With so many Green products and services being offered in the market place, sometimes it’s difficult to determine how these products represent a Green alternative to something that is less green or not Green at all.
While products designated as Organic are more readily understood to have been grown without the use of environmentally detrimental chemicals and additives, what determines a Green product’s Greenness may not be as apparent or even as narrowly defined as the term Organic is.
For example, just because a Green product is made from a plant doesn’t necessarily imply that the plant was grown organically. Bamboo is a great example; some products made from bamboo are considered Green because the alternative products are made from plants that take many multiples of time and resources to produce than bamboo plants does, making the bamboo product a much more sustainable(and less expensive) alternative.
So what does Green Building mean in the context of residential home construction?
The short answer is that Green begins with Blue, that is, the Blue Logo of EPA Energy Star® designation. So, at its core, Green Building adheres to the EPA’s standards of resource and performance efficient construction methodologies and product specifications.
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy whose primary goal is to help the American public save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices. In 2010 alone, the equivalent of 33 million cars’ worth of greenhouse gases was prevented from entering the atmosphere and Americans saved nearly $ 18 billion on utility bills.
ENERGY STAR also provides a home qualification system for those homes that it deems environmentally responsible, meaning the least possible impact on the environment is produced through construction, maintenance, and physical presence of the home. An ENERGY STAR qualified home can save the average homeowner $ 200-$ 400 a year on utility bills and keep up to 4,500 pounds of greenhouse gases out of the air.
ENERGY STAR employs many different techniques to keep its homes to environmentally responsible standards, such as:
* Energy-efficient construction techniques and products
* Improved indoor environments through environmentally preferable materials and building
practices
* Water-efficient products and processes
* Renewable energy options, when feasible
* Waste reduction and recycling during the construction process
* Smart growth and sustainable land development practices
ENERGY STAR products and building practices provide a solid foundation on which to build your own green, energy-efficient, environmentally responsible home.
Jeff Wiblitzhouser is a Green Remodeler and Builder of high-performance Energy Star and Green Building Certified homes. Specializing in integrating cost-effective energy efficient, healthy, and environmentally and socially responsible building materials and practices into residential construction. To learn more about green building and remodeling contact Jeff at 919-830-7218, go to his website, or email him here.
