The Original Green

At times it seems there is a conflict between my interest in old houses and in green building. After all, old houses are drafty and inefficient right? Not necessarily. Though many of them could use a bit more insulation, most were built in a time when energy wasn't so cheap and easy to come by. People had to build houses that took into consideration things like the sun and wind and how they would heat or cool a house. Otherwise, people would die of heat stroke in the summer and freeze to death in the winter. This is the premise behind The Original Green. For centuries people built buildings that used very little energy simply because there wasn't much energy to be had. It developed into styles that were very specific to each region and their climatic conditions. Today green buildings tends to focus on solar panels and windmills and other "gizmos" to reduce their energy use. Steve Mouzon, the creator of the Original Green concept, is trying to change the discussion of green buildings to focus on methods used traditionally to create green buildings and less on the "gizmos" that get all the attention in the media. Check out his website. It has a lot of good information and can really change the way you think about what makes a place "green". Also for those out there on Facebook, join the Original Green cause.