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This is the first in a series of video blog posts about green architecture and construction leading up to Greenbuild, the U.S. Green Building Council's annual conference. Planet Green is a Silver sponsor of this year's event, which will be held in Boston November 19-21.
I'm David Gottfried, founder of the U.S. Green Building Council and the World Green Building Council, which has helped to start green building councils in about 50 countries. I'm also the CEO of Regenerative Ventures based in Oakland, CA.
Welcome to our green journey, and I invite you to join me and explore our regenerative green home, which was recently awarded LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification, the highest level awarded by the USGBC. It's a 1915 Craftsman Bungalow that we bought about a year ago, and we've been working the last few months to figure out how to green it and the seven months of construction is now underway.
By saving an old home, we retain the embodied energy, which is the first principle in green—to reuse. It's important not to put the home in a new greenfield and equally important to recycle housing by restoring an old home.
This is our neighborhood, Rockridge, which is part of Oakland. It's a very livable, walkable community. We have a farmers' market a few blocks away, a park, the BART (our metro) is just a few blocks away. It's very important to not just create a home that's energy- and water-efficient, but also to create a great gathering space for our family, as well as a home that has good health associated with it. We wanted a backyard where we could grow some of our own food, and showcase local native plants, supplied by capturing our gray-water for reuse.
We wanted a place where we could bring all the green things we know together to enhance the quality of our lives. Green building is not just about technology, it's about creating an enduring, lasting and healthy life.
David Gottfried started Regenerative Ventures and its consulting arm, WorldBuild in 1995, after founding the U.S. Green Building Council in 1993. He is the author of Greed to Green, and is internationally acknowledged as one of the foremost founders of the global green building movement.
Read more in this series:
David Gottfried's Home Renovation: Success Is Based on Teamwork (Video)
David Gottfried: Walkable Neighborhoods Are a Greener Choice (Video)
David Gottfried Home Renovation: A Family Affair (Video)
David Gottfried's Home Renovation: Building a Office Lifepod (Video)
David Gottfried: Green Renovation and Historic Choices (Video)
Home Renovation: David Gottfried on Green Framing (Video)
Kitchen Design: David Gottfried's LEED Home Renovation
Building an Efficient Bathroom (Video)
Green Home Renovation: In the Yard (Video)
LEED Home Renovation: Solar Realization (Video)
Green Home Renovation: Water Strategy (Video)
Green Home Renovation: Ponder the Growth of the Green Movement (Video)
Read more about green building:
How to Go Green: Home Renovation
Learning about Labels: Energy Star vs EPEAT
Know Your Green Home Technologies: Radiant Heat
Green Glossary: Sick Building Syndrome
Keep Your Home Green and Dry: 5 Easy Waterproofing Tips
Know Your Green Building Materials: 3 Cutting Edge Insulations
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