Green Building Standards
July 30th, 2009 Posted in Green Living & News
Nowadays, as the world becomes more environmentally-conscious, we are hearing a lot about “green building” or the construction of “green buildings.”
As with any template for a project there are certain standards that define the meaning of “green” when it comes to sustainable design.
According to the EPA, green building is “the practice of creating structures and using processes that are environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building’s life-cycle from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction. This practice expands and complements the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort. Green building is also known as a sustainable or high performance building.”
Specifically made to reduce the overall impact of building on human health and the natural environment, green building standards ensure and require:
- Using water, energy and other resources efficiently
- Protecting occupant health
- Improving employee productivity
- Taking waste, pollution and environmental harm “down to zero”
Many green buildings often incorporate the following features:
- Careful site selection
- Water conservation
- Responsible storm water management
- Use of recycled, or “green,” building materials
- Improved indoor air quality through “low volatile organic compound” products
- Reduced “heat island effect” to keep surrounding air temperatures relative to rural and natural areas unaltered
Based on a holistic approach to design and construction, EPA standards for green building also include:
- Utilizing natural resources occurring on-site, such as solar and wind energy, natural shading, native plant materials, topography, and drainage
- Using alternative work modes such as telecommunicating and teleconferencing to optimize transportation options
- Recycling building materials at demolition
The benefits of building green are many.
Environmentally, building green:
- Enhances and protects biodiversity and ecosystems
- Improves air and water quality
- Reduces waste streams
- Conserves and restores natural resources
Economically, building green:
- Reduces operating costs
- Creates, expands and shapes markets for green products and services, such as those of EcoSMART
- Improves occupant productivity
- Optimizes life-cycle economic performance
Socially, building green:
- Enhances occupant comfort and health
- Heightens aesthetic qualities
- Minimizes strain on local infrastructure
- Improves overall quality of life
Know that you can protect the air quality around your home or workplace by using EcoSMART organic pesticides–an easy way to get yourself in the green.
Rob Peach
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