When Paul McCreesh and Chris Lucas moved their green design and contracting business to the Coachella Valley two years ago, their reception was not what you would call environmentally friendly.

“People said two things,” recalled McCreesh, who started the business in the San Francisco Bay Area. “What does this have to do with the desert? And it will never take off.”

Fast-forward to a recent breakfast workshop in Palm Desert, where about 30 to 40 area architects, designers and contractors turned out to hear McCreesh and Lucas – aka Green Guys Construction – talk about the nuts and bolts of green building.

“This is the hottest topic in interior design right now, said valley designer Mary Martin-O’Shea. “For home remodeling, it’s just the best. We can recycle carpet, use the right air conditioning. It’s in every aspect of what we do.”

Green design seems to have reached its cultural tipping point, shedding its Northern California, tree-hugging image. It’s good for the Earth, and it’s way cool and fashionable, with luxury condos in New York advertising their LEED certification as major selling points.

LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, a certification developed by the U.S. Green Building Council primarily for public buildings and other large-scale projects.

Certification means the building has been designed and built out of eco-friendly and recycled materials, produces less waste and consumes less power and water.

The Palm Desert Visitor Center on Highway 111 was the first building in the Coachella Valley to earn a LEED certification. Upcoming LEED projects include the Henderson Community Building, under construction next to the Visitor Center, and Polo Square, a 10-story mixed use project in Indio.

“It’s become so mainstream now,” said Brian Gitt, executive director of Build It Green, a California group that focuses more on the residential market.

Driving the increased acceptance, Gitt said, is a combination of higher energy prices and growing concerns about global warming.

“Green building is a way people can tangibly address this issue and increase their quality of life,” he said. “It’s good for people, and it’s good for health.”

McCreesh and Lucas also stress the health and comfort benefits of going green, and they have plenty of ideas for eco-remodeling a kitchen or living room.

Compact fluorescent bulbs and Energy Star appliances, of course, they said. But newer, more intriguing options include insulation made from recycled denim, kitchen cabinets made without formaldehyde, recycled glass tiles for kitchens and bathrooms, and flooring made from sorghum grass.

“There are multiple products coming out every day,” McCreesh said. “Each room (in a house) has examples.”

On the cost issue, green and recycled materials can be more expensive, he said. But up-front costs can be balanced by savings down the road on power and water, and the less tangible rewards of having a healthier, more comfortable living environment.

Doug McCourt and Dean Foster of Palm Springs, friends of McCreesh and Lucas, turned to Green Guys Construction when it was time for a kitchen remodel on their home on East Maricopa Drive. Along with knocking down a wall and adding lots of windows – using double-glazed, low-emission glass – McCreesh and Lucas used non-formaldehyde cabinets and environmentally friendly countertops and paint.

The lighting system was a challenge – McCourt drew the line on compact fluorescents in the kitchen, but they came up with a system using low-wattage halogen bulbs all on dimmers.

“I hardly ever turn them on all the way,” McCourt said.

The payoff, McCourt said, has been a major lifestyle change. Instead of spending most of their time in the den, watching television, the couple now hang out in the kitchen and they’re entertaining more.

“We’re probably in here 80 percent more of the time,” said McCourt. “We have no reason to go (to the den).

David Nyhus, an architect who has worked with McCreesh and Lucas, said more home owners in the area are looking for green design and remodeling options. And with events like the Green Guys workshop, a small but vigorous green building community is taking shape.

“Clients are much more interested in (green design).” Nyhus said. “Sometimes there are things you can do with recycled materials that you can’t (with standard materials).”

Bert Bitanga, head of the architecture program at College of the Desert, said he wants to add a green building course to the curriculum.

“I’m glad to see it’s becoming more popular and utilized in the valley,” he said.

“It’s the wave of the future,” said Shawn Koedel, who is studying with Bitanga to become a green architect. “We not going to have another chance to go to sustainability.”

source : www.thedesertsun.com