Rick Colson’s life took an unexpected turn more than ten years ago when he left a long career as a businessman to take care of his sick wife.
When she died of environmental-related cancer in 2010, Colson took on sustainability. He started a sustainable photo lab business and later explored sustainability in construction businesses.
Then last fall, while looking for a new project to showcase sustainable ways to build, the Northampton resident discovered a home for sale near his home.
He bought the 1,000-square-foot house at 7 Rust Ave. and began a mission: “My first goal was to produce the best rehabilitation possible and let people know what is possible,” he said.
Colson, the developer and project manager, began renovations last fall and hopes to finish this spring.
The house is heated by oil and now has solar panels and a heat pump system. He also added layers of insulation and added a second floor to the house, making it around 1,600 square feet.
There may be a lower electric bill, but “ultimately, hopefully, there will be no net energy consumption in the home,” Colson said.
Some of the items, including the doors and two toilets, came from EcoBuilding Bargains, a Springfield store that sells used and surplus building materials and is run by the Florence-based EcoTechnology Center.
“We also have, on the second floor, 150-year-old Douglas fir floors,” Colson said. “These were taken from a collapsed hotel in Bernardston.”
Mark Newey, senior building scientist at the EcoTechnology Center, will conduct a home energy assessment, which will be used to ensure financial incentives through the Mass Save program.
“He’s doing some unusual things,” Newey said. “One of them is mining the outside of the house before removing the sides, which creates a permanent cover layer like a blanket.”
Colson chose mineral wool insulation instead of foam board insulation, Newey lamented. Controlling foam dust, he says, can potentially save greenhouse gas emissions over time by saving energy, but you hit it the first time you roll it out. It’s not as big a success as it should be,” he explained.
On renovating a house instead of tearing it down, Newey said, “I think that’s a really big step from an environmental standpoint. A lot of energy and materials went into that original house — if you can continue to use that stuff … it’s really It greatly reduces the overall impact on the environment.”
Colson, who is in his 60s, has worked in business for most of his career. Then, in 2007, his wife was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. “She grew up with this massive exposure to DDT and that caused her to develop breast cancer,” he said. Studies have linked DDT, pesticides, to breast and other cancers.
He quit his job to be her primary caregiver, and she died in 2010.
Colson was an avid photographer and worked in the Polaroid business, but after his wife’s battle with cancer, he didn’t want to go into the darkroom. “I just couldn’t do anything toxic,” he said.
He started Eco Visual Lab, a printing business that focuses on sustainability and does not use volatile organic compounds.
“I still run that business, but over the years, I’ve been interested in architecture and construction as well,” he said.
He remarried and moved to western Massachusetts about five years ago.
“I came into this house around the corner. I was looking for a project,” he said.
Previously, he built a house in Wayland and renovated a house in Watertown, complete with solar panels. But, he said, “this was the first project I did and the purpose of this was to make it as sustainable as possible.”
Once completed, he hopes to sell the house and at least break even on the project. “It’s very unlikely that any builder who cares about profit would build like this,” he said.
When asked how much he put into the house, he said, “I’m not sure I want to go there, but hundreds of thousands of dollars. This was not an inexpensive rehabilitation.” He bought the home for $135,000, according to property records, and Colson plans to sell it for around $400,000.
Colson wants to take what he’s learned and turn it into a business, Eco Visual LLC, that will give people “a very affordable way to get sustainable information and earn sustainable resources.”
“My goal is to create a sustainable consulting business that can serve consumers, small builders, designers, and small businesses,” he said.
Greta Jochem can be contacted at gjochem@gazettenet.com.& # xD;
What are the 17 sustainable?
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Why are 17 goals made under Sustainable Development? In 2015, the United Nations created 17 sustainable development goals and aimed to achieve them by 2030. All 193 countries of the United Nations agreed on the 17 goals to end poverty, ensure prosperity, and protect the planet.
What is goal 1 of the 17 sustainable development goals? Goal 1 calls for the end of poverty in all its forms by 2030. It also aims to ensure the protection of the poor and vulnerable, increase access to basic services and support people affected by extreme events. climate and other economic, social and environmental factors. shock and tragedy.
How many of the 17 sustainable development goals are health goals?
What do the 17 sustainable goals each describe? The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are: (1) End poverty, (2) Zero hunger, (3) Health and well-being, (4) Quality education, (5) Gender equality, (6) Water. clean, (7) Affordable and clean energy, (8) efficient employment and economic growth, (9) industry, innovation and infrastructure, (10) reducing inequality, (11) . ..
Health is central to SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages, supported by 13 targets that cover a wide range of WHO’s work. Almost all of the other 16 goals are directly related to health or indirectly contribute to health.
Which of the following 17 sustainable development goals refers to good health and well-being?
What is goal 13 of the 17 SDGs? Sustainable Development Goal 13 calls for action to combat climate change and its impacts*. Climate change is now affecting every country on every continent. It disrupts the national economy and affects the lives, people, communities and countries today and tomorrow.
SDG 3 aims to ensure health and well-being for all, including a bold commitment to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases by 2030. It also aims to achieve universal health coverage, and provide safe and effective access. medicines and vaccines for all.
What are the 17 new sustainable development goals?
