Green Living Now

The age-old design question of “form or function” might finally be coming to a definitive conclusion. As consumers become more educated about environmentally-conscious living, they are outfitting and retrofitting their homes with wares and infrastructure that sustain the life and value of their properties and more importantly, their own lives and the future of the environment.

Surely that new designer faucet custom-made in Italy looks stunning in your new rustic, molded-concrete basin sink, but how efficient is its water pressure?

 Quality aesthetic design relies heavily on seamless details. Environmentally-friendly design is no different. Understanding how your house functions as an organism, rather than an inanimate object, is crucial to improving both your and your home’s health. Several designers are finding inspiration in “bio-mimicry,” or the idea of using patterns of construction common in the natural world to improve our own. Take designer Antonio Pio Saracino’s furniture. “I have always been fascinated by the mystery of nature, and the beauty and complexity of the natural world,” says Saracino. “However, I do not seek to replicate nature. I look to replicate the feeling that nature creates within me.” He was inspired by molecular constructions and rendered these miniscule patterns in human-sized forms, made from felt orbs to create compelling baroque-style chairs. The felt used to cover the exterior of each individual sphere provides comfort and is naturally sourced to make sure it does not introduce any unwanted toxins into your home.

And how else can you improve your home’s overall healthiness apart from its green chic appearance? Remember – just like an ecosystem or a human body, everything’s connected. First, think location. How close is your home to public transit? Many suburban and urban city governments around America are currently offering tax breaks for homes situated near light rail, streetcar and rail stations. Just a 10 percent nationwide increase in public transit ridership would save 135 million gallons of gasoline per year! This takes on greater meaning when you realize that 40 percent of car trips in America are a mere 0-2 miles in distance. Living in a community that encourages walking and biking to retail districts is indispensable for environmental and personal health.

Burning gasoline, as we all know, contributes to greenhouse gases and this past summer of 2010 was the hottest on record for the New York area. Keeping your house temperature comfortable and consistent is a priority in the most extreme seasons but is difficult when your house is not properly insulated. Find the problem areas of your home where air is escaping and properly fill the gaps to make sure your house is sealed tight. Sure, you may initially think of the obvious areas around windows and doors that might need a bit of caulk, but also make sure that your central air-conditioning and heating ducts are sealed. In the summer, for example, up to 30 percent of conditioned air may escape from improperly sealed ducts. Furthermore, sealed ducts ensure the eradication of mold and dust and add a tremendous, long-lasting value to any home in terms of maintenance costs.

The same goes for water pipes. After your pipes are insulated, your water temperature will rise up to four degrees and you will have to wait less time for hot water. When selling your home, make sure to underscore other plumbing pluses that you have installed over the years, such as stylish, European-style dual-flush toilets, which save a bundle in water costs, as well as low-flow faucets filters. A typical household with these filters and toilets saves 130 gallons of water per day.

Saracino’s molecular chairs and their sustainable, yet stylish, felt covering may encourage you to think about how healthful other materials you use in your home are. But finding time to educate yourself on all these matters is daunting and can be a hassle if you’re interested in a speedy remodeling. One aid is to look to Certified Green Professionals, or CGPs, whose specialty is assessing the sustainability and environmental status of your house. Using a homebuilder with a CGP status will ensure that each aspect of your new construction is in line with the current green-savvy technology and infrastructure. Why would you use noxious drywall if a compounded green variety is available? It’s also beneficial to call your energy company to get an energy audit of your home to assess the efficiency of your appliances. Both of these home-greening resources are indispensable when buying or selling a home, and East Egg Realty, a real estate firm with expertise in the Long Island market and real estate “Ambassadors,” prides itself on connecting clients with these professionals to maximize the value of each home bought or sold.

When renovating or adding an extension, however, many homebuyers are realizing that bigger doesn’t necessarily mean better. Be conservative with your addition and make sure that your new space maximizes its use without overdoing it. A productive way to expand is to create a backyard garden and begin to harvest your own produce. Gardens are beneficial because tending a garden is known to relieve stress and the gardener will be cutting down on greenhouse gases used not only in driving to the grocery store, but also in the wholesale transportation of produce to local shops. And when you dedicate a discreet basin outside your home to the composting of organic waste such as eggshells, banana peels and other food scraps, you can use the resulting soil to non-toxically fertilize your garden and house plants. Organic scraps constitute one-quarter of America’s solid waste and composting serves a better purpose than discarding does.

Although reorienting your way of thinking about environmentally conscious living might seem like an imposition at first, you’ll find that before long it comes naturally. Any costs spent on greening your house will most likely be recouped within a few years and the long-term investment in your community will be priceless.