I met the people from
Lithonia Lighting at the 2007 Greenbuild Conference in Chicago.
Lithonia is a brand of
Acuity Lighting and their residential products can all be found on their
www.LightAHome.com website. Aside from being some of the
nicest people I’ve met (NICE is very important to me) it became apparent to me that
Acuity has been serious about energy efficient lighting for longer than most (if not all) other lighting companies. While other lighting companies were trying to play “catch up”,
Acuity/Lithonia had emerged as the clear leader in energy efficient lights.
Lithonia carries over 200 Energy Star qualified products for interior and exterior lighting. Their Energy Star products span the full range of lighting from chandeliers to recessed lighting, which is impressive. They’ve also been careful to keep up with current styles, so if you are looking for popular old world styling fluorescent chandeliers, you will find it in their www.LightAHome.com gallery. Selection, professionalism, and commitment to high efficiency products were the factors that sold me on this supplier.
What could be better than bringing in natural daylight (at no energy penalty) to a room that would normally not have any sunlight at all? That was the case in the bonus room where there was no exterior wall space for windows. This is the room where my kids would be spending most of their leisure time, doing homework, watching TV, and just being kids. I very much wanted natural light in the room. It’s healthier, more conducive to learning, and great for all the art projects my daughter is constantly cooking up. Hence, I couldn’t be more pleased to be using Solatube solar lighting in this and a few other second floor rooms.
Solatube lighting uses no electricity whatsoever and can be snaked through to just about any space inside a home, assuming there is a closet, existing chase, or place to discreetly run the tube. Amazingly, the patented reflective surface inside the tube holds on to nearly all of the light as it travels through the tube to the fixture. At the same time, it blocks all UVB and UVC radiation, and greater than 95% of UVA, so it’s safe and won’t fade furniture or clothing.
As great a concept as solar tube lighting is, however, I would not have used it if I couldn’t use Solatube. Other brands have been known to leak badly, but Solatube has patented the most leak-safe design to date. I get this from Solatube (of course) but also from a number of other construction professionals who have congratulated me on this choice. Solatube has an outstanding reputation.
I have worked with Boni Russell, the designer of the Greenspiration logo for (yikes!) about 15 years. In all that time, I can honestly say I have yet to find a more gifted graphic artist. Located in High Point, Boni frequently services companies in the furniture industry where she can really flex her creative skills. However, she has always been flexible enough to work with me on more technical projects. Boni has designed numerous brochures, ads, catalogs, website, etc. for me, and they have all been wonderful. Her logo work is the best I have seen in this area. She understands the importance and power of a logo and she always manages to get it just right.
I’d be tempted to work with Boni because she’s so much fun and also a dear friend. But she knows I wouldn’t if I didn’t think her work was great – which it is.
Since meeting Paul Meinhart, owner of PJM Designs, it was never a question of whether I would use his talents as a carpenter, but how I would use them. Truly, if I could afford to have all of my furniture and built-ins custom-made, Paul would be my guy. He’s not only a gifted craftsman, he is very passionate (and informed) about green building. He is a graduate of the N.C. Solar Center's (at N.C. State University) Renewable Energy Technologies diploma program and an active member of the Triad USGBC.
Paul has done quite a bit of work for Pricey Harrison, a current member of the NC House of Representatives and well known environmental advocate. I’ve personally seen the work that Paul has done for Ms. Harrison, some of which includes gorgeous built-in library cabinets made from 100% reclaimed wood. I can’t imagine Paul giving any less than 110% to any project he undertakes.
He is also one of the nicest people I’ve met during this process.
My search for NC wood led me to Wurth Wood Group, a supplier company to the woodworking and cabinet industry throughout the southeast. Wurth provides these companies with everything from lumber and plywood to a host of other items including surfacing products, tools, finishes, hardware, etc. But what really impressed me about Wurth was their ready access to NC grown wood. They work with large and small lumber mills alike, therefore they have the flexibility to work with a custom manufacturer whose client literally wants to know where the trees were grown.
Fortunately my cabinetry contractors, Distinctive Designs, Blackstone Cabinetry, and Signature Custom Woodworking already worked with Wurth which facilitated the projects.
Columbia Forest Products is North America's largest manufacturer of hardwood plywood and veneer, with plants located throughout the US, including several within 500 mile of the Triad area, which is important if you are interested in using LEED green building practices.
Columbia is a longstanding leader in environmental sustainability. This is evidenced by their breakthrough plywood product PureBond® – a formaldehyde-free plywood product which we used for the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. I was introduced to this product by Richard Poindexter, LEED AP, of Columbia Forest Products. Richard is the South East Regional Council Representative for the Triad chapter of the US Green Building Council and takes a major role in this newly organized but active local green building group. I later found out that PureBond just happens to be the favored plywood product of my cabinet manufacturer, Blackstone Cabinetry. And Wurth Wood Group is a distributor for Columbia Forest Products. It all made for some really great "synergies" in the project.
