Salt Lake City, UT, Feb. 24--By most standards, Ashley Patterson is an unconventional entrepreneur, according to a story in the Salt Lake Tribune.
Owner of the Green Building Center, she would rather encourage a customer to refinish a hardwood floor than buy a new bamboo one. She looks to environmentalists Yvon Chouinard and Paul Hawken for business inspiration, and she wrote a footnote to her store hours: "We observe the powder day rule."
But her nontraditional business practices match what she sells: building materials that challenge mainstream methods.
The Green Building Center at 1952 E. 2700 South opened in October and is capturing a small, but growing market of consumers who want to create eco-friendly homes. Consumers might choose "green" products for remodeling and new construction projects because of health concerns or a desire to have a minimal impact on natural resources. Green buildings typically produce less construction waste, consume less energy and contain less toxic materials than conventional buildings.
One of the largest barriers to popularizing green building techniques is the perception that such techniques cost more. Green buildings cost up to 2 percent more initially, but they recoup 20 percent of construction costs over 20 years in lower energy costs and other savings, according to a study released last fall by California's Sustainable Building Task Force.
Often, incorporating green principles into a building project costs nothing.
Browsing Patterson's merchandise reveals a diverse sample of green products: insulation made from blue jean scraps, nontoxic paints, salvaged and sustainably harvested wood, recycled glass tiles, wheat board cabinets, bamboo flooring and wine racks made from bicycle rims. And if you bring in a few pairs of old skis, Patterson will turn them into an armchair.
Patterson thinks of her store as a "community" rather than a business: "Being in business is as much about building personal relationships as making money." She can offer her customers help through every step of the building process, including referrals to architects and contractors. In addition to building supplies, she has an extensive library of books about green design.
Patterson plans to increase her store's role as an information resource by holding workshops. In April, she is sponsoring a course on solar energy given by the nonprofit Solar Energy International based in Carbondale, Colo. "We have a great solar resource here and it's not being used," says Patterson, who is installing photovoltaic panels on the roof of her store. The state gives homeowners who install solar panels a state income tax credit of 25 percent of the equipment and installation cost.
Patterson is part of a growing community of green builders, architects, educators and consultants who are trying to increase green building in Utah.
Ivan Weber, founder of Weber Sustainability Consulting, last fall started a Utah chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council in Salt Lake City. He cites concerns about global warming, air quality, open space and population growth on the Wasatch Front as reasons for promoting green building.
Angela Dean, owner and principal of AMD Architecture in Salt Lake City, is a member of the group's steering committee. Since 1998, she has designed a half-dozen green homes. "As an architect, I felt like I would be sacrificing the quality of my work if I didn't understand the long-term effects [of what I built]."
Dean's recently published book, Green by Design, offers consumers tips on greening their homes and showcases a variety of examples of environmentally sustainable houses.
Dean has made many improvements to her Avenues home, including refinishing hardwood floors with water-based finishes and painting rooms with nontoxic paints. She built an addition that doubled the space of her house, but her energy bill remained the same because sh
