I have generally found the presidential debates to be less than inspiring (I guess that oil, gas and coal expansions are more impressive than an agenda based on green jobs, clean air and clean water).  I have, however, found the positioning related to the role of government in stimulating our economy to be highly troublesome.

In Monday’s debate, former Gov. Mitt Romney re-iterated his case to keep government out of business when he said, “It’s not government that makes business successful. It’s not government investments that make businesses grow and hire people.”  Yes, Mitt, I think we all agree, and I doubt there is a successful business owner in the nation who believes government is what “makes” a business succeed; however, and especially in troubled times, government plays a key role in fostering that success.

The U.S. government’s expansionary tactics in reaction to the 2008 economic crash kept this state, our country and the globe from experiencing what would otherwise have been the greatest depression in the past 75 years. Clearly the Great Recession has been, and continues to be, hellish and stressful, and as a young CEO in the building market, I am hyper aware of just how hard we were knocked back. Yet now that my company is strongly planted back on its feet with a healthy future ahead and preparing for its 10-year celebration, I am able to reflect on how it was able to survive and find support.

Certainly the U.S. Federal Reserve’s wise move to continue driving mortgage rates to historic lows has been a primary force behind the major uptick in new construction nationally. The recently reported low rates as the primary reason for the 38 percent growth in new construction starts over the past 12 months. Behind these statistics are great local stories of new jobs and healthy homes. I have to wonder whether a Romney administration would have interacted with business in this way.

In 2009, the city of Portland, with $2.5 million in government block grant funds, seeded a brilliant concept put forth by CEO Derek Smith for city residents to receive home energy upgrades through low-interest loans backed by the energy savings created. The resulting company, Clean Energy Works Portland, expanded statewide to become Clean Energy Works Oregon (CEWO) through $20 million dollars of seed funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Neighborhood program. Derek reports that, in less than two years, CEWO has weatherized nearly 2,000 homes, added 300 jobs to Oregon’s economy and saved Oregonians over 22.1 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in energy – that’s more energy than 22 nuclear power plants can produce in one hour; the 0.1 GWh alone will fly a Boeing 747 for an hour!  The beauty of it all is that these savings and benefits will just keep on accumulating. As a primary contractor for Clean Energy Works Oregon, I can attest that the 300 jobs created by CEWO are solid and climbing. I’m proud to be an American when I know that because our government believed in our industries’ smart ideas, we now have 300 and growing working class heroes back in action. I hope the national discourse can move beyond Romney negating the role of government in restoring our economy and Obama defending both his successes and failures in this arena. Instead, let’s have more focus on the specifics of how the government on both sides of the debate can collaborate to optimally support businesses to succeed. It’s critical we take our time and investigate which industries merit investment and then invest in those ideas to best enable more working class heroes to survive and thrive. From my perspective, I’d bet on the energy conservation industry!

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Each second, is ground into pulp for paper we use for writing or wiping our bottoms. Thanks to Greenpeace and the commitments made by Kimberly-Clark, that’s about 20 pounds less per second than in 2009.

As consumers of trees, it’s vital we know the impacts of our purchasing choices, as we are fundamentally disconnected from the upstream effects that these choices create. Unsustainable logging and deforestation are not just tropical problems to be solved – right here in North America, we harvest 10,000 square kilometers of ancient forests . That means our North American notepads and bums account for 660 pounds of ancient old growth ground up each second.

When I talk about choice, I’m not referring to iPads and corncobs as the reading and bum-cleaning alternative. We can have the same looking and same functioning paper, tissue and other wood products, but made in a way that reflects our values.

Forest certification was created as a tool to allow for product differentiation in the marketplace so that we can make informed purchasing decisions. The bottom line: unless a product is audited by a third party for responsible practices at the forest level and then tracked throughout the chain of custody (mills, processing plants, distributors etc.), you have no idea that any claim to “recycled” or “post-consumer” is valid, let alone if the paper was from old growth or illegal logging. This information is critical if we are to protect and restore our natural forests and forest-based communities here in the Northwest and throughout North America.

Over the years there’s been much debate over the right choice for certified wood products. To me, the decision is simple: I look for the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) logo. FSC is the only forest certification system supported both domestically and globally by all the relevant environmental organizations (such as the World Wildlife Federation and Greenpeace). And there’s a reason for this. The competing certification scheme, SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) just doesn’t add up.

FSC is the only certification scheme that:

1. Protects high conservation value forests, such as rare old growth

FSC is the only standard with clear requirements to protect high conservation value forests and old growth. SFI does not protect old growth.

