The Mixed Message of 'Green' Remodeling

I've been gradually completing my LEED Green Associate training these past few months (hoping to take the exam some time in August)...its fascinating to see the difference between the content of the training and the popular impression of what it means to be LEED certified.  Sure, I've been learning quite a bit about sustainable materials (bamboo, cork, etc.), insane R-value insulation, and energy efficiency (all I can say is - thank goodness for dimmable CFLs!)  But a good part of the curriculum focuses on aspects of construction & remodeling that have been a 'no-brainer' for me for years, things like avoiding unnecessary waste and reusing existing materials.

Growing up, renovating historic properties with my father, these 'green' measures were both a necessity (no sense in paying for dump fees to remove perfectly good materials when they could easily be repaired or repurposed) and a philosophy (historic preservation aims, by definition, to preserve the existing structure and materials of a building whenever possible rather than needlessly using up new, limited building materials resources.)  The way I learned things, when you take down a 100 year old wall, you save as much of the framing as possible - the old lumber is so much higher quality than it is today.  It seems much more respectful of the environment to take a few extra minutes and carefully disassemble an old wall rather than just ripping everything apart with a Sawzall.  I even save the wooden lath (that the plaster is applied to) to use as shims!  And instead of throwing out leftover materials, I try and find creative ways to use them on different projects - right now, for example, I'm working on a proposal to resurface a laminate bar using the leftover bamboo flooring from another project - a low cost, low waste solution that will end up looking like a more expensive version of butcher block.

I think of issues like these a lot whenever I see 'green' remodelers offering to rip out 100-year-old minimally damaged oak flooring and replace it with bamboo, a project that creates several tons of waste that could easily be avoided.  I'd opt instead for repairing the damaged oak boards (perhaps even using reclaimed oak flooring) and refinishing the existing floors.  

I'm completely in favor of incorporating as many green building principles into new construction as possible; it just seems that there's a bit of confusion about how to apply green building techniques to remodeling existing buildings.  I see a lot of contractors that stress the environmentally friendly nature of the products and materials they install, while at the same time adhering to a 'complete gut job' strategy of renovation, even when it isn't remotely necessary.