As you get deeper into the environmentally-sensitive market, you'll soon discover the phrase green building. Nobody knows this approach to building better than the city of Austin, Texas, which runs the Green Builder Program. To them, green means sustainability. Sustainability is providing for current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to provide for their needs. To do that, construction professionals have to examine the impact of current building projects to decide if their materials and methods are sustainable for the long term.

Green Builder Program

What are the criteria for green building? Here's how The City of Austin Green Builder Program defines their criteria:

• Use renewable resources. This means using solar, wind, and geothermal energy sources as much as possible. Many common building materials come from renewable sources – including wood. But there are other considerations as well, like the harvesting method. Certified lumber from sustainable managed forests is now available at cost-competitive prices.

• Use recycled resources. Some nonrenewable resources may actually be used many times. This is true, for example, of many metals. Recycling reduces the disruptive and polluting effects of virgin mineral extraction. So do water-reuse technologies and the use of many agricultural and industrial byproducts.

• Reduce "embodied energy". The total amount of energy required to bring a material into existence is called "embodied energy." This includes all the energy needed to mine, transport, process, distribute, and more. The cumulative energy embodied in creating and trans porting the materials and systems of a building may actually exceed the energy required to heat and cool the building for 10 to 30 years.

• Use recyclable materials. Buildings aren't permanent. Their materials should be a resource, not a waste sent to a landfill after the building's useful life.

• Conserve all resources. This includes all the re-sources used in construction and operation of buildings: energy, water and land, as well as materials.

• Avoid toxic materials and systems. While materials are being produced and transported, toxic chemicals that threaten the sustainability of the planet may be released into the environment. Indoor air quality (IAQ) may be affected by materials and systems. This is especially important since average Americans spend 80 to 90 percent of their time indoors. Many building materials give off unhealthy fumes, like formaldehyde. Additionally, a poorly-designed, installed, or operating mechanical system may result in carbon monoxide poisoning from gas appliances.

• Use climate- and site-responsive design. This type of design works in harmony with the climate, the sun's path, prevailing air movement, plants, and other natural features on a specific site to achieve comfort. It works with, not against, natural processes.

• Use regional resources. Solar, wind, and geothermal energy and captured rainwater all come from the building site itself and reduce the need for elaborate energy and water supply systems that increase environmental impacts. Materials from the area where they'll be used reduce the energy needed to transport, and improve regional economy. That's also a goal of sustainability.

The aim of the Green Builder Program is to influence building practices to become sustainable. That includes conserving energy, water and other natural resources, preserving the health of our environment, strengthening the economy and promoting a high quality of life for all citizens.

The Green Builder Program offers ratings of green homes on a scale of one to four stars; the more stars, the more green features and systems found in the home. Building professionals such as builders, architects, engineers, tradespeople, and suppliers receive technical and logistical guidance, as well as marketing assistance, in exchange for agreeing to offer and promote green building practices.

To learn more about sustainable building, get a copy of the Sustainable Building Sourcebook, a technical and logistical resource intended for building professionals and designed to fit into a 3-ring binder. Update sheets are available as they're developed. The Sourcebook is provided at no charge if you're a member; otherwise, the cost is $25. It's also available on-line with Infinet, under Organization (Green Builder Program), and on the Internet at http://www.greenbuilder.com. To learn more, contact them at:

Green Builder Program
City of Austin
Environmental and Conservation Services Dept.
206 E. 9th Street, Suite 17.102
Austin, TX 78701
512-499-7827

You need to ask yourself if green building will work in your area. It probably will, but you may need to take a different approach than they're taking in Austin. Actually, builders around the world can accomplish the same goals – but with different types of materials.

Previous | Next

Table of Contents | Chapter Thirteen | Find a Bookstore