| EVENT REPORT 08.05.08 8:00 AM |
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| Harlem Renaissance |
| Good Housekeeping built Harlem's first LEED-certified home from the ground up, using old jeans, recycled concrete, and energy efficient appliances for its annual "Green House." |
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Green comes in many different shades, and with so many events and marketing efforts aiming for an environmental angle these days, the results can come up short. To achieve something certifiably green, it takes quite a bit of work. Good Housekeeping wanted nothing short of that certification for its third annual "Green House," which opened its doors to the public in Harlem this past weekend, so the magazine built Manhattan’s first LEED-certified private residence.
The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design designation requires attention to every detail of construction and design. Previous incarnations of the Green House in established homes on the Upper East Side and upstate in Saratoga somewhat limited the magazine's environmental efforts, but with the Harlem brownstone, there was an opportunity to start almost from scratch.
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | None of the paint used in the house contained VACs (volatile organic compounds), which damage the environment and deplete indoor air quality.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash |
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 | The wood used by Shaw Floors would have been recycled or burned if it hadn't been repurposed.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash |
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 | A hole in the wall exposed 100-percent recycled insulation made of old denim.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash |
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 | Gas fireplaces in the house gave the appearance of real wood-burning fireplaces without the harmful environmental effects.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash |
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 | Before Good Housekeeping set to work, this brick wall was one of only three intact.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash |
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 | CaesarStone, conscientiously mined quartz that needs no chemical treatments, lined the kitchen countertops.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash |
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 | Designer Robin Wilson created spaces that would work in the home of a typical Good Housekeeping reader.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash |
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 | Diamond, which made the house's dark cherry cabinets, is a certified member of the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association's Environmental Stewardship Program.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash |
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 | Guests could peruse the magazine's latest issue on the massive balcony outside the master bedroom.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash |
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 | Guests left with packets filled with information on how to make their own homes greener.
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash |
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"So many times things like these are just greenwashed, and it's misleading to the consumer," said Good Housekeeping associate publisher Renee Lewin. "When we decided to pursue LEED certification, a broker told us about this house in Harlem with only three walls left, surrounded on both sides by other refurbished buildings. You could see the bones of the building were there, but it needed a lot of TLC."
Construction on the four-story home took a mere six months from start to finish, but the process was a unique one for the builders. "Everything we did was with our sponsors' materials," says Lewin. "You couldn’t just run to Home Depot."
The inconvenience of not being able to visit the nearest chain hardware store was probably muted by the tens of thousands of dollars in donated goods. Sponsors like Bosch Home Appliances, Green Depot, Kohler, and Shaw Floors were just some of the brands that signed on to the project. When construction completed, Robin Wilson brought all the elements together in her interior design.
Though the house is fully furnished and ready to sell or host a party, Good Housekeeping left a few raw elements intact to explain how the Green House earned its color. The juxtaposition of a fully set dining room table and a small hole in the wall that exposed the house’s recycled denim insulation showed guests that a sensitivity to the environment wasn’t limited to no-VOC (volatile organic compounds) paint and energy efficient windows. Touches like these, along with instructional materials, educated guests at a gala opening last Wednesday and the general public over the weekend.
For the next Green House project, Good Housekeeping is keeping its options open, but there's an interest in trying a project more easily achieved by the average consumer. The tenets of LEED certification, while some of the most beneficial to the environment, can be difficult and expensive to adhere to. There are only about 1,000 LEED-certified homes in the U.S.
When the magazine vacates the house on Wednesday afternoon, it's ready to sell. Owners Gad Demry and Michael Kadosh have already listed the property for $4.6 million. "If you're willing to compromise a little control," says Lewin of the profitable partnership for the owners, "it's a pretty great deal."
—Michael O'Connell
RELATED TOPICS
Good Housekeeping, Going Green
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