 According to Build it Green (a non-profit environmental organization), Green Buildings are sited, designed, constructed and operated to enhance the well-being of occupants, and to minimize negative impacts on the community and natural environment.
Green Buildings: - Are easier to maintain and built to last
- Are landscaped for water and energy efficiency
- Bring higher resale value
- Improve indoor air quality
- Improve long-term economic performance
- Include renewable energy technologies
- Incorporate energy and water efficient technologies
- Provide a healthier and more comfortable environment
- Reduce construction and demolition waste
- Reduce environmental impact
- Use recycled content materials in their construction
With most of us spending more than 80 percent of our time indoors, Green Building is the healthy, common sense choice for a better life. As it stands now in traditional construction, the quality of our indoor environment is often far more polluted than outdoors due to various building materials, inadequate lighting, and a variety of other variables. According to EPA reports, the air in new homes can be up to ten times more polluted than outside air due to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other chemicals used in product manufacturing. However, homes that follow green building guidelines use healthier paints and building materials, and adhere to stricter gas emission and ventilation requirements improving the quality of a home's indoor environment.
Green Building can also indicate that fewer natural resources are required during construction. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Center for Sustainable Development, buildings consume 40 percent of the world's total energy, 25 percent of its wood harvest and 16 percent of its water. Compared to traditional construction, a green-built home takes some of this pressure off the environment. The goal behind green building is to leave as small a footprint as possible by cutting back on construction waste and using recycled materials to reduce landfill waste and associated off-gases that pollute the environment to conserve water and energy. The City of Rocklin is committed to encouraging and developing a Green Building program (Rocklin Green) to green its municipal facilities, promote professional education about green building practices and promote private sector green building. |
