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This is part of 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.
Welcome to our new green kitchen. It doesn't look it yet, but we're going to have a lot of great new energy-efficient appliances and all sorts of green features.
Our countertops will be made of Syndecrete, which is a very green material, a type of concrete made with high-recycled content. It's very lightweight and beautiful—my wife loves it.
We've purchased beautiful green cabinets from Silverwalker. They use FSC wood and low VOC adhesives.
We'll also install a new induction stove and other Energy Star rated appliances from Bosch (refrigerator, dishwasher, washer-dryer, oven and microwave). What's an induction stove? We didn't know either until we did some research. We first thought of gas, because that's what you think of when you think of quality cooking, but gas has indoor air quality issues. Electric, doesn't cook as well. The induction stove uses 30 percent less electricity and heats through a magnetic field, giving you more temperature control and it's also safe for the kids.
Imagine—here's my pot which has metal and the metal to the cook top creates a heating field. But if I pull the pot off the stove, the heat goes away. My three-year-old can touch it immediately and not get burned. It's safe, energy efficient, and it heats up and cools down immediately and is digitally controlled.
This kind of stove is popular all over Europe. In fact, a lot of green technologies come from Europe, and we've employed some of those, like our super-efficient Phoenix solar hot water heater, which was invented in Germany. Many of the features in our green home had origins in other countries. This does increase the shipping distance, but the high-level performance makes up for it in the long run.
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:
USGBC Founder David Gottfried's LEED Home Renovation: Intro (Video)
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)
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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