Below are common misconceptions about green and green development.

Myth: The design and construction of green housing is expensive.
Reality: Most green buildings can be cost competitive with traditional building structures and save a substantial amount of money and energy over the long-term with proper planning from the outset. Over the building lifecycle, a green structure will save money on energy costs. As these prices continue to increase, the cost savings will increase.

Myth: It has to be recycled to be green.
Reality: Just because a product is recycled, doesn’t mean it’s green. For example, a product made from recycled content can be shipped across the world to be assembled in a facility that pollutes and then is packaged in a petroleum-based packing material before it’s shipped to your project site. With the multitude of resources used to get the “green” product to your project, you would be better off purchasing a non-recycled product that was manufactured close to home.

Myth: “I can’t make a difference.”
Reality: Simple changes to your lifestyle or project scope can have a profound impact on the future of the environment. Examples include changing traditional water fixtures to low flow (saving you thousands of gallons of water a year) and swapping out traditional light bulbs with compact florescent lights (again saving you hundreds of watts of electricity). For more ideas, contact us directly. (link to email)

Myth: A new home is always a green home.
Reality: Most new homes are built to meet the current building code of your area using at least 30% more energy than a “green house”. While the building codes have made great strides to be more energy conscious, they are not very energy efficient and contain many materials that release toxic gases called VOC’s.

Myth: Going green is overwhelming and time consuming.
Reality: Going green is a matter of integrating methods and the proper materials into your building project. Start by educating yourself with the Insight section of our website. In addition, many architects and builders who design and build green homes are a great source to help you understand and organize your ideas and the process. Many ways to go green are easy and, in fact, are less complicated than traditional building methods.