Anne Waldron Neumann of Princeton
The Princeton Environmental Commission is planning another free Green Home and Garden Tour this year. The self-guided tour will be Saturday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will feature area homes, gardens, and commercial buildings that exemplify different aspects of environmental sustainability. Last year’s tour just won a 2008 New Jersey Environmental Achievement Award. And, an exciting addition to this year’s tour, Hopewell’s Environmental Commission will offer its own Green Home and Garden Tour on the same day so tour-goers will have twice as many stops to choose from.
Energy conservation is one of any environmental commission’s most important goals. These tours will benefit area families who may build or renovate and who are hoping to achieve energy efficiency. They will also see homes that use recycled and low-emitting materials. New homes can readily build in energy savings and avoid harmful chemicals. But older homes can be retrofitted to produce renewable energy — with solar panels or geothermal wells, for example. It’s easiest and cheapest to include sustainability early in the planning process. These tours will let people inspect sustainable features before they begin building or renovating. And tour-goers can meet local architects, builders, suppliers, and landscapers who can support their environmental goals.
Last year’s tour included five Princeton-area homes, three gardens, and two public buildings that together exemplified the major kinds of environmental sustainability. One aspect of sustainable building is choosing a site that can be developed without environmentally damaging the site itself or land nearby.
Sustainability also means saving water inside and outside—using dual-flush toilets, for example, or drought-tolerant landscaping.
To save energy, buildings can use complementary strategies: carbon-based energy reduction or renewable-energy production. The indoor environment also figures in sustainability: building materials shouldn’t emit harmful gases; indoor temperatures should be comfortable; and most rooms should have daylight, even views. Sustainable building includes, finally, using recycled materials and recycling construction waste.
Sustainable gardens the two tours hope to showcase might avoid harmful chemicals with organic methods or integrated pest management. The gardens might include drought-resistant plants, save rainwater in rain barrels, or reduce storm-water run-off with “rain gardens.” They could demonstrate backyard composting or worm farms. And they might feature the native plants that attract songbirds, butterflies, and beneficial insects.
Princeton’s Environmental Commission invites area homeowners who can help demonstrate sustainable living to nominate their homes or gardens for the tour by contacting the PEC at 921-1359 or [email protected]. Architects, builders, suppliers, or landscapers whose work offers effective and achievable models of sustainability, and whose clients are willing to welcome visitors, are also urged to contact the Environmental Commission. One week before the Nov. 15 tour, maps will be available at convenient Princeton locations or at www.princetontwp.org.
Anne Waldron Neumann
Princeton

