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When it comes to addressing most of the challenges we face as a society, it is often
said that change begins at home. This is an exciting prospect—that we can make a difference
around the world by changing the way we live our daily lives—and nowhere is
it truer than in our efforts to improve the health of our planet, our communities, and
our families. A greener home is the ideal place to start as we work toward a greener
world.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, buildings’ energy use accounts for
39 percent of the United States’ carbon emissions, and the typical American family
pays upward of $1,500 a year in energy costs. Buildings’ designs often fail to make the
most efficient use of water, an increasingly scarce and valuable resource. The materials
used to build them are often harvested and transported in ways that are detrimental to
the environment, and those same materials can release toxic chemicals that damage the
health of building occupants. Americans spend roughly 90 percent of their day indoors,
breathing air that is affected by the chemicals and products that fill our buildings.
This all may sound like bad news at first blush. In reality, the opportunity to make
real change by building and renovating greener homes is great news. Families can
save money, live in greater comfort and health, enjoy the durability of longer-lasting
homes, and help in the fight against climate change and environmental degradation
all at once. A truly green home makes efficient use of energy and water, is built with
responsibly harvested and produced materials, has a healthy indoor environment, minimizes
its impact on the land it sits on, and is inhabited by people who know how to
live as green as possible. All kinds of homes can be green, from single-family detached
homes to high-density apartments, and from luxury condominiums and townhouses to
affordable housing projects. Green homes can be built green, or they can be renovated
to be green. But green building and renovation are more than just the sum of a handful
of green features. A green home is the result of a holistic, integrated plan where
green features, systems, designs, and products complement each other and work as a
sustainable whole. |
