Why build "Green"

Sometimes its good to pause and step back and look at the big picture every once in a while.  This blog has talked a lot about a specific project's progress and the sustainable design and construction methods being utilized.  But maybe you would ask ...Why?  Why should we be building more sustainable?   That is a great question, I am glad you asked.

Lets back way up and look at what is going on around us on the planet.  There are 6.7 billion humans on Earth, with projections to reach 9 billion by 2050.  Oceans are being overfished and polluted.  Forests are being stripped faster than they can be replaced.  Oil extraction is estimated to have reached the midpoint with world demands continuing to rise.  Water consumption rose 6 fold in the last century – double the rate of population.  If these figures are correct, it is clear that the planet can not sustain our current rate of consumption.  Additionally while there is a lot of debate about climate change, it seems that there is consensus among the scientific community that the Earth has warmed about a degree in the last 100 years and they believe this is a result of human activity starting with the industrial revolution.  While the Earth has undergone natural warming and cooling, this would be the first time it was a result of human behavior and the trend shows this would continue to rise unless behavior is modified.

Okay, so there are large scale environmental issues to address.  Why does this matter to construction?  Again, great question.  Have a look at these numbers according to the EPA.

So what this is saying is that buildings account for a HUGE amount of electricity, energy, and waste in our country.  So the best way to make a dent in a big problem is to go after the big ticket items, right?  If you can make even a small change across a large market segment you can achieve significant improvements.

What LEED and other sustainable building initiatives seek to do is reduce the built environment's impact on resources, waste generation, and energy usage.

And if this isn't enough to convince you, what if I said you can spend a little more on the upfront cost, but the life-cycle savings through operational efficiencies will actually save money in the long run if properly designed and constructed.  Win-win, right?  this seems like a no-brainer.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  You can delve into all sorts of studies and data about how LEED buildings create a better work environment with improved air quality and natural daylighting.  This also  leads to reduced absenteeism, better worker productivity, higher test scores and so on and so on.

So what I'm saying is this is good for the environment, good for you, and good for your wallet.

I again reflect on the definition of sustainable development as "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"  We are stewards of this planet and need to protect its resources for our future generations.