Celebrate Earth Day at the FREE 2012 Green Home Tour

Spring is here, and I have exciting information to share, fitting for the season of new growth and fresh starts. Since writing my previous blog post about the deep green co-housing neighborhood called the Clearwater Commons, I've discovered a regional organization so inspiring it makes me proud to live in the Northwest. In that post, I mentioned the 2012 Green Home Tours coming up this next weekend, April 21-22, produced by the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild. I'm a curious person, so of course I just had to find out more about this event and the guild itself.

Puget Sound Solar            courtesy of Northwest EcoBuilding Guild

I contacted member and tour organizer Cate O'dahl, a consultant with ESP Services, who told me, "It's free. Anyone can participate. There are sites all across Puget Sound." The event will also include a FREE EXPO on Saturday, and FREE ENERGY WORKSHOPS on Sunday.

In addition to the Seattle Green Home Tours, people living in Tacoma, Puyallup, or Olympia should not miss the guild's South Sound Tour, presented by the Olympia chapter. Click here for information on their many sites open this weekend. Those include a small passive house by The Artisan's Group, called "The Jewel Box." It sits on a lot overlooking Bud Inlet in Olympia. You will see a wide variety of great projects on this tour. They have an information hub already open, where you can pick up maps and information. Click here.

Green Pod      photo courtesy of  Northwest EcoBuilding Guild

O'dahl wants people to understand that green building isn't just about new construction and major projects. Even the smallest things people can do to their existing homes to make them less toxic and more efficient matter a great deal. "At these tours, people can see all the different shades of green," she said.

The Northwest EcoBuilding Guild's mission is:

"...to support through education the progressive work of members in the Pacific Northwest in order to improve the relationship between our communities and our built environment. The Guild provides open-source educational materials to the construction industry and the general public in order to encourage building practices that dramatically reduce carbon emissions, are self-sustaining, contribute to local economies, and create optimal conditions for human health and community."

Envision Homes                  photo by Devon Burns

These people mean what they say, and they invite you to come see their projects and learn what they've learned about building sustainably. I spoke with several enthusiastic members and many more contacted me wanting to share their stories, more than I could possibly quote in one blog post. But I especially enjoyed speaking with Robert Burns who joined the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild about the same time he started his green remodeling business, Envision Homes, in 2001. He discovered the organization when he met O'dahl and mentioned that he was trying to do sustainable remodeling.

"I thought I knew what I was talking about and I had no clue," Burns told me. "The folks in the guild have the passion for doing things the right way, irregardless of profit, irregardless of their own needs.  I find guild builders to be not about profit margins. They’re  more about the relationship they build with the building and the owners. There’s a sense of integrity."

The more Burns learned, the more intense he became about green building, until now he is considered to be as deep green as they come. He and his wife Devon built their dream house, the one they are showing on the tour, the one they plan to sell, sadly, since since they decided to downsize. It has been a home they've loved and a project they'll never forget. Burns recalls the process:

"We wanted to leave no stone unturned. We wanted to deliberate absolutely every thought, every product, every application and apply it against all the principles, whether it was a finish or the insulation type or how we were applying certain things. It had to pass the test, several tests, and pass them in all ways. It’s a struggle and a lot of people don’t necessarily want to go through that. But we wanted to try to meet every demand. It has to be zero toxic or very low toxic. It has to be highly efficient. It has to last a long, long time and be durable. Trying to find products that meet all those criteria is difficult and it takes deliberation. It takes an industry of sustainable remodelers, and that’s where the guild folks come in."
(Read more about this house by clicking here.)

Lemon Drop      photo courtesy of Northwest EcoBuiling Guild

Architect Heidi Helgeson, owner of H2D Architecture + Design loves the guild too. "It’s a great group," she said. "They have educational events once a month that have been invaluable, not only for the topics they talk about but the connections I’ve made." She agrees that green comes in many shades. "Regardless of the scale, scope or budget on my projects, I work together with my clients, the consultants, and builders to come up with a plan to create a project that is as sustainable as the possible - from as little as choosing the right paint to creating a highly energy efficient building envelope." Check out her tour site here.

Sockeye Homes in Kent  voted "Idea House of the Year"

 

Nicole Starnes Taylor of MAKE Design Studio said, "One of the greatest strengths of the NW Ecobuilding Guild is its members’ openness in sharing information, hands-on experience and their unparalleled passion to find and share the greenest building methods. I anticipate the Green Home Tour will be unique among home tours in the openness of the site hosts to share what worked well on a project, lessons learned and where improvements could be made to further green building in our region. I feel honored to be a member of such a generous, thoughtful and passionate group." Learn more about her tour site here.

 

The guild also includes interior designers. At first I hadn't thought much about a decorator's role in green building, until I spoke with Wendy Albee, of Albee Interior Design. She's a certified green professional who encourages clients to think green first. "I make suggestions for materials that are recycled or ways to save money, clean up their air quality, those kinds of things," she said. "I show people how they can take small practical steps to make their house green." See her project on the tour, by clicking here.