2. Prevents loss of natural forest cover

FSC is the only standard to limit opening sizes, including restricting the conversion of biodiversity-rich natural forests to monoculture plantations or parking lots. SFI does not restrict forest conversion.

3. Prohibits highly hazardous chemicals and GMOs

FSC is the only standard to prohibit the use of some of the most hazardous pesticides and other chemicals that are still widely used in the US and Canada. SFI allows for hazardous chemical use and GMOs.

4. Protects customary rights of indigenous people and local communities

FSC is the only standard to explicitly require forest managers to uphold and protect the customary rights and resources of indigenous people and to manage their forests in a way that benefits local communities. SFI has no similar requirements.

5. Governs in a democratic and transparent way

FSC is the only forest certification scheme governed by an open membership (General Assembly) where interests are equally balanced by economic, social and environmental chambers. SFI is governed by a self-appointed board and limits meaningful participation by environmental and social justice organizations.

Unfortunately, many consumers and industry professionals who want to do the right thing have been paralyzed by what is unjustifiably termed the “forest certification wars,” which has effectively denigrated the difference between sustainable forest management (FSC) and status quo industrial logging (SFI) into what SFI has called “alphabet soup.” SFI further advocates that “”… and “”

I know everyone is not a geek like me (yes, I did read through the hundreds of environmental, economic and social indicators that define what FSC certified forestry entails), but I hope you can agree that the goal is not getting forests “certified.” Rather, it’s about credible and effective protection and restoration of natural forests and community livelihood. It’s about choosing forest protects that “do no harm” and work to restore natural forest habitats. Kimberly-Clark and other industry, environmental and social leaders have proven that we do have that choice. For our projects (and my bum!) I only choose FSC. Please join me in supporting their commitment to FSC.

Green Hammer CEO Stephen Aiguier is an advocate for responsible forestry products and FSC in the design and build community. Green Hammer is the only FSC-COC certified building firm in the nation. It’s a voting member of FSC international and has a seat at the global General Assembly.

by the via Twitter

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For two years, migrant farmworkers in Oregon have volunteered their time fundraising and building one of the world’s most innovative commercial office buildings, free of any bank debt and with little obligation to utilities. This first example of a Passive House office building to seek certification in the United States is the new home for the Capaces Leadership Institute (CLI). Not only is this an outstanding achievement, it’s a reminder to us all in the industry about what sustainability truly means.

The Institute builds on 30 years of community organizing led by Oregon’s largest farmworkers’ union, PCUN (Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noreste — Northwest Treeplanters and Farmworkers United). Capaces, which translates to “capable or able,” is at multiple levels the perfect term for this new leadership institute. CLI is where the social-change leaders of today share their wisdom with the youth who are gaining the skills and values to be the leaders of tomorrow.

This new, super- insulated building is 20 times more air-tight and is predicted to use less than 8 percent the energy of a code-built equivalent. A super-efficient Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) system provides continuous fresh filtered air to each room, creating ideal indoor air conditions for an optimal learning environment. The vaulted spaces and interior finishes made of salvaged materials are no less inspiring than the envelope that contains them. Top it all off with a living roof system to cool and filter rainwater, and the end result is a healthy, comfortable and inspiring space where effective learning and a social justice mission can thrive.

Thrive is not an outcome one would generally associate with a migrant worker in the United States. Surviving against all odds is more like it. There is a deep-rooted history in the U.S. of exploiting the willing labor force south of our borders: to use them when we are in need and dispose of them like an unwanted dish towel when our burdens are met. This cycle of use, abuse and abandonment has persisted as a dirty reality for a few hundred years and is still true today.  Imagine waking to work in the field, a factory or construction-site in hopes of feeding and clothing your family and not knowing if you will be thanked and paid, or called an illegal and rotten and forced to move hundreds of miles away. Imagine that going ‘to your home country’ means at best working under similar or worse conditions for one tenth the pay and for companies benefiting from low minimum wages and free of tariffs.  Somehow amid the daily struggle, this disenfranchised but highly motivated and inspired group achieved constructing a world class building and in doing so have taught us a lesson in sustainability.

Sustainability is defined as the place where social justice, environmental conservation, and economic prosperity meet. Our industry has done well in recent years in focusing on our environmental and economic impacts, but we too often forget about the social equity issues we affect. We often relate the equity issue to simply providing our employees with a fair wage and benefits and our clients with healthy environments. It’s easy to forget the upstream and downstream effects on the people that manufacture our materials and deal with, or are affected by, the resulting industrial wastes regionally and internationally. The volunteers that spent their days in the field and their weekends building are very aware of these on-the-ground impacts and have shown the world just how impassioned they are to fight for human rights and social justice.

