What is a Green Building, and Why Does it Matter?
Green buildings, sometimes called sustainable buildings or high-performance buildings, are a type of building that is more environmentally friendly and energy efficient. These buildings, in the long run, will save on their energy bills and produce less pollution. They are generally designed to be more ergonomic and friendly to their occupants as well. Sounds great, right?
Green buildings provide the following benefits:
- Energy efficiency, especially with water, electricity, and other resources
- Protection of occupant health and improvement of employee productivity
- Reduction of waste, pollution, and environment degradation
Check out the EPA’s website for more information on the many benefits of green buildings.
Nearly any type of building can become a green building. Some examples are homes, schools, laboratories, healthcare facilitates, and commercial or public buildings. Additionally, some buildings can be refitted to become greener instead of having to be built from scratch. This is especially true of homes, where small changes can be made that will have a large impact.
Green buildings do cost more money to construct. However, according to the EPA, these types of buildings often only cost slightly more to construct than conventional buildings. Plus, there are federal tax credits for specific types of green buildings, and you’ll earn much of that money back in energy savings over the years. You can click here to see a list of funding opportunities for green building.
But why does any of this matter? Green buildings are important because of their positive impacts on the environment, economy, and personal health. They can help save the environment, improve the productivity and health of the people working or residing in them, and they are cheaper in the long-term. Simply put: green buildings are better than conventional buildings in nearly every way.
Curious to learn more about green buildings? Check out the EPA website’s FAQ section.
