"It’s Not Easy Being Green”
All of the SSB family have grown up in the Chicago area and we have witnessed how our climate in the Great Lakes region has changed over the last few decades. I remember being able to ice skate on an outdoor pond all winter when I was a kid…sadly, our children have not been able to experience outdoor ice skating on a regular basis because the ice just won’t stay frozen. On a more daily basis our weather seems to be more extreme…sump pumps and battery back-ups are a regular installation to most homes on Chicago’s north shore thanks to regular devastating storms.
We are very concerned about our planet. We hope that we can make a more positive impact in how we build. We are doing what we can: we drive a Prius to reduce our gas usage; we use re-usable water bottles in the office, we recycle the miss-printed documents and dinosaur computer parts…it’s small, but it’s a start.
On the construction front we’re trying to be as conscious as we can about the materials and the systems that we install. We are attending regular green building workshops and we’re constantly surfing and studying to find lower impact alternatives for our customers.
We believe that it is our responsibility to the planet to help educate our customers to make the healthiest decisions for their homes.
But, as Kermit the Frog so wisely said, “It’s Not Easy Being Green”. It seems that the people who have the physical space and financial ability to afford to build green are not choosing to do so, and those who don’t often have the space or budget are the real champions of the cause.
The change is going to happen, perhaps more slowly that we want…and it will be a grass root effort (no pun intended). The change will happen because individuals start to demand that it happen. And once the demand happens, the prices will come down. We are ready and eager to help you learn more and make it easier to put earth friendly things into your home. There’s a list of ways to get started attached…check it out and call us is we can be of help! We’ve also included some great links to help you learn more.
Links
www.greenexchange.com
www.earthlink.com
www.cleanmpg.com
www.carbonfund.org
www.footprintnetwork.org
www.alternativetechnology.com
www.sierraclub.tyepad.com/greenlife
www.earth911.org
www.nationalzoo.si.edu/publications/greenteam
www.energydetectives.com
www.afreshsqueeze.com
www.greenmakersupply.com
www.green.org
www.rmi.org
News
Scott Simpson Builders is currently building its third home using GEO-THERMAL ENERGY to heat and cool the home. This “green” technology involves drilling down into the earth’s surface and actually harnessing the energy directly from the earth to heat and cool the home- saving money for the homeowner in utility bills and saving valuable natural resources.
SSB has now installed geo-thermal systems into home in Wilmette (see photos below of the soon-to-be L.E.E.D. Certified home), Glencoe on the lakefront, and Northbrook. The Northbrook renovation will be the very first home in that Village to use this technology. The home will also be “green” by using high efficiency windows and insulations, a standing seem metal roof and low VOC finishes throughout the interior.
We are excited about using geo-thermal on future projects and continue to educate and encourage our clients about green building opportunities.
Scott Simpson Builders is currently building an earth-friendly home in south Wilmette, IL. We are thrilled to working with the Home Owners, Architect and Landscape Architect to build this home with state-of-the-art systems and building elements and hope to achieve the first LEED-H Platinum Certified Home* in the state of Illinois. The scope of the work includes:
- Solar panels for producing some of electrical needs as well as all the hot water for the house have been installed on the roof.
- Geo-thermal heating and cooling have been incorporated.
- Insulation that far exceeds the code minimum has been installed.
- An energy recovery ventilation unit (ERV) has been installed for better indoor air quality.
- Hardwood flooring through out the house made from old barn beams so new trees do not have to be used. Hardwood floor instead of carpet helps with the indoor air quality as well.
Here are some photographs of the construction in progress:
*Please visit this site to learn about LEED Certification:
