If you have been thinking about how to make your kitchen or bathroom renovation a little bit easier on our already burdened environment, our Saturday-Sit Down event titled "It ain’t easy being green" would have been right up your alley.

1. It ain’t
easy
being
GREEN
Insignia Design Group presents:

3. Our Planet is in trouble!!!
Unless you spent the last decade living on a desert island or under a
rock, you probably have noticed that…

4. Our world is in dire straits:
• The average temperature of the earth has risen
• Oceans are warming and becoming more acidic, ice
caps are melting, and sea levels are rising
• Emissions of greenhouse gasses (CO2, methane, nitrous
oxide, and fluorinated gasses) have increased due to
human activities such as:
- The burning of fossil fuels
- Anaerobic decay of organic waste in landfills due to
industry processes and commercial and household
chemicals

5. Why it’s hard being green?
• Many individuals choose to do little or nothing because
they believe in all-or-nothing approach
• Many of us don’t think we can make a difference
• Figuring out the best green products can be challenging.
There are many environmental factors to consider, plus
there's a constant barrage of new, better, greener
products. Several universities now offer advanced degrees
in Environmental Decision Making!

6. Frog Experiment Analogy
In the 19th century, experiments were made
using a frog and some water on the stove. If the
frog was placed in uncomfortably warm water,
it jumped out of the pan. However, if the frog
was placed in a pan of cool water and the
water was heated very slowly, it was believed
that the frog would not notice the change in
the water temperature until it was, sadly, too
late.
It has been suggested that because global
warming has occurred slowly, our minds have
had time to normalize it. Many people don’t
feel an urge to change their behavior until it is
TOO LATE.

7. But the truth is, you don’t have to be a
paragon of virtue to make a difference.
There is something in “planet care” for
even the most selfish amongst us.
And the good news is: there are side benefits,
including SAVING MONEY, LOSING WEIGHT,
GETTING FITTER, KEEPING YOUR KIDS AND
FRIENDS AMUSED, OUTDOING YOUR
NEIGHBORS, or simply FOSTERING A WARM
INNER GLOW.

8. “We can’t solve problems by using the same
kind of thinking we used when we created
them.”
Albert Einstein

9. Systems Thinking
- The metaphor of the
butterfly effect illustrates
systems thinking
- All events on the planet
are interdependent and
all circumstances
sensitive to one another

10. Climate change is probably the biggest
challenge the world is facing. One country,
one government, one community, one
business or one person cannot resolve all the
issues, but if each one of us does our part,
then change will occur. It will take a new way
of thinking, a paradigm shift.

11. TRIPLE-
BOTTOM
LINE
APPROACH

12. Designing for BENEFIT:
• Save money on energy and water bills
• Save money on long-lasting materials
• Designing for the future minimize the need for later
renovations (live in the home longer)
• Offset the cost of the project with incentives
• Be free of chemicals that can cause health problems
• Benefit the local building community & strengthen the
community

13. Cambria:
Mined in N.
America
100% of water
used in plant is
recycled
All diamond-
metal tooling is
retooled and
re-used

14. Caesarstone:
No harmful
emissions
No sealing
required
Scratch &
stain resistant
Profound
emphasis on
sustainability

15. Designing for All Abilities:
• The Rio Charter on Universal Design, drafted in 2004, calls
for inclusive design as a characteristic of environmentally
conscious design
• The Baby Boomer generation values independence
• The ability to stay in one’s home has sparked a significant
movement in remodeling and home design: aging in
place
• To age in place, people need supportive environment
• As designers we understand that the environment needs
to accommodate users, not the other way around

16. Curbless or
Zero-threshold
Shower

17. Convenient placement of washer and
dryer for ease of use

18. Major elements of any GREEN
residential renovation:
•Energy conservation
•Water efficiency
•Material conservation and use
• Healthy Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
Remodeling an existing home is, by nature, much
greener than purchasing a new home.

19. Begin by getting a Home Energy
Efficiency Rating
It can easily be done by
contacting a certified HERS rater
in your area
HERS Index:
It’s an industry standard and
nationally recognized for
calculating home’s energy
performance.

20. On the Horizon
- The Appraisal Institute’s Residential Green & Energy
Efficient Addendum is available to aid in the evaluation of
a home’s overall appraisal value
- It allows the appraiser to create a report that includes
home’s certification (e.g. Energy Star); LEED status, rating
on the Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index and note
energy-efficient windows, appliances, and fixtures
- It creates a very complete narrative and record of
improvements a homeowner has made that increases its
desirability

21. 3rd Party Evaluators

22. DESIGNING FOR
GREEN LIVING
It is much easier to
integrate
environmentally
healthy habits into your
life when the design of
the kitchen or bath
supports those
activities.
Kitchen recycling
center that leads out
to bins in the garage.

