Green Building

Gaining strength in the entire building industry is the concept of “Green Building”.  There are numerous ways to incorporate green building practices into your construction, but they all boil down to reducing the impact the construction and the home itself has on the environment.

Starting with the layout and placement of the structure, the floor plan can take advantage of the lot’s natural light.  By considering the angle that the sun would shine into the home, the windows, roofline, and overhangs can be designed to reduce the energy used in cooling, heating, and lighting the home.

From doors to toilets, energy-smart products are available for every room of the house.  For example, look for compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, which use much less energy than standard incandescent bulbs.  (Look for recycling centers that will take CDL' bulbs.) Many companies are manufacturing products that reduce the volume of water used -- like low flow shower heads, washing machines, and dishwashers.

EnergyStar is a set of strict guidelines set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy.  Appliances, heating and cooling, roofing, windows, doors, electronics, office machines, and fixtures all can earn the EnergyStar seal.  Not only do using EnergyStar products reduce greenhouse gas emissions, they can also reduce a family’s energy bill by one third, according to the EnergyStar website.

The govenment is encouraging more people to install enegy efficient products by offering tax credits for things like installing metal roofing or energy efficient windows. Check with your accountant while in the planning stages to see how you can use the government's credits to your advantage.

What about a log or timber home?  Can it be “green”, too? A majority of wood homes are made from standing dead logs.  These are logs that usually have been in a wild fire or were killed by beetles.  They stand in the forest for one or two years and are then harvested.  The harvesting of dead trees reduces the spread of beetles and leaves behind open space that encourages the growth of grass and younger trees. Combining responsible harvesting with reforestation results in a healthy, productive forest and a steady supply of wood materials.

Black Dog Timber Products, Inc. standard operating practices fit into the green philosophy.  Wood chips and sawdust are a by-product of our milling processes.  Often these by-products are disposed of by burning.  Instead, most of Black Dog’s chips and sawdust go to a Montana company that uses them to make compost.   The rest of the chips are used for landscaping and Black Dog donates chips to FFA and 4-H members for livestock bedding.

Black Dog uses steel banding and steel sawmill blades, both of which are recycled.  This past year, many of our logs came off of a wild fire burn about 40 miles south of us.  Not only does this clean up the burned areas and get it ready for government reforestation, by purchasing logs locally we are reducing the amount of fuel used in the transportation of the logs.

Sources: 
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=about.ab_index
Beeson, Charlie. "10 Tips to Building Green". Custom Wood Homes. Fall 2007: 8-10.
http://www.dulley.com/llightin.shtml

Related Links:  
www.abundantforests.org
www.energystar.gov
http://www.northwesternenergy.com/showitem.aspx?M=20&I=27
www.usgbc.com
www.loghomes.org