Until very recently, low or no VOC paints simply weren’t available. Even if a paint manufacturer claimed to have no VOCs, it was really misleading because it is the tints that have most of the VOC content. Just this year, however, ICI Paints releases its line Freshaire Choice™ , a no VOC paint with a no VOC tinting system. I received a sample kit from ICI and can personally vouch for the fact that this paint does NOT smell! Best of all, it is readily available at Home Depot. Typically low VOC paints or finishes are only available at specialty outlets.
The Freshaire color palette is sufficient to cover anyone’s décor or tastes, and I’m impressed that ICI made all the packaging green as well. The paint cans as well as the color swatches are made from recycled materials that can also be recycled. The label is even printed with soy ink. How cool is that?
One of the most rewarding aspects of building and promoting a green home is finding out that there are, indeed, greener choices for virtually every material used in building a home – even garage doors. Honestly, I did not anticipate finding a garage door made of 100% recycled wood, but Amarr Garage Doors, locally based in Winston Salem, NC, does in fact have a several styles made of 100% recycled waste wood. The doors are part of Amarr’s JELD-WEN Wood Composite line, and include 3 very attractive collections. The doors are made from waste wood captured from JELD-WEN’s window manufacturing processes.
I saw the door in person at the International Builders Show in Orlando and thought they looked just great. A maintenance-free alternative to natural wood, these Amarr doors are strong as steel but extremely hard to dent. Amarr was one of those great finds that enabled me to support a local company, and publicize a unique green alternative that most people wouldn’t even think of.
If you are lucky enough to have a Ferguson showroom in your area and haven’t gone there to get help selecting household appliances or plumbing fixtures, shame on you. Shame on me. I had no idea that I could make an appointment at this beautiful showroom, have a sales rep’s undivided attention for an hour or more, and learn everything I ever wanted to know about appliances, whirlpools, shower fixtures, bath fixtures, etc. Before Greenspiration, I bought my last appliance at a department store. It was a largely forgettable experience.
We are EXTREMELY fortunate in Greensboro to have a brand new Ferguson showroom with an impeccably trained staff. I was amazed at how well they knew their products. They could recite virtually any detail about any one of the hundreds of brands of products they carry. I simply gave them my parameters and they directed me to all the options and then talked me through each of those so that making a decision was really simple.
And then there’s the nice factor. Ferguson’s showroom consultants are incredibly friendly and worked so hard to help me get the right products for this house. I love this company!
I don’t like doing laundry. I don’t like that it uses so much water and energy, and I especially don’t like that it takes so much time. But I’m sort of excited about my ASKO extra large capacity washer and dryer. Not only will my washer deliver 3.8 cu. Ft. of washing capacity, it only uses 185 kWh/year, making it one of the most efficient washers available today.
I opted for an extra large capacity even though ASKO has some models that are more efficient. In fact, some ASKO models are 98% more efficient than Energy Star requires. This is in part due to the fact that ASKO makes their washers with built-in heat exchangers to heat the water. It is the same technology behind tankless water heaters. The larger model that I chose is still 62% above Energy Star standards, but since everyone in my family plays sports, I do a LOT of laundry. This washer also has a “quick wash” cycle that uses less water and energy which I imagine will come in pretty handy when my son hands me his gym bag at 10PM Sunday night.
As for the dryer, I’ll have 7.3 cu. ft. drum capacity, which (hopefully) means my laundry time will be less – although both my kids are pre-teen. One note, dryers and not Energy Star rated. The most efficient way to dry your clothes is by clothes line. I might consider it on occasion, but at this point in time, it’s just not practical.
Once again, I can thank Ferguson for clueing me in on the Dimplex OptiFlame electric fireplace. I really wanted an electric fireplace because since deciding to go with geothermal I thought I would avoid burning any fossil fuel in the home at all. Unfortunately, when I attended the International Builders Show and got a firsthand look at the electric fireplaces that were available, I was sorely disappointed. I appreciated the concept, but quite honestly, they all looked sort of silly. Then Ferguson showed me the Dimplex model in their showroom and I was really impressed.
Dimplex has this patented “mirrored” design that makes the flame look much more realistic than others I had seen. Sure – it’s not a real flame like gas logs produce – but it’s really not that obvious. Plus, with a flip of a switch, I can turn on (or turn off) heat from the firebox. So, if I want the ambiance of a fireplace in August, but not the heat, I can have it.
