A panel on the KBISNeXT Stage offered first steps toward thinking sustainably. By Dianne M. Pogoda

 

Perhaps the biggest challenge to a greener world is changing how people approach the topic.

According to a panel of experts on recycling and environmental responsibility, who presented “Sustaining Sustainability” on the KBISNeXT Stage, changing the thinking about sustainability and recycling is the first step toward a greener planet.

“What we understand about sustainability has changed hugely over the past couple of decades, from a product to a lifestyle focus,” said Avi Rajagopal, editor in chief of Metropolis magazine, who moderated the panel. “The focus used to be on energy performance or carbon footprint — more concerned with physical objects. Now, it’s more about how you live your life and what impact it has on your health and well-being and that of your clients. It’s not about how much wood you’re using, or your electricity bill – it’s about contributing toward a positive future for the planet.”

Rajagopal asked the panel, which included Steve Feldman, founder and CEO of Renovation Angel, a luxury recycler; Marla Esser Cloos, also known as the Green Home Coach, and Susan Inglis, executive director/GREEN AP of the Sustainable Furnishings Council, for strategies they use to move consumers toward greener thinking.

“We help create a home that works for you, not the other way around,” said Cloos. “It’s important to make choices that align with your values, like lowering the toxins in your home, choosing more durable products that will last a long time and opting for organic. We have to set an example for our clients. If you replace one lightbulb with an LED light, that’s a good starting point. It might cost a little more, but it’s going to give you better quality light, it’s recyclable and healthier for you and your clients. We have to train ourselves to think green.”

The panelists noted that home furnishings are a major contributor to landfills and other environmental sins.

“Americans throw away 9,700 tons of furnishings annually,” said Inglis. “The first thing to think about is that you don’t throw it away. In every community, there are places to donate furniture, carpet, etc. You can upcycle or recycle.” Furnishings, she pointed out, make up 4% of total U.S. landfill waste.

Consumers must be mindful, however, of what’s in the products they’re disposing, she said, adding that a lot of Eighties-era products include harmful chemical inputs.

Feldman said he encourages kitchen designers to start the process by assessing the existing kitchen to see what kind of shape it’s in and what can be recycled.

“Consumers can save $10,000 to $50,000, depending on the size of the project, in tax deductions and demolition costs,” he said. “We’ve created an after-market of people who are buying used luxury. We remove all components with ‘white-glove’ service — no smashing of cabinets and counters. These are all reusable, re-sellable and tax deductible. We find the third-party appraiser and make the tax-deduction process easy.

“Think about it — people buy a used luxury car,” he added. “They can buy a pre-owned luxury kitchen.”

Every year, more than 50,000 luxury kitchens that could have been recycled and reused are dumped into landfills. “Luxury kitchens can generate $800 million for the circular economy in resale, and $200 million to $300 million in jobs,” added Feldman.

In discussing some of the challenges, Inglis said that one of the biggest obstacles is knowing what’s in the very complex supply chain. “Take even a simple product like wood, for instance. It’s not always responsibly harvested. When our choices in wood contribute to deforestation, we are contributing to the huge global climate crisis and not ensuring a healthy future.”

She cited stats that U.S. is the largest consumer of wood processed in China; 50% of global timber is processed in China, and 80% of that is illegally logged. U.S. is the largest consumer of wood processed in China.

Also, harmful chemicals are commonly used in production of residential furnishings, including flame retardants, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like formaldehyde, antimicrobials, highly fluorinated stain treatments and PVC.

Cloos noted that another big challenge is getting over the idea that going green is very expensive. “If it costs more initially, it could have a cost-savings impact down the chain of renovation. You might have to spend more money [on a green option], but maybe you won’t have to spend so much time designing and thinking about it — and this can bring the cost down. The sooner in the process you start thinking of these options, the more impact you can make without spending a lot of money.”

The components of a green home include the land it’s on, the resources it uses — energy and water — how healthy it is, the air the homeowners are breathing and how the homeowners use that home, she said.

“Think about ‘incremental green’ — or green as you go. You don’t have to do it all at once,” she suggested. “Next time you paint, use a low VOC or no-VOC paint. Replace a light fixture with an energy efficient fixture. It’s all about our choices.”

Feldman said education is a big challenge, because most consumers don’t even know they can recycle their kitchens. By offering clients a recycling option, designers are really giving their clients a bigger renovation budget.

“Designers come to us to see how to incorporate recycling in a bid, as a way to win the business. You’ll be a hero in the eyes of the client,” he said.

Inglis said one of the keys to more sustainable living involves protecting the lands and indigenous peoples in the regions where many of the illegal harvesting is taking place and the people are vulnerable to exploitation. Responsible wood harvesting means empowering the local people and implementing robust wood sourcing policies. On the SFC website, there’s a wood sourcing scorecard that designers and consumers can use when they’re shopping to see which retailers utilize sustainable sourcing.

The National Green Building Standard is the simplest way to certify a remodel or a whole project as green, Cloos noted. “It’s similar to LEED for homes, and it’s a very flexible standard – there are more than 1,100 practice points, and you only need 261 points to certify at the lowest level.

“Ask your clients what’s important to them, what it is they really want from their space,” she said. “Probably it’s to look great and perform well — but we often forget about performance. This is where green and sustainable practices can really help the client to have both.”

Feldman said Renovation Angel has instituted a recycling standard for the kitchen and bath industry, which up until now has not had one. “In Europe, this is an old concept — there, kitchens are furniture and they move with the people. It’s harder to do this in the U.S., but ‘hard’ is an opportunity,” he said. “We’re trying to make it easier.”