Q. Tell me about the building you constructed in your backyard.

A. I wanted to create a working model that people could follow, so as an addition to my existing cottage I decided to build a structure that I could then donate to the Hudson Valley Sustainable Communities Network (HVSCN), which I was involved with at the time. The project began about four or five years ago and continued with the help of both paid and volunteer labor. We didn't have an architect--instead we worked with a structural engineer.

We used a lot of salvaged material. For example, the foundation is made up of concrete blocks that we salvaged from the campus at SUNY New Paltz, where I was working at the time. The students used them throughout the year to prop their beds and things like that and at the end of the year would throw them in the dumpster. So I asked them to put them NEAR the dumpster but not IN it, and we collected them to use as the foundation.

We planned for the building to cost between forty-five and fifty thousand dollars, but because of the shape of the building the costs have doubled. HVSCN helped raise funds in exchange for free rent. A lot of the time we needed to raise enough funds to move to the next building phase, and that made the project last a lot longer than we planned. We thought it could be done in one to two years, but instead it was more like four.

Q. What inspired you to start this project?

A. Well, I thought it was really important to provide a model and set an example, and I knew that with a little extra planning and care (like making walls that were 8 inches thick rather than 6 to provide more insulation) we could make a building that reduced fuel consumption, toxicity, and our ecological footprint. With advanced building practices like putting solar panels on the roof, super-insulating, and using radiant flooring, I felt that it was possible to build a combination of a needed resource center and office for HVSCN AND an environmentally responsible model.

Q. What would you say is the most important lesson you learned while doing this?

A. It's important for people, even without the help of an architect, to do their own design. But it DOES help to have an architect around--I learned that because we didn't work with one, we really underestimated our costs. It also helps to assume that a project will cost twice as much and take twice as long as you plan, because that's what happened with us.

Q. What advice would you give to aspiring owner-builders like yourself?

A. If I can do it, you can do it. I knew nothing when I started. But with careful research and by asking lots of questions, it can be done. Try to find people in your community with hands on experience--people who've done it successfully and learned from their mistakes. There are some people out there who will offer their help but their hearts are not in the right place.

The six most expensive words I ever uttered were "Why don't we make it hexagonal?" The unique shape cost a lot, but I'm not sorry because it makes it an interesting place to work. It's so important to think outside the box.

Q. Do you have any role models who motivated you to help the environment?

A. When I was 17 years old I worked in the civil rights movement with Dr. King. I was there when the first civil rights bill was passed, and I linked arms with people and sang "We Shall Overcome." So I learned at a very young age that you can change things and fix them, and that motivating people by helping them understand can be so empowering. In doing that, Dr. King and Mahatma Gandhi have been lifelong role models for me.

I later worked in the women's movement, the peace movement, and in just about every movement I could get involved with. Eventually I got into the sustainability movement as it started here in this community (Ulster and Duchess Counties), and through it all I never forgot Margaret Mead's words: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." I also drew inspiration from the experiences of Norma Ray and Erin Brokovich--women who saw something and said, "This is not right" and did something positive about it.

Q. How do you define the sustainability movement?

A. The sustainability movement is focused on solutions, unlike the environmental movement which sometimes focuses so much on the problems. Also, sustainability takes the triple bottom line into consideration, and offers a POSITIVE vision. I believe that if you want people's help, you have to INSPIRE them. Positive vision is what people rally around.

Q. What are your favorite books relating to sustainability?

A. I have a whole list that I take with me sometimes to presentations. The first ones that come to mind are Our Ecological Footprint, Mid-Course Correction, and a really good one that doesn't get a lot of attention is The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight by Thom Hartmann. It's very visionary, and gives us a sense of where we are and how we got here with regard to the energy crisis.

Also The Natural Step for Business, Sprawl City, which is more about planning and the environmental justice movement, God's Last Offer, and Our Stolen Future, which gives you a profound understanding of why not letting toxic material into our environment is so important.

Some magazines I like are The National Green Pages, Environmental Building News, Yes! Magazine, and one last book...The Guide to Sustainable Community Indicators by Maureen Hart.

Q. What do YOU envision when you think of a sustainable future?

A. Well, first there'd be no war. The energy we'd use would come from clean and renewable sources, and countries would lead by the power of example. Instead of putting money into war efforts, they'd invest into a sustainable future--the war machine saps up our resources.

There'd be great beauty and peace, and everyone would know how to express their needs effectively. We'd live in an environment as safe as it could be--that is, free from man-made harm.

The environmental ethic would not only be more important, but it'd also be more rewarding.

There'd be a strong sense of community and sharing, like when my four neighbors and I share a single lawn mower. Except that in a sustainable future, that lawn mower would be robotic and solar-powered.

For an excellent book about how people can and should design their own built environments, check out my review of A Pattern Language.

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