Fads and Frauds: Top 11 Misconceptions
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009Lloyd Alter writes on the Planet Green Web site today about the most persistent untruths about green building and remodeling: “No, green building is not about hippies building hobbit houses out of straw.”It isn’t? I hear you cry. Nope, it’s more like average people taking steps to reduce their carbon footprints incrementally. But in order to get to a clear understanding of how to do that, all of us in the design community have a lot of misinformation to slog through. Alter attacks 11 of the biggest misconceptions (he claims to attack ten, but there are actually 11 listed):
- Green building is expensive.
- Traditional products work better than green products.
- It’s all about saving energy.
- Changing windows will save a lot of energy.
- Geoexchange heating systems will save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
- Photovoltaic solar panels are the most effective form of solar energy production.
- Green homes are “weird” or “ugly.”
- Building a green home is too complicated.
- Getting it certified is expensive.
- Green building is mostly about using eco-friendly materials.
- Green building is a fad.
So those are his; what are the misconceptions you see out there? Read his comments here, and leave your own in our comments section.
