Hello! My name is Kyle Graycar. I just finished my first year at UCLA, and am just finishing up my first day with Sustainable Schmidt. I have gotten used to “coach” Schmidt these past four or so years from high school cross-country, and am still adjusting to addressing Helmut on a first name basis. Before I get in to the logistics of what I have been tasked to for the summer, I’d like to wish John, the boss’s second in command, a very happy birthday.
Generally speaking, I have been tasked to compile information on the various components of a sustainable apartment kitchen. This template should contain comprehensive lists of different kinds of “green” products for the kitchen. It will be exciting work, especially when you consider the how essential the kitchen is to home life. This central hub, where meals are conducted and created, serves as the nexus for interactions at the home – it’s really an obvious decision to make this place devoid of environmental hazards and deteriorative products. The challenge here lies in finding the middle ground or compromise between environmental-friendliness and cost.
Today I’ve been trying to find a general way to focus my research. I came across an interesting page on the EPA website that gives a nice, general definition of what Green Building is. The EPA calls Green Building “the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction.” I too hope to find the best products for my compilation that take all these different aspects of its life-cycle into consideration.
Well, looking ahead, I’m excited to be here this summer. I’m especially excited to see the tangible outcome of my work: Helmut hopes to apply my research into the remodel of a kitchen in a unit on one of his properties. More posts to come!
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