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GOALS OF GREEN BUILDING AND PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT GREEN BUILDING TAKES ADVANTAGE OF RENEWABLE RESOURCES, SUCH AS BY: • Using sunlight through passive solar, active solar and photovoltaic techniques • Using plants and trees through green roofs, rain gardens and for reduction of rainwater run-off • Using packed gravel or permeable concrete instead of conventional concrete or asphalt to enhance replenishment of groundwater. ALTHOUGH THE PRACTICES EMPLOYED WITH GREEN BUILDING ARE CONSTANTLY EVOLVING AND DIFFER FROM REGION TO REGION, THERE ARE FUNDAMENTAL PRACTICES THAT TEND TO PREVAIL: • Energy Efficiency: To reduce operating energy use, high-efficiency windows, insulation in walls, ceilings and floors, and implementing passive solar building design increase the efficiency of the building design. • Water Efficiency: The protection and conservation of water throughout a
building’s life can be accomplished by designing for dual plumbing that recycles water in toilet flushing. Wastewater may be minimized by utilizing water conserving fixtures such as ultra-low flush toilets and low-flow showerheads. • Materials Efficiency: Building materials typically considered to be green include lumber from forests that have been certified, renewable plant materials like bamboo and straw, and other products that are non-toxic such as baked earth, clay, flax, linen and seagrass. • Indoor Environmental Quality Enhancement: Buildings rely on properly designed ventilation systems. Choosing construction materials and interior finish products with zero or low volatile organic compounds (VOCs) improves indoor air quality (IAQ). • Operations & Maintenance Optimization: Ensuring operations and maintenance personnel are part of the project’s planning and development process will assist in retaining the green criteria designed at the onset of the project. • Waste & Toxics Reduction: During the construction process, one goal should be to reduce the amount of material going to landfills.
GREEN CERTIFICATION AND LEED
• A certified green structure is one that is built specifically to help save the environment and is certified by one of the “green” organizations such as the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). • Homes and buildings that are green-certified use eco-friendly materials that are efficient in the consumption of energy, such as solar panels, recyclable materials and even composting toilets. • Although the cost of building a certified green home is 20-30% more than building a regular home, a certified green home saves energy and money, is durable and good for overall health, and will likely sell for more if placed on the market. • LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is an internationally recognized green building certification system, developed by the USGBC in March 2000. • LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operation and maintenance solutions.
• LEED promotes sustainable building and development through a set of rating systems that recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and health performance. • LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at achieving high performance in five key areas: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
sustainable site development water savings energy efficiency materials selection indoor environmental quality
• LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building types – commercial and residential.
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