Tim Hanauer is certain he has killed every plant known to man. It’s not exactly what you look for in a landscape designer, but as I spoke with Tim and listened to the unique concept behind his company, Earth Graphics, I knew he was the right guy for Greenspiration.
First, Tim doesn't kill plants anymore. Like most experienced landscapers he has gone through a period of trial and error and has long since perfected his approach. In fact, he is the trusted designer of many well known builders in Greensboro, NC. Tim knows how to tailor a landscape design not only to the geographic location, but to the needs of the homeowner. For us, that meant a design that was extremely low maintenance, drought tolerant, and complimentary to the home itself.
I met with Tim to discuss my home on a Thursday; the next day he handed me a detailed blue printed design along with a digital color image of my home fully landscaped. I thought I was getting special treatment because this was the Greenspiration home. Turns out, this is how Earth Graphics always works. Each Earth Graphics designer works out of a state-of-the-art mobile office van to produce your landscape plan. Amazingly, they typically do it all in one trip since the van is complete with all the landscaping hardware and software to produce the plans. Not only is it instant gratification for the homeowner, but it’s nice knowing the designer only used fuel for one trip to the jobsite!
Earth Graphics, which is one of the coolest business ideas I've seen in a long time (and totally in sync with today 's environmental conscious homeowners!), is also now a franchise with businesses in North and South Carolina and Florida.
Countertop specialists, Piedmont Surfaces, Inc. of Eden is one of those “special finds” I’ve encountered during this process. Their scrap yard, an artist palette of granite, quartz, and other assorted hard surface material, is reason enough to make the trip to Eden. (I myself picked up a small exotic looking piece of Rainforest Green granite bound for the landfill to use in the powder room!)
It is the owners that impress me the most about this business. Marty White and his partner and wife, Pam White, are not only some of the nicest people I’ve met during this process, they have a fantastic business which is undergoing an impressive expansion. Marty was kind enough to give me a tour of their manufacturing plant and showroom in Eden, where they are utilizing the very latest technology to cut templates and all types of hard surface countertop material. Equally important is the fact that this owner works so hard to be environmentally responsible – saving and recycling manufacturing materials and taking care to conserve as much water in their process as possible.
Piedmont Surfaces has made a very loyal customer out of me, and I have to say, my builder Signature Homes has been equally impressed.
Insulation Solutions: We struggled with our insulation decision--particularly whether to used closed-cell or open cell sprayed polyurethane foam. There were compelling (and confusing) arguments on both sides. In the end, we went with closed cell insulation -- 1 inch on exterior walls and sloped ceilings and the rest of the wall cavity filled with cellulose. My personal opinion is that either closed or open cell would have been fine in our climate. If we were in a more humid climate, I might have chosen open cell for the moisture permeability. If we lived in Minnesota I would have gone with closed cell for the R-value.
Frankly, I made my decision largely based on the installer, Insulation Solutions. Their quality of customer service was impeccable. From outlining and itemizing an extremely detailed quote to their METICULOUS attention to detail when it came to filling in the tiniest of gaps, we felt in good hands the entire time. Insulation Solutions didn't strong arm us into filling the entire wall cavity with foam. They suggested a hybrid system made up of 1 inch of sprayed foam and the rest sprayed cellulose. It was both prudent and cost effective given NC's moderate climate. At the same time, we get all the benefits of the closed cell foam, which include keeping dust, pollen and pests out of our home, durability, noise reduction and energy efficiency.
I had almost abandoned hope of finding locally manufactured area rugs. It seemed that any rugs that appealed to me at all came from India, Pakistan, or some other overseas location. So I was thrilled to find out that one of the best names in the business, Karastan, manufacturers nearly all of their rugs domestically and a large number of them just down the road from me in Eden, NC! From casual to formal rugs, the selection is awesome. The interior designers and I had no trouble finding beautiful rugs despite the fact that we were working within an established color palette of fabrics and wall colors.
Karastan also takes sustainability very seriously, using 100% wool and woven techniques to create many of its rugs. Wool is naturally durable (and stain resistant!), and the weaving technique makes the fibers stronger and more resilient, doubling the rugs' life span in comparison to others. The wool is harvested from sheep in New Zealand, raised in healthy conditions. This wool is also a rapidly renewable resource, a better alternative to preserve non-renewable ones.
Thanks to Karastan, we have successfully found beautiful eco-friendly and local area rugs to help warm up nearly 3000 sq. ft. of wood floors.
