The World in the Classroom

Teaching with “The World at Home: A Household
Guide to Building Green”

Citizens’ Environmental Coalition www.cectoxic.org

Introduction & Section I: What We’re up Against

Discussion Questions

1. What is meant by the term “greening the market” used in the introduction? Do you think this is an adequate reason to buy green goods and services?
2. What are PBTs, and why are they a problem?
3. What is meant by a products “lifecycle”? Name a product or material that is said to have a toxic lifecycle and why.
4. Why is it important to clean-up lead dust properly, both indoors and out?
5. If you found out your home contained asbestos materials, how would you decide whether or not to have it removed?
6. Why can mold elimination be extremely difficult?

Further Investigation

1. Construction and Demolition debris are a huge contribution to the waste stream. Read the inset box about construction and demolition debris on page13. What building materials usually make up the largest contribution to C &D Debris? Are there alternatives that can eliminate the waste? Look to our sources to reusable building materials at the end of the guide to help find a local reuse center. Where do they get the majority of the materials they have, and what materials are generally available to consumers for building?   
2. Find out more about PVC and the campaigns to phase it out. What else is made from PVC and what are governments and retailers doing about the problem? Which companies have started phasing-out the use of this plastic? As a class or in groups, write letters encouraging companies, retailers, or local governments to phase out PVC products or packaging.

Section II:  Before you build

Discussion Questions

1. What are the benefits of building a home partially underground?  What might be some of the concerns?
2. What is the difference between passive solar design and “day lighting”?
3. Discuss renewable energy and energy conservation. What seems more preferable, to have a home relying on renewable energy that is on, or off the utility grid? If a home relies solely on solar or wind energy, does this mean they can use as much of it as they want? Does it make a difference if the home is on or off the grid? 
4. Which of the alternative building materials would probably work best where you live?  Which are local to the area, meaning they don’t require much transportation, and which work best for the climate?

Further Investigation

1. Interview someone who has built an alternative home or converted to alternative energy.  Did they do most of the work or did they hire someone to build it?  Did they run into any problems with the materials they chose? Write an article for your school newsletter or website, or schedule a home visit for your class. 
2. Imagine you will be building a home with natural or alternative building materials. Choose a location and research the best building material for that climate. What kind of house will you build? Strawbale, adobe, a hybrid? Where will you get your supplies? Design the exterior plan for the home you would build, with reasons for your siting and material choices.

Section III: Time to Build & Section IV: Building Outside

Discussion Questions

1. Do you think that adding fly ash to concrete is a good use of a waste product?  Why or why not?
2. What does it mean to have high embodied energy? 
3. In your opinion, do you think it makes more sense to buy local lumber, or buy sustainably harvested lumber (like FSC certified lumber) even if its purchased from across the country?
4. Do you think Bamboo is a “green” building material? In what ways is it green, and why might it not be?
5. Do you think it would be greener to reuse windows from an older home or building, or to buy new windows?  Why or why not?
6. If you or someone in your family were sensitive to chemicals like formaldehyde and other VOCs, what are some products you would want to avoid when picking out materials for walls and flooring? What if typical allergies were also a problem?
7. What’s the difference between natural paints and those that are low- or voc-free?
8. What kinds of flooring materials work best with radiant floor heating systems, and why?
9. What are the pros and cons of using Compact Fluorescent Lamps vs. LEDS?
10. What is greywater, and how can it be helpful?
11. See the water saving tips on page 81. how is water use related to energy consumption? Which habits do you have that waste water and energy? Which water saving strategies do you use, or do you plan to use?
12. In what ways can a compost pile help the environment?

Further Investigation

1. How green do you want to go? Turn to page 36 and answer the questions meant to help you talk with your designer and contractor – these will help you decide what your priorities are. Look over the questions again with an eye to saving money – which priorities might you have to reconsider? Which choices can help you save energy? Add in other notes about the green choices you’d like to make if you were thinking about building.
2. Time to build your own house. Start from the beginning – pick where you’ll live and site your home from the ground up. Use the answers to the questions from #1 to help you.
   
   If you’ll be choosing to “build” with natural building materials, start with project 3 from the previous section and continue to choose materials for the rest of the home.  If you’d like to build a traditional timber frame home, start with the foundation and make a materials choice for each decision until the home is complete. It may help to draw a floor plan and label the floors and walls in each room, or write a short report that follows the same order as the “Time to Build Section,” where you decide on one kind of material or product at each building stage. Give reasons for each material you choose for roofing, flooring, or lumber etc. What kind of energy do you use? How would you design the yard and landscaping? Consider both energy efficiency and indoor air quality in your decisions.
3. Give one room a green makeover – choose a bedroom, dorm room, kitchen or other room, and imagine that it’s up to you to completely redo everything in it. Decide what materials you’ll use to green the space, including wall coverings, flooring, fixtures, etc. Consider both energy efficiency and indoor air quality.
   
   * If you really wanted to build your green home or room, you would want to consider how far these products would need to be shipped, and whether or not the choices are prohibitively expensive. Expand projects 2 and 3 by locating where the materials will come from and how much they will cost compared to conventional products. Students can work within a budget, or simply make decisions based on cost as an average homeowner might. For example – is FSC certified lumber worth the extra cost for all applications, or is there a local source that can provide framing materials?  Would a slate roof be too expensive or would it be personally worth it if the product were local and would never have to be replaced?
4. Group activity: Are stores going green? Visit your local home improvement supply store to find out which green products are available and what they are doing to help people build greener. Are store employees helpful and knowledgeable when it comes to finding green and energy efficient materials? Individually or as a class, come up with some questions consumers might bring to the store and see if you can find the answers from store employees. How can the store practice what it preaches? For example, have they replaced incandescent bulbs with energy efficient alternatives in the lighting department, or worked to offer alternatives to PVC? As a class, make suggestions for products the store should consider carrying, or recommendations to the store manager on how the store can better promote green options.