Kennedy Jr. tears down moldy home

[Guest guest]

Kennedys hope TV home gets green light from environmental council

Daily News

Friday, July 25th 2008, 4:00 AM

Bobby Kennedy Jr.

_Bobby Kennedy_ (http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/+F.+Kennedy) Jr.

has snatched victory - and a TV deal - from the jaws of toxic mold.

For years, the environmental crusader and his wife, , had battled a

deadly fungus that had infested their _Westchester_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Westchester) County home.

" We finally came to the conclusion that there was no way to save the house, "

Kennedy tells us. " We had to tear it down. We didn't feel it was conscionable

to sell it to someone else. "

The Kennedys moved to a rental house, hoping someday to build again on their

land.

Now they are planning to erect a state-of-the-art green home whose

construction will be supervised by " This Old House " star _Bob Vila_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Bob+Vila) for a 13-part TV series.

Having the last laugh on the mold, the Kennedys are recycling every nail and

piece of plasterboard from their old place. They're hoping that the

solar-powered manse will win a coveted Leadership in Energy and Environmental

Design

(LEED) certificate from the _U.S. Green Building Council_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/U.S.+Green+Building+Council) .

" We're pretty confident we can get a gold LEED, " says Kennedy, who is

entertaining offers from several TV networks. " Platinum is harder. Some of the

ratings depend on how close to rail stations and grocery stores you are. "

The show also will look at houses that are " extremely affordable, " says

Bobby.

The couple is also using recycled materials from a former _Dutchess County_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/Dutchess+County) mental institution where

Bobby once volunteered. " thinks it's good that we're living in an insane

asylum, " he laughs.

Meanwhile, Kennedy's mother, Ethel, and his sisters Rory, Kerry and

will gather tomorrow at the _East Hampton_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/East+Hampton) estate of _ Sale

Ross_

(http://www.nydailynews.com/topics/+Sale+Ross) for a 40th anniversary

fund-raiser for the

F. Kennedy Memorial. Tickets are available at _rfkmemorial.org_

(http://www.rfkmemorial.org/) .

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