David Johnston, founder of What’s Working Inc., a green building consultant group in Boulder, Colo., became involved with the industry studying alternative energy in the early 1970s. He sold his remodeling company to begin consulting in 1992, the year the term “green” was coined at the Earth Summit, when he realized that’s exactly what he had been building for a decade. He is also the co-author of “Green remodeling: Changing the world, one room at a time.”

 

What’s the first thing you tell the builders you train?  “More than 70 percent of homeowners say they’re not satisfied with what contractors are providing them with as far as green building goes. Training is the only way around that.”

Why did you write this book?  “There was no other book on the market talking about green remodeling. This ‘how-to’ book goes room by room and gives green renovation solutions for homeowners.”

What’s one surprising thing most homeowners don’t know about their homes?  “Every home in the United States is under-insulated and the older insulation they do have is like a sleeping giant when it comes to air quality. Fiberglass insulation emits a lot of formaldehyde, which can trigger asthma attacks and cause other health problems.”

What does it take to make a home green?  “There are three things it must do really well: perform much better than the existing energy and building codes; use resources much more effectively and efficiently; and have good indoor air quality. It’s a synthesis of all three.”

How can remodeling, as you say, change the world?  “Making one home more environmentally sound doesn’t necessarily make a huge difference. But when you multiply the effects by a 100 million homes, you start to see how we can effect real change.”

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