It’s Not Easy Being Green: Higher Costs Are Just One of the Roadblocks to Environmentally Friendly Kitchen Design

By Gwen Schoen, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Jun. 17–Architect Geoffrey Gainer is cautious as he introduces the concept of green construction when beginning a kitchen remodel or design project for his clients.

“Usually I will suggest a few options and one or two of them will be green. By the client’s response I can gauge how receptive they will be to going green,” says Gainer, whose firm, Actual-Size Architecture, is in the Mission District of San Francisco.

In the construction and design industry, “green” is the term used to describe building methods and materials that are environmentally friendly. Green is to construction what organic is to produce.

“It involves creating a healthy habitat using sustainable materials, being as energy efficient as possible and using products that have little or no impact on the environment when they are made, used or discarded,” says Jay Hall of the U.S. Green Building Council in Annapolis, Md.

In Gainer’s experience, some people welcome the option of making ecologically aware choices while others are wary. Their concerns include higher costs and difficulty in finding green materials and contractors willing to work with recycled or reclaimed products. For most people, however, the hesitation is because they believe green designs will be unattractive.

“Often the concept of green materials is that it’s a look of sterility and the hyper-modern style shown in many magazines,” says Gainer. “You see photographs of green kitchens and it is a very minimalist look. That’s a style choice, however. There are many options available so using green construction no longer dictates a certain look. You just have to be receptive to using things like recycled wood, composite countertop materials and fluorescent and natural lighting. As for style, you can have just about anything you want. Cabinets, for example, can be opulent in design or they can be simplistic.”

Jennifer Roberts, author and advocate of green construction, says green relates to many things, but most people who choose that direction are drawn because of three concerns: personal health, energy conservation and resource consumption. In Roberts’ new book, “Good Green Kitchens: The Ultimate Resource for Creating a Beautiful, Healthy, Eco-Friendly Kitchen (Gibbs Smith, Publisher; $29.95, 176 pages), she goes into detail about what constitutes green design and the options homeowners have when remodeling kitchens.

“Green building isn’t easy,” says Roberts, who lives in San Francisco. “It takes more time to research the materials and options and the concept is relatively new so it can be challenging to find builders and architects who are willing to work on a green project. Often green materials are more expensive so it does take a firm commitment.”

So why is building green so important?

“First, there’s the health aspect,” says Roberts. “Some common construction materials contain chemicals such as formaldehyde which offgas (release vapors called VOCs, volatile organic compounds) into the air.” A few examples are paint, vinyl floors, insulation, new carpet, plywood and particleboard.

“We don’t know the impact of these VOCs,” says Roberts, “But we know some of them are carcinogens and society is introducing more synthetic products into our lives all the time. Green materials are made with very low or no VOCs.”

Second, there’s energy conservation: “Californians are very aware of how important it is to conserve energy. In green design you take advantage of every opportunity to save energy,” Roberts says. “Many appliances now come with Energy Star certification which means they are energy efficient and those are your best choices. Changing from incandescent lights for more energy-efficient fluorescent lights and taking advantage of natural daylight are other means of energy conservation.”

Two of the most important energy-saving considerations when remodeling are improving insulation and upgrading windows, according to Roberts.

“Both affect the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems,” she says. “You want high-performance windows with low-e coating and you want to make sure doors and windows are sealed to prevent heating and air conditioning leaks. As for insulation, you want to choose materials that will have minimal impact on the environment such as bats made from denim or loose-fill cellulose insulation made from recycled newspapers.”

According to Roberts, most people are unaware of how the materials impact the environment.

“It’s a matter of conservation,” says Roberts. “You need to pay attention to where the raw materials come from and what can happen to them when you are finished with them. Can they be re used or recycled or are they destined to a landfill? How were they made and how did that manufacturing process impact the environment?”

When beginning a kitchen remodel, here are some green options:

— For counters, Roberts says you should consider some recycled materials as well as new. Butcher block, ceramic tile, concrete, engineered stone, glass and glass tile and even some laminates qualify as green. Linoleum (not to be confused with vinyl) is also a green material because it is made with linseed oil, ground cork and pine resin. Granite, which is so popular right now, is green.

“Granite is a natural material,” says Roberts. “It comes from all over the world. Because it is so heavy and difficult to transport, I recommend buying granite that is from the United States or even from California to cut down on the pollution caused from transporting it.”

— For flooring, consider bamboo. It is a readily renewable material and it can be finished in several colors. Other options include brick, concrete, cork, linoleum, stone, ceramic tile and wood.

“Refinish and recycle whenever possible,” says Roberts. “Some old hardwood floors, even if they have damaged areas, can be quite beautiful when restored.”

Vinyl floors are not on Roberts’ list of approved products because of the environmental impact of the manufacturing process. Vinyl also ends up in landfills.

