Wood is Good - Choosing Wood Flooring

It's no secret that I believe that one of the biggest misconceptions in green building is that we need to find replacements for wood. Wood is a great building material - it's non-toxic, renewable, durable, and natural. It can be reused, refinished, or recycled. And now wood products are available that come from sustainably-managed forests, so you can be sure that the trees are harvested in a way that considers ecosystem and environmental impacts as well as ensures rights to the workers that harvest them.

Because of the number of flooring options out there, choosing the best "eco-friendly" wood flooring can still be a confusing ordeal. Fortunately, there are some great resources to help you make an informed decision. Remember that in addition to considering the items outlined below, choosing a local product is one of the most sustainable things you can do. And be sure to check out Some Dos and Don'ts of Picking Green Products.

Wood Characteristics - A simple overview of the different characteristics of wood, including color, character, durability, and hardness

Flooring types - Explains the difference and benefits between veneers, solid wood, and engineered wood flooring

Wood Certification - Forest certification originated from a desire to positively impact social, economic, and environmental issues in the forestry sector. The certification systems of today are similar to each other and cannot easily be categorized as one better than another; this link provides an unbiased resource to learn more about the different systems.

Bamboo Flooring - Some basics about bamboo. Bamboo is great because it's natural, durable, and rapidly renewable, but not all bamboo is created equal; sustainable forest certification is especially important for bamboo. For more information on this topic, try the report, Bamboo, Environmental Silver Bullet or Faux Savior?

Flooring Installation - The different types of wood flooring installation, and some tips and facts to remember when choosing your installation method. Also try this link to Subfloors and Finishes, which can help if you're thinking of installing over concrete or radiant heated floors.

Wood Care and Maintenance - Wood is a durable material and can last for centuries if properly installed and cared for. Here are some tips to keeping your wood strong and beautiful.

The Natural Step Framework

In March I will be going to Sweden to study eco-communities and Sweden's approach to sustainability. One big contribution we'll be learning about is the Natural Step process. The framework of the Natural Step is broken into four basic concepts.

1. In the sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing concentrations of substances extracted from the Earth's crust. Matter cannot be created nor destroyed, meaning that we cannot completely get rid of anything mined from the earth, and chemicals and toxins we create from earth's minerals do not simply disappear over time. Anything we bring into our atmosphere is forever ours.

2. In the sustainable society, nature is not subject to the systematically increasing concentrations of substances produced by society. We are creating synthetic substances much faster than they can be broken down. Of the over 70,000 chemicals not commonly used*, many do not break down easily and can move easily into other ecosystems. Some chemicals are known to cause cancers, interfere with brain development, and are increasingly found in many species of animals, including humans.

3. In the sustainable society, nature is not subject to systematically increasing degradation by physical means. Natural systems, such as land, water, forests, soil, ecosystem, not only provide us with places of recreation and peace, but are also our life-support systems for oxygen, water, food, and carbon sequestration. Human activity is currently breaking down natural systems faster than they can replenish themselves.

4. In the sustainable society, people are not subject to conditions that systematically undermine their capacity to meet their needs. In order for sustainability to succeed, the basic human needs of air, water, food, and shelter need to be satisfied first.

Movement toward any one of these goals is good, but the most sustainable projects are ones that strive to achieve the four conditions simultaneously. The Natural Step outlines four guiding objectives that stem from these conditions that can help communities obtain these goals successfully.

Greenbuild and Greening the Economy

I just returned from Boston for Greenbuild, the nation's largest green building conference. While I was somewhat disappointed at the lack of affordable methods to build green and information for rural communities, I came away very inspired and hopeful that America may finally be moving in the right direction, and that sustainability for all might one day be possible.

One of the master speakers was Van Jones, author of The Green Collar Economy. He gave an inspirational speech on how green jobs will both fix our economy and positively impact climate change. He also stressed the importance of our new president - not as the first black president, but as the first green president who is dedicated to improving sustainability, and how that is something everyone in the country will benefit from.

We should never lose sight of why we are doing what we're doing - Van Jones

In order to make green jobs successful, a complete shift toward sustainable thinking is needed. The only true way to get us out of this economic slump will be to invest in sustainability and green jobs, and basically do the opposite of the current model of our failed economy. Jones spoke of three shifts we need to make:

-Local Production. We're the largest consumers in the world, not producers. We currently consume 5-7% more than we produce, something that in Nature simply could never sustain itself.Shifting production of goods locally will not only produce more green jobs in our country, it also poses an opportunity to bring social benefits to everyone. And of course using local materials minimizes negative environmental impacts as well.

-Thrift. Our economy is powered by debt instead of smart savings, by credit instead of creativity, by borrowing instead of building. In Nature, nothing is free and no animal can survive a winter without harvesting and rationing energy wisely. In addition to saving money and being smarter about monetary choices, we should be more thrifty in our consumption as well. Think smaller homes, smaller cars, and more energy-efficient everything, and nothing bought on credit. Reward those that are doing a good job, not those that are failing.

-Environmental Restoration. Our economy runs on environmental devastation instead of protection and restoration. This model is simply not sustainable as there is no such thing as an endless supply of anything in Nature. Every choice we make needs to have an environmental focus. Choose materials and methods of energy that are renewable and durable, and practices that give back to the environment instead of taking away.

