 761445140453 – View it at Amazon.com Jackson Safety Hardhat Dark Green Pinlock Sntry 3000069

Also: Van Jones’ book, The Green Collar Economy (2008) – Amazon.com $22.95 The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems

Green from the Ground Up: Sustainable, Healthy, and Energy-Efficient Home Construction (Builder’s Guide) by David Johnston and Scott Gibson (Paperback – April 1, 2008) – Illustrated – Amazon
33 new from $12.74 8 used from $12.95 Green from the Ground Up: Sustainable, Healthy, and Energy-Efficient Home Construction (Builder’s Guide)

and 75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make A Difference by Ph. D. Glenn Croston (Paperback – Aug 1, 2008)
- Amazon
36 Used & new from $12.22 75 Green Businesses You Can Start to Make Money and Make A Difference

Mr. Cloud is the recipient of a UN Environment Award in 1985 for his work in renewable energy, conservation, and appropriate technologies, he has been an entrepreneur, community organizer, and project leader in both the U.S. and Canada. Lately he’s been concentrating on plans for a book and conference on “Jumpstarting the New Green Economy,” to be held May 20-22 at FDU’s Madison, NJ campus.

Numerous books and bound gifts made from recycled materials, can be acquired from Eco-Books from Michael Roger Press is based in Middlesex, NJ. Founded in 1949, the company creates books, journals and scrapbooks which are 100% recycled (other than the wire bindings) and recyclable. The pages of the journals are manufactured using alternative energy from 100% post consumer waste. The cover boards are made from 90% post consumer and 10% post industrial waste, and natural materials made from a variety of sustainable plants such as banana and mango papers, cork, mulberry and tamarind. The ‘recycled’ stamps are non-toxic foil. The papers are made in a US mill which they said uses green energy sources such as bio-gas. Their line of discarded cut-down records are also turned into blank journals in different sizes and types, a scrapbook, different seized boxes, a binder and books made out of the record jackets.

We wanted to cover Boylan Tumblers seen at the Javits Gift Show. They are made from New Jersey’s own cut down Boylan Birch Beer bottles, by a Moonachie, NJ company that still uses sugar, not corn syrup in its sodas. Apparently they are so popular that there are none available until January. And there was not a human to speak to at Weston, WI-based distributor, the Green Glass Company. So check them out Online in the new year. [PHOTO 5] Meanwhile take a look at Back2Tap, a startup business which makes sturdy, reusable stainless steel water bottles to replace the mountains of plastic bottles clogging our waste streams. Based in Chatham the company offers the bottles to schools for use as fundraisers, to corporations, and are on sale Online.

Jacqueline Herships is a writer, publicist and communications strategist working to build public understanding of Sustainability, Green Building, Smart Growth, Community Redevelopment and the Environment. Her column “Spotlight on Green Builders” appears in the USGBC-NJ newsletter. For further information: jacqueline@jacquelineherships.com

http://jacquelineherships.com

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