To the editor:
In response to “TRANSFORMATIONS: A deep energy retrofit for a 19th-century home.”
The work of transforming an old house into an energy-efficient and hospitable home is—aside from a fascinating story—a good metaphor for what our society needs to do to survive and prosper in the coming centuries. Built when insulation was unheard of and we burned wood and coal to stay warm in the winter, the house needed to move into the 21st century without losing its charm.
America’s commerce, infrastructure, and agriculture all grew to “adulthood” in a time of cheap fossil energy, a time when wastefulness was a sign of wealth and abundance rather than an ethical lapse. But it turns out that the profligacy of the last century and a half has left us in an environmental and moral dilemma that will take all our creativity to resolve.
The ingenuity and resourcefulness of Andrew Webster and Graphite Studio is a model for all of us who hope to honor the best parts of our history while building a better and more just world. Let us work to nurture a sustainable civilization and reduce our destructive impact on the world’s climate and ecosystems.
Warren Senders
Medford
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