GREEN IS THE NEW BLUE
IN THE NEWS
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B&D Builders Promotes Sustainable
Timber Frame Construction
Efforts Begin with
“Green Is the New Blue” Initiative
August 2024
B&D Builders, a leader in equestrian facility design and construction, is leveraging its sustainable timber frame buildings methods to promote environmentally responsible initiatives, starting with “Green Is the New Blue.” Known for creating legacy structures that honor both the land and the equestrian lifestyle, B&D Builders is dedicated to eco-friendly construction practices that ensure a sustainable future for the equestrian community.
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“As participants in a sport so deeply connected to animals and the natural world, sustainability must be at the forefront of our decisions,” said R. Scot Evans, creative director of Green Is the New Blue (GNB). “Organizations and manufacturers like B&D Builders that share our commitment to the planet are vital partners within our equestrian community, and we’re excited for the positive impact we can make together.”
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B&D Builders has long been recognized for their skill in timber frame construction, a method that is both time-honored and environmentally responsible. Timber serves as a carbon sink by trapping greenhouse gases as part of structures, keeping CO2 out of the atmosphere which helps maintain a cooler climate. The company’s meticulous process involves hand-selecting timbers and using advanced CNC machine cuts to maximize efficiency and minimize waste. Leftover timber is repurposed into cross-laminated timber panels or ground into sawdust
for farm bedding, ensuring a zero-waste approach. These practices contribute to the beauty and strength of their structures while incorporating sustainability into every project.
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The GNB initiative aligns seamlessly with B&D Builders’ values. This nonprofit organization addresses environmental sustainability issues in the equestrian world, advocating for practices such as #BringYourOwn, which encourages the use of reusable water bottles, and Living Jump, which promotes the use of native plants in course design and landscaping processes to sustain pollinators, control fly populations, and boost resilience. Additionally, the initiative supports sustainability as a career path, offering resources like a searchable college database. From encouraging compostable food service packaging to providing guidance on responsible use of water within the wash rack and around barns, GNB is working to impact many aspects of the equestrian community.
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“We are proud to support Green Is the New Blue and its mission to make the equestrian community more environmentally conscious,” says Daniel Glick, co-founder and co-owner of B&D Builders. “This is right in line with our work in sustainable timber frame construction and other initiatives we support.”
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From the building design and construction angle, B&D thoughtfully specifies materials that reduce, reuse and recycle. “We use rubber mats and pavers made from recycled tires and use natural stone instead of manufactured stone,” said Glick. “We also repurpose reclaimed lumber from old barns when possible, giving new life to trees that were cut generations ago.”
As B&D Builders looks to the future, they are excited about the possibilities that lie ahead through continued collaboration with sustainability initiatives that will impact the equestrian community.
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ABOUT B&D BUILDERS
B&D Builders is a full-service custom builder with the expertise to bring new construction and remodeling projects to life. B&D Builders’ team of skilled designers and craftsmen have brought creativity and attention to detail to hundreds of projects across the U.S., including bank barns, equestrian arenas, event facilities, historic restorations, commercial properties, and luxury homes. B&D relishes building a heritage structure that not only stands the test of time but brings the customer’s vision into full focus. For more than 20 years, B&D Builders projects have been Built Right or Not at All. For more information, please visit BandDBuilders.com.
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ABOUT GREEN IS THE NEW BLUE
Green Is the New Blue is an environmental non-profit that strives to empower and inspire equestrians to join its mission of reducing the environmental impact of equine-related activities. Founded by Stephanie Bulger, GNB is dedicated to creating a more sustainable sport and preserving the planet for horses and their future riders. To learn more, visit Greenisthenewblue.org
Going Green in Equine:
The Benefits of Timber Frame Construction
July 10, 2024
At B&D Builders, we create legacy structures built to pass from generation to generation, becoming part of a family’s story. They speak to the family’s relationship with the land, of their life’s work — whether a horse barn, equestrian facility, or luxury home. And in all steps of our building process, we’re concerned with the future, ever focused on construction choices that have a long-lasting impact.
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So it is with our environment. The world we’re passing on to our grandchildren — and their grandchildren — might be vastly different if we don’t adhere to sustainable and environmentally sound practices today. To create a better tomorrow, we believe in using eco-friendly materials whenever possible. By doing so, we feel we honor the landscape upon which our structures are built.
