Green Building: The Basics |
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| By Trev Verte |
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| keywords: green building construction climate change global warming environment society | ||||
| As the world changes, we are starting to give some thought
to the impact we as a society are making on the world. One
development from this is the concept of green building. Beginning with the industrial revolution, we started to consume massive amounts of natural resources. A byproduct of such consumption, of course, is waste. The more we use, the more we produce. 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. Such problems, however, pale in comparison to what we are seeing today. Instead of impacting small geographic areas, our entire planet seems to be at risk. The future looks threatening given global change. Global warming is not a disputed issue. The globe is clearly warming. What is disputed is the cause. Simply put, are we the cause of it? Has our consumption and the waste produced by it led us to this? 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. From a design perspective, green construction philosophy involves incorporating renewable energy platforms. These can include solar panels to provide electricity, strategic plant placement to filter air and the use of opening windows instead of air conditioning. There is little argument that green building is a new concept and thus still struggling to become a standard. That being said, the fact that individual and large businesses are looking to it is a good sign. Perhaps we are turning a corner. |
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| keywords: green building construction climate change global warming environment society | ||||
| Article Source: http://interpret.zar.vg | ||||
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