Going Green: A look at Green Design in the Hamptons

Renew, reuse, and recycle: the buzzwords of the new millennium are making their way into the homes of the Hamptons. From a home built using renewable energy, to an award winning “Green Ribbon” middle school, to a “green” builder who uses sustainable materials, to the largest provider of renewable energy solutions on Long Island, to the Town of Southampton’s Green Homes Program, green design is the wave of the future.

Homeowner’s David and Saundra Dubin and their family turned an unfortunate event into a positive creation. In 2008, after enduring the loss of their Water Mill home to a fire, the family looked to the future and rebuilt, only this time in the most energy efficient way possible. The architects, Ric Stott and Craig Lee, along with Hamptons Green Alliance and Telemark Builders, built their new house using renewable energy that earned them the highest LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating, Platinum. Features included an Eco-Lawn using less water, a harvesting tank for irrigation, LED lighting, expanding insulation, reclaimed wood, stones from within a 500-mile radius, a geothermal heating and cooling system, and solar panels for electricity and water. The design was in the style of a Canadian Lodge to reflect Saundra’s Canadian heritage, and in 2010 the family resettled into their new energy efficient home.

Hampton Bays Middle School opened in 2008 and in May, 2012 was named a “Green Ribbon” School by the U.S. Dept. of Education, according to Kathy Dayton, Art Teacher and Chairperson of the Green Ribbon School Application Committee. It is the first LEED Silver Certified School Building in New York State. It has a dual heating system consuming either natural gas or oil depending on what is most cost efficient at the time. There are sensors for the lighting system and restroom sinks. High quality opaque windows were installed for increased sunlight. There is a white thermal energy efficient plastic flat roof. The interior ramps follow the natural grade of the land and a community garden will provide food in the cafeteria. In the future, solar panels and wind turbines will be installed for greater energy efficiency.

Peter Sabbeth, Founder and President of Modern Green Home in Bridgehampton, begun in 2007, builds homes from reclaimed wood or wood harvested from managed forests. Geothermal heating and cooling systems are custom fitted to the energy needs of each home along with solar panels. Highly insulated windows with Low-E glass are a very important feature. Low VOC materials are used to reduce emissions. The natural resources of each lot are utilized with minimal ecological invasion. Along with aesthetics, green design plays an integral role in home building.

Marc Cléjan, Co-Founder and CEO of Green Logic Energy, began in 2005. With its main office in Southampton and other offices in Nassau, Suffolk and the Twin Forks, it is the largest provider of renewable energy solutions on Long Island. Its goal is to reduce energy consumption to 0 (no gas, no oil, no electricity), by instead using sun, wind, and earth power. Specializing in solar electricity, solar hot water, geothermal heating and cooling, wind turbines, pool heating, and passive solar designs using large south-facing windows and dense floor materials, Green Logic Energy is involved in all aspects of green design.

Lizabeth Plouff, Sustainability Coordinator for The Town of Southampton’s Office of Energy and Sustainability, administers the Southampton Green Homes Program with the goal of reducing overall energy costs by improving heating, insulation, and air sealing in homes and buildings in the Town of Southampton. To find out more about eligibility for a free energy assessment to identify the potential for savings with the rebates and incentives available, visit www.southamptontownny.gov/sustainable or call (631) 702-1753.

Green Design is the wave of the future. Reducing energy consumption and using sustainable materials in home design will ensure that the precious resources of the environment will be preserved for generations to come.

Ruth Thomas, a freelance writer on the East End enjoys history, music, literature, art, nature, the beach, and her cute dachshund, Clancy. She can be contacted at [email protected].