 |
Close window to return to Site |
Global and Regional Impacts of Building Green
Written by: Cindy Meehan-Patton, president of Shelter Ecology, Inc. and past president of the WNCGBC, along with Boone Guyton, president of Cady /Guyton Construction and current president of the WNCGBC. Both can be contacted through the WNCGBC website: www.wncgbc.org
Green building addresses environmental concerns as well as health concerns and is a good economic choice as well. In Western North Carolina the increase in air pollution and its effect on both humans and our natural systems reinforces the idea that we need to build in a way that is environmentally sustainable. The building industry is one of the largest in the country as well as in our area. Building represents 50 percent of our nations wealth, accounts for $800 billion in economic activity and employs more than ten million people as the largest manufacturing sector in the economy. It is a huge demand on our resources, which are diminishing. The building industry also produces 136 million tons of construction waste and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. per year. The building industry must account for its environmental costs if it is to become sustainable and remain profitable. The choices we make, from the harvest of the trees for lumber to the light bulbs we use in our buildings, impacts our environment and our health.
We live in an area that is valuable because of its environmental beauty and diversity as much as anything. By choosing local sustainably harvested or produced materials we not only help maintain the quality of our natural environment but also support local jobs. Like other areas in the US, job loss is a growing problem for Western North Carolina. Investing in high performance buildings (energy conserving / healthy) and renewable energy creates skilled jobs while contributing to a cleaner environment. Producing "green power" is a more secure source of energy and is less polluting but more job intensive than centralized fossil fuel power plants.
Our health is not only affected by the pollution outside. Indoor Air Quality has been shown to be more polluted in many cases than the air outside which affects the health and productivity of the people that live or work in the buildings. Green buildings address air quality issues through material choices, HVAC and ventilation strategies.
The Mountains of our area present a particular challenge for sustainable development due to the slopes and the susceptibility to erosion. Environmental building practices include site work that avoids environmentally sensitive areas, protects existing vegetation, reuses valuable top soil and uses native plants and plants that are draught tolerant to reduce irrigation needs.
Building an energy efficient building can also be cost effective. According to the Southface Institute of Atlanta investing $500 in upfront construction cost saved $400 per year in operating costs for their affordable green built homes. North Carolina also has one of the best tax incentives for installing renewable energy systems on homes.
WNC Green Building Council- Acting Locally
The WNC Green Building Council, seated in Asheville, NC, encourages the expansion of sustainable and healthy building practices through educational forums, the Green Building Directory, participation in the Million Solar Roofs program, Green building tours and other events.
In June of 2000, Boone Guyton, a green builder, came to tour Cindy Meehan-Patton’s
(Shelter Ecology, Inc.) Green built home. Boone’s vision for promoting more green building in the WNC area was to create a directory. Cindy’s vision was to have a council and create a Green Building Program. So a council was formed beginning with 6 very passionate and active green minded people and has since expanded to 78 members.
WNCGBC became a non-profit (501(c)3) in December of 2001. To date, revenue sources have come from a combination of memberships, sponsors, event fees and a small amount of funding from the MSRI (Million Solar Roofs Program). The council signed on as the leader of this initiative for the WNC area in 2002.
The first WNCGBC Directory was completed in 2001, a year after the council was formed, by a core group of about 12 people, volunteering enormous amounts of time and energy resulting in a 85 page document. The contents were formed based on other green building directories across the U.S. which include regional listings of green building services and products, educational articles, case studies, local and regional resources for further research.
The 2003 Directory -which will be available in mid March-will be distributed to 11 counties of WNC just as the 2001 directory was, but with a much wider distribution route. The new directory will have a similar layout to the 2001 directory, only the information will be more current. This resource offers the residents and professionals of WNC plenty of opportunities and options for integrating green building into their lives which in turn, contributes to the positive universal impact of green building.
Close window to return to Site
Written by: Cindy Meehan-Patton, president of Shelter Ecology, Inc. and past president of the WNCGBC, along with Boone Guyton, president of Cady /Guyton Construction and current president of the WNCGBC. Both can be contacted through the WNCGBC website: www.wncgbc.org
Green building addresses environmental concerns as well as health concerns and is a good economic choice as well. In Western North Carolina the increase in air pollution and its effect on both humans and our natural systems reinforces the idea that we need to build in a way that is environmentally sustainable. The building industry is one of the largest in the country as well as in our area. Building represents 50 percent of our nations wealth, accounts for $800 billion in economic activity and employs more than ten million people as the largest manufacturing sector in the economy. It is a huge demand on our resources, which are diminishing. The building industry also produces 136 million tons of construction waste and 30% of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. per year. The building industry must account for its environmental costs if it is to become sustainable and remain profitable. The choices we make, from the harvest of the trees for lumber to the light bulbs we use in our buildings, impacts our environment and our health.
We live in an area that is valuable because of its environmental beauty and diversity as much as anything. By choosing local sustainably harvested or produced materials we not only help maintain the quality of our natural environment but also support local jobs. Like other areas in the US, job loss is a growing problem for Western North Carolina. Investing in high performance buildings (energy conserving / healthy) and renewable energy creates skilled jobs while contributing to a cleaner environment. Producing "green power" is a more secure source of energy and is less polluting but more job intensive than centralized fossil fuel power plants.
Our health is not only affected by the pollution outside. Indoor Air Quality has been shown to be more polluted in many cases than the air outside which affects the health and productivity of the people that live or work in the buildings. Green buildings address air quality issues through material choices, HVAC and ventilation strategies.
The Mountains of our area present a particular challenge for sustainable development due to the slopes and the susceptibility to erosion. Environmental building practices include site work that avoids environmentally sensitive areas, protects existing vegetation, reuses valuable top soil and uses native plants and plants that are draught tolerant to reduce irrigation needs.
Building an energy efficient building can also be cost effective. According to the Southface Institute of Atlanta investing $500 in upfront construction cost saved $400 per year in operating costs for their affordable green built homes. North Carolina also has one of the best tax incentives for installing renewable energy systems on homes.
WNC Green Building Council- Acting Locally
The WNC Green Building Council, seated in Asheville, NC, encourages the expansion of sustainable and healthy building practices through educational forums, the Green Building Directory, participation in the Million Solar Roofs program, Green building tours and other events.
In June of 2000, Boone Guyton, a green builder, came to tour Cindy Meehan-Patton’s
(Shelter Ecology, Inc.) Green built home. Boone’s vision for promoting more green building in the WNC area was to create a directory. Cindy’s vision was to have a council and create a Green Building Program. So a council was formed beginning with 6 very passionate and active green minded people and has since expanded to 78 members.
WNCGBC became a non-profit (501(c)3) in December of 2001. To date, revenue sources have come from a combination of memberships, sponsors, event fees and a small amount of funding from the MSRI (Million Solar Roofs Program). The council signed on as the leader of this initiative for the WNC area in 2002.
The first WNCGBC Directory was completed in 2001, a year after the council was formed, by a core group of about 12 people, volunteering enormous amounts of time and energy resulting in a 85 page document. The contents were formed based on other green building directories across the U.S. which include regional listings of green building services and products, educational articles, case studies, local and regional resources for further research.
The 2003 Directory -which will be available in mid March-will be distributed to 11 counties of WNC just as the 2001 directory was, but with a much wider distribution route. The new directory will have a similar layout to the 2001 directory, only the information will be more current. This resource offers the residents and professionals of WNC plenty of opportunities and options for integrating green building into their lives which in turn, contributes to the positive universal impact of green building.
Close window to return to Site
|
|
|||