Building Green Homes

    It is safer, healthier, and saves money. “Being sustainable makes sense. It can improve health, increase safety, and save money. For example, driving less reduces air pollution, decreases wear and tear on local roads, and saves money. Who doesn’t want to improve the quality of the air they breathe? Replacing the use of toxic materials with more sustainable options is safer for staff, reduces hazardous waste, and reduces potentially expensive liability for the Forest Service. We all benefit

from cleaner, healthier products.”[1] 

 

     Greening your home has many benefits besides helping the environment.  It not only helps to combat major environmental problems like climate change and the depletion of fossil fuels but it also saves you money, adds values to your home, and improves your health.  Going green in your home has so many benefits for you, your family, and mother earth.

 

     This site is designed to help homeowners recognize, understand, and take action toward living in a healthier environment both in and outside of the home.  Residential homes accounts for twenty percent of the energy usage in the U.S. and twenty percent of greenhouse gas emissions. 

     

     Most of the energy consumed in our homes comes from the burning of fossil fuels, which are non-renewable.  Very little energy comes from renewable, clean sources like solar or wind energy.  Only 13% of all electricity produced in the U.S. is from renewable resources, which is why it is so important to recognize how much energy we use in our homes.[2]  

 

     This site focuses on three major questions on how to green homes:

 

     How can I reduce energy uses?  How can I conserve water?  And What types of sustainable building materials can I use when fixing or renovating my home?

 

     This site provides ways homeowners can make changes either through major renovations or minor retrofitting to help our environment.  It provides high cost and low cost solutions to these questions. 

 

     Many people are unaware of the water crisis in the U.S.  Between 1950 and 2000 the U.S. population has nearly doubled and the demand for water has tripled.  The demand for water is increasing faster than the population is growing.  The average American family uses 400 gallons of water everyday, most of which comes from flushing the toilet.[3] Americans are unaware of how critical water is to every aspect of our lives and how much water is used in growing our food.  Did you know that it takes 299 gallons of water to grow a pound of rice?  2,264 gallons for a pound of coffee?[4]  Many Americans believe that water is a plentiful source, but they are uninformed of the fact that as climate changes water supply becomes more variable.  All these issues are inter-related.  It is in our own homes where the change can begin to save our planet.

 

     All of these green changes can be fulfilled through the home construction and renovation industry in the U.S.  This industry is an important aspect to our nation’s economy by providing jobs and it connects Americans with markets for green building materials that use recycled or reused materials and/or materials that use less toxic chemicals and produce less waste.  There are countless green building materials like green flooring, appliances, lighting, paint, furniture etc.  This industry is a critical component of the sustainable building community.  This website aims to connect homeowners with the types of sustainable building materials available in today’s market and supplies you with the knowledge necessary to differentiate between actual green products and ones that claim to be green but simply are not.  

 

 

[1] USDA, “Why Should I Care About Sustainability?”, 5 Oct. 2009

[2] International Energy Agency, “How Much Electricity Comes From Renewable Sources”, 23 Mar. 2013

[3] EPA, “Indoor Water Use in the United States”, June 2008

[4] Monte Morin, “Americans Use Twice as Much Water as They Think They Do, Study Says”, 3 Mar. 2014