Homeowners: About Green Building

What is green building?  It may mean different things to different people.
For many people, it means reducing their environmental impact or lowering
utility costs.  For others, it may mean protecting the health, safety and well-
being of their families. Buildings and building materials have a substantial impact
on the environment and our health. Consider just a few statistics:

• Buildings account for 33% of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide
• An estimated 4 billion pounds of carpet ends up in landfills each year
• Noise is one of the most pervasive pollutants today, negatively impacting health
      and well-being
• Water use in the United States consumes enough water to fill a line of Olympic
      size swimming pools reaching around the world EVERY DAY-more than 300 billion gallons!

Green buildings are designed to be more conservative of the environment, as well as healthy and safe for occupants. The design, construction and operation of green buildings includes consideration of energy efficiency, water conservation, environmentally responsible material selection, reduction of waste and pollution, and healthy indoor environmental quality. Most often, people want to build green for some combination of these reasons, so each project has unique green characteristics.

Building green can:

• Reduce health and safety risks
• Save you money
• Increase the value of your home
• Reduce energy and water use
• Improve durability
• Reduce maintenance
• Help conserve natural resources
• Reduce your carbon footprint
• Help stem the tide against global warming
• Keep reusable materials out of landfill

Whether you’re building, remodeling, or working on a home improvement project, green alternatives exist in nearly every product category. And, if you’re concerned about the costs associated with building green, the good news is that savings in energy and water use and health benefits more than offset the extra upfront costs over time. As a bonus, the resale value of your home is increased, and it is likely to sell faster. Some of the immediate measurable results experienced by owners and occupants of green spaces include:

• 7.5% - 15% increase in property values, faster sales of "green" properties
• Up to 75% decrease in operating costs
• 16% increase in worker productivity (in office settings)
• 20% better test performance for students
• Patients discharged from hospitals an average of 2.5 days sooner
• Increase in retail sales
• Increased production in factories

These benefits, documented in non-residential buildings, translate to better environments in residential living, as well as increased property value. And if you have a home office, your productivity could improve.