Sustainable (Green) Building

Sustainable (Green) Building

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) says integrating sustainable design practices into construction projects, with upfront costs of 0-2%, can result in life cycle savings of up to 20% of total construction costs -- more than ten times the initial investment. The USGBC also reports that in the United States, buildings account for 36% of total energy use (65% of electricity consumption), 30% of greenhouse gas emissions, 30% of raw materials use, 30% of waste output (136 million tons annually), and 12% of potable water consumption. Approximately 40% of Washington landfill waste comes from building construction.

In addition to these inefficiencies and environmental costs of past traditional building methods, many standard interior materials such as paints, glues in plywood and cabinetry, and carpets produce harmful indoor air pollution. Green homes offer alternatives to reduce these harmful indoor air quality impacts, the inefficient use of resources as well as the environmental costs of the construction process.

When it comes to shopping for building materials and products for your home, don't assume that all items on the market have been tested for health effects. Many haven't. Look for products marked non-toxic, low-toxic, water-based, or low-VOC, but keep in mind that depending on your individual triggers or sensitivities, these may be relative measures. Also keep in mind that limiting your purchases to strictly non-toxic products may eliminate more materials than you want to in order to have a comfortable home. Ask the dealer or vendor to provide you with a list of product ingredients, their potential for off-gassing and for how long, and their potential health impacts.

Philosophy

U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council is the nations foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work.
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
LEED provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. Based on well-founded scientific standards, LEED emphasizes state of the art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.
Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH)
The Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing is a public-private initiative dedicated to accelerating the development and use of technologies that radically improve the quality, durability, energy efficiency, environmental performance, and affordability of America's housing.
Master Builders Built Green
This website provides consumers with easy-to-understand rating systems, which quantify environmentally friendly building practices for remodeling and new home construction, communities and multifamily development units.
EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse
The EnergyIdeas Clearinghouse (EIC) and the www.EnergyIdeas.org website are managed by the Washington State University Extension Energy Program (WSU), and funded by the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance. WSU is responsible for building, maintaining, and operating this website from its office in Olympia, Washington, USA.
BuildingGreen.com
From the publisher of the highly-acclaimed (and trusted) monthly print newsletter, Environmental Building News (EBN) that has been in print since 1992. EBN is independently published and advertising-free, the research and reporting uncompromised by corporate or industry sponsorships.
Sustainable Buildings Industry Council
SBIC is an independent, nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance the design, affordability, energy performance, and environmental soundness of America's buildings.
Southface Energy Institute
Southface promotes sustainable homes, workplaces and communities through education, research, advocacy and technical assistance.
Healthy Building Network
A national network of green building professionals, environmental and health activists, socially responsible investment advocates and others who are interested in promoting healthier building materials as a means of improving public health and preserving the global environment.

Books and Products

GreenSpec®
This website says: "GreenSpec is BuildingGreen's premiere product information service. It contains detailed listings for more than 1,800 environmentally preferable building products with descriptions, manufacturer information, and links to additional resources. All listings are screened and written exclusively by our staff. Unlike other directories, we do not charge for listings or sell ads."
GREENGUARD Environmental Institute
Provides the worlds only guide to third-party certified low emitting interior products and building materials.
Environmental Home Center
A complete source for green building materialssimply the highest-quality choices with the added benefit of being healthy and resource-efficient. Their environmental building supplies include non-toxic paint, natural carpets, sustainable wood products, energy-efficient insulation and people-friendly cleaning supplies. Few people knew about products like these when they opened their first store near Seattle a decade ago. Now more and more people are demanding the extra value they provide.
Panel Source International
Panel Source International ("PSI) focuses exclusively on the manufacturing and distribution of environmental forest products including products that are FSC Certified, urea formaldehyde free, and manufactured with rapidly renewable or recycled fiber contents. "At our manufacturing facility in Tacoma, Washington, Panel Source International manufactures, distributes, and wholesale's a variety of Environmentally Preferable Panels (EPP). These panels can be shipped in any quantity required and can also be combined with orders for our PyroBlock® Fire Retardant Panels." Many good links to other green websites.
Green Seal
Green Seal is an independent, non-profit organization that strives to achieve a healthier and cleaner environment by identifying and promoting products and services that cause less toxic pollution and waste, conserve resources and habitats, and minimize global warming and ozone depletion. Green Seal has no financial interest in the products that it certifies or recommends nor in any manufacturer or company. Green Seal's evaluations are based on state-of-the-art science and information using internationally recognized methods and procedures.
Green Sage
"The team at GreenSage is committed to sustainability. The word sustainable refers to energy efficient, non-toxic, recycled, reclaimed, naturally resourced or biodegradable building materials and methods. You can find reliable information about the issues we face concerning our built environments. You can learn about sustainable materials, quickly locate professional assistance in your area and easily connect with resellers to recycle materials, enabling you to easily make informed choices that best meet your own needs and projects."
Building Environmental Science and Technology (B.E.S.T.)
"A Maryland-based national consulting firm involved in the rapidly growing business of providing environmentally high-performance "green" building and remodeling technical support services, focused on residential and light commercial building projects."
NAHB's Model Green Home Building Guidelines
From the National Association of Home Builders. "The voluntary Model Green Home Building Guidelines are designed to move environmentally friendly home building concepts further into the mainstream marketplace. Currently, there are approximately thirty communities throughout the U.S. that have green home building programs in place or in development. By developing the set of voluntary national guidelines, NAHB intends to help facilitate the adoption of green home building practices and the formation of additional local programs in the parts of the country not currently served by programs." The Puget Sound area is one of those 30 communities with a green building program. Go to the link above named Master Builders to learn more about our local program.
Forest Certification Resource Center
Forests are also essential to human beings - they provide us with food, fuel and shelter and a variety of wood products, they purify the air we breathe and the water we drink and are places of recreation and renewal. Almost half of the planet's original forests have disappeared and of what remains, only 8 per cent are protected. One key to the conservation of forests worldwide is a rapid transition toward forestry practices that maintain or restore the health and integrity of forest ecosystems. Sound forest management, coupled with increased productivity and continued efficiency improvements in manufacturing, can move the forest industry towards sustainability.