creating green homes
the availability and price of environmentally friendly kitchen
and home features are the main hurdles facing the widespread
implementation of green building, but Jay DeChesere says,“I am
pleased with the rate that the various industries are responding to
the needs, not only with their products, but with how they are being
produced.”
However, one concern he has for the green building movement is
what he calls “greenwashing,” or the overstatement of the environ-mental
values of the materials used in a product without mentioning
that the process used to create it was not environmentally sound.
For the future of green building and, specifically, green kitchens,
DeChesere says the expansion of Energy Star and Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certifications will help
move the industry forward.
“This system tends to educate the design community and encour-age
the production community to respond in environmentally sound
ways,” he says. “This cannot help but move green technology to the
forefront. Hopefully it will create more jobs, costs will come down
and it will become the mainstream.”
The Fergussons’ concrete countertops provide a strong profile
and edges the border between the off-white cabinetry and the
tinted transparent subway tile backsplash.
Jay DeChesere’s
GREEN K I T C H E N F E A T U R E S
A T • A • G L A N C E
The following is a list
of some of the critical
green features available
to homeowners now
and that DeChesere has
included in past kitchen
projects.
Y Bamboo cabinets
Y Low VOC water-based
wood finishes and low
VOC paint
Y Forest Stewardship
Council (FSC) lumber
for cabinet boxes
Y Concrete countertops
Y 100 percent post-consumer
backsplashes
and accents using
salvaged materials like
sea glass
Y Low-flow faucets
Y LED lighting rather than
fluorescent or halogen
Y Compost bins
39
all the world is green
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