Green Building Benefits and Barriers:
Natural Resources and Environment
Green design presents an opportunity to reduce the substantial impact buildings have on the natural environment, while increasing quality of life. Green buildings reduce fossil fuel use through energy efficiency and on-site use of renewable energy, which in turn reduces climate change and air pollution. Green buildings also provide direct environmental benefits for local and global ecosystems through their use of environmentally-sustainable practices.
Reducing fossil fuel use and dependence
Collectively, residential and commercial buildings contribute to 36% of total anthropogenic (human activity-related) carbon dioxide emissions. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the primary greenhouse gas associated with global climate change, and one of its primary human sources is the combustion of fossil fuels to produce electricity and heat for buildings. The effects of climate change are potentially drastic, with consequences expected to include melting of polar icecaps, rising sea levels, and an increase in tropical diseases. Through their use of electricity and heat, buildings are also responsible for a significant portion of direct air pollution.
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| The Michael
E. Capuano Early Childhood Development Center in Somerville, MA, saves electricity through extensive
use of skylights and windows for daylighting. |
Green buildings help to reduce fossil fuel consumption through energy efficiency and the use of clean energy technologies. The use of energy-efficient technologies for electricity, heating, cooling, and lighting means less fuel is needed for the building’s systems. Design approaches like building envelope design and natural lighting often have even greater impacts on energy efficiency. The use of clean energy technologies to generate electricity can further displace the use of fossil fuels required for central power generation.
Water ecosystem protection
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), buildings in the U.S. account for 12% of total national fresh water consumption.1 Reducing the need for water reduces stress on the local water infrastructure and leaves reservoirs and aquatic ecosystems intact.
Water use can be minimized through use of ultra-low flow fixtures (including showerheads, faucets, spray valves, toilets, and urinals) and elimination of leaks throughout a building’s water systems. Well-planned landscaping also conserves water. For example, planting native species in a dry climate will require less maintenance and watering than non-native species that are from wetter climates.
Forest ecosystem protection
Timber waste reduction is another important aspect of green building practices. Almost all new homes are made from wood, requiring roughly an average of three-quarters of an acre of forest per home.2 When rooms and walls are built to multiples of available pre-cut material sizes, less cutting of wood is needed, and fewer wood scraps are generated. Basing rooms on standard material sizes also reduces other wastes, such as carpeting and insulation.
Sustainable forest products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council can also significantly reduce buildings’ impacts on forest ecosystems. For a forest product to be certified as sustainable, the forest management unit must demonstrate responsible forestry practices, including forest ecosystem maintenance, long-term timber management plans, and wildlife surveys.
Reducing waste streams
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| Recycling construction waste at the site
of the green Berkshire
Hills Regional Middle School in Great Barrington,
MA. |
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) estimates that, in spite of shrinking family sizes, the average new home today is almost twice the size of one built in the 1960s.3 Green building practices seek to reduce consumption of material resources during construction and occupation by promoting the use of recycled building materials.
Because green buildings incorporate recycled materials and reduce construction scrap materials, they prevent those materials from ending up in landfills. A green building can also have a plan for deconstruction at the end of its lifetime, in order to save any reusable materials and prevent the release of toxins associated with building demolition.
Reducing the ecological “footprint”
Green buildings also keep ecosystems intact through careful siting and sizing. Building on or near an ecosystem that is sensitive to human activity can easily harm wildlife by hampering breeding or destroying hunting grounds. Therefore, a major feature of green buildings is careful consideration of a building location’s impact on its surroundings.
Reducing pollutants
Paint, adhesives, carpets, and wood, among other building materials, all generally contain a wide array of chemical pollutants. These toxic substances continue to be released (“off-gassed”) into the indoor and outdoor atmosphere long after construction has been completed. They can contaminate the air and water, and some substances remain in the environment for many years.
Because green buildings contain low-emitting materials, they pose less of a risk to the building’s occupants and the natural environment.
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1 http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/whybuild.htm