Saratoga Environmental Expo

April 19, 2007 by Jeff.

The Saratoga Environmental Expo this past weekend was a pleasant surprise.  Boosted by the celebrity power of Daryl Hannah and Ed Begley, turnout was impressive despite atrocious weather on Sunday.  I manned the Saratoga Farmer’s Market booth Saturday morning and met many fine people who expressed true concerns about global warming, sustainable agriculture and what they could do to help.

Ninety exhibitors covered the gamut from organic food and toiletries to wind power and fuel cells.  There was the usual big name sponsor – in this case GE, touting their environmental sensitivity.  GE is moving into wind and solar as they continue their work in coal and nuclear generation, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt for now.  Their main concern is making money, and at least they are doing some good to balance the bad.

Touring the exhibits, I found some interesting products but nothing especially noteworthy.  More energy-conscious design-build firms are sprouting up, which is encouraging.  One of the designs I saw was somewhat impractical for our cold, damp climate.  It featured passive solar and low R-value cotton fiber insulation, a combination that just won’t cut it here in the northeast.  Smart builders with potential included the Phinney Design Group (www.phinneydesign.com) and Rob Blanchard (www.thearchitectureteam.com).  I give them both an A for enthusiasm and a B- for practicality.

It was nice to see the spray-foam insulation guys out in force.  I’m a big fan of sprayed-in foam – it provides the best combination of insulation, air and vapor barrier and sound reduction.  Newer formulations are nontoxic when cured and don’t continue to emit harmful gasses.  Now that we have a local Icynene installer (Northeast Spray Foam – www.northeastsprayfoam.com) I can finally recommend someone local (my old favorite – Standard Insulation – traveled from Utica which made them a bit pricey).  Another foam – Sealection 500 (www.correcte2.com) is soy based and may offer similiar benefits as Icynene, but I remain unconvinced.  Spray foam is a must-have for new construction and one of the keys to successful low-input houses in the northeast.  I’ll be talking more about Icynene in the Westerlo house series.

Energy generation was also highlighted by the usual cast of characters: windmills, photovoltaics and solar hot water.  I can make a strong case for windmills and especially solar hot water, but the economics of PV continue to disappoint me unless you are planning to own it for more than 20 years.  PV is coming down in price, but even with subsidies and tax credits, it offers more good feeling (your compact fluorescent lights reduce CO2 emissions) than financial return.  NYSERDA would probably disagree with me, but it’s their job to promote PV.  It’s my job to promote practical, economically-viable solutions.  Are you listening NYSERDA?

The last interesting tidbit is Green Roof Systems (www.agreenroof.com).  These guys sell plastic grids and filter mats that sit on your (reinforced) low-slope roof to maintain a nice lawn up there.  It’s purported to save energy, although I suspect only on the cooling side – mud and turf don’t offer much in the way of winter protection.  From an esthetic point of view I like the idea – a grass roof – and would consider putting one on my next shopping mall just for the PR value.

Here are some pictures – enjoy.

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