I have intentionally not commented on the arson fires that destroyed the Built Green Street of Dreams homes at Quinn’s Crossing.

I was saddened a great deal when these homes burned. I worried about the wild life and was grateful for the time of year and that the surrounding area was wet enough to not burn and spread the fire to the surrounding woods. I grew up in these woods, and it was an idyllic, if rather remote, place to be through those impressionable years (age 7 until I flew the coop at 18).

I was also upset that something so awful could happen in the name of “green”. This year’s Built Green Street of Dreams was a great step forward in making the general population more aware of how accessible green features can be for homes, new or remodeled. Many people visit the Street to get ideas of things they would like to incorporate in to future remodeling they will do on their own homes. It’s a great resource. The arson just leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

The green conversation continues, of course, in an article in today’s Seattle Times, The fight over what “green” means. Greenwashing is an important thing to look out for, with every corporation jumping on the bandwagon. The Street of Dreams was NOT an example of greenwashing. You can read more about the problem of greenwashing on a November post on my blog here.

Please reflect on this awful incident. I am so glad I was able to memorialize this year’s special Built Green Street of Dreams in the many photos from my days “Dreaming’ here and here. The photo featured above is one I took of one of the outdoor living spaces, smartly covered (many aren’t) so it could be used 12 months out of the year in the rainy Northwest.

Wendy