GREEN BUILDER CURRICULUM VITAE


I like the idea of the curriculum vitae (which in Latin means ‘course of life’) because it often includes activities and events that fall outside of the career oriented résumé. Here is mine:


I finished college in 1979 and went to work for architect Albin H. Rothe, A.I.A. in Ramsey , N.J. . Besides specializing in historic restorations , Al was actively involved in the burgeoning solar building movement, then in its infancy. I was very lucky to learn from him about passive and active solar, energy efficient design and use of the new
materials and construction methods coming out at the time. Very influenced by the organic architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright, our projects used natural materials and were very sensitively sited.


During this time I was introduced to the work of John Todd, who founded ‘The New Alchemy Institute’ on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. A group of scientists and PHD’s with a hippie point of view, this amazing place presented a new vision to me, and many others, of what was possible and was my first exposure to people who really thought outside the box. I was lucky to see John Todd’s presentation at the 2007 ‘West Coast Green’ conference. His cutting edge work on biological wastewater purification is fascinating. Check out  www.oceanarks.org



In 1985, a combination of a political climate that all but killed solar and alternative building and an opportunity too good to pass up, led me to leave my job in building and design. I joined two friends  from NYC on a road trip to Fernie, British Colombia to live for a few months on a homestead in the mountains, sans running water and electricity. It was an opportunity to live on nature’s terms, not in our tamed world. Cooking on wood burning stoves, growing food , harvesting wild plants and fetching water that flowed from the mountains in unpolluted streams.

 

What you should know


Company owner:

Mark Letizia    


California contractors license:

882970    www.cslb.ca.gov


Education:

1976 Ramsey High School, N.J.

1979 Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass.


Experience:

30 years in residential design and construction, involved in solar and ‘green’ building since 1980.

I’ve built many projects and have tried many eco- friendly products and methods of construction.


inspirations:

Nature, Yoga,  People who think

‘outside the box’, architect Bruce Goff.


Favorite Journals:

Dwell, Atomic Ranch, Ode, Natural Home.


membership in Organizations :

U.S. Green Building Council and local chapter, Build It Green, KEBYAR (Bruce Goff / organic architecture organization), Greater San Diego Business Association,

San Diego Green Business Network.


Personal Motto:

“Look to nature for your best ideas.”


Recent Reads :

“The Book of Destiny” by Carlos Barrios (2012 prophecy, BUT written by a Mayan Shaman)

“Small Wonder” by Barbara Kingsolver


recent conferences :

“West Coast Green” , Green Building Conference and Trade Show. September 30-October 3, 2009 in San Francisco, CA. www.westcoastgreen.com


Photo credits :

Mark at Bristlecone Pine Forrest, Ca.

by Richard Dupuy

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur, Ca.

by Mark Letizia

Project snapshots by Mark Letizia



 

This experience led us and a few other friends to purchase 180 acres in Maine, in the vicinity of Acadia National Park. After a couple of years living communally, we divided up the land and lived as neighbors. At this point in 1988 I was already back in the design and construction field but was ready to incorporate many of the ideas and philosophies I’d been exposed to into my new business, Osprey Healthy Homes.


At the same time, I was fortunate to join several like-minded folks and form ‘Builders and Architects for a Sustainable Environment’. We met monthly across the state to learn and network together. I also got involved in the ‘Maine Solar Energy Association’ meeting many people who lived ‘off the grid’ using photovoltaic panels for all their electrical needs. In a couple of years I would follow their lead on my own new home. Also at this time I became involved with a newly starting community radio station, WERU FM in Blue Hill, Me., and had a weekly show playing music on Sunday mornings. After a couple of years I moved on to producing a show called ‘Homesick’ about the health issues related to modern building and the budding interest in sustainability and ecological homebuilding, well before the term ‘Green Building’ was coined. But now in 1993 I was ready to build my own ecological house and needed all my spare time to go into that, so was the end of my time ‘on the air’.


I designed and constructed the home to be as low impact as possible, built using principles as diverse as building biology (aka ‘Baubiology’) and building science. It featured locally harvested lumber, including some from my own 45 acres, a ‘finnish’ masonry heater, breathable walls, Livos natural paint and wood finishes, natural linoleum and a solar electric system that provided all the electricity. Please see the page Maine Eco Home.


Forward to 1998, for several reasons I found myself in New Mexico living in Albuquerque and working for homebuilder Robert Slattery who specialized in high end homes using many ‘green’ techniques and materials. My most rewarding project was a renovation to an adobe house just outside town, see page titled Corrales,NM Remodel.


In 2000 I moved to San Diego and worked for PLS Design and then in 2004, OSSO Construction. I worked on many great projects for some wonderful people, some of them are shown on this site. Wanting to resume running my own company, in 2006 I took the California contractor’s exam and received my state license and am now very excited to be redirecting my focus back to green building. I would welcome the opportunity to work with you on your upcoming projects.


About Us