Making it Easier to be Green
Green design includes energy conservation, but that's not what it's all about. It's about having good air quality both indoors and outdoors, making the environments in which we work, live, study and play healthier and more comfortable and conserving all of our natural resources.
This site will provide a balanced, holistic view that includes advice about saving energy, water and other natural resources, improving indoor air quality, using environmentally responsible design and construction techniques and minimizing waste.

I will be focusing on interiors for three reasons:

  • We spend about 90% of our time indoors.
  • Buildings in the United States annually consume about 30% of our total energy and 75% of our electricity.
  • As a New York State Certified Interior Designer and a LEED Accredited Professional, I want to share my knowledge and expertise with you.
Sustainable design and construction can be done in many different styles and using a wide variety of materials. There are examples of healthy, sustainable, comfortable and inviting interiors for commercial, not-for-profit and residential clients on the web site for Interior Design Solutions.
You can use the labels on the sidebar to locate entries that you want to read. For instance, most people might want to look at the entries for "Green Homes," but "Green Finance" would be of more interest to professionals involved in the design, construction, management, financing and marketing of buildings.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Up on the Roof


High albedo roofs reduce the heat island effect. What was that??? Translation: white reflective roofs help keep both the buildings they are on and the surrounding area cooler in hot weather. A white roof can reduce your air conditioning costs by up to 20% on hot sunny days and normally costs as little as 15% more than a dark roof.

So if a white roof saves so much electricity, why would you consider a green one, which costs considerably more? A properly installed green roof will last longer than any other type of roof, because it protects the membrane beneath it from weather extremes. And green roofs help control storm water runoff. Huh??? Translation: green roofs absorb rain and reduce the amount of water that flows into the sewers. This is important because New York, like many older cities, has a combined sewage system, and as with as little as 1/4" of rainfall raw sewage overflows into our rivers.
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