Green Buildings:
* Provide a healthier and more comfortable environment
* Improve long-term economic performance
* Incorporate energy and water efficient technologies
* Use recycled content materials in their construction
* Reduce construction and demolition waste
* Bring higher resale value
* Are landscaped for water and energy efficiency
* Include renewable energy technologies
* Improve indoor air quality
* Reduce environmental impact
* Are easier to maintain & built to last
With most of us spending more than 80% of our time
indoors, Green Building is the healthy, common sense choice for a
better life. As it stands now in traditional construction, the quality
of our indoor environment is often far more polluted than outdoors
due to various building materials, inadequate lighting, and a variety
of other variables. According to EPA reports, the air in new homes
can be up to ten times more polluted than outside air due to volatile
organic compounds (VOCs) and other chemicals used in product manufacturing.
Contrarily, homes that follow green building guidelines use healthier
paints and building materials, and adhere to stricter gas emission
and ventilation requirements improving the quality of a home's indoor
environment.
Green building can also indicate that fewer natural
resources are required during construction. According to the U.S.
Department of Energy's Center for Sustainable Development, buildings
consume 40% of the world's total energy, 25% of its wood harvest and
16% of its water. Compared to traditional construction, a green built
home takes some of this pressure off the environment.
More important than any statistic however, is the
good feeling you have when you know you've done what's right for both
your family and your community. Promoting continued health, financial
savings, and social responsibility, Green Building is the construction
standard for the future, and the smart solution for today.
