READ MORE ABOUT:
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.
Our Kohler tub is green in several ways: It has high recycled-content steel (about 97 percent because it's cast iron) but it's also not green because tubs use a lot of water—a lot more than a four-minute shower that I would prefer everyone in the family do, but I've had a hard time getting my daughters and my wife to agree to that.
So what we've done is add a gray water system in the bathroom that will capture all the water in this tub from the bath and a shower from above, and we'll capture all that water along with the sink water in the bathroom and we'll pull the water out through dual plumbing under the crawlspace.
Under the deck in the rear and alongside the side of the house, we'll have 8 rainwater hogs, that are about 45 gallons each and they will capture up to about 400 gallons of water from the gray water system, and also rainwater capture from the roof. We'll treat it and use it for the landscaping in the yard, with the goal of never using any other water but the gray water on the landscaping. In addition, the captured rainwater will be used to supply the water for one of our toilets, hopefully for the full year. A rear rainwater hog will be installed on the side of my office LifePod and be used for our vegetable garden.
In addition we've chosen a low-water (and energy) Bosch EnergyStar dishwasher with dual water cycles, and the washer/dryer is a stacked system with the lowest water-using front-loading washer you can have. We've installed two dual flush ultra low water toilets by Caroma, the Sydney Smart product line, featuring 1.28/0.8 gallons per flush. The showerheads and sink aerators also help out, as well as the specification of native drought tolerant plant material and no installation of lawns.
Overall this house will be incredibly water efficient. My goal is that we use 50-75 percent less than title 24 Code allows, which is a big deal in California and the East Bay where we have a water shortage. I want our home to be a showcase of energy efficiency and clean power, but also water efficiency through all the applications that we'll have here in our green home. Reducing our water footprint is also incredibly important, in addition to striving for a zero-carbon footprint.
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)
Kitchen Design: David Gottfried's LEED Home Renovation
Building an Efficient Bathroom (Video)
Home Renovation: Solar Realization (Video)
Green Home Renovation: In the Yard (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
-
- {}
