Peter Lytle
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Last weekend the Green building community lost a good friend, and I lost a peer whom I respected and cared for greatly.
I have lost friends, family, acquaintances before. Some deaths have been more painful than others. Most were anticipated, few were as sudden or unexpected as this.
We read about death daily as war, natural disaster, accidents, and stupidity claim lives all over the world, and it is easy to become numb to the passing of a life.
Elie Wiesel says that it is at the point when we stop caring that we cease to be human. There is little question in my mind that anyone who knew, had the opportunity to work with, or even heard Peter Lytle speak was moved at the news of his sudden and unexpected death.
Model of Sustainability
I met Peter a few years back, first through industry rumor and then by invitation. I was at the final stages of developing the pilot version of the Minnesota Green building and remodeling standard, and Peter was in the midst of launching the Live Green Live Smart Institute. He invited me to drive out to his home, “The Sustainable House,” to take a look at what he was doing and to “talk shop.”
I drove out a skeptic but found someone who was as passionate about, and as engaged in the process of exploration for solutions, as myself. He described the elaborate sensors and data feedback loops that were being buried in the skin of the home (see it by clicking here). He showed me the room where the co-generation system was being installed. He walked me through a series of statistics about an aging population, scarcity of resources, and potential for efficiency while pointing out the home’s fruit garden, drought-resistant vegetation, and massive stormwater-capture system that would keep the fruit and vegetable gardens growing.
We talked about some of the home’s unresolved details. For instance, it would be the first in Minnesota to have a grey-water system (still illegal in the state). Its OSB sheathing was being replaced by a rigid foam sheathing and closed-cell sprayfoam assembly that would dramatically improve its overall efficiency.
The house became one of the pilot projects for Minnesota GreenStar and went on to earn certification at that program’s Gold level, as well as Platinum certification through LEED for Homes. Peter’s sustainable home ultimately received a HERS rating of 41 and measured zero duct leakage. It used so little water that its grey water tank quickly filled up. The home was visited by thousands of people from all over the world.
The Common Touch
What you need to know is that Peter Lytle was not a building scientist. He was not a builder, remodeler, developer, or real estate professional of any kind. He was a successful businessman who had served as chairman and CEO across a variety of industries, including pharmaceutical, food, and shipping. He served on boards of private and public corporations and nonprofits. He was an entrepreneur turned ecopreneur. He saw the world and understood the need to change the way we approached our homes. He understood that houses were having a serious impact on the environment and on our health, and he wanted to do something about it.
Peter was constantly exploring ideas that could move Green building practices into the mainstream. His LEED Platinum home was really meant to be a working laboratory, but he understood that it was not immediately in everyone’s grasp. He sought to find a way to bring the masses along.
Over the course of our friendship, Peter and I discussed everything from iPhone apps to massive websites. When I told him of our challenges getting the realty industry to include Green certification and other features in the MLS, he shook his head and said ‘Then screw them. We’ll start our own MLS. They will be out of business in a year and begging us for ours.” He wasn’t kidding.
I attended the “celebration” of Peter’s life last week. Others’ recollections confirmed that he was the humble, enthusiastic, fun, smart, passionate, and honest individual that I had perceived him to be. The celebration was full of humor and laughter, and sadness tempered by reflection and respect.
Two years ago, when I visited Peter’s finished home and went through the documents that signed off on his certification, he tossed me the key. “Here, take this,” he said. “Bring anyone you want over here. Show them what can be done.”
The Jewish faith suggests that while the body dies and the soul returns to G-d, the person lives on in the hearts and minds of those he or she loved and in the good deeds and actions he performed. By that measure, Peter will be around for a good long time.
Catch you later, buddy.
Michael Anschel is the owner and principal of Otogawa-Anschel Design Build, a nationally recognized and award-winning design and build firm and a committed leader to the Green building movement in Minnesota. He blogs for REMODELING on Tuesdays and the occasional Friday. Michael also serves on the board of Minnesota GreenStar and is CEO of Verified Green, Inc., which consults with builders, remodelers, architects, and state and city officials on Green building. To read Michael's other posts on Green remodeling, click on the link to the right, at the bottom of "about the blogger."
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