The Green Building and Development panel

The Green Building and Development Forum heated up this morning, with Gord Baird, JC Scott, Doug Makaroff, John Gower, and Elke Cole, as panelists. Each of these speakers brought a unique perspective to the green building debate but all of them universally emphasized one thing: make your house a home – not an investment. Make your house beautiful. Love it and it will last for a long time.

JC Scott explained 100 mile design and using local products. He asked the audience to consider if building materials are made from renewable resources, if they are extracted responsibly, if they can be recycled or are recycled and if they are energy efficient. Gord Bard followed with a personal experience of building an eco-home, explaining that a house should be in harmony with its surroundings, and resources should flow between the house and the local ecosystem. Elke Cole and John Gower both explain that natural building is about conscious decision making and that sustainable design will involve new measures of what it means to be happy. Doug Makaroff spoke of building with forests, rather than building over them.

Lastly, the panel advocated that green building isn’t necessarily about cob, earthen homes, or even solar panels and wind power – it’s about making a difference with what you have.