In the two years that Green Hammer has been involved with CLI to assist in creating this state-of- the- art center, I’ve learned a great deal. In particular how buildings can teach values, empower, inspire and strengthen a community; how the synergy of fully integrating the stakeholders into the process can unlock the exceptional potential within. We must never forget the people we affect when we do. We should never give up on our dreams, and we must stand up for what we believe in because all the good in the world is possible. To quote the immortal worlds of Cesar Chavez: “Si se puede!”

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I spent this past weekend (yeah, that’s me and my daughter with Langhorne Slim) and my volunteer crew listening to music at , a three-day, Indie-rock music festival held at a farm in Happy Valley.

The festival is truly a conscientious, family-friendly event that every year through the energy and passion of the event organizers, musicians and volunteers has ratcheted up environmental stewardship. From renewable energy to the ban of single-use dishes, cups and utensils, Pickathon is setting the sustainability standard for other festivals. This is why amid the festivities I couldn’t help but ponder the irony that some musicians were playing Gibson guitars and likely other brands made from illegal timber.

Yes, guitars from illegal wood. While we greenies were dancing a jiggety-jig, Nashville-based Gibson Guitar was settling a lawsuit with the U.S. government over use of illegal timber from Africa and Asia. On Monday, agreed to pay more than $300,000 in penalties that legal experts say is an admission to the violation of the 2008 updates to the on the import of endangered illegal timber from Madagascar and India.

As the CEO of the only Forest Stewardship Council Chain of Custody (FSC-COC) certified building firm in the nation, I am a huge fan of the Lacey Act.  This enforcement of the 2008 update to the Lacey Act recognizes the atrocity of importing illegal timber that doesn’t meet the laws governing countries where the wood is harvested. The World Bank recently published a valuing the illegal timber trade at $10 billion to $15 billion.

In some cases, illegal deforestation is done strictly under the premise of funding warlords in places like . Estimates show that 40 percent to 60 percent of comes from illegal logging. Much of this demand comes from instrument manufacturers. Gibson and other instrument manufacturers have been hooked on illegal, endangered wood like ebony and rosewood for generations due to their choice sound qualities.  The building and architecture community has been hooked on illegal timber as well, most of which we buy under the blanket banner name ‘IPE’ and use it for decking or exterior cladding.  Granted some IPE is even FSC certified, but if it’s not there is a very high probability it’s illegal especially if that wood was purchased pre-2008.  No doubt there are illegal IPE wrapped LEED certified buildings throughout our fair city.I’ve been aware of the Gibson lawsuit since 2009, when the U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Service made its first seizure of illegal wood from Gibson Guitar. Last August Gibson had illegal wood seized a second time. That’s twice in two years.

OK, from my understanding the wood from India was more of a technical legality and less the blood-diamond-like story of the wood seized from Madagascar. Regardless, if I were leading the iconic Gibson Guitar company and the federal government was seizing material because I was in violation of the Lacey Act, I would ensure to cross my T’s and dot my I’s and change my practices immediately. It would have been the right thing to do and could have averted the long term PR disaster. I can’t help but put the immortal words of George Bush Jr.’s into the mouth of Gibson Guitar CEO Henry Juszkiewicz:  “There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” —Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002

Well greenie-minded-Pickathonians don’t go throwing out your old Les Paul or other instruments from likely illegal deforestation. The damage is already done; no need to waste. There is nothing illegal about owning a guitar made from illegal timber, but if you’ve read this far, you can now make informed future choices. And instrument makers? You should invest in and understand the supply chain of the wood products that are fundamental to your business. Contact the , the global non-profit leader promoting responsible management of the world’s forests, or this amazing music-wood oriented non-profit . Sound and Fair was fundamental in helping instrument manufacturers like , a clarinet manufacturer, and to get FSC certified. If you are looking for a new instrument you should support Portlander Jonathan Lee, chief designer and president of and his Madera line of eco-friendly FSC-pure instruments. So my message to you all is this: get festive and go green, get your jiggety on and support FSC.

By the way, get ready for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife to start investigating building materials soon, you’ll be shocked to discover that some of your favorite specified materials are just as illegal as your Les Paul.

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In my last blog post I wrote about how Portland’s air stinks and generally indoor air (including the air in my drafty old home) stinks. Homes, I mentioned, mimic living systems, and my home is like a smoker on life support. How do I reconcile this?

