SEATTLE 鈥� I feel like I鈥檓 living in a museum,鈥� says Veena Prasad. She鈥檚 smiling, because her family鈥檚 gorgeously light and vibrant new home in West Seattle looks nothing at all like a museum 鈥� until, maybe, you notice all those explanatory little signs her husband, Andri Kofmehl, has posted on the walls.
Lots of signs. Lots to explain.
Veena and Andri, along with their twin toddlers and Veena鈥檚 mother, live in Seattle鈥檚 second Built Green Emerald Star home, a supremely certified, super-sustainable showcase of so many features 鈥� 9.9 kW of solar photovoltaic panels; airtight structural insulated panels; on-site cisterns that can hold 10,000 gallons of rainwater; extra-efficient toilets, faucets and fixtures; a lower-level unit used as a rental; and local, reclaimed, recycled, certified, non-toxic materials throughout 鈥� it would exhaust a lot of energy to even itemize them all.
Which is why, for their housewarming party, Andri says: 鈥淲e put up these signs. Our house is a topic with everyone we know. We didn鈥檛 make a secret of anything. We use it as an educational opportunity to answer people鈥檚 questions.鈥�
There were 19 signs in all, pointing out everything from 鈥減assive solar design鈥� to 鈥渃ork floors.鈥� They are awesome and informative, and sometimes entertaining, such as this one in the hearth-free great room: 鈥淣o Fireplace. Gas fireplaces depend on fossil fuels, and wood fireplaces are problematic for indoor air quality. Too bad, but there鈥檚 always the YouTube fireplace!鈥�
The signs also are inspiringly symbolic. This is how planet advocates Andri and Veena live 鈥� not just on Earth Day, but every day: walking the walk and talking the talk.
An Emerald Star home is as green as it gets for Built Green, a non-profit residential building program of the Master Builders Association of Washington state鈥檚 King and Snohomish counties. This one was built to the organization鈥檚 highest standard by net-zero specialists TC Legend Homes, says Built Green program manager Leah Missik 鈥� as well as to Andri and Veena鈥檚 standards.
鈥淲e wanted to make sure the house was our house, and reflected our values: sustainability, innovation and affordability,鈥� says Veena. 鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want an ugly house, but form follows function.鈥�
Veena and Andri moved to Seattle about 10 years ago, Andri says, renting around town six times before finding this family-friendly, high-walk-score neighbourhood, and this site and its 1927 home, which 鈥渨as not in the best shape.鈥�
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 going to keep much, and we knew we wanted to build the most sustainable home possible within our budget,鈥� he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e taking something away that was here, which makes it that much more important to find a way to build a home with a rental unit to increase density. Density is more sustainable than sprawl. There had been three people here. Now, there are up to eight. We鈥檙e making more use of the space.鈥�
The home鈥檚 design follows a similar philosophy. 鈥淲e wanted simplicity, nothing superfluous,鈥� Veena says.
Cue sign No. 8!
鈥淓fficient Floor Plan. The house has the shape of a simple box, which maximizes indoor space and minimizes the surface of the house鈥檚 envelope, making it more efficient. In designing floor plans, we kept bedrooms small and avoided wasting space on hallways or features like a formal dining room.鈥�
There is not a posted sign for the economics of building a deep-green home, but it鈥檚 a crucial, underlying part of the couple鈥檚 message.
鈥淏y keeping sustainability top of mind, it made things easier and not necessarily more expensive. Product A or B: You ask which is greener, and fine; that decides,鈥� Andri says. 鈥淥nce you make the decision to build a quality house, it鈥檚 usually not so much of a difference to build green.鈥�
Missik adds that with a net-zero home plus a 70 per cent reduction in water use, 鈥淵ou can factor in you鈥檙e probably going to get money back from Seattle City Light for electricity, and you will save significantly on your water and sewage bills, and the upfront costs are mitigated.鈥�
With Seattle鈥檚 first Emerald Star home, in Ballard, she says, 鈥淧art of the certification is that after a couple of years, you go back and look at the bills. In Ballard, they have a slight surplus of energy and a 70 per cent reduction in water use. For Built Green, we make sure there鈥檚 a robust checklist upfront. So far, that鈥檚 a good protocol.鈥�
Veena and Andri, who both pivoted from corporate careers to nonprofit work, haven鈥檛 been in their own lovely Emerald Star home long enough to document such long-term outcomes, but until then, they continue to live, and spread the green word, as if every day is Earth Day. Because it kind of is.
鈥淲hen you look at the global situation, we have to address our environmental impact in the next 10 years,鈥� says Andri. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just the right thing to do this now 鈥� use it as a proof of concept that it鈥檚 possible. This house did not cost twice as much; we didn鈥檛 have to not have showers. It鈥檚 within reach, and we want people to know that so this becomes the new normal.鈥�
Adds Veena: 鈥淭here鈥檚 a sense that going green sounds great, but people feel it鈥檚 too expensive or too much work. We need that extra push; sometimes that inspiration helps. When people see someone like us can do this 鈥� you don鈥檛 have to be a rich, retired executive; it鈥檚 something the middle class can aspire to. If we can do our bit to help inspire, we鈥檙e happy to do that.鈥�
