In honor of Al Gore's Nobel peace prize for attention to global warming I am going to talk a little about Green Building in Hawaii. The fact is-there's not enough of it!! Hawaii has an opportunity to be a leader in alternate technologies- solar, photovoltaics, water treatment etc but is not putting its best foot forward. I live in Volcano, a rainforest community and gateway to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. As in all areas there are pressures for growth. The current community underserves the 1.5 million visitors to the park and is very proactive in protecting the rainforest. There needs to be balance in the two arena. Growth is inevitable. People need sustainable lifestyles. Hawaii needs to develop more mixed use concepts that allow people to live and work in their community without having to waste fuel on lengthy commutes. Green building techniques help preserve the rainforest by conciously removing only what needs to be taken and not polluting the environment.
At the Craters Edge www.VisitTheVolcano.com was built as a great example of integrating a house with its environment. It was built by MahanaHomes www.vervedesignbuild.com who is now creating luxury kit homes based on their pod designs that can be adapted for the site.
GO GREEN!!!
