The plan? Bring together contractors and homeowners to discuss all of the things that need to be considered for construction and renovation projects, and the steps to take, for both homeowners and the contractor, to put a green spin on those projects.
What happened? Well, we were joined by about a half dozen contractors and a handful of homeowners.
The good news? There are a lot of contractors out there who are learning about green building and remodeling because YOU, the consumer, have created the mandate. The contractors were quite well-versed in the green products, methods, and rating systems...Together a lively discussion was had, with insight provided from 'g' Founder Nicole Goldman, on the steps to green remodeling projects.
Some of the discussion points: How to identify parts of your remodeling project where it makes the most sense to go green (we readily admit that it is not plausible for all projects to be all green!). Important choices to make: Conservation. That means thinking about how you will save energy and resources throughout the life of the space. Insulate, insulate, insulate. And if you're going to opt for a renewable energy system? Go with solar thermal for the best return on your investment! One of the contractors present brought up a very important point that if you do your research right, there are a lot of financial institutions providing loans for efficiency projects and special incentives to specifically finance green projects.
Contractor Steve Klug was excited by the dialogue and the recent progress in the green building industry. "I've been into green since the 70's and am glad it's here and sticking around". We are, too!
We were thrilled to host this training and are excited about its implications for green remodeling and building across Cape Cod. We are not alone in the spreading of the green gospel, and you are not alone in your interest!
*Be sure to join us at the next workshop, Cleaning Your Way to Green, on April 24th!*
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