Perhaps you have heard about the LEED green building certification program.  If not, it is worth your while to learn about this program, especially if you are building a house, involved in a substantial rehab or addition project.  The LEED certification program is designed to encourage adoption of sustainable green building and development practices (this is a global program). The certification comes through training and testing on various sustainable initiatives and practices related to the building and architectural trade, most based on minimizing waste, utilizing recycled products, and energy efficiency.  There is a rating system involved and the U.S. Green Building Council, which created and administers the program, also recognizes projects that implement design and building strategies/ which create better environmental and health performance.

Stephen Chu, U.S. Sec. of Energy stated that 40% of the energy created in the US is consumed in the operations of buildings. Logic would dictate that reducing the energy consumed in creating buildings could have a major impact on energy consumption.  When you are planning a building project and thinking about doing it in a green and sustainable way, what do you think about; solar panels, recycling, geothermal?  Well, they are all part of the equation, but what about “net-zero energy” or “integrated building systems”?  They all hit aspects of building “green” initiatives but don’t really explain much about the process.  There are a number of various organizations that define the concept of building green including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Their various definitions are all correct to a certain extent. Regardless of the definitions the requirements for meeting certain standards have to be met, and if you use contract builder or specialty contractor they will have to be familiar with the requirements in order to receive certification for the project.

This is certainly the wave of the future, with sustainability and green products becoming a market focus for consumers and garnishing tax credits and incentives from the government. McGraw-Hill, in a recent study, stated the value of green building construction is projected to increase to $60 billion in 2010 (2008, Key Trends in the European and US Construction Marketplace: SmartMarket Report).  Regardless of your feelings about sustainability and green rolling practices many local, state and federal governments have enacted legislation that make sustainability the law.  Please look for additional articles on earthlife about LEED.