Our Green Streets Blog

Modular town homes from Genesis Photo: Genesis

Modular homes or pre-manufactured kits may be appealing because of lower costs and the speed with which the final product can be assembled, but what differences do they have when it comes to measuring green qualities?

On the positive side of the green scale, a few basics stand out: first, because of off-site manufacture of all wall and structural components, very little waste is created, especially when compared to a traditional stick-built home where it is common to fill five to seven 40-yard (8’ x 22’ x 8’) construction dumpsters that haul leftover debris to nearby landfills. Leftovers at the factory are usually recycled, or put to some other use in the finished home.

Second, the majority of prefabricated homes prove to be more energy efficient. Because they have been manufactured in a factory, this involves insulation and HVAC considerations. Manufactured homes commonly have insulation with R-values — the higher the number, the better the insulation — of 21 in the roof, 11 in the side walls and floor.

Most pre-manufactured homes come with Energy Star rated appliances and heating systems.  Energy Star homes are often 20 to 30 percent more efficient than traditional homes. In addition, low “E” window packages help contribute to a tighter building envelope.

Third, indoor environmental air quality is considered before putting together the entire package.

Genesis Homes, this nation’s largest modular homebuilder, believes in strict adherence to a green standard.  “As the Nation’s largest modular builder, we have chosen to adhere to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Green Standard. This standard provides you with third-party certification that the modular home you are purchasing can deliver on its claims of energy efficiency and resource conservation.”

Are there any negative considerations regarding the green perspective? Maybe only the amount of fuel required to deliver the unit to its final destination. But in a traditional stick-built home, even more petroleum is required for the many materials deliveries for all subcontractors involved – carpenters, roofers, insulation, HVAC, electric, etc.

As the world and its urban areas grow more congested and material supplies wane, modular homes and kits appear to be options that deserve serious exploration.

Today we received word from Chris Edwards, sales coordinator at Colorado-based New Wave Enviro Products. I believed my email box contained just one more of the many green promotional pitches I wade through, until I read further, especially the last line.

Here are clips from Mr. Edwards’ letter (emphasis place by me):

“…we manufacture and distribute water products, mainly through Natural Foods Retailers across the Nation. We have been in business for over 15 years and our products offer consumers a way to live litter free and chemical free lives by filtering the water they drink,  they shower and bathe in, and a way to ease the problem with our nation’s landfills.
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If you have wondered whether or not garbage patches, gyres, and trash vortexes exist in the oceans, read Ole Nielsen’s blog, OleLog.

North Pacific gyre source: OleLog

Nielsen reports: “Can you imagine what happens when marine garbage ends up in such a vortex? It will never leave it again, all plastic will circulate, new plastic come by and circulate. Ships continue dumping their garbage at sea, and you end up with the world’s biggest landfill in the Pacific Ocean.

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I came across this piece last night, published by the Raleigh News & Observer which paints a fairly bleak picture for the price of recycled materials in the near term:  

When the economy slows, consumers cut back on purchases, and in turn manufacturers ship fewer products. The demand for used corrugated cardboard, for example, drops. Corrugated cardboard, which is used to make packaging, brings about $25 per ton, one-fifth of the $125 a ton it brought in April.

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Been wondering how well you and your do at managing trash?  Two friends of Rob Clemens, Aaron and Jesse launched this Trash Project blog., saying:
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