Green Building: The Basics

Humanity has advanced in stunning ways in the last 100 years from a technology perspective. The advancements, however, have come with drawbacks. Green building is an approach that seeks to address some of those drawbacks.

The difference between the average persons life in 1907 and 2007 is laughably huge. Frankly, the century has been unlike any other, but so has our consumption of resources. Only now are we starting to realize the impact on the planet.

On an indirect level, we have known about the costs of wastes for some time. While greenhouse gases are all the rage these days, we already have address our waste issues. From the ozone depletion issue to smog in our cities, the impact of our consumption has been apparent.

Looking around us today, smog seems a rather small problem. Our world is getting hotter. With this will come changes. Weather will become more severe, and water is forecast to become scarce.

As you know, there is a great debate about climate change. Many people think it is over whether climate change exists. This is incorrect. The question is the cause of the heating of the planet. As the ice caps melt, the question is whether we are the cause.

A large part of the cause seems to be the wastes created by our way of life. Confronted with this fact, finding a solution seems the answer. The problem, of course, is the answer is vague and very expensive. Small steps such as green building seem prudent.

Green building is a philosophy of building more efficient structures. Tied into this philosophy is the use of materials favorable to the environment. The philosophy is used on structures ranging from homes to skyscrapers in New York City.

From an efficiency standpoint, green building is about harmonizing a structure with its environment. Construction materials tend to be recycled and/or environment neutral. They can be the materials from a building demolished or recycled newspaper for insulation, for example.

Green building also incorporates a design element. The structure is designed to take advantage of things such as solar energy for heating, and wind drafts for cooling. Many green designs replace air conditioning with windows that open, even on skyscrapers.

There is little argument that green building is a new concept and thus still struggling to become a standard. That being said, the fact that individual and large businesses are looking to it is a good sign. Perhaps we are turning a corner.

By: Trev Verte..

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