Lamps Plus recently announced a partnership with Green Builder Media as a sponsor of the VISION House at Mariposa Meadows that is nestled in the picturesque Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
The VISION House at Mariposa Meadows’s goal is to create a self-sufficient, carbon neutral development that will eventually include other low-impact residencies, a corporate campus and research center that will host environmental testing, training, and leadership summits.
The project will operate off the grid by employing renewable energy sources like solar power. The project will also use a selection of lighting designs with low environmental impact from Lamps Plus. We have a deep commitment to advancing sustainability and offer thousands of energy-efficient or LED designs!
We were lucky enough to ask Sara Gutterman, CEO, and Ron Jones, President, of Green Builder Media several questions about green building and sustainable design:
1. What is so beneficial about green building?
Green building helps to reconcile the relationship between the natural and built environments by allowing us to provide the built spaces we need while reducing our footprint and demand on resources.
2. Why should someone build green?
It is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do. For too long the construction industry, both residential and commercial, have used the metric of first cost to evaluate a project but we have come to understand that first cost is not full cost and that the true value can only be determined by taking the long view.
3. Have you seen an increase in interest in sustainable design?
Interest in sustainable design has grown at a significant rate ever since the last quarter of the 20th century, capturing the attention of producers and users alike.
4. What is the most misunderstood aspect of green building?
Many people still operate under the misconception that green building and sustainable development are too expensive to accomplish, thus unaffordable, a fallacy that is easily debunked when performance, durability and resiliency are factored in.
5. What is the biggest trend you see coming in green design today?
There is definitely more interest in downsizing many types of buildings, reflecting a desire to be more efficient in how we build and how we occupy the built space.
6. In sustainable design, you should splurge on:
Quality over quantity.
7. How important is lighting in sustainable design?
Long overlooked in the grand scheme of building design, the immense value of careful, intelligent lighting design and strategies and the resulting benefits to occupants has finally gained the stature it deserves.
8. How large a role does LED technology play in sustainable design?
LED technology has opened an immense set of new solutions to lighting challenges that could not be addressed by earlier lighting options, allowing for creative, efficient responses to the desires of the modern client.
9. What sustainable building tip can you share about lighting?
Use lighting not only for basic illumination but also an essential design element that can vastly increase the enjoyment of spaces and enhance the quality of our lives.
10. What is a good DIY project people can do to make their homes more green?
There are many steps people can take to make their homes more green. Obviously, upgrading to more energy efficient products is a big step. People can also do small things like composting or working with neighbors to create community gardens.