Old is the New Green

Concerned about saving energy, environmental conservation, your families health...? Want to go green and protect the planet? Well don't think new and improved products, think old, as in recycle, keep what we already have, expend less energy.

In addition to Historic Preservation providing us with live history, community cohesiveness, and beautified neighborhoods, its also one of the best tools we have in combating global warming and becoming eco-conscious.

The craftsmanship of 100 years ago was significantly more refined than it is today. With imported power tools, compressed wood board, new growth lumber, and shortcuts galore (time is money), a lot of today's construction just doesn't live up to building practices of yesteryear. When you build a new home, or do remodeling, or replace windows, etc., (even with eco-friendly products) you're still using significant amounts of energy in the production of these products, and possible lots of greenhouse emissions.

So logically, preserving the old and already existing, is much more environmentally friendly. At this point I know you're saying, "But my old house is so inefficient, my windows leak, there are cracks in the wall...." Have no fear, there are answers. Your home can be improved without drastic changes, and without replacing those windows!! (Seriously, vinyl windows are cheap, poorly made, and filling up the landfills at record speed. They may seem nice at first, but they will not last- unless you buy the super expensive ones, but who does that? Lets get back on course, windows deserve their own blog entirely.)

I hear from a lot of people that they would much rather live in a nice new home than invest in an older home. The older homes have soooo many problems, and they're hard to maintain. In a new home, you know everything is going to work. Well yes, to a degree that is true, it's the long term you need to consider. How sustainable is that new house, how long is it going to be before you have to replace or fix major components. And how much energy was expended in building it?? Think cutting down lumber, shipping the lumber, textile production (carpet is extremely toxic in production), shipping of textiles, paint toxins, manufacturing new appliances, etc. etc. Also consider that most new homes are built on available land, that land being farther and farther from the city, so naturally your daily commute has just gotten longer. If you're riding the bus or your bike, no problem! But come one, we're Americans, likely you're driving your car.

It's just obvious that the existing building is the most resourceful. And yes, you will have maintenance, but if you get a hold of a knowledgeable and honest contractor with Historic Preservation experience, this should not be a painful process. Even better, taking some classes and learning to do it yourself can be immensely rewarding. Just think of the good you're doing for the planet and future generations. Remember, old is good, and can be a key ingredient we need to cool us and the planet down a bit.

To see more ideas on this subject, check out these links: http://www.nhtinc.org/green_affordable_housing_preservation.php and http://www.preservationnation.org/magazine/2010/march-april/green-architecture.html