The Bellwether

“I run my life like a German train schedule,” Eric Corey Freed says. “There’s never any point of achievement or accomplishment where I’ll say, OK, this is enough. It’s kind of an overwhelming drive—I always see the potential of what could be done.” The unassuming Philadelphia native, whose current North Beach residence is outfitted with a gray-water system and foot-pedal faucet controls in the bathroom, has authored Green Building and Remodeling for Dummies and writes a column for greenerbuildings.com. Currently, his firm, OrganicArchitect, has 20-some projects in the works—most are residences, but one is an eco-resort in Calistoga called Generocity Ranch, set to open in 2010. “We were born into a system that we didn’t design, and, if anything, it’s badly designed,” he says. “Our time shouldn’t be spent criticizing it; our time should be spent redesigning it.” Since moving to SF in 1997, Freed has been working as a principal architect and (as of 2001) professor, mentoring students seeking guidance and motivation: “I think people say, ‘Here’s a guy doing something I’m interested in,’ and unfortunately, there aren’t enough of those people.” Luckily for all of us, Freed is one of them, and he’s helping to create more.

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Figuring out whether your building materials are green enough is an important part of keeping your new house (or renovation) eco-friendly. This can be hard, though—there’s a lot of gray area when dealing with construction supplies.

Eric Corey Freed of OrganicArchitect says to keep six questions in mind while you’re evaluating which products to use (or ask your contractor to use):

1. Where did the material come from?
2. What are the byproducts of the process used to manufacture or produce it?
3. How is the material transported from the factory to the job site, and how will it be installed?
4. How will the material be maintained and/or operated?
5. How healthy are the materials to be around?
6. What will happen to these materials if and when they are discarded or outdated? (Can they be recycled or reused?)

If you find yourself newly fascinated with the intersection of new urbanism and environmental consciousness, consider attending the seventh annual Ecocity World Summit, which is taking place here in SF on April 22 and 23. The conference offers sessions covering everything from “sustainable urban agriculture” to “musical ecology” to “water and infrastructure” to (our favorite topic) “Bicycles: Best Personal Transport Invention Ever!”