The new generation of green builders
Joe Rios typifies a new generation of environmentally conscious workers who are thinking green.
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I can’t argue with that, but being a “glass half-full” person, I can stress the positive that the article also mentions, such as the current availability of Energy Efficient Mortgages – which have been around for 20 years – and efforts in Congress to increase their usage.
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Alexandra writes about the "green" and budget-friendly renovation of a 100-year-old farmhouse in south-central Connecticut.
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It also mentions efforts to improve housing codes nationwide to increase their energy-efficiency standards:
A measure in the climate bill would change that by establishing a nationwide code. The bill calls for a 30 percent increase in efficiency over the 2006 [International Energy Conservation Code] IECC upon enactment, a 50 percent jump by 2014 and a 75 percent increase by 2029.
Now, had I been the editor writing the headline for this article (yes, it’s the editors who write the headlines, not us reporters) it would have read like this: “US has great opportunity to increase home energy efficiency.”
That brings me back to "Joe Gas.” His choice of work and environmental awareness is part of a fundamental change occurring here in the US. Like his boss Tony, being “green” and “environmental” was the one of the last things he’d thought he’d be in high school, or even just a few years ago. But because technology and economics are now catching up with the environment, awareness of the importance of energy efficiency is spreading fast.
“Three years ago, I did 15 percent geothermal, 60 percent gas, and maybe a little oil system here or there,” says Tony. “We’re about 90 percent geothermal now and 10 percent gas. In my world, it’s taken off. But then again, I’m known for geothermal and so people come to me.”
While he acknowledges that many builders are still using traditional technologies because their upfront costs are less, more and more people are now looking for energy efficiency when they’re buying and renovating their homes. And that’s helping to nurture a whole new generation of environmentally conscious builders like “Joe Gas,” who may help change things for the better even faster.
Editor’s note: Alexandra Marks blogs twice a week – usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays – about her green and budget-friendly restoration of a 1902 farmhouse in Connecticut. Click here to find all her blog posts and articles.
The Monitor's Environment section has a new URL. And there's a new URL for its Bright Green blog. We hope you'll bookmark these and visit often.
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