Kim Pemberton
Sun
CREDIT: Bill Keay, Vancouver Sun Pam Groberman gets into her green theme.
CREDIT: Bill Keay, Vancouver Sun Tony Millares was given the assignment of custom-designing the ecologically friendly furniture for Groberman’s project.
Going green or striving to be environmentally friendly is an approach more and more developers are taking with housing projects.
For those who aren’t fully on the “go green” bandwagon Pam Groberman, who runs a public relations company that markets many condo and housing projects in the Lower Mainland, is the person to see for inspiration.
Groberman is in the midst of creating an “eco-friendly” office in Yaletown — one that not only does little harm to the environment but is also a healthier workplace for herself and two staff.
“I’ve been told I’m probably taking it to the extreme,” said Groberman. “It’s been really hard to be green but maybe in a couple of years it will be easier.”
The main problem, she said, has been finding local products that are truly sustainable.
Sustainable or “green” materials are ones that have not been harvested so that a resource is depleted or damaged. A “green environment” is also one where energy or water consumption has been reduced, incorporates recycled materials and promotes a healthier indoor environment.
Groberman is so dedicated to the go-green cause she is trying to find material that is 100 per cent sustainable and not simply recycle older products. Take her couch, for instance. She wasn’t able to find a 100 per cent recyclable couch locally because most are made from “chemical-filled” foam or use unhealthy dyes, she said.
“I had no other choice but to get one in San Francisco, which uses hemp and rubber,” said Groberman, adding unfortunately the “trade-off” was having it delivered because of the jet fuel usage.
Asked why not recycle a second-hand couch Groberman explained the materials used in one “wouldn’t go back to the earth.” “Where would it end up once I was done with it?” she noted.
Being so strict means Groberman has had to be patient with having her 2,500 square foot office completed. She began the project in June but doesn’t expect it will be ready until November.
Interior designer Rachel Brown, of Simple, said a lot of the time has been spent trying to source sustainable materials.
And like Groberman, Brown is optimistic eco-friendly products will be more readily available locally in the future as “going green” continues to gain popularity.
“A lot of this stuff could be found in home designs,” said Brown.
But, Brown warns, anyone trying to go green at home should take care to ensure what the supplier claims is true.
As an example, she said, “carpet companies say the carpets are recyclable but there are no plants to recycle carpets.”
That means Groberman’s office will be carpet-free. The white floors, have all been painted by hand, because it’s less toxic than spray paint, said Groberman, and the product used was an eco-friendly product called EcoLogic Waterborne Eggshell.
Groberman has also chosen a mat flooring made from recycled tire rubber to be used under the office desks.
The desks and some other furniture, such as end tables and a credenza, are being made from reclaimed fir from a saw mill and an old logging bridge from the Sunshine Coast.
They are being custom-made by furniture designers Tony Millares III and his wife Amber Host, of Urthwurks Furniture Inc.
“There’s very few people doing well-designed, ecological products,” said Millares III.
“We’ve been doing quite a bit of market research and I would expect this will take off. We want to promote ecological furniture for a number of reasons – the environmental aspect and our own health.”
He said it makes more sense to use wheatboard, which is made of wheat-straw fibers bound with resin, instead of a product that uses formaldehyde, such as particleboard.
But, Millares III, noted going green isn’t cheap.
One of his desk costs anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 while a sidetable is in the $1,000 to $2,500 range, depending on the finish.
Groberman said one of her biggest splurges was deciding to buy the extremely comfortable and 96 per cent recyclable Mirra office chair from LivingSpace. Each one cost $1,000 and she needed three.
While the project has been expensive, Groberman said she’s also had some breaks. She points out after finding her new office space, on the second floor of a low-rise brick building on Homer Street, she negotiated with the landlord to change to the lights to the energy efficient compact fluorescent lighting. The lighting saves up to 75 per cent in energy costs compared to incandescent lamps, according to B.C. Hydro’s Product Incentive Program brochure.
The landlord also agreed to change the toilets to ones that used less water when flushed.
The final touches in Groberman’s green space will include a natural water feature, and a 22-foot long planter box along one wall, all with plants that have very high air cleansing properties, said Brown. These include peace lily, bamboo palm, dracaena marginata and gerbera daisies.
“Everyone loves Gerbera daisies,” said Groberman. “And they’re healthy for you.”
“Going green doesn’t have to be just about granola and Birkenstocks. It’s healthy and cool too.”
HOMEWORKS
When is something green?
– Sustainable or “green” buildings refer to building materials used so that the harvesting does not deplete or damage a resource.
– A green building is also one that incorporates salvaged or recycled materials.
– Promotes a healthier environment
To help standardize what qualifies as green architecture, the Washington, D.C.-based industry group Green Building Council created the LEED rating system. Leed stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, that provides a point-driven certification program to assess a building performance and provides a standard for what constitutes a sustainable building.
© The Vancouver Sun 2004
