The use of renewable materials is excellent when possible as it ensures that the environmental costs of building the house will be paid off in months instead of decades (BEST 2009). The use of reclaimed materials is even better, however, as there is absolutely no additional environmental involved in using, for instance, a century-old dance floor as the hardwood covering in a new living room. Reclaimed resources can be difficult to locate, but are often worth the price in addition to the environmental savings (BEST 2009).
Technological innovations also allow for much greater efficiency. Inert-gas windows and better insulation materials and techniques can improve the envelope of a house, drastically reducing the amount of energy needed to heat or cool a home or building (ADPSR 2009). Heating and cooling units themselves have also greatly improved in efficiency in recent years, with additional improvements still ongoing (BEST 2009).
The best ways to build green, however, are those that fully utilize what the
The use of wind and solar power generators can make a home entirely self-sufficient in terms of electricity. Grey water reclamation for irrigation and even rainwater collection and purification systems can be sued in some areas to reduce the overall impact on water levels, and geothermal wells can even be dug to supply heat from the Earth itself. All of these save consumers money in the long-term, and start helping the environment now.
References
ADPSR. (2009). Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility. Accessed 2 October 2009. http://www.adpsr.org/
BEST. (2009). Building Environmental Science & Technology. Accessed 2 October 2009. http://www.energybuilder.com/
