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Remembering Tom St. Louis * 1953 to 2007

Green Building Movement Loses Local Founder & Leader

By Erica Guttman

Looking back, it's hard to remember the first time I met Tom St. Louis, sometime in 1997. But I know he was helping me, because that's what Tom did. He was likely helping me with a volunteer project at the Energy Outreach Center, and later he went on to help me with hands-on workshops to help folks plan custom-home-building projects that were a little lighter on the planet -- including retaining lots of native vegetation and building with resource- and energy-conserving materials and methods.

Our region -- indeed, the entire sustainable-building movement -- lost an energetic leader, a visionary, and a dedicated friend when Tom died suddenly on July 10. Tom was one of the principal members of the small group that founded the Northwest EcoBuilding Guild in 1993. Tom simultaneously founded the South Puget Sound Chapter other local green-building advocates, including Sandra Fugate, Bill Hegy, and Paul Horton.

Part of his legacy locally includes the Habitat for Humanity Evergreen Sustainable House, which is a model for numerous sustainable-building practices, including several that Tom championed over the years. Students and faculty from The Evergreen State College led the design and construction. Gretchen Van Dusen, the eco-building architect who taught the student designers and builders, told me, "That house wouldn't exist without Tom and Luke Howard."

I was not unique as the beneficiary of Tom's generosity in offering access to his amazing knowledge of sustainable-building techniques or putting his knowledge into action to create something beautiful and enduring -- and resource efficient. He offered his skills and talents to everyone, from neighbors to fellow builders to policy makers -- locally, regionally, and nationally. Joseph Becker, who was mentored by Tom as he developed his own skills in sustainable-building practices, spoke of Tom as a "radiant being" who generously educated thousands of people around the country.

Tom's long-time friend Gwen Sowray observed that he was a "born teacher." Tom worked hard to share his passion for better ways of designing, building, and thinking about "waste." He led countless workshops around the region, and worked with the Construction, Demolition, and Landclearing Council to create "toolboxes" where designers and builders could find comprehensive information on green-building materials and techniques.

At the recent celebration of his life, friends and colleagues shared over and over the myriad ways that Tom had come to their aid -- usually cleverly, often at the expense of his own comfort, and without regard to his own schedule.

Gwen Sowray said: "The generosity of Tom's time and knowledge to help others was ever present. If we ever needed an answer for a how-to question, we just called Tom. His inventiveness and creativity has always been astoundingly brilliant." Tom was the guy we all called when we needed a fresh approach to a problem, ideas for green building, a source for sustainable-building materials, or help freeing bats from a house.

His long-time friend, Sam Bradley, spoke of his "beautiful, outdoor hands" that could do anything. Others spoke of his extraordinary organization and meticulous attention to the fine details in construction, whether he was building a large structure or a mobile educational display. Many community members shared stories that recalled one of my encounters with Tom: When he helped my non-profit obtain 100-percent post-consumer-recycled plastic lumber for our plant nursery beds, it wasn't enough that he saw to its timely delivery. I was surprised when he also showed up to instruct our volunteers in an elegant design for assembling (and disassembling when necessary) the enormous frames.

Tom's death is an unfathomable loss for his family and large community of friends and colleagues. We mourn the loss of this funny, quirky, brilliant man whom we all held so dear. And many of us wonder who will fill the voids now that we can no longer call on Tom's seemingly boundless knowledge, talents, and generosity. Doug Milholland, an eco-builder from Port Townsend, observed about Tom, "He was on the cutting edge -- but that's also the bleeding edge. It's not an easy place to be. He really wanted to help this old world move along."

Erica Guttman is a Green Pages staff writer and copy editor.


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Updated 2015/01/07 21:14:22