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Green Is the New Blue
In our primary building sector, equestrian lifestyle, environmental concerns are more prevalent than ever. Horse farm owners, showground designers, event planners, and decision makers are making green initiatives a priority. Grassroots movements like Green Is the New Blue have drawn considerable attention to what can be done within the sport and lifestyle, and have our support.
Green Is the New Blue is a nonprofit working to address environmental sustainability issues in the equestrian world. Just a few of their initiatives include:
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#BringYourOwn, which asks equine participants to bring and use their own reusable water bottles to cut back on single-use plastic.
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Living Jump, urging the use of native plants in course design and farm landscaping to help sustain pollinators and other insects, such as spiders, to control fly populations.
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Promoting sustainability as a career path, with a searchable college database on their website.​
Sustainable Timber Framing
In advancing sustainability measures for our projects, B&D is a proud proponent of timber. For thousands of years, timber frame structures have provided strength, flexibility, and biophilic benefits — that feeling of peace and connection with nature you get when spending time within a timber structure.
Timber also acts as a carbon sink, trapping greenhouse gasses in its fibers while the tree is growing and continuing to keep it sequestered when used as a beam or panel in a structure. Although timber is having a resurgence as a “new” eco-friendly way of building, we know timber construction from the agrarian heritage we share with our forefathers. We grew up around horses, barns, and honest work, and we were never far from timber frame farm buildings. Because of this upbringing, we believe what’s best for our natural world is using what nature has provided. And we believe in doing a job right, or not at all. We don’t cut corners to save a few dollars when the impact it may have could last forever.
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Additional Timber Frame Benefits
The process of manufacturing timber framing requires less energy compared to other building materials like steel or concrete, keeping even more carbon out of the atmosphere. We hand select our timbers and carefully design our CNC machine cuts for maximum efficiency and minimal waste. Leftover scraps are ground into sawdust to serve as bedding for the farms that surround our Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, workshop like a vibrant green quilt. Using cross-laminated timber, or CLT, further strengthens a build while enabling speedier construction. Boards are layered at right angles and bonded together off-site, then used for load-bearing structures, including walls, floors, and roofs. Building these components at our workshop means there is little to no waste on the jobsite, and because timber weighs less than steel, transportation costs and fuel usage are lowered.
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Building Sustainably for Generations to Come
Sustainability is at the heart of our love for timber frame construction. Its benefits easily make timber the most eco-friendly building material — and we think it’s the most beautiful as well. Initiatives like Green Is the New Blue are making a huge impact in the equestrian lifestyle sector, and we join them in supporting a more sustainable future for the horse community.
Before you start your next project, contact B&D Builders to explore your options for making it as “green” as possible. Together, we can make a positive impact on equestrian life — and our planet.
Caroline Weeden, Louise Serio, Stephanie Bulger, Leo Bulger, Louise Riggio, Scot Evans
Louise enjoys the moment with her daughter Stephanie, grandson Leo, and Scot Evans, Creative Director of Green is the New Blue
© Giana Terranova
Green Is the New Blue President Louise Riggio Honored with 2023 Kavar Kerr Distinguished Service Award
© Giana Terranova
New York, New York — March 4, 2024 — Green Is the New Blue (GNB) would like to congratulate its President, Louise Riggio, on receiving the 2023 Kavar Kerr Distinguished Service Award from the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA). Presented by the WCHR Task Force in honor of Kavar Kerr, this honor is awarded annually to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional dedication, leadership and commitment to the WCHR program’s philanthropic efforts. The award was presented to Riggio during the $100,000 USHJA WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida.
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Riggio, of New York, NY, is committed to the future of horse sports both through her nonprofit involvement and as a horse owner. She serves as President of Green Is the New Blue, a nonprofit organization working to address issues of environmental sustainability across equestrian activities. She sits on the Equestrian Aid Foundation Board and was instrumental in the Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund in 2018 and its COVID emergency response programs in 2020 and 2021. She is also a firm believer in the healing potential of horses, shown through her support of therapeutic riding programs, and is an ardent supporter of animal rescue organizations.

“I am truly humbled to have received the 2023 Kavar Kerr Distinguished Service Award,” Riggio said. “Serving the equine industry has been such a big part of my life, and it is a tremendous honor to be recognized for supporting these programs to which I am deeply committed. I believe strongly that we should all do what we can to give back to this community and I thank everyone who has joined me in doing that.”
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More information on Green Is the New Blue, ways to help make horse sports more environmentally conscious and sustainable, and educational resources such as an overview of Environmental Studies in higher education is available at greenisthenewblue.org
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