It seems so logical, doesn't it?

So where do we start? Looking at green building standards and finding good information at places like Dovetail's Eco-Affordable Housing Program is one good place to begin. According to Greenbuild master speaker Kevin O'Connor from television series This Old House, America currently has over 125 million homes that were built before today. So while looking at new construction is important, we need to be retrofitting America first to really change how our buildings are impacting the environment. It's also a great place to build some green jobs. Minnesota currently has its own green remodeling standards - among the very first in the country. Click here for more information on Minnesota GreenStar.

We need to retro-fit America - Van Jones

I found his speech very inspirational and believe that this economic downturn, while difficult, will prove to be the very thing we need to become more sustainable as a whole. It's really exciting, if only we can remember that now we're free to fly or fall - and we have the choice of which way to go. We can no longer ignore sustainability - it is going to be the thing to make us succeed instead of being something to be afraid of.

One thing to note is that as green building shifts even further to the mainstream and more green jobs become available, those of us that have been doing green for a long will no longer be the alternative, we will be the cornerstone of the industry and the economy. It is important that we are informed by good information and that we continue to help others who ask for it, even though we are essentially competing for a piece of the green pie. This shift is already becoming apparent at Greenbuild, where vendors were much more informed of environmental jargon than last year, and which was attended by more green building consultants than ever. Let's continue to help each other by both being open with our environmental information and also choosing sustainability for the wellness of our society as a whole.

Van Jones's speech can be found here.

20/20 Community Development Expo

If you are interested in sustainable community development, there is another upcoming conference that might fit the bill.

The 20/20 Community Development Expo, hosted by the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporative (LISC), will focus on what needs to happen for Minnesota's communities in the future. Some sessions include Neighborhood Recovery from Foreclosures, Regional Growth and Opportunity, Building Sustainable Communities, Transit Investment, Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Equity Agendas, Building Stronger Communities, and more. All of these areas sound like great opportunities for rural and/or small communities in which to incorporate sustainability.

The 20/20 Community Development Expo
November 19 & 20th
Hyatt Regency in downtown Minneapolis
Early bird registration ends November 7th!

Bowling in the Fog

Yesterday I attended the first annual Twin Cities Compass meeting. I'd never heard of this resource before, but it looks like a great place from which to gather information on a variety of topics (including education, health, civic engagement, early childhood, economy and workforce, housing, public safety, and transportation) and easily compare them to each other. The information is currently focused on the greater Twin Cities region, but it looks as though they are hoping to expand it to "Minnesota Compass" sometime in the future.

At the meeting they unveiled their new data in the area of environmental issues in Minnesota. The results are pretty amazing, and the meeting really honed in the idea that information on where we currently stand on environmental is really so important in order to measure our progress. It's time to stop bowling in the fog, as Peter Hutchinson from the Bush Foundation said. Things always look better than they really are in the dark, so it's time to turn on the lights. We, as people trying to "green" the built environment, need to keep up with this type of data to ensure that we're putting our efforts where they have the greatest and longest-lasting impact.

Click here for information on the environmental indicators for the Twin Cities area.

Twin Cities Compass is looking for feedback and other sources of reliable data, so please contact them if you have any.

The Natural Step - training seminars in Minnesota

We had our first meeting for the GSE trip to Sweden last night. We basically went over some of the information that will be needed to from the Rotary Club in order to go on the trip. It was so great to meet all of the other women that are going on the trip; they all have incredible stories and a passion to learn about sustainability can be incorporated into their lives and careers. It is going to be a really interesting and educational trip!

In Sweden, one thing we will be learning about is the Natural Step process, but thankfully you don't have to go all the way there to learn about it yourself; there are local seminars as well. It's very short notice, but the Alliance for Sustainability is hosting a two-day Natural Step Framework Seminar on Oct 30 & Nov 6 at the Edina Community Lutheran Church. The cost is $95. More information can be found here.

If you are not able to make these dates and will still like more information, the pdf of the Powerpoint presentation by Terry Gips is available for download here. Thank you to the Alliance for providing this information!

I will post more information on locally-available resources as this GSE trip moves forward. Three great sources to learn more about sustainability in Minnesota include:

NextStep - A website for Minnesota Sustainable Communities Network (MnSCN) and others to use to share information about events, networking opportunities, and resources all related to environmental sustainability.

Alliance for Sustainability - Their mission is to bring about personal, organizational & planetary sustainability through support of projects that are ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just and humane. Included in their list of many projects are the Natural Step Framework, The Living Green Expo, Sustainable Sweden Tours, and the Green City Initiatives.

Dovetail Partners - Dovetail's mission is to provide authoritative information about the impacts and trade-offs of environmental decisions, including consumption choices, land use, and policy alternatives by creating inventive solutions to challenging questions. Some of their projects and areas of expertise include Land Use, Responsible Trade & Consumption, the Eco-Affordable Housing program and the Minnesota-Made Home project, Sustainable Forestry and the FSC Family Forest Alliance, and their monthly e-newsletter The Outlook, which reaches over 10,000 subscribers every month.