— As for cabinets, the best option is to refinish existing cabinets, says Roberts. For new cabinets, consider bamboo.

Eucalyptus may soon be added to the approved list because it is a fast-growing wood.

“The problem with eucalyptus is that it is frequently grown on land that has been cleared of old-growth forest,” says Roberts. “When that problem is solved, eucalyptus will be a good option for people who want the look of wood. For now, choose woods that are SCS-certified. That means they are certified by Scientific Certification Systems … and they are finished with products with low VOCs.”

As an architect, Gainer was already aware of the challenges and benefits of green design when he and his wife decided to remodel the kitchen in their Victorian home two years ago.

“In my profession, I have the opportunity to make an impact. As we learned more about being environmentally responsible, we decided to go green with our own kitchen remodel,” says Gainer. “The problem with kitchens is it can be overwhelming because there are so many elements involved. You have floors, paint, insulation, appliances, countertops, cabinets, lighting, energy use. It’s a lot for the average person to figure out, and it isn’t easy to find an architect or a builder who is willing to put the effort into (a green) project.”

Often decisions have to be made during the construction. In the Gainer kitchen, for example, once a wall was removed, they discovered 100-year-old Douglas fir studs. He was able to persuade his cabinetmaker to recycle the studs into shelves.

When Barbara Peterson and Tom Beach decided to remodel the kitchen in their 60-year-old home in Kensington, near Berkeley, their project evolved into a green design.

“First we put solar panels on the house,” says Beach, a consultant on energy issues. “Once you do that, you want to get appliances that are as efficient as possible, and one thing led to another.”

As they got more involved in the remodel, they decided to use recycled wood for beams rather than wood cut from old-growth trees.

“It was a challenge to find a contractor and architect who were open to exploring different materials and various green aspects,” says Beach. “It was also fun and it was very much a collaborative effort.”

By the time they were done, the kitchen had a Dutch door made from salvaged Douglas fir, the breakfast bar was made from a piece of old bowling alley and countertops were made of Richlite, a paper and resin composite.

“We removed carpet and underneath found beautiful hardwood floors, which we refinished,” says Beach.

One thing Beach is especially pleased with is the Sun Frost refrigerator. He says it is the most-energy-efficient refrigerator available. It’s also not frost-free, which means the couple have to manually defrost it a couple of times a year.

“In the beginning, we tackled this project from an energy perspective,” says Beach. “Now we realize that there are so many other benefits to green design. We haven’t had a PG&E bill in two months, but also, the kitchen is very comfortable with so much natural light, and we feel really good about using green materials.

“My advice to other people considering green design is to do a lot of research,” says Beach. “There is a wealth of resources and information available. It takes a lot of work to sort through it all. It takes a lot of effort to search for recycled and reclaimed materials, which can slow down your construction, but in the end, you will be proud of what you have accomplished.”

