If
you are in the construction or design community, the word
sustainability likely comes up frequently in your daily life. The
growing debates and discussions on Climate Change and its effect on our
future is a constant and relevant topic these days. I would also say
that few people you meet don’t want to do right by our environment and
ensure that we are all good stewards of the earth. It’s not the end
goal; it’s the method that has elicited most of the debate. But much
like a diet, we know what’s good for us but we sometimes have a hard
time sticking to the plan or knowing which one is best.
Like many
of my contemporaries, my introduction to sustainability was courtesy of a
booming voice from my father asking if “I lived in a barn” as he
demanded I shut the door behind me as I would come into our family home.
Conservation of energy was clearly on his mind, and keeping a watchful
eye on doors and windows and turning off lights in empty rooms was a
constant reminder to not waste our resources because they cost money.