Our goals for sourcing local products for our home didn't end with construction; we wanted locally made furnishings as well. Living near High Point, the furniture capital of the world, I thought that would be easy. I was sadly mistaken. With so many furniture manufacturers moving their production overseas, it wasn?t long before I realized that Stanley Furniture (www.stanleyfurniture.com) was the last of dying breed. Given the high quality of furnishings I've found at Stanley, its a breed I want to see flourish.
With facilities in Robbinsville, NC and Stanleytown, VA, 2/3 of Stanley Furniture?s sales come from locally-sourced, American-made furniture. But that?s really just the beginning of the Stanley story. In addition to the 85-year-old company?s sustainability efforts, Stanley was able to offer me the style, selection and quality that was ideal for the Greenspiration Home. I also could not have been more pleased with the delivery; in fact, Stanley guarantees all of its customers a 2-3 week delivery lead time.
Finding just the right piece of furniture is easy because Stanley's product offering is so comprehensive. Decorating a child's room is especially fun because of all of the choices and color options within the Young America (www.youngamerica.com) brand. This is furniture I am proud to show off!
From seed to manufacturing, the materials for my kitchen and bathroom cabinets never left the state of North Carolina. I have, in large part, Blackstone Cabinetry, of Burlington, NC to thank for this. In fact, Blackstone surpassed my expectations for sourcing materials, going so far as to source hardware and even packaging materials made in North Carolina. And they did so with a level of friendly, customer service that literally had me gushing to the workers that I encountered at the jobsite.
- Plywood Cabinet Construction - The material is Birch Plywood manufactured by the Columbia forest plant in Old Fort, NC using Pure Bond glue with no
added formaldehyde.
- Doors - All doors were Maple species, manufactured by Decorative Specialties in Monroe, NC.
- Finishing - Blackstone finished in-house with all water-based, no VOC formulations. The finish brand was ML Campbell, purchased from Wurth Wood Group.
- Hardware - Drawer slides were manufactured by Blum in Stanley, NC.
- Packaging Materials - Manufactured by a local corrugated manufacturer from recycled paper material and purchased through Clear Choice Packaging.
Signature Homes had been using Distinctive Designs Inc. for their cabinetry for many years before I met owner Travis Parrish, President and Steve Smith, Project Manager. (Leave it to Don & Megan to source out the NICEST people in the world to build their cabinets!) I couldn’t have been more pleased that the company (along with its sister company, Blackstone Cabinetry) was excited to be a part of Greenspiration. 
Fellow soccer mom, Julie Hartsell, and her partner, Beth Moore, of Bella Designs, were a perfect fit for the interior design of Greenspiration. Not only are Julie and Beth award winning designers who have decorated several showcase houses for leading builders in the Greensboro area, they have truly embraced the concept of Greenspiration. They have fully supported my desire to keep my interior choices local and as green as possible. 
Not only do we love the fact that our lumber has its roots in North Carolina, but the company has deep roots as well. Located in New London, North Carolina, H.W. Culp Lumber Company is a 3rd generation family owned and operated company. The Southern Yellow Pine this company provided for the framing of our home is locally harvested and SFI certified. H.W. Culp Lumber Company has been producing high quality Southern Yellow Pine since 1925, and in 2001 received confirmation from the Sustainable Forestry Initiative confirming that its pine log suppliers are following Best Management Practices in harvesting their lumber. Such practices include reforestation, wildlife benefits, logger training and water quality. Southern Yellow Pine is also one of the strongest softwoods. Its durability makes it ideal for high traffic applications including floors and framing.
Not everyone can say they've met the engineer who designed their toilet, but I can. Rob Zimmerman is the Senior Staff Engineer for Water Conservation Initiatives at Kohler Co. -- a regular kind of guy who has quiet, sincere passion for…well, toilets. 
It was a very serendipitous meeting that led to my using Lotus Wall Clay for the wall finishes in the family room, kitchen, breakfast room, and powder room. (You can read all about it in the Homeowners Journal). I was searching out NC made furniture at the Fall Furniture Market in High Point when I happened to overhear Jim DuBois talking to an exhibitor about his plans to open an alternative building supply company selling sustainable products. I was looking for interesting paint finishes for the home and it turns out that Jim and his wife Marie had developed a product that was right for our project, Lotus Wall Clay. This wall finish has an inherent character that releases negative ions to the indoor environment which actually improves indoor air quality. It is all natural, locally manufactured and sustainable--a perfect match for my goals.
Priba Furniture in Greensboro has been around for a long time and with good reason. There’s really no other place in Greensboro like it. You can go in and shop for mid- to high end furniture without getting the attitude that you do from other showrooms that carry the very same brands. It’s large – but not nearly so overwhelming as some of the larger area showrooms where a shopper can begin to feel pretty insignificant as soon as you cross their mighty thresholds. 
www.burchetteandburchette.com