Green Building Frequently Asked Questions

In the United States, buildings account for:

• 39 percent of total energy use
• 12 percent of the total water consumption
• 68 percent of total electricity consumption
• 38 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions
  

The built environment has a vast impact on the natural environment, human health, and the economy. By adopting green building strategies, we can maximize both economic and environmental performance. Green construction methods can be integrated into buildings at any stage, from design and construction, to renovation and deconstruction. However, the most significant benefits can be obtained if the design and construction team takes an integrated approach from the earliest stages of a building project. Potential benefits of green building can include...

Indoor air quality is an important part of building an environmentally friendly and healthy space. VOCs are primarily known as volatile organic compounds, and are nasty chemicals made up of carbon-based molecules used in a variety of products. They are both invisible and very harmful to our health when breathed in.  Under normal conditions they vaporize, leaving the product or material they arrived in and meshing with other compounds in the air.

To get in contact with your local GBC, please visit their website. If your country does not have a GBC in place, please read about the council development process to learn about the steps involved in establishing a GBC.

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.

Green roofs have been around for a long time and are now gaining a lot of traction in the building world. The term green roof could mean one of two things: that the roof is covered in vegetation or that the roof uses ‘green’ technology like solar photovoltaic systems or wind turbines.

A green building is a structure that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout its life-cycle. These objectives expand and complement the classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability, and comfort.

Green buildings are designed to reduce the overall impact of the built environment on human health and the natural environment by:

• Efficiently using energy, water, and other resources
  
• Protecting occupant health and improving employee productivity.
• Reducing waste, pollution and environment degradation
  

For example, green buildings may incorporate sustainable materials in their construction (e.g., reused, recycled-content, or made from renewable resources); create healthy indoor environments with minimal pollutants (e.g., reduced product emissions); and/or feature landscaping that reduces water usage (e.g., by using native plants that survive without extra watering).

A green building is one where the qualities of both the indoor and outdoor environments have been considered and protected during its design, construction, maintenance and use.

There are many reasons to build a green home. Perhaps you want to provide a safe, healthy place for your children to grow up, or maybe you’re concerned about rising energy costs. Your priority might be comfort, or durability—knowing that the house will last a long time with minimal maintenance. For a growing number of us, building a green home is about doing our part to protect the environment, helping to make the world a better place for our children and grandchildren. A green home is all of this, and often much more.

There really aren't any mold or allergy concerns with flex duct over sheet metal as a material for duct work. However, if you are putting flex duct in an attic or a crawl space, consider what happens when animals try to nest in these areas. Flex duct has a 12-15 year life expectancy. You can expect sheet metal to last the life of the building. Flex duct should not be used in commercial or institutional buildings.

When building green it is preferable to use building materials extracted and manufactured locally to the site. This has a number of environmental and economic benefits that many can agree on. First off, by using these materials you minimize the embedded energy in their transportation. Less distance to travel also reduces time and money to get that material to the site. In addition to this you are supporting regional economies and encouraging growth within your area.