A quick review why indoor air stinks: Buildings often get their so-called “fresh” air by infiltration. Drafty old homes exchange air through their building shells, picking up generations of collected dust such as pollen, dander, lead-paint and asbestos. Fortunately, they tend to leak so much the dust is diluted; however, the air becomes very dry with relative humidity (RH) often below 40 percent. RH between 40 and 60 percent is ideal for human health. Below 40 percent, viruses like influenza and measles thrive and our mucus membranes dry up making us more susceptible to respiratory infections. The flip side is more efficient homes tend to trap dust and chemical off-gassing. Moisture is trapped, too, and RH can climb above 60 percent allowing other viruses, fungi, bacteria, dust mites and molds to infect our air.

So how do I mimic a healthy living body and improve my home’s indoor air quality? In a perfect world I would make my vintage home air-tight and continuously provide outdoor air through a filter and exhaust the moist, stale, polluted air. For Portland and Seattle this air control is ideally done with a . Like a lung, an HRV is a whole house ventilation system that both filters and conditions incoming air. The best practice is to install the system to provide continuous air to the bedrooms and extract air from the bathrooms. Efficient HRVs use less energy than a 20w light bulb and lose less than a degree or two of air temperature even on the coldest days.

Additionally, I will reduce leakage in our home, which currently leaks its entire air volume 25 times per day. The tighter the better, but from experience a reasonable target for an old home would be to tighten to 6 times per day. This will be accomplished by air-sealing accessible areas of the home, primarily the floor system and attic. We also plan to clean out, air-seal and convert our fireplace into a new home for plants. Our leaky old windows are in major disrepair, so we plan to replace them as well. To minimize adding chemicals into the home, I plan to use a combination of , cellulose, and low VOC to insulate and air seal.

Finally we get to remove the monster lurking in our basement: a 30-year-old gas furnace with an octopus of asbestos wrapped ducting. The plan is to upgrade to minimal duct work in our conditioned attic that our new and HRV will share. The heat pump now replaces the last combustion appliance in our home eliminating any concern of combustion air, or natural gas leaking into our air.

A couple simple tricks will help ensure best results: I plan to balance the HRV to have slightly positive indoor air pressure to help ensure our fresh air comes from our HRVs filter and is not sucked in through the walls. This also helps to keep Radon from seeping in. The smart control for the HRV will respond to interior RH and change ventilation rates to help balance RH in the healthy zone.

OK, that’s how I plan to do it. But every home and situation is unique; at Green Hammer we’ve improved indoor air in countless ways. I always recommend starting with an , diagnostic testing and a comprehensive approach.

And, sometimes the simplest solution is best. For those of you looking to improve indoor air without all the hoopla and major expense, or you already upgraded your home, we LOVE this living system about air-cleaning plants.

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I’m coming out of the closet about something: my air stinks. Indoor air quality in existing buildings like my 1920s Northeast Portland bungalow is stale, smelly and causes severe health issues.

The warns that indoor air quality is generally two to five times (and in some cases 100 times) more polluted than outdoor air. This is a serious issue when you consider the majority of us spend 90 percent of our lives indoors. For my fellow Portlanders, this news is more appalling when you consider of our outdoor air. In a 2005 national-scale air toxics assessment, the most recent completed, the EPA concluded air pollution in the Portland-metro area put us at the of any metro area in the United States. Only the Los Angeles- and New York City-metro areas were worse.

So our air stinks. But why does my indoor air stink? Many of us assume it’s the toxic stuff people buy, like particleboard furniture and vinyl products like toys and shower curtains, which give off volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This is certainly , but my wife and I are strictly conscious about not purchasing toxic stuff. For others, like myself, it could be toxic combustion equipment like furnaces, hot water heaters, gas ranges and wood stoves. again. In fact, gas cooktops emit nitrogen dioxide and other hazardous gases, which have been directly correlated to neurological development in early childhood. So certainly toxic materials and combustion appliances don’t help the indoor air quality, but one culprit is potentially worse: poor ventilation.

We generally get our fresh air through infiltration – that means leaks. What we call “fresh” air comes into our homes through air leaks in our siding, wall cavities, electrical plugs, crawl spaces, attics and chimneys. How fresh that air is depends partly on the last time those areas were cleaned – when was the last time you cleaned them?

Our homes are also under near-constant negative pressure, meaning air is sucked out through bathroom fans, stove hoods and the like, and replaced with toxic air that leaks through the building envelope from outside. Other toxins come inside through other means: on our shoes, on our pets’ coats and on the humans slough off daily. Yuck! We exacerbate the issue by adding gallons of moisture via breathing, cooking and bathing, which at relative humidity levels mold, mildew, bacteria, pathogens and viruses to thrive indoors.

