HOW TO BUILD GREENER:

"What few people realize is that buildings have the greatest impact on climate change -- more than transportation and industry -- because they consume so much electricity and natural gas, and they're all powered by power plants that themselves produce carbon emissions."

Scott Frank, AIA spokes-person. As published in Architects announce 10 best "green" buildings, Reuters Environment Correspondence.

1 MAKING EDUCATED CHOICES UP FRONT:

a. MATERIALS: U.S. emissions totaled 5.8 billion tonnes last year, of which 50 million tonnes was from cement. Carbon dioxide accounts for about 75 percent of greenhouse gases.

b. EFFICIENCY: According to The U.S. Green Building Council, "structures built to its standards can cut energy usage 20 to 80 percent using available technologies such as compact fluorescent lighting and high-efficiency building shells and water heating."

c. MATERIALS AND EFFICIENCY: The term "zero carbon" ranges from using renewable building materials and transport fuel, to reducing emissions from household usage -- (including recycling of household waste.)

d. PRODUCT PERFORMANCE: Determine the life cycle assessment (LCA). Examine performance, starting with the extraction of raw materials from the earth and tracing all operations until the final disposal of these materials as waste back into the earth (cradle to grave).

Sources: ENN: Climate Change

A CLOSER LOOK...

ENERGY

EMBODIED ENERGY EXAMPLE

WATER

RESOURCES: materials

NEW VS REMODEL: Preservation

METHODS