Air pollution, water pollution, global warming, lung cancer, and energy blackouts are all problems caused by the public’s severe habit of raping the earth of its natural resources. Existing today is the technology to reduce and possibly reverse these negative characteristics of the environment. Builders and architects have the knowledge and the capability to incorporate systems that harness natural light, air flow, and geothermal heating and cooling to reduce the amount of energy that the building requires to function. Yet, this technology is ignored by the majority of the population. Many people do not realize that the waste generated from the buildings that they work, shop and reside in have a significant impact on the suffering environment. In fact, homes release twice as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than automobiles do (Energy, Energy); and commercial and residential buildings are responsible for consuming “37% of all [of the] energy [that is] used in the United States” (U.S. Green 3). However, a lot of support from the government, along with many architectural firms, is helping people to see the advantages of integrating this environmentally-friendly technology into building designs. These buildings are termed green buildings, and they are shaking up construction for the better. Studies are showing that green buildings improve people’s health, lower energy costs drastically, and reduce unnecessary waste (Lacayo A36-38). Incorporating these phenomenal green concepts into all buildings has the potential to increase the population’s quality of life and help save the environment. The planet is in desperate need of a turn around and now is the perfect time to start seeing more green.
The concept of green buildings is not brand new, it was simply forgotten. Up until the 20th Century buildings were built to adapt to the external environment. But with the invention of heating and cooling systems came the belief that buildings no longer needed to adapt to the natural environment; people thought that they could create their own environment, “as if nature and place did not exist” (Goffman). James Wines, a green-design pioneer, commented that “industrialism and industrial material [became widespread] because that was the future,” (qtd. in Lacayo A36-38). Now, however, with the onset of natural disasters and energy crises across the globe people are looking for something better. A green building uses construction resources more efficiently than ones simply built to standard code. The public can be hopeful because green buildings are becoming more and more popular. One green building architect projects that in twenty years being green will be the norm (qtd. in Tibbitts 22).
Green buildings focus on five crucial factors of human and environmental health, these include: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). In 1998 a group of architects and builders known as the U.S. Green Building Council developed a certification system to set a standard for green buildings. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) provides builders with an outline to measure the impact of the buildings performance. In a study completed by Ballanco roughly fifteen hundred readers of PM Engineer were surveyed. The results showed that 84% of these readers responded positively to following the LEED system, and of these individuals 67% said that they used the system because it was requested by their client (54). This indicates just how big of an impact the LEED system is having; people are ready to paint the town green.
Possibly the most visible affect that green buildings are having is the reduction of energy costs. The U.S. Department of Energy reports that twelve billion dollars are spent each year on unused energy that simply creates unnecessary waste (Heinisch 18-19). “A detailed review of sixty LEED buildings[…demonstrated that…]on average, green buildings use 30% less energy than conventional buildings-a reduction for a 100,000 ft2 state office building, worth $60,000 per year”, reports Kats (4). Green buildings are not only the right choice for the environment but they are also the right choice for the owner’s bank account. One factor that turns builders away from incorporating green methods into their design is the high starting cost. But amazingly, it is being seen that these costs are paying for themselves in money saved on energy; often times within the first year of building. And as construction experience is increasing the initial cost is decreasing. Kats concludes that, “financial benefits of green design are between $50 and $70 per square foot in a LEED building, over 10 times the additional cost associated with building green” (8). Many green buildings are also capable of generating more energy than they need; this energy gets put back into the grid and the building actually receives credit on its energy bill, says Soleau (qtd. in Nayar). One must keep in mind that less energy used equals more savings and dramatically reduced waste emission. These buildings may actually create a positive relationship between business people and environmentalists, a relationship that has been strained by the previous processes of harming the planet in the pursuit of a profit.
