Stunning Go for the green Real estate tips Healthy point of VIU

Building green is a way of life
Eat, sleep and breathe…a sustainable lifestyle
By Janet Alred
We live in a place where local food is organically produced,
where a few years ago local agriculture became GE (genetically
engineered) free, and where we now have year round
farmers’ markets. With almost all the food we consume available
at our back door, we have a choice — buy food of mass
supply or eat the riches from the local land.
It follows that eating healthy food should lead to an awareness
of breathing healthy air. We spend
roughly half of every 24 hours within
our own four walls and indoor air quality
is just as important as organically
grown GE-free produce.
As speaking from experience is quite
often more beneficial than reading
theory from a book, I interviewed two
people who work within the housing
industry and have pursued a passion of
putting their knowledge into practice in
their personal and business lives.
CaroleAnn Leishman is a Certified
Built Green Builder with Agius
Your Right Move
Call
Dez
SUSTAINABLE LIVING: CaroleAnn Leishman oversaw
the construction of this home north of town by Agius
Builders Ltd. the home was built with sustainability
and many environmental initiatives in mind.
Today
Builders Ltd, co-founder of Powell
River’s Pebble in the Pond, and sits on
the Sustainability Charter committee.
Walking the talk has been her passion
for the past 15 years. “Becoming certified
as a Built Green Builder became
an obvious direction in today’s climate,” she said. Building science
is constantly changing with new innovations, new awareness
about products, and the treatment of the home as a holistic
system. “The continual learning, studying and finding out new
information feeds my need to know. The more I learn the more
I realize I have to learn.”
“Our whole idea about building a home needs to be seriously
looked at and flipped around and started again.” She believes
that conscious thought needs to be put into purchasing the land
that is suitable for the home, placing the home in the best location
to benefit from the affect that shade and direct sunlight will
have on the home’s interior climate, choosing the neighbourhood
and the town that are right for the owners and for the
materials to be used in construction, and discussing the heating
options for now and in the future. “This kind of planning needs
to be done right from the start.”
To emphasize this, when CaroleAnn bought property upon which
to build, she put thought into siting the
home appropriately to take advantage
of solar gain possibilities, and to what
kind of overhangs would be needed to
shade the home in the summer and protect
it from wet weather. Future ideas
were also considered, such as the potential
for solar power, rainwater collection,
and being set up for a heat pump.
We can no longer judge a home by
the look of its exterior. Compared side
by side, one Built Green and one conventionally
built home would show vast
differences in heating and cooling bills,
and testing of the air quality would give
no doubt as to the benefits of living in a
Built Green home where each element
is seen as part of a system.
“Being involved from the start with a
home built recently in Powell River, we
put our education into practice and incorporated the green building
practices we had been taught.” The home received Built Green Gold
designation and an Energuide* rating of 81 — both testaments to the
careful consideration that was put into the building of the home.
Audrey McLeish an interior decorator and principal of McLeish
Redesign. She knows the importance of making eco friendly
choices in design projects. “Clients are educating themselves
about green products and how to incorporate them into their
projects. Everything from roofing to flooring has green alternatives.
The design community has been promoting green for
See you at the
Kelly Creek School
Earth Day Carnival
April 26, 11am-3pm
Dez
Local knowledge. Local Support. Marketed WOrldwide.
Deserie Hooff
POwEll RIVER lIVINg : april 2009 15