An interesting thing is happening here at Eco Brooklyn. It seems our mission of radical green building without compromise has tapped into something that people really resonate with.
This week it dawned on me as my phone was ringing off the hook that there are two forces pulling on Eco Brooklyn.
On one side we are inundated by passionate and skilled green workers looking for work they can believe in. And on the other side we are equally inundated by Brooklyn homeowners excited to hire us for green renovations.
Both sides say the same thing: What you are doing is so amazing and we want to be part of it.
It is a great thing to be in the middle of such energy. It is a little overwhelming and certainly keeps us busy.
But most of all it is awe inspiring to see that all of us involved have a chance to do what is right, without sacrifice, without compromise and without resistance.
While it seems everyone around us is moaning about compromise on their jobs because the client doesn’t want to be as green as they should, or that the green jobs are not to be found, we are booked solid.
Why? I think because we went balls out, all or nothing, black or white. We are very clear with our clients and ourselves: if it isn’t 100% green then we walk away. Period. No negotiations, no watering down, no second best.
And instead of clients being turned off they welcome the strong stand. “Finally a company that walks the talk”, they say.
Lets be clear: green is about putting the planet first. Money, power, success, security – everything else comes second. If a client can’t deal with that then they shouldn’t be renovating in the first place. If a green builder can’t deal with that then they will smell like greenwashing from a mile away.
The green building revolution is so powerful because it does what all other revolutions failed to do: it brings humanity together without polarity. In the green movement there are no winners or loosers, us vs. them, good vs. bad. There is only the urgent need to stop screwing up as a race and get back on track to global ecological harmony. Or die.
The green revolution is doing what the hippies of the 60’s thought they were doing until they realized the vast majority of the world had no plans to become hippies and join them.
In this case though we are all on board. From corporate headquarters to grass roots gardens we all see the same urgency to turn the world into a more verdant place, to clean it up, to stop the damage, and to finally do something.
And it is great being in the green building industry. Leading the way here in Brooklyn it is really easy to feel green. Construction is so wasteful, especially NY construction where money is thrown around, so green building is really easy!
It is good to be such a central player in this revolution because it means we can help guide its direction, with the knowledge that ultimately we were just in the right place at the right time and are simply here to enjoy the ride.
