What Does Green Mean?

Today, I walked along Forbes Avenue in Squirrel Hill and noticed four beautiful houses about to be demolished. Attached to a chain link fence facing the sidewalk, were the words "Location. Light. Size. Space. Green. Efficient. Luxurious. Beautiful." And a photo of the proposed new development, another cookie-cutter bland box.

The development, proudly sponsored by Coldwell Banker Previews and Terradime ("Tear-it-Down") Development and Sustainability, prominently featured their signs in front.

Green? Who are they kidding? I don't get it.

Why tear down perfectly good old houses and send them to a landfill and build something new and call it "green"?

This issue is partly about waste, partly about good design (or, lack thereof), and partly about leaving a legacy for the next generation.

Here are three facts about waste in America.

1. According to the American Institute of Architects (http://wiki.aia.org/Wiki%20Pages/Construction%20Waste%20Management.aspx), between 20 and 40 percent of all waste is construction debris.

2. According to the Sustainable Sources website (http://constructionwaste.sustainablesources.com/),

8,000 lbs of waste are typically thrown into the landfill during the construction of a 2,000 square foot home.

3. More than 130 million tons of debris from construction sites is dumped in U.S. landfills annually, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. And more than half of that comes from nonresidential renovation and demolition projects. (http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2002/06/03/focus1.html)

Even if these homes were demolished and the majority of the materials were recycled, the design of the new structure is horrendous. It does not fit in with the surrounding neighborhood at all.

Lastly, there's the legacy. What kind of message does this send to young people? It's OK to tear stuff down and erect mediocrity? What's wrong with the old stuff, which can become good as new with a bit of restoration that employs local materials and labor?

Furthermore, who in Squirrel Hill allowed this to happen?

It's a shame, really. Using "green" as a cover for demolishing perfectly good houses is a ruse to get people to buy into a project that is really lackluster and wrong for the community.

Unfortunately, in a city that doesn't have that many young people to begin with, it's another nail in the coffin. Why would young people be attracted to a city that puts up crap?