23. Design for composting while doing food prep
Out of Sight Kitchen Counter Compost System - Winner of the
prestigious international iF award for product design

24. What makes a product or a construction
method more sustainable than another?
• Embodied Energy
• Carbon Footprint
• Environmental health (including indoor air quality)
• Renewable resources
• Renewable energy

25. Cork:
Renewable
(harvested, not cut
down)
Biodegradable &
Recyclable
The cork groves
absorb millions of tons
of CO2 each year
helping to combat
global warming

26. Cork penny
rounds
Resilient,
Comfortable
& Stylish

27. Bamboo
Green God Design Award
Bamboo's best green
feature is that it's a rapidly
renewable resource, plus
it's naturally stronger and
harder than most other
hardwoods.

28. Teragren, one of the best-known
producers, offers an FSC-certified
product called FSC-Pure. Be aware,
though, that almost all commercial
bamboo comes from China, so a lot
of energy goes into transporting the
product to the United States.

29. Lighting and
Controls
Lighting is
crucial for the
functional
aspects of the
space as well
as the
esthetics. No
other room in
the home
poses a greater
risk for injury
than kitchen
and bathroom.

30. LED lamps are energy
efficient and have the
longest life of all
electric light sources
used residentially.
Controls and
placement of them
are just as important.
Preset dimmers as
well as occupancy
sensors can play a
crucial role in energy
efficient home.

31. Bryan Cranston
A lifelong recycler
and composter, he
set an ambitious
goal: Use the
greenest materials,
products, and
technology in the
most beautiful way
possible

32. Cranston:
“A misconception still reigns that when you say ‘green
lifestyle,’ you have outdoor plumbing,” he says. “I
wanted people to see this house and go, ‘This is a
green house?’” He set out to design and build a
structure that would raise the idea of living green to
an aesthetically stunning new level of beauty and
comfort.

33. Indoor Air Quality
Poor IAQ affects our health and contributes to the structural
degradation of our homes.

34. Causes of poor IAQ:
• Biological – molds, bacteria, viruses, pollen
• Radon – naturally occurring radioactive gas that moves
through the ground and enters home through cracks in
foundation
• Asbestos - found in many products in the home
(insulation, flooring)
• Combustion Pollutants – fuel burning stoves, furnaces,
fireplaces
• Formaldehyde – found in adhesives and bonding
materials

35. Daylighting and ventilation

36. Improving the IAQ:
Source control – eliminate the pollutants
Ex: Choose adhesives and paints with low VOC”s
Improved ventilation – natural (passive), mechanical (ex.
Kitchen hood vent) or combination
Air cleaners – mechanical air cleaners remove certain
types of pollutants but not all (hvac experts)

37. Install direct vent fireplaces
only (do not require a
chimney and can be vented
directly through a wall or
roof. The direct vent draws its
combustion air from outside
while venting to the same
outside atmosphere -
thereby not consuming warm
house air, nor competing
with other appliances and
furnaces for combustion air.
Direct venting also eliminates
drafts and heat loss
associated with other
fireplaces)

38. Marketability
• Studies show that green design sells real estate.
• Remodeled kitchens & bathrooms add to the overall
value of a home
• Green design means that the remodel was done with
value in mind
• Earth Advantage Certification for Real Estate Brokers –
rigorous certification process available only to licensed
real estate brokers; learn to communicate to homebuyers
the value of purchasing a green home

39. ADD NATURAL LIGHT IF AT ALL
POSSIBLE!
Make sure the new design makes
the most out of natural light.
Living in a home that benefits
from how it’s situated in its locale
to keep it warmer or cooler is
great also.

40. Water bottles or filtration system?

41. CONSIDER THIS:
The plastic one-time use water bottle is cause for concern.
Studies show that only one in five gets recycled. It takes
over 1,000 years for plastic bottles to biodegrade. Next time
you reach for one, think about all that goes into it, from
manufacturing the bottle, processing the water, filling and
labeling, transporting to the store, and chilling it...an
estimated 32 to 54 million barrels of oil per year, in the US
alone. And it's not at all healthier than the tap water...see
photo. You might be shocked or disgusted. Complaints
ensue when gas goes over $4 a gallon, but no one
complains when buying a 16-oz bottle of water that they
can get for free...

43. REPURPOSE ON
PURPOSE
From design
elements to
construction
materials,
repurposing can
help to reduce
costs, waste
and the carbon
footprint. Get
creative!

44. Reclaimed/Salvaged Wood Countertop

45. OLD + NEW = NEW

46. Fabulous repurposed rustic pendants

47. I hope that you have found
some inspiration in today’s
presentation, perhaps a few
ideas that you can find helpful in
your renovation project.
Making the decision to be a
steward for the environment is
admirable. Any change, no
matter how small, will be a
positive one.

48. Let Insignia
be your
essential
resource
for a
healthy,
ecofriendly
kitchen
and
bathroom

49. Thank you for being here
today!!!
The End