Is it possible to "green" a McMansion?

Green building is the buzz these days, from renewable-material flooring to super insulation to solar panels. But is green consumption really better for the environment?

Writing in High Country News, Monique Cole uses a case study of a 6,500 square foot home to question the application of earth-friendly techniques to "humungalows."

...how can size not matter when it comes to green building? The resources required to build and furnish a larger home need to be factored in, as well as the fuel expended and pollution created to transport those resources to the site. Big homes like the Abramsons' often are built far from urban centers. The rulers of these prairie castles must therefore burn fuel to get to work or an airport. Bigger homes also require more upkeep -- think of the landscapers, housekeepers, window cleaners and dog walkers who have to commute to service the home and its occupants. Adding solar panels and cork floors to one of these mansions is a nice touch, but is this going green, or is it green-washing?

The article is worth reading, the author torn between criticizing supersized homes and praising the instinct to build green.

... a small part of me feels bad about criticizing people like the Abramsons. They are, after all, helping to advance the sustainable building movement by paying an 8-to-15 percent premium to make their mansions greener. As in the case of organic foods, as green building materials become commonplace, prices will come down, and the rest of us will be able to afford them.

Still, if they're striving to be the "greenest," I can't understand why the Abramsons couldn't make do with a more modest house, say 3,500 square feet. That would still be twice the size of the median home in America 35 years ago.

I think that the "green" McMansion symbolizes what's wrong with how Americans have faced climate change and resource devastation. Everyone's looking for the silver bullets that will allow us to carry on our consumptive lifestyles just as we always have. But to be truly green, some sacrifices have to be made, such as giving up the home theater or that fourth bay in the garage.

complete article here