[Strawbale] an unsustainable policy

[Alan Abrams]

Ah-HA.  

 

Voila, Kleinzach!:

 

http://spiderweb.bantapubnet.com/ecostructure/200703/

 

-AA

 

The essay, "An Unsustainable Policy," by Ujjval Vyas, a LEED accredited
attorney who consults on emerging construction practices, throws a
rainbarrel of cold water on the "overselling of sustainability."  Vyas
rejects sermonizing:  

 

"...as long as sustainable building advocates continue to moralize, the
business community cannot take sustainable building seriously, except as a
marketing ploy to manipulate public perception."  

 

PHEW!!!  

 

Rather, he calls for some serious objective study of costs and benefits of
green methods and materials:  

 

"Until sustainable building begins to take seriously the issue of building
performance (which is HW's focus)...it will remain more a plaything for
designers and conscience raisers rather than a set of solid business
practices."

 

Harsh indeed, but fundamentally true--if green is going to make a
significant contribution to mitigating climate change, it's got to satisfy a
range of basic needs, including the owner-builder's perceived "rational self
interests."

 

Alan Abrams