[GSBN] Embodied/embedded energy figures

[Chris Magwood]

It's been great to have sparked this thread. I love the people on this 
list for the very opinions that have been expressed so far. I think it's 
hugely important to pursue energy efficient buildings, but we should be 
doing so using materials and strategies that have the lowest possible 
embodied energy.

What follows is the introduction to the piece I'm working on and for 
which I was seeking EE figures in the first place. Thought it might be 
of interest to those following this discussion:



Learning to Accept "No" for an Answer

Human beings are remarkable at figuring things out. Put a problem in 
front of us -- especially one with a solution that will make us 
wealthier and/or more comfortable -- and we'll come up with all kinds of 
solutions for that problem.

Nothing triggers our collective desire to problem-solve like being told, 
"No, you can't."

The fact that we hate being told "No" is not necessarily a bad thing. 
Centuries of civil disobedience leading to political reform demonstrate 
the positive side of trying to turn a "No" into a "Yes."

But what if it's the earth's ecosystem that is saying "No"?

As a designer and builder, I am constantly trying to make things 
possible for my clients. I am in the business of saying, "Yes." As a 
sustainable designer and builder though, my attention should be firmly 
focused on whether or not the planet is saying "No." And when I hear the 
"No" answer, I should respect it.

Every time we undertake an activity that creates polluting by-products, 
we should hear the implied "No" coming from the environment. Every time 
we gobble up resources at a rate we know outstrips the rate of 
re-generation, we should hear the "No." Every time we let our desires be 
fulfilled at the expense of following generations, we should hear the "No."

The building industry is in an awkward state these days. We have the 
ability to deliver levels of comfort inside buildings that were 
unthinkable a century ago. But we deliver that level of comfort at a 
remarkably high cost to the environment. There seems to be a general 
awakening to the fact that what we're doing is not sustainable, that we 
contravene an enormous number of "No" answers from the planet in doing so.

Designers and builders addressing this problem are in a real bind. We're 
trying to deliver in a sustainable way levels of performance that are 
based on unsustainable practices. Nobody wants the planet to tell them 
that they can't have a home with a perfectly stable, year-round 
temperature of 20C. So a growing green building industry is setting 
about to give us the comfort levels we expect at a reduced impact on the 
environment.

I think that, despite all our best efforts, the planet is still going to 
say "No" to our current expectations of home comfort. I'm sure there is 
a level of sustainable energy we can make available, some mix of solar, 
wind, water and thermal energy that can be generated and used without 
widespread environmental destruction. I'm equally sure there are 
materials we can use to build that are renewable and reasonably harvested.

But as sure as I am of these two cornerstones of sustainable building, 
I'm equally certain that in order to heed the planet's non-negotiable 
request for sustainability we are going to have to accept different 
standards of comfort. A truly sustainable building powered by truly 
sustainable energy will not always be the same temperature. We don't 
need to freeze in the winter or swelter in the summer, but we do need to 
expect to be colder in the cold season and warmer in the warm season. We 
do need to expect to participate --physically - in the gathering of 
resources (water, food, fuel) and recycling of wastes. We will need to 
perform maintenance, live in smaller spaces, and be dependent on weather 
cycles.

Our ancestors accepted these parameters because they did not have the 
means to exceed them. We have the means to exceed, and we've been doing 
so. A move towards any kind of real sustainability has to be led by a 
choice to accept a life that is a bit less comfortable and requires a 
bit more effort. We're clever enough to figure out ways to minimize our 
discomfort and effort, but only excessive amounts of energy and 
resources can support our current lifestyles.

As a designer and builder, I strive to achieve the highest levels of 
creature comfort with the lowest environmental impacts. I could build a 
willing client an entirely sustainable home right now, as long as they 
are willing to hear the planet when it says "No" and live within those 
means. Sooner or later, we will all become that client as we cease to be 
able to afford or access the energy that allows us to go beyond what the 
planet agrees with. But how many of us are willing to make that choice 
in advance of being forced to do so?


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