By Sarah F. Cox
A good salesperson stands behind her products but architect and sustainable building strategies consultant Ellen Honigstock takes this to the extreme. When Ellen and her husband bought a house in Windsor Terrace Brooklyn three years ago, she turned it into a lab to test out modifications for making existing buildings more sustainabe. Though she lovingly refers to her abode as a “graveyard for failed strategies,” it is clear it has allowed her to go the extra mile in advising building owners on what really works. While installing radiant heat in the floors, she discovered that the popularity of bamboo flooring had led to a decrease in quality for some products; while installing rainwater harvesting barrels she learned that one is better off buying specific rain barrels than modifying regular ones. As a lover of the outdoors she successfully built a bat house to combat mosquitoes and has undertaken a plethora of gardening ventures.

A Journey in Progress

Last February, Ellen decided to start a blog called Toe Print Project, based on the idea of reducing carbon footprints through small moves. Covering simple things everyone can do, like composting, to more complex matters, like insulation, Ellen provides a thorough investigation for those looking to learn as well as those ready to make big changes. In her relentless pursuit of the best ways to impact change she tracks her home’s energy usage and has catalogued the various tools for keeping track as well as techniques that cut down usage, such as switching from incandescent to compact fluorescent light bulbs.

Lead by Example

To encourage more building owners to modify building operation strategies and remodel for better efficiency, she’s explained the green building incentives as well. One of her greater successes was weatherizing her own home by sealing off openings and reducing heat loss through better insulation. Though she knows it is a difficult time to think about spending money on existing buildings, she’s found that the investment saves tons of money in the long run by creating buildings that run on less energy.

Building upon the trials, errors and successes of starting small, Ellen is now ready to start impacting a bigger movement and hopes to advise influential property owners with vast real estate holdings around New York. She believes that if office buildings take greening techniques seriously, improvements such as better air quality will lead to less sick days and happier, more productive employees. In the end, greening is not just a feel-good practice, it is good business too.

Interested in meeting more people like Ellen? Check out other profiles on our website!

About the Author
Sarah F. Cox is a Brooklyn-based writer and publicist who focuses on architecture, design, and sustainable causes.

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