Many of us share the disappointment that something as pure and clean as “green” has now become a buzz word for marketers to get your attention and make a profit.
Let’s keep it simple. If its “green,” that means it warms the planet less, uses less non-renewable fuel, creates a smaller carbon footprint, is renewable by itself, and, generally speaking, makes us all more aware that we have to conserve and that there may just be more than one generation hoping to inhabit this planet.
My father, who is now 96, often points out that in his lifetime we used up almost all the petroleum fuel it took millions of years to make!
So it is with this thought that we as a family and as owners of Conservatory Craftsmen company began to realize the need to re-shape our lives and our business.
Conservatories, since their inception 200 years ago, have been special places for the wealthy class. In the early days of conservatories, the motivation was to bring rare species of plants from the newly discovered regions of the world, and culture them in comfortable environments.
Some of us were around during the last American embrace of alternative fuels and lifestyle during the early ‘70s. Whatever your politics, we all now think is unfortunate that a thriving alternative energy industry was starting to develop before Washington pulled the plug on those efforts. Much of that research went to Denmark and Japan, who are now selling it back to us.
During that period, there was actually a tax incentive to homeowners to make energy efficient changes to their homes, so citizens gladly got on the bandwagon, adding Lord and Burnham greenhouses, creating passive solar spaces, growing vegetables, and changing the concept of the American home.
When the legislation was repealed, Lord and Burnham went bankrupt. Fast food restaurants embraced the look of the solarium architecture, and then quickly removed their sunrooms when they discovered the affects of passive solar gain!
So here we are today, when energy efficiency is at the forefront of everyone’s minds. Our mission is to challenge America with alternative concepts for home building.
Technology has come a long way since the ’70s and many more efficient products are now available to achieve our goals.
However, most people are in the dark and wondering where to start.
I recall my first computer, an Apple IIe. Great tool. I had to learn DOS language, and Lotus 123. I knew I was on the right track, but had no idea where to go for the help I needed.
Solar and alternative energy today is a bit like my IIe. We are on the very cusp of huge changes and developments that will occur over the next few years.
Yes, my IIe was quickly outdated, my floppies sit with my vinyl records, and we moved on, at a quantum pace.
With this in mind, we know the mindset of Americans today is their desire to participate, change and make a difference. But, you ask, where do I start? Without becoming a solar geek, what can I do to make a difference?
We are going to begin a series of articles that allow you to plan and design your conservatory addition.
We will discuss design, orientation, mechanical design, passive solar, active solar, photovoltaic, greenhouse gardening and other related solar concepts to educate you and allow you to make informed decisions. Stay tuned!
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Jim Hewitt is owner of Conservatory Craftsmen, a US conservatory building and desiging firm. Jim has been building conservatories for over 20 years.