Kitchen & Bath Sustainable now has a blog roll of some of the greatest green resources on the web - check out our friends on the left side of the page, under the search box. And, as always, if you have a suggestion for a great design resource you think we should include, leave a note in the comments section.
The NKBA has announced a new category for the 2009 NKBA Design Competition, “Best Sustainable Bath.” Rheem Manufacturing, the maker of tankless water heaters and other aqua-related products is partnering with the NKBA to sponsor the new award, which was previously called “Smartest Hot Water Award,” in the 2008 edition of the NKBA Design Competition. The award is expected to have expanded appeal to those entering the competition in the traditional bath categories.
To be considered, designers will be judged on the five key criteria of the standard Design Competition categories: visual appeal, creativity, elements and principles of design, presentation, and safety and ergonomics. Additionally, competitors in this new category must submit information demonstrating how the included sustainable solutions in the bath maximize both comfort and efficiency.
Winners of the NKBA Design Competition will be announced, as usual, at next year’s K/BIS in
The call for entries for the 2009 competition is expected to be announced later this summer—I’ll keep you posted!
When I came on board at Kitchen & Bath Design News in 2006, I took over writing our Openings department, covering new kitchen, bath and specialty showroom openings. After looking at the interview questions we normally asked these dealers, I took it upon myself to add one at the very end: Do you do any sustainable/green design in your business? It was a question that, depending on where in the country I was calling, got either a hearty “Yes! We’re doing more each month!” or an uncomfortable “Um…not really.”
Gradually, I began to probe deeper and, after KBDN launched its Healthy Kitchens department, I started asking members of our industry, “What have you found to be the biggest green challenge?” The answer was oddly the same, regardless of whom I asked or how they’d answered the previous question.
It’s easy to talk green, but the challenge comes down to how to implement it. Indeed, implementation has always been the problem in any new design field, just as it was in Universal Design before the research was done, books were written and guidelines were established. As an industry, we’re now in that critical period of research and development for sustainable design, and it’s important that the how, where, when, what and why of this emerging design theory not slip through our fingers in our quest to “out-green” ourselves in products and designs.
In the coming months, I plan to address the goals, challenges and realities of implementing green design, looking at our concerns as an industry and your concerns as kitchen and bath professionals, mixing it in with some thoughts and advice from the people who are finding ways to implement green every day.
Think green, design with your heart, and stay tuned!
If you’re venturing into a more sustainable way of designing for the first time, your old project checklists might need some revising. A green project is only going to be as green as your client’s commitment to eco-friendly design, and what his or her conception of green is, so it’s important to take a temperature reading before you begin. Consider coming up with a second sheet to your client questionnaire.
1. Are you willing to increase your upfront investment to include green aspects to your project, recognizing that this investment will offer long-term benefits in terms of energy efficiency, improved air quality, etc.? __Yes
__No2. If so, what is the highest percentage you are willing to build into our agreed-upon budget for environmentally sound materials and practices? a. 1-5%
b. 5-10%
c. 10%+
Cost is the number one concern keeping homeowners resistant to newer, greener technology. Most of that is hogwash; green on a budget is possible now more than ever. The New York Times recently profiled Eric Doub’s Solar Harvest home in Boulder, CO and it discusses in depth which innovations he specified to his efficient home that added cost, and at what percentage—definitely check it out!
You might consider adding a checklist asking your client to number, in order of preference, a few eco-possibilities.
In the Environmentalist’s lexicon, “greenwash” means whitewashing the facts in an attempt to mislead the public regarding the environmental benefits of a product, service, company or legislative initiative. An example of this is car claims of environmental friendliness—even hybrid cars are only slightly less harmful to the environment than their total-gas consuming brothers. So if something’s not quite as bad, does that make it good? And how are you supposed to see through all the green info when you’re holding a new product in your hands, trying to fit the last pieces of your project together?
Myths are the speed bumps in the green design autobahn.
In an ideal world, a world governed by the USGBC and which can be traversed by solar-powered transportation, a world where formaldehyde is Dr. Jekyll in his off-time and where Greenpeace boats are welcomed with flowers instead of harpoons, your project would always be a new build (because existing structures would stay relevant for generations), and your associates (architect, contractor, builder, plumber, electrician, etc.) would know no other way to operate than under the assumption of environmental practices.
Realistically, you’ll encounter more myth-based resistance to new technology, unusual products and the new set of constraints that building/remodeling environmentally will present. And for the unseasoned, some of these claims and concerns can look pretty real. It’s up to you to get educated and see through the greenwash. Let’s examine some misconceptions.