More information on a greener home
When a subject is on “your interest radar”, information seems to appear on a regular if unsolicited basis. Tonight, against all odds, the television had a documentary that gives me reason to continue researching; I now have some new vocabulary.
We’re hoping that our next home will be efficient, even as we grow older and find our physical abilities to care for things somewhat limited. We have no desire to adopt a home that requires a constant regime of painting and patching, primping and fixing. We’re probably going to go for something new and guaranteed against the things that are starting to happen here. The usual; windows that aren’t good at keeping the winter outside, a roof that may start to leak, floors that creak. It will cost money to start all over again, but we hope to be well informed consumers when the time comes to order up Castle Revision Two.
Back to the documentary. A town in Kansas was forced into starting over after tangling up their lives in a transient tornado. They’ve made the decision that next time around, energy and environmental efficiency is part of the deal by subscribing to the LEED Platinum standard. I don’t know much about the whole certification process, which recalls terms like ISO 9002 and R-2000, but I’m back into research mode.
So far, the idea aligns well with my plans for my future, and there is a site at the national level: the Canada Green Building Council, which serves as a gathering point for professionals. My vision for a better home doesn’t involve a return to the time of my grandparents, where a single stove heated by slabs of green spruce meant that things were not always warm and cozy. Nor do I want a two-holer out back, even if it is self-composting, and a pump will require something more than a strong shoulder to move the water from there to here. I want to live in a house that keeps me sheltered and satisfied, and I want the green ideas that are “out there” as part of the final package.
The town in Kansas hasn’t finished and we haven’t begun; by watching the next few episodes of Greensburg on Discovery Television, I may be better informed than before.
