It Ain't Easy Being Green

When we first started this addition process, I had high hopes for some of the innovative things we could do to make the project more Earth-friendly. Construction is notoriously bad for the environment - wood, chemicals, etc. It isn't something many of us think about because it is just how things are done - especially here in Florida where we aren't very progressive (of course I mean the collective "we" Floridians, not "we" as in us here in our household....). Well, those high hopes have slowly diminished as reality has set in. Green Building is VERY expensive. Just a few examples:

Insulation - there are several types of 'green' insulation out there that we can actually get in this area. There is a soy-based insulation that is sprayed. There is also bat style insulation made from recycled blue jeans. Both of these types of insulation are more than triple the cost of fiberglass insulation. In fact, we are actually paying someone to install fiberglass insulation for LESS than we can buy just the insulation and install it ourselves. How crazy is that?

Countertops - I really wanted recycled content countertops. I saw some really neat products on This Old House and lots of advertisements in the cool home publications like Dwell that we have been getting for the last year. It turns out there is a guy locally who sources and installs a wide variety of green countertop products - including PaperStone; Vetrazzo; Ice Stone; etc. I went to his shop thinking I needed to pick out a counter for our bathroom. I was really excited about this excursion and was impressed with his operation. At the cheap end of the scale his products run $75/sq ft. My hopes were dashed and I left feeling very frustrated at this whole process (more on that later).

Tile - Same thing as the countertops. I want mosaic tile in the shower/bathroom to create a spa-like atmosphere. There are a few great websites out there with beautiful tile including some fantastic recycled options. It is out there but at upwards of $25/sq ft, it sadly isn't even a remote possibility.

So these are just a few examples of how difficult it is to be green. Someone recently asked me if the green building movement was a 'scam'. I think scam is a pretty strong word, but I will say I have a much different outlook on it now that I did a year ago. Given the economic times and just how darn expensive everything is these days, it just isn't going to work for us this time around. Why are things made from recycled or sustainable materials so much more expensive than the other stuff? That is rhetorical - I know why, kind of like why it is cheaper to feed your kids McDonald's than it is to feed them fresh, locally sourced fruits and vegetables. It is a sad state of affairs. Now I am rambling (I better be careful or we can see where this is going to end up....). We will definitely use the low VOC paint and we will most likely get a tankless hot water heater. That is about as green as we are going to be I am afraid. We'll just have to do all we can to recycle and create less waste in our daily living.