This article was originally featured in the March 2022 issue of New Orleans Magazine. Article by Lee Cutrone; photo by Greg Miles.
From installing rain collection barrels at home to using non-VOC paints, Terri Dreyer talks about how using different environmentally-friendly materials and design practices can make one’s residence a “green space” — an “important goal for all to embrace.”
Terri discusses the various ways that New Orleanians can move toward sustainability. “Creating your own systems lessens the load on centralized systems. We have to think about this as an economic driver.”
Just as aging in place has become a motivating force in building practices, Terri mentions how catastrophic weather events due to global warming have further emphasized the need for even more resilient homes to shelter in place. “Metal roofs, she said, offer a better alternative for hurricanes, and thereby reduce post-hurricane waste – not to mention dollars”. Terri’s firm, NANO, is committed to resilient, sustainable, and socially responsible building practices, and is a proud signatory of the American Institute of Architects’ 2030 Challenge. As a pioneer in environmentally sensitive architecture and design, NANO often repurposes structural wood from old buildings to create everything from furniture to cabinets and recycled metal gating as railings.
“It’s not just about depositing recyclables, it’s about proactively using them”.
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Photo by Greg Miles