So where does that leave my family and our 90-year-old, stinky home? I decided to take a comprehensive approach to fix the problem. After all, homes live and breath just like our bodies, and the comprehensive solutions—eating right, exercising, and not smoking—always have better results than shortcuts. I’ll write next time about my comprehensive approach to tackle the stinky air problem in my home. In the meantime, think of your body like a home: open your windows and ponder the significance of our bodies being air-tight, vapor-open and breathing through an intake and an exhaust.

Stephen Aiguier is a certified Passive House consultant and CEO of .

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On life, Neil Young once said, “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” We celebrate youth, yet we mourn aging. Aging develops wisdom, and it’s a fact of life. It’s high time we celebrate all of life’s process by leaving behind a legacy of what we value.  Why not wisely plan for the inevitable while reveling in your life and values? Honor yourself with an investment that defines your beliefs and benefits you as you age.

Inspiring architecture with durable detailing has proven to be a valuable asset and a part of the human legacy since the dawn of civilization. Designing and building a home is a large investment for anyone, and for those who can afford to, it’s an opportunity to invest in our values and honor our working class with jobs (Remember how John Lennon sang “A working class hero is something to be?”)

It’s no surprise the Baby Boomers who coined “sex, drugs and rock and roll” are not exactly thrilled about fading away in a cold, empty house – or some societal prescribed nursing “home.”

How we design to “” for future mobility has become increasingly important, i.e. bedroom suites on the ground level, ADA accessible entries and interior spaces. Wouldn’t it also be ideal to eliminate energy costs and minimize maintenance? What about continuous fresh air and excellent thermal comfort year round? And who wouldn’t love to be within walking distance to their favorite cafes, pubs and organic groceries? Even better, how about this home be customized for your values and inviting to other who share these values to live as close neighbors?

A pair of clients couldn’t agree more. One year ago, two progressive boomer couples hired Green Hammer to design and build a place where they could age among friends in a walkable community with healthy, comfortable buildings that produce as much renewable energy as they consume. The result is , an urban community of townhouses on the Ankeny bikeway near the bustling shops and restaurants of Southeast 28th Avenue.

Ankeny Row is designed to encourage community interaction: it includes a community building, a salt spa, sauna and gardens. The homes are designed to meet the rigorous standard, net zero on energy, and be the first Forest Stewardship Council certified townhouses in the nation.

So how does one appropriately burn out and not fade away? Well, I say burn bright! Celebrate and embrace life and aging.

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It was a sunny day in Ashland, and as I put out my hand to shake Allen Satterfield’s I noticed a look of puzzlement.  Allen, one of Southern Oregon’s greatest concrete contractors is the kind of guy who’s seen all projects great and small.

“Boy, you are a young little guy!” he said. “I mean, this isn’t an everyday project. I expected a big, old, hard-nosed kind of guy.”

Allen’s right. It’s not an everyday project. Green Hammer‘s Ashland house boasts more than 5,000 square feet of ultra-high-performance inspired living.  When completed, the structure will be the first and rated building in the United States.  Perched atop a golden hillside in Ashland, the home’s design exemplifies the precision of modern simplicity with breathtaking views, trimless detailing and elaborate artwork designed into the structure. What’s more unique is it’s building envelope: 17 times tighter than the code equivalent with energy loads of a home one sixth the size, giving it indoor air quality as fresh as an Ashland breeze.

Generally I champion the concept that small buildings have a greener footprint than large ones, yet I also believe every building has the potential to inspire a community. Each building we create is a reflection of values through a series of choices. At any scale these values can shine through. To quote Pink Floyd, “Money…it’s a drag.” But if we use money consciously and keep our focus on the well being of people and the planet, the positive effect will be powerful.

Sustainability is where economic, environmental and social priorities overlap harmoniously. One thing I’ve learned over my career is if we balance this trifecta, ultimately the larger investment inspires others to place confidence in social and environmental values, too.

In Ashland, this big, hard-nosed 5,200-square-foot house is proof. Values to promote prosperity for people and the planet have driven its creation, and it will survive generations beyond the people building it.

We are integrating expertise in construction, thermodynamics, biology and natural resource management against a backdrop of inspirational creativity. Sometimes it takes a not-everyday project to envision how to apply the same technology for the everyday. Can you imagine these ideas put into practice when building our schools and community centers? Our typical homes? Our shopping malls and grocery stores? Can you imagine living in a neighborhood where everyone has access to comfortable, healthy and inspiring buildings, while reducing our impact on the planet and carbon emissions?

This young little guy can.

Stephen Aiguier is a certified passive house consultant and CEO of , an integrated design, build and energy firm based in Portland. Contact him at stephen@greenhammer.com.

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