I have spent the last 20 years in the home building industry. I have seen many changes in that time, but the biggest and fastest growing change is the increasing demand for

Green Building

. For years many builders, sub contractors, suppliers and manufacturers have said this is a phase that would die out. But I don’t think that is going to happen. The certification of LEED AP and NAHB Certified Green Professionals is growing very rapidly. This increase is showing that more people in the home building industry are taking Green Building more serious. The real estate industry is even moving to Green with their Ecobroker designation.

Well you may ask “What is a Certified Green Professional?”

The description from the National Association of Home Builder, which certifies and administers the designation, states: “The Certified Green professional in an exclusive designation offered by the National Association of Home Builders, designed to teach building industry professionals strategies for incorporating building principles into homes using cost-effective and affordable options. Requirements include: 24 hours of classroom instruction, industry experience and adherence to the CGP Code of Ethics. To maintain CGP status, designees are required to complete 12 hours of continuing education every three years.”

The CGP initial training helps the designee to choose products and practices for greater energy efficiency, a better understanding of indoor and outdoor water conservation practices and preserving indoor environmental quality. This training also helps the designee to understand sustainable building practices and products, along with a full understanding the certification process and benchmarks of the Green Building Program. A CGP is dedicated to the practices of green building and trained to deliver it in a way that best suits your needs. The CGP will be able to explain the hows and whys of green building and help educate you on which features are appropriate for your project.

I have always had an interest in green building and have studied for years on different products and practices. I work in the supply side of the home building industry, so I had more interest in the products and have tried to educate myself on which products are best and how they fit into a green project. This lead to creating this blog called Green Building Ideas.

So recently I decided to become a CGP. I was impressed with the CGP course and did learn some great things. I am also a member of the local home builders association and have been amazed at the interest that these home builders have in Green Building.

I see LEED becoming the standard Green Certification for commercial construction and the NAHB’s Green Building Program becoming the standard for residential construction.

Original article: What is a Certified Green Professional? – written by Steve Feller on Factoidz

The concept of Green Building has been around since the time homes were first being built; this use of conserving material and resources has been a focus in home building for many years. Also building homes to hold heat in and cold out or the reverse has been always improving. But of course the different approaches used today are much different than the approaches used a hundred years ago.  Today’s society wants the modern technology and modern amenities, opposed to what the homes of the past could provide. So the blend of the older, more conservative methods and the use of modern technology, advanced products and advanced building techniques is the focus of today’s Green building.

The goal of creating a well-build green home is to end with a structurally sound, energy efficient, best air quality, more sustainable, water wise, inhabitant- healthy and practical home, with low impact to the environment.

Home construction inevitably impacts the environment and finding ways to reduce this impact is very important. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that residential and commercial buildings in the United States accounts for 39 percent of total energy use, 68 percent of total electrical use, 12 percent of water use and 38 percent of carbon dioxide emissions. Most Green Building certifications incorporate environmental and resource efficiency in every step from land development, construction and down to the operation of the home after it is being lived in.

Virtually every residential home or commercial building can incorporate practices or products to improve energy efficiency, resource efficiency and in many cases air quality and the overall health impact to the inhabitants. The National Association of Home Builders Green Building Program, The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), Green Building Rating System or Green Globe GreenPoint System are all certification processes to insure steps are followed to assure a project is Green. Each one of these certification processes has different levels of certification. The more steps that are followed and implemented increase the points allowed, and these points determine what level of certification the final product receives.

But regardless of whether someone wants to achieve certification, just wants to participate in helping the environment or increasing energy efficiency, green building is an excellent process to follow and is becoming the way of new construction.

You can find more about these certification processes below. The NAHB program is growing very strong in the residential community, and LEED seems to be the preferred certification for commercial buildings.

More information on the NAHB’s Green Building Program at http://www.nahbgreen.org/

More information on Green Globes at http://www.greenglobe.com

More information for LEED at http:// www.usgbc.org/leed/

Or you can visit my own site called Green Building Ideas for many topics on Green Building.

