"Building Green"

By: Jonathan Hiatt

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), buildings currently account for 39 percent of all energy, 12 percent of all water, and 68 percent of all electricity used in the United States, along with 38 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions produced. All of which adds up to one giant ecological footprint.
Buildings that are more energy efficient save on both natural resources and operational costs–two factors that, coupled with greater consumer awareness in recent years spurred by programs like LEED–have led to a massive surge in what is today known design wise as green building. Green building takes into account the way a structure uses energy and water, the types of materials used in construction, and how much waste the building creates, as well as its indoor air quality. Green building for developments also takes into account factors that help to create healthy neighborhoods and minimize urban sprawl.

In order to achieve greater energy efficiency, green buildings often make use of a tight building envelope, passive solar orientation, low-e windows, heat exchangers, and/or radiant in-floor heat. Many of them also generate their own, off-grid energy through solar systems and geothermal heat pumps. Water conservation strategies in green buildings include low-flow toilets (annoying and possibly embarrassing, but it's for a good cause) and showers as well as the use of reclaimed rainwater for landscape irrigation; resources are also conserved using locally sourced and/or recycled/reclaimed/renewable building materials. Additionally, green buildings help to ensure a healthy environment for those who live within them by emphasizing low-VOC paints, non-toxic building materials and proper ventilation.

References:

EPA Website, 2011, "Why Build Green," <http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/whybuild.htm>