Introduction to Green Building

By: Trev Verte

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.

Ironically, we already know about the impact of the waste we create on our lives. From the smog impacted city of Los Angeles to the toxic rivers in the east, we have seen and at least partially dealt with the problems arising from the waste produced by our society.

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.

In the climate change debate, a key fact is often lost. There is no debate the planet is getting hotter. What is disputed is the cause of this heating up. Is this a natural phenomenon of some sort, perhaps a cyclical event or is it our waste that is 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.

Mention the term green and one tends to get images of people hugging trees and such. In truth, this is not the case. It simply refers to a more efficient way to build and use structures from simple residences to skyscrapers like the Hearst Towers 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.

The design will also take advantage of the environment. The positioning of the structure may be used to incorporate passive solar heating from the sun. To cool the structure, windows that may be opened will be used in lieu of air conditioning.

Given its relative infancy, green building is somewhat of a vague catch term at this time. Nonetheless, it is still a step in the right direction. It represents the idea that we both recognize our wasteful habits and are prepared to deal with them.

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