City Cabins by Martha Rose Construction photo courtesy of Northwest EcoBuilders Guild

So many more exciting ideas. Check out these sites:

Pamela Burton and Jeremy Smithson of Puget Sound Solar slashed energy use in their century-old home by 86% by making green improvements. Read about it here and be sure to visit their site.

Kristin Sakai, one of the owners of Sockeye Homes, also contacted me about their five-star demonstration home, also on the tour. This new construction in Kent is so full of green innovations that it has been named "The Northwest Idea House of the Year." Click HERE to link to the case study.

S.A.G.E.  Designs NW (S.A.G.E. stands for "Small Artful Green Environments") is featuring on this tour, a 2200 sf pre-fab home full of modern technology and extreme energy efficiency, shipped from Germany in 10 shipping containers. The shell went up in eight days. Read more here.

Martha Rose of Martha Rose Construction did a two-townhome project called City Cabins in Seattle that sold out before the tour. She invites people to "drive by and then join us at GreenHome Solutions, just one block away on Nickerson and 13th to learn more about City Cabins and to sign up for info on the next City Cabins. We will have samples of exterior wall assembly, window, flashing and many silent talkers and photos." She added,"One of the City Cabins was purchased by a non-green buyer who only began understanding what he purchased after the fact and then expressed gratitude that we made it so easy for him to live in a more sustainable way."

Ballard Net-Zero Energy House               Photo courtesy of Northwest Eco-Building Guild

Ballard NET-ZERO ENERGY HOUSE built by Eric Thomas and Alexandra Salmon is a "must see" on the tour. They even have their own blog about this project. Please be sure to take a look at "Zero Energy House Seattle."

YS-Development's tour site in Bellevue will give people the chance to see inside the walls of a green home under construction.  Check it out here.

And last but certainly not least, don't miss perhaps the most interesting site of all:
Clearwater Commons, the subject of my previous blog post and an article in the online journal Neighborhood Life.  Here is their information for the tour.

I've shown you sites mostly in the greater Seattle area, but don't miss the South Sound Tour either, which has so much to offer.

Why not pack a picnic lunch and celebrate Earth Day by enjoying these great green events?
Congratulations and best wishes to every member of the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild. They're helping to make this a better world.

A Book Recommendation and Video for Earth Day 2011

Theodore Roosevelt would have loved Earth Day, to a point. Unlike most of us who just "talk the talk," he would have spent this day actively doing something about saving wilderness or wildlife or fighting against powerful extraction industries that ravage the land out of greed.

I am reading Douglas Brinkley's latest book, "The Quiet World - Saving Alaska's Wilderness Kingdom 1879-1960" and now I realize, with a sad heart, how little has changed since the end of the 19th century when politicians and businessmen who had never even seen Alaska pictured it as a frigid wasteland with nothing to offer but natural resources for the taking, to make men rich. And men did get rich, first through fish and timber, then gold and oil. I'm sorry to say that mining interests based in Tacoma at that time played a big part in the devastation.

Roosevelt worked tirelessly for conservation and in spite of the obstacles of battle, accomplished amazing things in terms of setting aside land for wildlife preserves, parks, and wilderness areas. But almost immediately after his death on January 6, 1919, the enemies of his goals stepped in and tried to overturn all he had done.

No longer did the cause of conservation celebrate White House leadership. In "The Quiet World," Brinkley quotes President Wilson as saying, "Alaska as a storehouse, should be unlocked." And in the summer of  1923, President Harding sailed from Tacoma aboard the SS Henderson, to visit Alaska in the wake of new excitement over oil drilling, after his executive order changed 23 million acres of wilderness from having protected status to being an oil reserve.

I thought about all these events, starting over a century ago, and asked myself what Roosevelt would think about where things stand now. At the same time, I received a press release from Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology concerning the anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil well leak in the Gulf of Mexico. I think I'll let the video speak for itself.

In the spirit of Theodore Roosevelt, let's carry on with the dream of nature as it was meant to be. For as TR believed, only through experiencing wilderness can mankind truly experience freedom.

Note: Please visit the website of the Theodore Roosevelt Association.

Rain Barrels- an idea to consider on Earth Day

It must have been the rain here in Tacoma this morning that made me feel so cozy in bed, not wanting to crawl out. But what could be more perfect than to wake up on Earth Day 2009, planning to write a blog post about rain barrels, and find it raining?

I know that one local guy named Dan Borba woke up happy when he heard the rain. I can just picture him with that grin of his, listening to the gurgle in his down spouts and thinking "YAHOO!" Why? Because when Borba hears that sound it means he's harvesting rain. He's an expert at it, THE guy to talk to if you want to learn about making and using rain barrels to create an off-the-grid source of free water for many uses beyond watering your lawn and flower beds. Some people have even figured out how to access it to flush toilets.

