Green Guilty Pleasures in Bethesda / Washington DC
About a year ago, I stopped by the see a friend who was busily cleaning out her garage. “What are you doing,” I asked….probably a little stupidly, because it was clear that she was cleaning out her garage…only not. Her answer was, “I’m reducing my carbon footprint by 50%.” Got it? Green.
Going Green in Greater Bethesda?
Green definitely carries in to home building and home remodeling. Here’s a headline from an open house ad in the Washington Post several weeks ago:
“Energy Saving Luxurious New ‘Green’ House.”
Sounds good, right? If you were a potential buyer for this $2M property, you’d feel good about spending your money on an environmentally responsible new construction.
But wait? Are we really committed to going “green” or are there environmentally unfriendly features of new construction and renovations that appeal to practically all of us?
Let’s keep reading this advertisement from the Washington Post (in bold):
“Fine craftsmanship & custom details throughout brick and stone home.” Well, everyone loves fine craftsmanship and custom details but where did the brick and stone come from? If it’s not local, and it needed to be transported any distance, then it’s not green.
“3 finished levels with 10’ boxed and coffered ceilings…” Three finished levels would probably indicate an...