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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.
This is our beautiful neighborhood, called Rockridge, in Oakland, Calif. It's a half-mile down from Berkeley and UC Berkeley. One of the green elements that attracted us here in Rockridge is that it's flat, and incredibly walkable, and one-half a block away are all the support services that you need.
LEED for Homes gives you extra points if within a certain distance from your home you have a grocery store, and a bank, dry cleaners and restaurants and all the elements so you don't need to get into your car and drive to the local grocery store and that saves a lot of trips. It's very European here, including our corner outdoor cafe. You don't have to shop for food a whole week in advance like you do in the suburbs.
We decide we want chicken, we walk to the corner and buy fresh organic chicken from the butcher, or local produce from the market, or organic wine from the wine store, flowers from the flower stand and custom drip coffee to boot.
Across the street is Safeway, and they're planning to build a super Safeway. You can debate about how green that is, but it is at least we can walk there, and not waste the time and associated pollution in the car with traffic and that stress from driving.
We all say we have the Prius and it's a hybrid and that's green in terms of fuel efficiency, but you are still driving in traffic, creating stress, building roads and consuming the energy and materials it takes to make the car. It's better if you can work at home, and walk from home to the get the support services you need, and this location allows us to do that.
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 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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