Why Green Building Matters

COMMUNITY NEWS

Environmental damage is something that concerns most of us today, whether it be global warming or pollution of our rivers. And of course we are all aware of what we can do at home to help, chiefly reusing water, recycling, keeping the lights on only when necessary, composting, micro-generation where viable - the list goes on. Yet although we might make our own individual efforts, the problem requires a much more international approach and activity on a larger scale, as it is our buildings themselves which are contributing heavily to global warming.

Estimates say that buildings contribute to just under 50% of all Carbon Dioxide emissions worldwide, and this includes anything from your home to inner-city skyscrapers. But it's not all bad, as a number of companies and architects have realized the problem, and are employing sustainable design practices. There are now more and more buildings designed with a sustainable environment in mind - the LEED Platinum Bank of America Tower in New York proving just one example. All raw materials used to build the tower were recycled from within 500 miles of New York, all water is reused and solar power is maximized. And following in these footsteps are buildings in Germany, India, Russian and the Emirate states, all striving to develop more eco-friendly construction solutions.

And that is exactly what we need, because if it is happening on a large, worldwide scale, then our smaller gestures in our own homes will only be emphasized, meaning what we do really will start to take effect and make 2008 our greenest year yet.

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- Andy

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