He sells rain barrels at local farmers markets and through his fascinating website for Natural Rain Water. Check the website for interesting and thought provoking articles, instructions on how to build your own, where to locate them and how to install, "gadgets and gizmos" and other information. You can also see photos and read about some ways people in Tacoma benefit from rain barrels. You'll be amazed to learn how much free rain water you've been missing out on if you don't have a rain barrel.

"A 1,200 square foot roof in Tacoma has roughly 27,000 gallons/year falling on it!," Borba says. "With four downspouts, that's about 7,000 gallons/year running through your rain barrel!" If you're curious about the potential rain harvest where you live, check on rainfall statistics by clicking HERE.

"Wait a minute," you're saying. " Aren't you in the Pacific Northwest where it rains all the time?" Sorry folks, but that's just a myth we perpetuate to keep everyone from moving here. The past two days have been unseasonably warm and sunny and sometimes it can get pretty dry here in the summer months. That isn't to say we regularly run short of water, but we can, and Borba sees no reason why this abundant natural resource should be wasted. He has a lot of good reasons for harvesting rain that range from the condition of salmon streams to self sufficiency. But part of the attraction is what he refers to as the "childlike joy" of having his own water system. It's part of Borba's sense of freedom as a human being, and hey, it's just plain fun.

Celebrate Earth Day 2009 by learning more about water conservation and checking out Natural Rain Water. You can meet Dan Borba at the Proctor Farmers Market in north Tacoma's Proctor business district any Saturday spring through fall, or contact him through his website. He'll be happy to answer your questions. Then you too can start smiling more when you wake up to a rainy day.

Celebrate and Get Involved on Parks Appreciation Day

Don't miss out on the fun this weekend. Between 9:00 and 12:00 Saturday morning, April 18, 2009, Metro Parks Tacoma is holding four celebrations in one. Earth Day, Arbor Day, National Park Week, and recognition of our wonderful local parks are each reason enough for a special event, but here in Tacoma and Pierce County they're combined into one big party on Parks Appreciation Day, now in its eighth year. No matter where you live in this area there's a park near you where volunteers of all ages will gather to help prune, clean up trails and beaches, and plant flowers and trees. Here's a perfect chance to get out of the house, involve children in a meaningful activity, meet new friends, make a real contribution and have FUN!

Every year the events grow in size and scope and Nancy Johnson, Communications Manager of Metro Parks Tacoma, is excited about new developments:

This year, we are doing a schools challenge. Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium will bring a live animal ambassador to the school with the highest participation. The keeper and animal will visit each classroom that has the greatest participation for their grade level. As with other groups of 10 or more, large school groups that plan to participate should pre-register by emailingjuliep@tacomaparks.com and/or calling 253-305-1060. When they check in,they also need to sign in on the Tacoma Schools clipboard to make sure their volunteer time is credited to their school.
One of our goals at Metro Parks Tacoma is to reconnect children with the natural world, so pairing participation in Parks Appreciation Day with the reward of an educational visit from the zoo helps kids to recognize the important ways they are helping nature when they volunteer in parks.

Last year over 2,000 volunteers contributed 6,000 hours throughout the county. They planted about 2,300 plants, filled over 200 bags of litter, and spread hundreds of yards of mulch, chips and gravel. If tax payers had paid for all that work its value would have exceeded $90,000. But what about the value you can measure in numbers? What about the values we teach our children? What about the pride of place and sense of community these activities can build?

Click on these links to view a list of local Contact Organizations, and a list of Park Sites. If you plan to bring a large group please call ahead to let the organizers know to expect you. If you're coming as an individual or with your family just show up at the park of your choice, appropriately dressed, and bringing along some helpful tools from home like clippers, loppers,rakes, shovels, gloves, etc. Even small wheelbarrows, marked with names, are welcome. Don't forget to bring a smile and sense of fun too. The folks at Metro Parks Tacoma appreciate the help of citizens and want everyone to have a great time. Johnson says: "This year's participants will receive 2-for-1 coupons to their choice of Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium or Northwest Trek -- two great places to reconnect with our role as stewards of the planet!"

Here at Good Life Northwest I love pointing out the positive, like how lucky we are to live in this region where so many people care about the environment. It makes me proud of our city, community groups, individuals, and corporate sponsors who get behind such worthwhile projects. Since I live in Tacoma, I'm focusing on this area, but similar events are happening all over the country. Just check with your local city government or parks department.

I can't imagine a world without parks, but some of us take them for granted. In these tough economic times volunteerism is more important than ever. Let's appreciate what we have, including each other.


If you click here you can see a list of other Pierce County Earth Day activities.

Photos are from Parks Appreciation Day 2008 and are courtesy of Metro Parks Tacoma.