Blunden with N.C. State Energy Office Director Larry Shirley.
By Mary Beth Bardin
Staff Writer
Whether he’s riding his bike to work in rain or shine, advising councils on environmental issues or designing affordable co-housing communities, Giles Bluden is always thinking about sustainability.
That’s why on March 8, Blunden, president of Blunden Studio, a green architecture firm in Carrboro, received one of two N.C. Sustainable Energy Leadership Awards for Environmental Stewardship.
Larry Shirley, director of the North Carolina State Energy Office, presented Blunden with the award during a luncheon banquet at the N.C. Sustainable Energy Conference in Raleigh.
Blunden, who is a lifetime member of the American Solar Energy Society and the former chairman of the North Carolina Solar Energy Association, has designed two co-housing communities in Orange County. Arcadia (where he resides) and Pacifica are models for low-impact living. Small private living areas and shared common spaces utilize both passive and active solar technology. Through a partnership with Orange Community Land Trust, seven of Pacifica’s 46 homes are classified as affordable housing.
“[The award] is about contributing to the general well-being of society,†Blunden said. “Choosing a path that’s not necessarily highly profitable but more oriented toward public service.â€
He encourages people to make conscious choices based on consumption, recyclability and reduction of carbon dioxide. But, he said, these choices don’t mean people have to make sacrifices in the amenities they enjoy:
“I don’t find my life is in any way diminished by doing these things. It takes effort; it’s choosing a path that’s more difficult—kind of like riding your bike all winter.â€