Green Building provides some great benefits to the environment, the builder and definitely the home owner. But many are over using the word “Green” to help sell products; this is often called green washing. Be sure to check out what you are purchasing to be sure it meets the proper standards. A green home can be a better, more efficient home, if all of the proper steps are followed. Ask if your home has a certification and ask to see the documentation. If someone can not provide proper documentation it may just have some standard upgrades that any home may have. (And you may need copies of the documentation for insurance or energy discounts or to give to the new owner if you sell the home.)  Lower level certification is not very hard to achieve, just adding some Energy Star appliances and low-flow products may be enough. Study these certifications and you decide what kind of home you want and how you may want to help protect the environment. By just purchasing a home that is marketed as “green” does not mean it is up to the standards you may think.

Original article: What is Green Building and What is its Purpose? – written by Steve Feller on Factoidz

This is an article from ECOHOME

New study shatters stereotypes of what motivates buyers.

A new national study of green consumers contradicts several long-held stereotypes about them: The environment is not their top concern, their kids are not influencing them to be green, and while many know what they should do to save the planet, they often don’t do it.

As a result, marketing messages aimed at this group often fall on deaf ears, says Suzanne Shelton, whose Knoxville, Tenn., firm, Shelton Group, conducted the study.

“Most green advertising is created as if there’s one pool of green consumers and they’re all motivated by ‘Save the planet!’ messaging,” Shelton says. “We need a revolution in this thinking. Not all green consumers are the same, they’re not all motivated by the same messages, and they’re not all inclined to buy only green products.”

Released Aug. 21, the Green Living Pulse study polled 1,007 U.S. consumers who at least occasionally buy green products (77% of the population) and found there is no typical “green consumer.”

The study discovered six myths about this group:

Myth 1: Green consumers’ top concern is the environment.
When asked to identify their top concern, the economy, by far, is No. 1 (with 59% calling it their top concern) and the environment falls far behind (8%).

Myth 2: Green consumers’ main motivation when reducing their energy use is to save the planet.
When asked the most important reason to reduce energy consumption, 73% chose “to reduce my bills/control costs” and only 26% chose “to lessen my impact on the environment.”

Myth 3: Green consumers are all-knowledgeable about environmental issues.
For example, the survey asked, “From what you have read or heard about CO2 (carbon dioxide), please place a check beside any of the following statements you think are true.”  Almost half (49%) chose the incorrect answer, “It depletes the ozone layer.”

Myth 4: Green consumers fall into a simple demographic profile.
While the study detected some demographic tendencies, it found that green consumers aren’t easily defined by their age, income, or ethnicity.

Myth 5: Children play a big part in influencing their parents to be green.
Only 20% of respondents with children said their kids encouraged them to be greener by, for example, promoting recycling and turning off lights.

Myth 6:  If buyers just knew the facts they’d make greener choices.
The study showed that knowledge does not always lead to eco-conscious behavior. Individuals who answered all of the science-related questions correctly did report participating in a significantly higher average number of green activities, such as driving a fuel-efficient car or lowering their thermostat during the winter; however, the 25- to 34-year-old age group consistently answered the questions correctly, yet, on average, this group’s green activity levels were lower than those of older respondents.

“Because green consumers are being stereotyped, and these myths we tested are embraced by marketers as facts, many green messages are falling on deaf ears,” Shelton says. “If these messages were better targeted, more people would be buying green products, conserving electricity, and doing more to save the planet.”

Jennifer Goodman is Senior Editor Online for EcoHome.

Go Green With Andersen Windows New 100 Series

Andersen Windows and Doors has been providing quality wood clad windows and doors for many years, now has introduced a product to rival the lower end vinyl market. Everyone recognizes Andersen as a quality, high end window company and never has Andersen ever targeted the competitive vinyl market. But that is now changing and with a very impressive, environmentally friendly and lower cost window.

Andersen’s new 100 series has some very unique features that will make all other window companies wonder how to compete with such a different product. The 100 series window frame is engineered of a special product called Fibrex®. This Fibrex® material construction offers the strength of solid wood and twice the stability of vinyl and is covered in more than 30 U.S. patents. Adding this stable frame with the special corner system and a window is created that is extremely strong, stable and resistant to racking.

If you have heard of Trex, Timber Tech or any other composite decking you will understand what a composite product is manufactured from. Similar to these decking products, Fibrex® is a composite composition that is extruded in a frame similar to a vinyl frame. Fibrex® is a blend of recycled wood and polymers that has received the Scientific Certification System (SCS) of a recycled content of between 18% and 24%, but comes from 40% pre-consumer reclaimed wood fiber. The series 100 also meets the Energy Star qualifications in all climate zones. The finish on the 100 series also meets the SCS Indoor Advantage Gold Program criteria for building materials that will not negatively impact the indoor air quality. Now Andersen has made a statement in the world of green building by introducing a very environmentally friendly product.

