(Published in January '09, Merchant Magazine and Building Products Digest)
In past columns, we talked about the importance of community involvement, networking with green building leaders, and making sure the local municipal green building folks know who you are. It costs virtually nothing and can only lead to good things, and sometimes even spectacular things. Nothing exemplifies this better than Beronio Lumber’s involvement in an exciting little project that put an otherwise unremarkable little town in Northern California on the green building map.
South San Francisco is an industrial suburb of San Francisco, whose fortunes waned with the outflow of manufacturing and airline jobs over the years. Recently, city leaders had a vision to promote green building, community development, and the city’s attractiveness to potential new residents, and it all congealed around a single project. The city owns several rental properties and decided to transform one of them, a modest 3 bedroom bungalow, into a showcase called the Green X-Ray House (see their website here: www.greenxrayhouse.com.)
South San Francisco is an industrial suburb of San Francisco, whose fortunes waned with the outflow of manufacturing and airline jobs over the years. Recently, city leaders had a vision to promote green building, community development, and the city’s attractiveness to potential new residents, and it all congealed around a single project. The city owns several rental properties and decided to transform one of them, a modest 3 bedroom bungalow, into a showcase called the Green X-Ray House (see their website here: www.greenxrayhouse.com.)
While the focal point of the project is the house, the real story is about the community that came together to make it happen. The major player in this story is, of course, the City of South San Francisco’s Economic and Community Development Department who, earlier in the summer of 2008, convinced the Green Building Exchange to become part of another city project dubbed the Sustainability Center, a multi-use facility housing several green businesses. The Green Building Exchange is a unique business, designed to provide a central location for green building education for builders, architects and home owners. Beronio Lumber started building relationships with green building related organizations a couple of years ago, including the Green Building Exchange where they’ve even installed a permanent display. So, when conversations began about what to do with the vacant property, the city consulted with the, now local, Green Building Exchange, who immediately brought Beronio Lumber into the process. Thus, the Green X-Ray House was born.
The concept was simple: remodel the house with lots of green features to demonstrate how easy a modest green makeover could be. Beronio Lumber provided decking materials, FSC certified flooring, FSC molding, window and door casings, as well as the windows and doors. Meanwhile, the folks at Green Building Exchange talked up the project with other local firms – it seemed everyone wanted to be involved. The modest green makeover quickly became a vibrant community project. Over 19 local firms participated, nearly all directly involved in the green building industry. Local builder W.L. Taylor Construction managed the project. Local plastering company Get Plastered! (yes, that’s their name!) applied American Clay, an interior plaster product that is all the rage among interior designers. The most surprising partner was Pepsico/Frito-Lay, whose business has nothing to do with green building, but as a local member of the community donated cash and over 25 volunteers to work on the house over a weekend.
The concept was simple: remodel the house with lots of green features to demonstrate how easy a modest green makeover could be. Beronio Lumber provided decking materials, FSC certified flooring, FSC molding, window and door casings, as well as the windows and doors. Meanwhile, the folks at Green Building Exchange talked up the project with other local firms – it seemed everyone wanted to be involved. The modest green makeover quickly became a vibrant community project. Over 19 local firms participated, nearly all directly involved in the green building industry. Local builder W.L. Taylor Construction managed the project. Local plastering company Get Plastered! (yes, that’s their name!) applied American Clay, an interior plaster product that is all the rage among interior designers. The most surprising partner was Pepsico/Frito-Lay, whose business has nothing to do with green building, but as a local member of the community donated cash and over 25 volunteers to work on the house over a weekend.
The Green X-Ray House is now a symbol for the neighborhood, not just as another green show house, but of what can happen when a community comes together to try to make a difference. Beronio Lumber created enormous community good will, as did other participants. The Green X-Ray House neighbors are thrilled because their property values went up a tick and their community got some positive recognition. Suddenly South San Francisco is a green leader, with cities from around the country sending representatives to learn how this successful collaboration can be replicated in their communities.
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