Which of the following are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals? Goal 17. Strengthening implementation processes and revitalizing the International Partnership for Sustainable Development.
- The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to transform our world:
- Goal 1: End poverty.
- GOAL 2: Zero hunger.
- Goal 3: Good Health and Well-Being.
- Goal 4: Quality Education.
- Goal 5: Gender Equality.
- Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.
- Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy.
Goal 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth.
What is a real life example of sustainability?
How can you achieve the 17 sustainable development goals? To achieve sustainable development, it is important to harmonize three important factors: economic growth, social integration and environmental protection. These elements are interconnected and all important to the well-being of individuals and society.
Buying lunch boxes instead of relying on paper bags. Using dish cloths or cloths to clean up stains instead of paper towels or wipes. Bringing reusable grocery bags to the store instead of taking bags home. Refill a reusable water bottle instead of buying single-use bottled water.
What are lasting examples? The basics of environmental sustainability are: conserving water, saving energy, reducing waste, using recyclable packaging, limiting or eliminating the use of plastic, using sustainable transport, reusing paper and protecting plants and animals.
How can we be sustainable in everyday life?
What are the 3 types of sustainability?
What is its sustainability and its role? Sustainability means meeting our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Besides natural resources, we also need social and economic resources. Sustainability is not just environmentalism.
The chart at the top of this page suggests that there are three pillars of sustainability – economic, environmental and social equity.
What are three 3 words used to describe sustainability? 3 Pillars of Sustainability The concept of sustainability is often divided into three pillars: economic, environmental, and social—also known informally as profit, planet, and people.
What are the 3 types of sustainable development?
What are the 3 E’s of sustainability? While many social movements are at work, three are particularly important to building healthy and prosperous communities over the long term: the economy, the environment, and equity—the three E’s.
Sustainable development is based on three main pillars: social, economic and environmental.
What does sustainability mean?
What are the 3 concepts of sustainable development? The concept of sustainable development was named after the Brundtland report, which reported on sustainable consumption in developed countries. Sustainable development is based on three main pillars: social, economic and environmental.
Sustainability consists of meeting the needs of the present generations without compromising the needs of future generations, while ensuring a balance between economic growth, environmental care and social well-being.
What does sustainability mean and why is it important? Sustainability is the ability to exist and develop without depleting natural resources in the future. The United Nations defines sustainable development in the Brundtland Report as development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
What are the 6 major goals of sustainability?
What is a good example of sustainability? Life under water: Avoiding the use of plastic bags to clean up the oceans. Life on earth: Planting plants to help protect the environment. Responsible consumption and production: Recycling of materials such as paper, plastic, glass and aluminium.
Our goals are: Zero poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, affordable and clean energy, decent work and economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure. Economy, Inequality, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Responsible Consumption and …
What are the six principles of sustainability? Develop the six principles of sustainability – Carbon, Environment, Community, Prosperity, Connectivity and Green Economy – guided from concept to completion by the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge, the LETI Climate Emergency Design Guide, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
What is the 7th sustainable goal? Target 7. a: By 2030, promote international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced clean fossil-fuel technologies. , and promoting investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technologies. Target 7.
What are the goals for sustainability?
What are the 6 essentials of sustainable development? The importance of Sustainable Development for all countries is to meet their basic needs for work, food, energy, water, and sanitation. Everyone has the right to a healthy, safe, and clean environment. This can be easily achieved by reducing pollution, poverty, and unemployment.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to change our world. They are a call to action to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice and prosperity.
What are the 3 E’s that must be balanced for sustainability?
What are the three main goals of sustainable development? Goal 1: Zero Poverty: End poverty in all its forms everywhere. Goal 2: Zero hunger: End hunger, achieve food security and improve nutrition and develop sustainable agriculture. Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.
While many social movements are at work, three are particularly important to building healthy and prosperous communities in the long term: economy, environment, and equity – the three E’s.
What are the 3 most important dimensions of sustainability? This includes the description of different aspects of sustainability by clarifying the three dimensions of sustainability â environmental, social, and economic â as well as the approach to the site.
What are the 3 key parts of sustainable development?
What are the 3 Ps or 3 es in the context of sustainability? The 3Ps of sustainability is a well known and accepted business concept. The Ps refer to People, Planets, and Profits, also often referred to as the triple bottom line. Sustainability has the role of maintaining and maximizing the profitability of the 3Ps.
ECOSOC works at the center of the UN system’s work on all three pillars of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental.
What are the 3 main principles of sustainability?
What are the 3 types of sustainable development? The concept of the three pillars of (social, economic and environmental) sustainability, usually represented by three intersections with overall sustainability at the center, has become ubiquitous.
The principles of sustainability are the foundation of what this concept means. Therefore, sustainability consists of three pillars: economic, social, and environmental. These principles are also used informally to benefit people and the planet.
What are the 3 components of sustainable development and give each importance?
What are the 3 types of sustainability? In any society where economic activities are carried out in a specific environment, we find three types of sustainable development: environmental, economic and social.
Three key elements of sustainable development are economic growth, social integration and environmental protection. It is important to be consistent. Sustainable economic growth, achieving sustainable lifestyles, living in harmony with nature and appropriate technology are important for sustainable development.