Composite products have proven their durability in all weather climates by resisting any amount of water and withstanding major hot climates. Now vinyl products can not say the same, but many vinyl products have improved over the years. But no vinyl window company has perfected a process that can handle dark colors. Now there is an option to this problem without spending more than triple on your windows. The 100 series is available in a cocoa bean which is very close to the old bronze aluminum but blocks thermal heat and cold transfer more than 700 times better than aluminum. This makes the series 100 window great for retro fit applications that have dark aluminum windows.

I think this is one of the most innovative windows introduced in many years and has a lot to offer. Andersen backs this window with a ten year transferable warranty that adds value to any home being sold. The series 100 window also qualifies for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, federal tax credit.

Learn more about this great product at http://www.andersenwindows.com/100series

Original article: Go Green With Andersen Windows New 100 Series – written by Steve Feller on Factoidz

Can a New Green Product Made From Recycled Plastic Soda Bottles Provide Cleaner Indoor Air and a Healthier Home?
Made in the USA from recycled plastic bottles, the new Airnamic Green from Alen Corp. is an economical new green home product that effectively removes dust, pet dander, grass and tree pollen, mold spores and other allergens from indoor air. This healthful and inventive use of plastic drink bottles provides consumers with an anti-microbial,
moisture resistant, convenient and cost-effective high performance quality home air cleaning product.
Austin, Texas – February 11, 2009 – Alen Corp. has launched the first earthfriendly home air filter made exclusively out of recycled plastic drink bottles. The Alen Airnamic Green MERV 8 home air filter cleans indoor air better than most store-bought air filters and is made in the USA with 100 percent recycled materials. It will never clog landfills because it can be incinerated. The ecofriendly new product for home effectively removes dust, mold, pet dander, and
other home allergens such as pollen from indoor air.
“Alen Corp. is the only company manufacturing an air filter for home that is ‘green’ and made from recycled plastic bottles,” said Peter Mann, CEO of Alen Corp. “Not only does the first environmentally friendly air filter provide a
healthier home, but consumers will also save money on electricity due to the Airnamic’s filter design that provides a lower pressure drop for less air flow resistance and greater energy efficiency. Frequently changing your home air
filter every two months will not only extend the life of your expensive HVAC system and reduce CO2 emissions, but save you hundreds of dollars each year on your energy bill,” concluded Mann. According to a recent U.S. Department of Energy statistic, heating/cooling is by far the largest expense on the average utility bill – at 46 percent. The three major components of life-cycle cost for HVAC filters are: initial investment and maintenance, energy consumption and disposal. On average, energy cost accounts for an astounding 81 percent of the total life-cycle cost of an air filter
system. Maintenance, such as the purchase of air filters, accounts for only 18 percent and disposal is 1 percent.

Alen Corp.’s Airnamic Green 1” home air filter comes in 22 different sizes to fit most standard home HVAC units, as well as custom sizes. The new green product for home is available immediately in economical 6-packs or 12-packsand a subscription service is available for the consumer’s convenience.
Eco-Friendly Air Purifiers by Alen. Be green and save some green.

One of the main objectives of a green home is to create a home that is healthier for the occupants. One area many want to try and improve is the air quality within the home. This is the reason having low VOC’s is included in all of the green certifications programs. But for many that are remodeling and trying to be green, can not afford a complete redo of their HVAC or ventilation system. But one low cost option is an in home air purifier. No installation, portable and many options make this the reason the air purifying industry has become a 530 million dollar industry.

Air purifiers are engineered to remove odors, allergens and pollutants from the air. Air purifiers range in size, function, price, and style, quality and durability. High Efficiency Particle Air (HEPA) filter, are ideal for individuals who are allergic to tiny air particles. Some air purifiers even filter out bacteria and other microorganisms. Air purifiers can help reduce the overall amount of indoor air pollutants. Although air purifiers are not the only solution to ease allergic suffering, they do provide one more way to help increase indoor air quality in the home, without a huge expense of a whole home air exchanger/purifier.

