When Green goes mainstream

December 28, 2011

By Paul Golini Jr.

I have to remind myself that going green isn’t mainstream yet, but sometimes that’s hard to do. Lately, I’ve been feeling like Green technology, Green products and Green ideas are everywhere. This could be the result of my participation in the largest Green building conference to hit our city – Greenbuild. The US Green Building Council’s annual conference brought 25,000 people from the global Green industry to Toronto back in early October.

Or, it could be the result of our continued efforts to Green BILD. The Association headquarters has been retrofitted with energy-efficient windows, and we did a complete lighting overhaul with the installation of motion sensors, timers and setbacks throughout the building.

Earlier this year, we installed 80 solar PV panels on our rooftop, and since then, 8,000 kilowatt hours of electricity have been generated and fed back into Ontario’s power grid. And just last month, we had all of the carpet replaced with a new one manufactured with 20 per cent recycled content. The new carpet also received a Green Label Plus designation, which is a program that tests for, and certifies, low emissions from carpet and adhesive.

BILD has a proven track record of leading by example, and for that, the Association was recently recognized as the EnerQuality Leader of the Year. The Association has undertaken a number of pro-active Green initiatives, including Green education and training partnerships, as well as demonstration projects such as the Archetype Sustainable House.

Our members have also been increasingly keen to get involved with green initiatives. We have a Green Leadership Committee, which has established a Green Renovation Task Force and our Renovators’ Council has a Green sub-committee. Through those forums, there is a sharing of information and access to support Green projects.

One recent example was when our Green Leadership Committee members received first access to a call for submissions by the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). The Authority was looking for a general contractor and project manager for its Green Home Makeover as part of its Sustainable Neighbourhoods Retrofit Action Plan in a Brampton community. One of our RenoMark contractors and BILD member companies, Keystone Interiors, was selected and the project is now in its final stages.

At the last Renovators’ Council meeting, Shannon Logan from TRCA and Emilio Cosentino from Keystone, explained all of the new technologies and products installed in the 1980s single-detached home such as new insulation, low-flow fixtures, an efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning system, water-smart landscaping and much more. Key to their presentation was that any of the retrofits could easily be done to upgrade an existing home. For the next two years,
TRCA will be monitoring the energy and water consumption in the home so that they can share real results with the homeowners, neighbours and anyone who will listen.

I know our members are listening, and it sure seems like consumers are listening. Now all we have to do is continue to spread the word, and before we know it, going Green will be mainstream.

Paul Golini Jr.
Paul Golini Jr. is chair of the Building
Industry and Land Development Association (BILD) and can be found online on
Twitter (twitter.com/bildgta), Facebook (facebook.com/bildgta), Youtube
(youtube.com/bildgta) and BILD’s official blog (bildblogs.ca).

Filed under: LIVING GREEN