Rebuild Green Expo
Santa Rosa Veterans Hall, 10 am-7 pm, Free
Presented by Rebuild Green North Bay Coalition
Resilient, affordable, community-centered
GREEN rebuilding options for the North Bay
Home owners involved in rebuilding after the fires face thousands of decisions: design, builders, materials, budget, the list goes on and on. Many of those decisions offer a variety of green options, but it’s a challenge to know how to go about it.
Fortunately, Northern California is home to many of the world’s most experienced and knowledgeable green and sustainable building professionals, who have formed the Rebuild Green Coalition. The Coalition is hosting the Rebuild Green Expo on Friday, February 23, at the Santa Rosa Veterans’ Hall. Admission is free to the public, and promises to make the process of rebuilding green much easier.
“Mostly, it’s about showing people that green and sustainable approaches are not only viable and affordable, they are also healthier and offer better resilience for communities to survive disasters with less disruption,” says Steve Sheldon, architect and builder with Ibis Builds of Sebastopol who represents the US Green Building Council Redwood Empire, and one of the Expo organizers. “We’ll also be offering folks the chance to meet and speak to the experts about their own home designs while learning about all aspects of green building.”
The Expo will showcase information on fire-resistant materials and methods, rooftop solar and micro-grid systems, healthy homes and interiors, resilient communities, defensible and drought-resistant landscapes, zero-net energy, efficient home design, safe induction cooking, financing green building, accessory dwelling units, battery storage for homes, and much more. Professionals on hand will include architects, engineers, energy providers/consultants, landscape designers, contractors, and materials suppliers, to name a few.
Why green? A few benefits include:
- Economic: energy, water, and other efficiencies don’t necessarily cost more, and yet most pay for themselves within a few years and offer significant savings in long-term operating costs. In addition, efficiencies in construction can actually reduce building costs, and incentives can often provide even more savings.(PG&E and Sonoma Clean Power are developing incentives for homeowners rebuilding after the fire, and will be sharing them at the EXPO.)
- Health: homes designed to provide good indoor air quality and non-toxic materials are healthier for people and other living things.
- Resiliency: making sustainable and renewable choices — such as micro-grids, batteries, water reuse systems, and more — make neighborhoods and communities more likely to withstand fires, earthquakes, and other potential threats with less disruption and faster recovery.
- Environment: making sustainable choices is good for the planet.
“The question really is ‘Why would anybody NOT choose green?’” Sheldon adds. “Who wouldn’t want a more efficient and healthier home? We aim to make it as easy as possible, and the group is ready do whatever we can to help folks who are facing the daunting challenges ahead. We are in it for the long haul. The Expo is only the beginning.”