I would like to introduce you to a company that is taking quality of air serious. This company is Alen Corp from Austin, Texas.

Peter Mann, the founder of Alen Corp, was an engineer looking for respiratory relief for his asthmatic son and decided to start a company that would provide the quality he was looking for. He began the industry revolution by being the only air purifier company to offer a lifetime warranty; not only did he believe in the quality of his products, but he was committed to reducing landfill waste. Alen Corp holds strong to its founding vision of helping people live better as it leads to air quality. Alen Corp provides the best possible technology at affordable prices.

Alen Corp provides a wide variety of sizes, designs and filtering quality. From a 10″ desk top model to a built in, Energy Star rated, HEPA system. Alen Corp has a collection that should fit everyone’s needs.

This company is one that is focused in Green in more than one way. First to provide the best possible air quality and second to reduce landfill waste by providing a quality product that will last.

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

July 13, 2009

America.gov Launches “Greening the Empire State Building” Video

Highlighting the Energy-Saving Retrofit of America’s Most Iconic Building

July 13, 2009 – Washington, DC – The iconic Empire State Building is going green – retrofitting its existing structure with today’s most efficient technology to reduce the building’s energy consumption by 38-percent.  Through a series of upgrades – replacing windows, integrating smart light systems, upgrading heating and cooling systems, and more – the building seeks to become LEED certified Gold.  With a budget of $13.2 million resulting in annual energy savings of $4.4 million, the project will pay for itself in three years.

The key team behind the project includes the Rocky Mountain Institute, Clinton Climate Initiative, Jones Lang LaSalle, Johnson Controls, and the Empire State Building Company.  The team’s goal is to create and demonstrate a retrofit model for large multi-office buildings that can be applied throughout the world.

“Greening the Empire State Building” Video Available for International Distribution

America.gov, the U.S. Department of State’s public diplomacy website, has produced a video highlighting the Empire State Rebuilding project.  The short documentary (02:22), takes an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the retrofit project with examples of commonsense measures being taken to conserve energy.

The video features interviews with Anthony E. Malkin, the owner of the Empire State Building; project executives from Johnson Controls, Jones Lang LaSalle; and building tenant Skanska.  The video also includes an interview with Scot Horst, Executive Vice President of LEED at the U.S. Green Building Council.

>>The video is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKnxDcIUfdY

I have created this article to share my best Green Factoidz with you. This is my favorite Green articles as of July 2009 that I have written. I hope you enjoy these Green articles and vote them up if you would like.

Going Green with Tankless Water Heaters

So has all the new water heaters on the market have you confused on which one is the best? Which one is the greenest and most efficient? Well don’t feel alone, there happens to be a lot of options today but the proper application is what needs to be looked at.

http://factoidz.com/going-green-with-tankless-water-heaters/

Building Your Green Home: Does Size Really Matter?

Yes, the size of your home does make a difference when building a green home or a green project and want to be certified. There are many factors play into the square footage and design of your home. Also with the down turn in the economy I think smaller homes will be the new norm.

http://factoidz.com/building-your-green-home-does-size-really-matter/

How “Green Products” can be Misleading

The Going Green phase in home construction has many people confused about what Green really means. Many are struggling to find the balance between renewable, sustainable, recyclable, LEED, NAHB Green Program, Energy Star, energy efficient, net zero, carbon foot print, certified products, low VOC, air quality and a myriad of other green words.

http://factoidz.com/how-green-products-can-be-misleading/

Which grocery bag is really green?

You go to the store several times a week and you are usually asked “paper or plastic” or you may even be the devout green, environmentally conscious person that brings your own, but what is the greenest grocery bag solution? Well depending on who is talking they all are green, but let’s look a little deeper and just see who is the greenest of them all.

http://factoidz.com/which-grocery-bag-is-really-green/

Green Building Should Incorporate Energy Efficiency

Many people don’t totally understand the green building and the purpose it has. The phrase green building misses some of the key points that every home owner should be thinking of. When the word green is used most think of saving trees or natural resources. This is correct but the point many times missed in the saving natural resources.

http://factoidz.com/green-building-should-incorporate-energy-efficiency/

Going Green with Reclaimed Wood

One product that is great for green building and is not new by any means is Reclaimed Wood. Many reclaimed products are showing up in some very prominent new green projects. Reclaimed wood is a form of recycling but with amazing beauty.

http://factoidz.com/going-green-with-reclaimed-wood/

Prefab Homes: the Next Green Building Idea

A movement is taking place in an old methodology. Prefab or modular homes seem to be taking a very popular spot light in the green arena. This is not the old modular homes that most people think of, where the home is a square box split in half and resemble a double wide trailer home. These new breed of modular homes are quite stylish and green friendly.

http://factoidz.com/prefab-homes-the-next-green-building-idea/

What is the difference between “sustainable” and “green?”

