Green is the New Normal

Making your home safe and sustainable is easier than you think.

Metal roofing products are among the products to embrace when approaching a remodeling project.

Image credit: Photo by Giles Douglas via Creative Commons

By: Michael Anschel |   March 2011   |  From the print edition

“Home” may just be the most iconic concept in America. We put forth great energy to make our shelters feel safe, secure and happy.

Yet, for all the lip service paid to the idea, how much do we really understand about it? Just as we once considered Jell-O a dinner food and ketchup a vegetable, what used to be normal for our homes is being challenged as our awareness grows. Green homes are no longer a radical concept; they are the mainstream, readily available and accessible. “Green” truly is becoming the new normal.

Green building has bloomed in the last decade. It’s an extension of our inner desire to create living environments that are safe, healthy and less destructive to the natural world. For Minnesotans that’s not a huge step. We’ve always cherished our lakes, creeks, nature walks, organic food and co-ops. And we’ve long appreciated our old houses: the bungalows, Tudor revivals, Spanish colonials and painted ladies. We’ve even taken to reclaiming condominiums along the mighty Mississippi—once our city’s sole energy source.

Still, when it comes to what we do with our homes, we have a tendency to hesitate. We search for the cheapest prices for our most valuable assets. We’ve had a love affair with cheap, unhealthy products like carpet, vinyl and asphalt, which are also bad for the environment and unsustainable. It has taken serious time and energy to get back to quality over quantity.

Sustainability, social awareness and responsibility, health and wellness, and quality of life and environment have become the hallmarks of the new normal. In today’s world, paints without carcinogens are readily available at no additional cost. Water-conserving toilets with greater flushing power than their wasteful predecessors are standard. Sustainably harvested wood is in healthy supply. Cabinets made without cancercausing formaldehyde glues are commonplace, and 98 percent efficient tank-less water heaters no longer terrify plumbers. It’s all available at your hardware store, local lumber yard and big-box retailer.

There’s still much misinformation and “green-washing” (i.e., when something is advertised as being green but has no redeeming or relevant green qualities) out there that homeowners, architects and builders alike need guidance. Green certification, like organic certification, has become increasingly important. MN GreenStar (mngreenstar.org) offers a free checklist and user manual showing where different green methods or products can have impact, and what their value can be. For example, you can learn that insulating your windows’ weight pockets and installing a storm has the same impact as replacing your windows wholesale.

This new normal has builders, remodelers, architects and designers ready to make your home green; all you have to do is ask for it. Tools like MN GreenStar help you navigate the many questions that can arise as you look at your home, and even allow you to prove you’ve done the work properly by certifying your small or large remodeling project. The cost for that peace of mind is generally less than $2,000, and can increase property value by as much as 10.5 percent. On remodeling projects in particular, the cost to go green may even have a lower initial price than the more conventional option if you employ smart design, use salvaged materials and are willing to modify existing elements.

While there is nothing new about Minnesotans being slightly ahead of the curve, it is great to know that we have entered an age where greening our homes is commonplace.