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WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE: Reflections on House and Home

Living More Lightly at Work: reducing our carbon footprint, part 1

March 30, 2017 By Marusha Leave a Comment

In January of last year, inspired by the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, our office took on the challenge of trying to achieve carbon neutrality. We read articles, books and blogs; investigated various carbon footprint calculators available online; examined our own consumption habits; and mulled over possible strategies. It was clear that a perfect tally of our energy use would be impossible, since the carbon footprint of goods and services extends back through infinite steps in the production and transport chain. We agreed to work with best estimates using a variety of reliable sources online and in print, starting with the excellent book “How Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything” by Mike Berners-Lee. We also decided to forego hiring a consultant, preferring to hack this thing on our own, thereby deepening our own knowledge in the process. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Energy Efficiency, Future-Proofing, Miscellany, Sustainable Lifestyles

A Greener Shore: creating a more sustainable waterfront

December 6, 2016 By John Gower 1 Comment

As a coastal community, we’re fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful and ecologically diverse regions on the planet. The question is: how to inhabit the waterfront in a way that respects and preserves it? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Future-Proofing, home building, Miscellany, Permaculture, resilient home, Sustainable Design, Sustainable Lifestyles, Uncategorized

“Banking Green Gold”, part 2: The trouble with trees as a carbon sink

October 18, 2016 By Marusha Leave a Comment

In a previous post, we talked about the ethics of purchasing carbon credits as a way to offset CO2 emissions. Now that the Liberal government has announced its new carbon pricing scheme, many Canadians are looking more closely at the true cost of carbon. It’s clear that the Liberal plan doesn’t have many friends: on one hand, it’s been vilified as too onerous by opponents in several provinces. On the other hand, critics maintain that the plan adopts emission reduction targets and price minimums that are simply too low to make a substantial difference ($10 per tonne by 2018, rising to $50 in 2022). Those waiting for meaningful leadership on this issue continue to be disappointed. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Energy Efficiency, Future-Proofing, Miscellany, Sustainable Lifestyles

Banking Green Gold: The carbon credit economy

September 20, 2016 By Marusha 2 Comments

While researching ways to reduce our workplace emissions, we started to ponder the question of carbon credits. For those new to the topic, these can be seen as a kind of environmental currency used to offset greenhouse gas emissions produced by industry, governments, transportation systems, etc. For example: if our office doesn’t manage to reduce our footprint to net zero through site or operational changes, we have the option to purchase carbon credits – say, by donating to a group that plants trees. Our investment serves to offset the emissions that remain on our balance sheet. That’s a highly simplified explanation, but you get the idea. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Energy Efficiency, Future-Proofing, Miscellany, Sustainable Lifestyles

To Buy, or Not to Buy? When to put your iron horse out to pasture

August 29, 2016 By John Gower 2 Comments

As our car advances into old age, I find myself pondering the question of how to drive more sustainably. Ours is by no means the worst gas-guzzler on the road, but I would be happier with better mileage. Driving to client meetings and site visits will be a necessity into the foreseeable future, no doubt about it. So in terms of my carbon footprint as a driver, what makes the most sense? Do I keep and drive our aging (1999 model), 6-cylinder vehicle into the ground? Replace it with a newer, more fuel-efficient model? And if we take the latter course, should we opt for an electric car? A hybrid? I went online in search of guidance. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Energy Efficiency, Future-Proofing, Miscellany, Sustainable Lifestyles

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: At what cost travel?

August 10, 2016 By John Gower 3 Comments

I’m back from a weeklong driving trip to visit clients and family, and it’s made me think about the meaning and costs of travel. There’s been a radical change in how I do things in the last few years. Back in 2010, Tanis and I took a hard look at our lifestyle choices — housing, food, travel, work — and how they affected our carbon impact. We wanted to figure out the biggest and most immediate ways to make a change for the better. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blog, Energy Efficiency, Future-Proofing, Miscellany, Sustainable Lifestyles

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Our Clients Say…

Bud and I wanted to thank you for the plans for our wonderful new home. It was a pleasure to work with you. I was concerned that we might have a difficult time working together with your being so far away. I must admit you made the process very easy. You seem to have a knack for taking what I saw in my mind and making it happen, even better than I could see it.
Bud and Sandy H.Idaho
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Your building plans worked fine for us and there were no issues of any size… We moved in here in Dec.2013 and find the house well laid out and easy to live in. Our dealings with your company were straight forward and presented no problems. All in all a good choice for us.
HelmutChilliwack, BC
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Every time someone asks me about the design for our house, I tell them how great you were to work with and how you took my attempts to change things and made them happen on paper. Thanks so much!
Constance and Lee
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Thank you John. It has been a pleasure working (by phone) with you! We do appreciate the manner in which you listen – we truly feel that our ideas have been incorporated.
Jed and Helen D.Nelson, BC
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We hired John Gower Design to design an energy efficient Arts & Crafts style home for us. Working with John was an enjoyable and productive experience. He took our ideas and made them a reality. We found John’s strengths to be his sense of space and proportion and his willingness to listen to our ideas. We have lived in the house for two years and are continually amazed at how well the house works and its comfort and beauty.
Ross N.Victoria, BC
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We’ve been living in it for a year now and are really pleased with the design and the final product. I can’t thank you enough for the extra work you did designing the downstairs living space. It is a perfect floor plan and very roomy. I can’t believe all that we are able to fit in there.  We hope that you are still designing houses when we build our next house!
Patricia B.California
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We spent the night here last night and we absolutely LOVE our place.  It is just gorgeous!  Every square inch of it is well thought out, beautiful, all the views; from lying in bed, from working, from cooking, all the window views, everything is just gorgeous. Thank you so much for your work.  Thanks for your help with colour choices;  it looks great!  You’ve done a fantastic job, I hope this piece is the highlight of your portfolio, or one of the highlights and brings you lots of work.  Its a … Read more
Sam R.Keats Island, BC
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John Gower Design has provided me with outstanding service, time after time. I have relied on his team’s ability to recognize the scope of work that I have required, and deliver exactly the level of service which I had asked for. John Gower Design has shown a high degree of experience on my projects that required design solutions. Many of the designs had high levels of difficulty and I was always impressed with the intuitive knowledge that I could tap into. A pleasure to work with!
Dave S. (Builder)Nelson, BC
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Everyone loves our plans and I have referred you to a number of people who are planning to build.
Zoltan & Jane K.Sakinaw Lake, BC
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I am thrilled with your work. I think the drawings look perfect.  I am very satisfied. It is, to me, a fantastic floor plan, and the exterior well achieves all of my design directives re: simplicity etc. Well done! All in all, I think the whole package is entirely excellent. Thank you for the great work.
Brian N.Procter, BC
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212 - 2459 Cousins Avenue | Courtenay, British Columbia, Canada | V9N 3N6

Tel: 250.871.8765 | Toll-free: 1.877.366.2502

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