Pros and cons of green flooring material

Type Pros Cons Green tips Bamboo — Rapidly renewable resource. — High fiber yield per acre. — Requires little, if any, irrigation, pesticides or fertilizers, according to suppliers. — Higher-quality products are hard and durable. — Solid bamboo flooring can be sanded and refinished multiple times. — Many low-quality products on market. — Only grown in Asia; environmental and labor conditions unknown. — Typically made with urea formaldehyde glues. — Choose prefinished bamboo or use zero/low VOC or plant-based sealants. — Buy high-quality products. — Buy products with low or no formaldehyde emissions. Type Pros Cons Green tips Concrete — For slab-on-grade construction, slab serves as finish floor, reducing material use. — Recycled fly ash can replace some Portland cement content. — Compatible with under-floor radiant heating systems and passive solar design. — Long lasting. — Inert. — Easy to clean and maintain. — Portland cement is energy intensive to manufacture, contributing to global warming and air pollution. — Can crack. — Hard on the cook’s back and on dropped dishes. — Kitchen noises reverberate; particularly a problem in open-plan home. — Final color somewhat unpredictable. — Acid-based stains noxious when installed (inert when dry). — Use structural slab as finish flooring. — Use water-based, low or no VOC sealants. — Use high volume of fly ash — Combine with passive solar design. Type Pros Cons Green tips Cork — Rapidly renewable. — Sound absorbent. — Moisture, stain and fire resistant. — Warm underfoot and easy on the back and on dropped dishes. — Long lasting. — Click-together floating floor product is good DIY option. — Can be installed with zero/low VOC adhesives. — Can be finished with water-based polyurethane or plant-based penetrating oil. — Transported from Europe. — Cork granules may be bound with urea formaldehyde glue. — Engineered plank floors may have urea formaldehyde glue in core layer. — Some products are actually vinyl laminates (vinyl top layer with cork underlayment). — Not ideal for under-floor radiant heating systems. — Mild odor. — Use low/no VOC adhesives and sealants, or plant-based sealants. — Consider prefinished cork floors to protect indoor air quality. — Don’t buy products with a vinyl wear layer. Type Pros Cons Green tips Linoleum (not vinyl) — Made primarily from renewable resources. — Durable; long lasting (40+ years). — Antibacterial, antistatic. — Easy to maintain and keep clean. — Warm underfoot. — Many color choices. — Available in rolls, tiles or tongue-and-groove panels. — Installed with low VOC adhesives. — Emits VOCs. — Slight odor of linseed oil. — Made only in Europe. — Higher initial cost than other resilient flooring options, but life-cycle costs may be lower because it is long-lasting. — Install with low VOC adhesives. — Don’t choose vinyl flooring (many people incorrectly use the word linoleum to refer to vinyl flooring). Type Pros Cons Green tips Tile — Ceramic and porcelain tile made from clay, a natural and abundant resource. — Some tiles include recycled content. — Durable; resists moisture and abrasion. — Low toxicity, inert. — Easy to clean if grout is sealed. — Provides thermal mass for passive solar design and under-floor heating systems. — Low VOC tile-setting adhesives available. — Locally or regionally manufactured tiles may be available. — Vast range of colors, textures and patterns at every budget level. — Broken tiles can be chiseled out and replaced. — Hard on back and joints, and on dropped dishes. — Manufacturing ceramic and porcelain tile is energy intensive. — Some mortars and grouts contain additives that can emit noxious chemicals. — Grout stains, traps dirt and harbors mold; seal grout and use larger tiles that require fewer grout lines. — Choose tiles with recycled content. — Choose locally or regionally manufactured tiles. — Use low or no VOC adhesives and sealants. — Choose products with lead-free glazes. Type Pros Cons Green tips Wood — FSC certification ensures harvesting from well-managed forests and plantations. — Solid wood can be sanded and refinished many times and can last a lifetime; engineered hardwood flooring can also be refinished, though not as many times. — May add value to home. — With engineered flooring, thin veneer conserves valuable hardwoods; sublayers made from fastgrowing young trees. — Floating floors easy to install; good DIY option. — Wide range of milled, ready-to-install reclaimed flooring products available. — Some building-reuse centers carry old floorboards at discount prices (beware of labor required to install and refinish). — Certified products may be more expensive and less readily available than uncertified products. — Solid wood requires greater volume of high-quality wood than engineered products. — In engineered products, sublayers may contain urea formaldehyde binders. — Difficult for consumers to verify suppliers’ claims about source of reclaimed wood; important to deal with reputable suppliers. — Reclaimed wood may cost more than new wood flooring if source is unusual, species is rare, or if added labor was required to reclaim wood. — Buy FSC-certified or reclaimed wood floors. — Buy factory-finished products or use zero/low VOC sealants or plant-based penetrating oils. — Buy products that can be sanded and refinished many times. — Avoid engineered floors made with urea formaldehyde-based binders. — Avoid vinyl-based faux-wood laminates. — Avoid tropical or old-growth woods or woods from ecologically sensitive areas, unless FSC certified or reclaimed. Source: “Good Green Kitchens” (Gibbs Smith, Publishers)

To learn more about “green materials”

Web sites www.energystar.gov: You’ll find products that qualify for Energy Star rating.

www.fsc.org: Forest Stewardship Council site lists products that have been certified to be environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable.

www.greenseal.org: Site lists environmentally friendly cleaning products and paint.

www.scscertified.com: Scientific Certification Systems site lists environmentally preferable products.

www.bamboocabinets.com: Site for AlterECO bamboo cabinets.

www.ecohaus.com: Source for environmental building supplies.

www.ecotimber.com: Eco Timber manufactures ecologically sound wood flooring.

www.builditgreen.org: Build It Green is an organization in San Francisco that promotes healthy, energy and resource-efficient buildings in California.

Books “Good Green Kitchens: The Ultimate Resource for Creating a Beautiful, Healthy, Eco-Friendly Kitchen” by Jennifer Roberts (Gibbs Smith, Publisher; $29.95, 176 pages)

“Good Green Homes: Creating Better Homes for a Healthier Planet” by Jennifer Roberts (Gibbs Smith, Publisher; $39.95, 160 pages)

“Green Remodeling: Changing the World One Room at a Time” by David Johnston and Kim Master (New Society Publishers, $29.95, 400 pages)

Stores Green Sacramento 1837 Fulton Ave., Sacramento (916) 483-4332

Eco Home Improvement 2619 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley (510) 644-3500 www.ecohomeimprovement.com

Green Fusion Design Center 14 Greenfield Ave., San Anselmo (415) 454-0174 www.greenfusiondesigncenter.com

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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