GREEN EFFORT in Michigan of all Places.
Michigan among the top states in eco-friendly building
December 10, 2007
The walls are splashed with milk-based paint. The floors derive from bamboo. Fibers made from recycled water bottles form the carpet. And an underground rain-harvesting center is used for sprinkling flower beds.
This 2,800-square-foot house isn’t on the West Coast, where many conjure images of environmentally friendly, so-called green homes.
It’s right here in metro Detroit, discreetly fitting into the suburban landscape of the Cedar Pine subdivision in Troy, where 30 brick homes are outfitted with Energy Star Appliances, recycling centers and thicker-than-normal insulation to keep out winter’s cold.Michigan is one of the leaders in the national green building effort.
It trails only Oregon and California in the total number of certified green housing units.
The state has 57 of them, compared with 86 in Oregon and 78 in California, according to statistics from the U.S. Green Building Council. Not included in the data is aslew of other local projects overseen by other green building organizations.
And thanks to a mass training effort of at least 1,000 builders and increasing awareness of the structures’ reasonable costs and energy-saving features, southeastern Michigan is gearing up to go even greener, according to environmental groups and the state Department of Environmental Quality.
The cost to build green can be as little as 2% more than regular construction, depending on the features.
Many homeowners say the increased price is worth it because they save money on utilities in the long run. And industry experts say homeowners who toss about $3,000 extra into building green can expect to make up for that in a few years with lower utility bills.
Sue Lane, 48, owns a Bloomfield Hills home with a geothermal heating system, also called a ground-source heat pump.
The system contains underground pipes that utilize the constant temperature of the Earth’s soil to maintain the home’s warmth in the winter or coolness in the summer.
She has spent one-third less on energy bills since moving in last June.
“I’m using something that the Earth has to offer and using that to heat and cool my home,” Lane said.
An edge on the competition
Across the country, green homes showcase anything from thicker insulation to quirky features, such as walls made of recycled tires or cans.
Some houses are solar powered while others contain planter systems that recycle bath, dish and laundry water.
There are more than 200 Michigan development projects that are certified by or are seeking certification by Washington, D.C.-based Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a national benchmark for the design, construction and operation of green buildings.
Among ones in the area that made the list: the Detroit Lions headquarters and training facility in Allen Park; Cass Technical High School in Detroit, and Macomb County’s Lenox Township Hall, which is expected to be the first green municipal building in the state once construction is completed in a couple of months.
Additionally, there are about 150 individual houses certified by the Grand Rapids-based nonprofit Green Built Michigan, which is endorsed by the Michigan Association of Home Builders.
“The builders are all looking for something that will set them apart. The general public now gets it, now understands that green-built homes are better for the environment, better for the world, better for themselves,” said Jeannine Reynolds, executive director of the Alliance for Environmental Sustainability of Grand Rapids.
In the recent housing slump, green houses may be the incentive for potential home buyers, said Woody Gontina, co-owner of Gontina Building and Design of Clawson.
“It’s just kind of the right thing to do,” he said.
The effort is growing
For builders who don’t know how to construct green structures, Green Built Michigan has an educational program that has seen about 1,000 trainees. Last fall, the organization established a Detroit chapter.
Christopher Pratt, who designed and constructed the Cedar Pine subdivision off Crooks in Troy, has pledged to train 200 developers in the next year.
“The objective of this group is to raise the educational level and skill level of green builders across the state,” said Green Built Michigan President Arn McIntyre, who sits on the Washington-based American National Standard Institute Consensus Committee to develop standards for national green building.
And in Lenox Township, officials are doing their part.
With 400 trucks, mostly from Canada, hauling waste daily to Macomb County’s only active landfill and politicians unable to stop the garbage from piling up, township Supervisor John Gardner said he was motivated to push for the first completely green town hall. It will overlook the mountain of trash at the landfill across Gratiot Road.
Rainwater cascades off the structure’s slanted roof into a basin for sprinkling plants. Thirty-six wells are positioned 300 feet beneath the ground, forming a geothermal heating system. High windows throughout the building will help warm it naturally.
Although the township is to spend about 10% more to build the green-certified town hall, officials expect the savings in energy costs will allow them to recoup the full $4-million construction by 2015, the seventh year in the building.
People involved in the effort hope it serves as an example for eco-friendly government buildings in the future. In Grand Rapids, Genesis Nonprofit Housing had a 44-unit green housing complex for people with mental, emotional and physical disabilities built last year.
Tenant Cheryl Filkins, 41, said she saves about $120 a month in utilities with the amenities in her apartment.
Her favorite feature?
“If you walk into a closet and, if you forget to turn off the light, it automatically goes off,” she said.
It cost 2%-5% more to build the $7.2-million complex that way, but it’s more operationally effective for the tenants and Genesis — so much so that there are plans in the works for a green senior housing complex, Executive Director Harold Mast said.
“I think the reason why we went green … is because that is the future,” Mast said.
Contact CHRISTY OYAMA-ARBOSCELLO at 586-469-8085 or arboscello@freepress.com.
on March 12th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
i was reading your article on geothermal energy and was wondering if you had any more articles or info reguarding the subject. i am doing some research and am trying to bulid a small demo model for my presentation, at u of m dearborn. if u have any further info it would be greatly appreciated, thanks again for your time
on March 19th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Angel,
Try the Department of Energy website. There is information as well as background info how georthermal works and what the DOE is working on with it as well.
Good Luck
The Czar