Ken Terzian, Green Champion
Existing home under renovation
Paperstone Counters
Dual flush toilets
Flash water heater
Geothermal pumps
Spray foam insulation
"As a resident of ANC 3F for 17 years, currently living on 29th Street in Forest Hills, my family and I enjoy being in a community walkable to the Metro and shopping, with easy access to Rock Creek Park with its natural setting, trails, and bike paths. My profession as an architect promoting sustainable design allows me to share a personal love of nature and concern for the environment with my clients and colleagues, as we seek solutions to the environmental challenges of our time."
"At home, our living on the edge of the forest is a constant reminder of our connection to nature. We watch the wildlife explore the woods in the rear of our home, and have even been privileged this past year to witness the emergence of Red Fox Kits in the springtime from a den buried beneath a fallen tree stump."
"Having purchased a small home on a large lot, my desire to add on to the house to meet our family needs was conditioned on minimizing intrusion of site work, conserving the existing home, and sensitively adding in arrangement and style to the existing conditions. We are now completing this home renovation project and note the following features:"
- Didn’t tear the old house down, built onto it, renovating parts of the old (1925 Sears house)
- Site conservation / tree protection (root protective matting & fencing, root pruning), layout to avoid tree areas and work with existing slopes.
- HVAC system – geothermal heat pumps, with programmable thermostats
- Insulation – formaldehyde free fiberglass batting & Expanded polystyrene foam
- Replacement of single pane windows with insulated glass
- Took salvaged sashes and other demo’d materials to Community Forklift for resale / reuse
- Use of low VOC paint
- Used Paperstone for counter tops (recycled cardboard)
- Separated construction waste (recycled cardboard, metals)
- Dual flush toilets, low consumption plumbing fixtures
- High efficiency washer/dryer
- Use of CFLs in lighting fixtures
- Flash water heater (only heats when water flows)
- Open pavers on drive (pervious surface to keep water to tree roots)
- Purchasing 100% wind elective from Pepco for power
"Walking or biking to the Van Ness Metro where I take the train to work on Dupont Circle, I promote green building and sustainable design through my work at OPX. Having established credentials as a LEED AP early in the LEED program, I have guided projects in LEED CI for commercial interiors and in LEED NC for new construction. My first LEED project was the UMUC Inn and Conference Center, which became the first LEED hotel in the US. More recently, I led a team to achieve LEED Silver for the GSA Federal Building at 99 New York Avenue NE. Through attendance at the annual GreenBuild and local USGBC events, I learn about new ideas and work to help others promote sustainability in all aspects of our work and personal lives."
"Learning about choices to promote sustainability begins with a desire to do so. I have the advantage of my professional experience to draw upon in my home renovation. Much information is available on the internet, and from personal experiences of others like myself that have great concern for these issues. I can be reached by email, ken@opxglobal.com, and welcome the opportunity to serve as a resource for others that wish to learn about actions toward sustainability."
"I’d like to emphasize one easy choice that I made, immediately after watching the film “An Inconvenient Truth”, which was to choose a 100% wind option for my Pepco electricity. Doing so does cost me about 10% more on my electric bill, but receiving the periodic report from WGES that shows the reduced impact of this choice by eliminating the GHG pollutants associated with the standard power mix is quite satisfying and worth the extra cost to me."