“What is the difference in Sustainable and Green?” Too many get caught up in trying to decipher the difference. The main thing to remember is that we should all try and be less wasteful and more conscious of how the products we use affect our environment.

http://factoidz.com/the-difference-in-sustainable-and-green/

Green choices for your hardwood flooring: understanding cork, bamboo, and reclaimed wood

Thinking of building a new home or remodeling? Wanting to find flooring products for your project? The choices are endless and flooring happens to be a product many people decide to go green with. Cork and Bamboo flooring is a great option in the renewable group.

http://factoidz.com/green-choices-for-your-hardwood-flooring-understanding-cork-bamboo-and-reclaimed-wood/

Saving water: You don’t have to “go green” to take part in saving water

The whole green focus was established to help conserve our natural resources, by reducing the use or waste of any natural resource. One natural resource that the whole world needs to help reducing, even if going green is not a consideration, is our water supply.

http://factoidz.com/we-dont-have-to-be-green-to-save-water/

Green Washing: what it is and how to watch for it

Green Building is much more than just following a checklist. Green Building or sustainable building is composed of certain elements like design, energy savings, water savings, health and managing resources used in the home.

http://factoidz.com/what-is-green-washing-and-how-to-watch-for-it/

I hope you enjoyed these articles. I write for this blog called Green Building Ideas. I get my material from working in the home construction industry and my learning on how to incorporate Green into our every day lives. I am a Certified Green Professional (NAHB Green Building Program) and help builders with building green.

Factoidz is an article based forum. If you would like to get your information out and earn some additional income from Google Adsense then join here. http://factoidz.com/create-account.php?refer=8D3892

Factoidz is free and provides great traffic for your articles.

The Green Building process is becoming more talked about everyday, whether new construction or remodeling, home owners want to have a more efficient and environmentally friendly home. But Green Building is much more than just following a checklist. Green Building or sustainable building is composed of certain elements like design, energy savings, water savings, health and managing resources used in the home. The check lists are the guidelines to help determine what areas need to be addressed in the process and what steps have to be taken. But these check lists and the points often fuel the factor of Green Washing.

Green Washing is when a manufacturer, supplier or builder intentionally or unintentionally makes false, misleading or exaggerated claims about their products and the environmental benefits they may have.

A great example of Green Washing is when a builder puts a few energy efficient products in a home and claims it is a green home. Another example may be when a manufacturer uses recycled products and makes a green claim. Check the percentage of recycled material in the product before believing every green claim. Also check to see if a company is truly watching out for the environment in their everyday practices and not harming the environment with some other product they may produce.

A couple easy phrases may just be the tip to help with determining whether a product is green.

First don’t fall for the phrase, “My product is LEED or NAHB Green Certified”, USGBC’s LEED or NAHB Green Build Programs do not certify products, they only provide guidelines on what a product have to achieve to fit within the guidelines.

Also watch for generic phrases like “This product uses the newest Eco-friendly or environmentally save technology”, but has no documentation to back it up.

Beware of the maintenance free claims. Just because a product may be maintenance free does not make it green.

Always asks for documentation to substantiate the green claim. If a company can not provide you proper information you are asking for, it is an immediate red flag that they probably don’t really understand what makes a product green.

Labels and certification documents are always the best way to determine whether a company or a product can back up the Green claim. Energy Star, FSC, SFI or WaterSense are just a few of labels you can look for. These are considered third party certification that has already determined that a product fits within proper criteria. You can find a more extensive list of these third party certifications at Green Building Ideas/resources.

Some products may be very green and may not hold a third party certification. Consider these labels as a filter to help but don’t always disregard a green claim just because it does not have a third party label on it. Do your research and look into the company or product before making a decision.

Finding products and substantiating claims may be the longest and most time consuming process in any project, unless you find a builder that has a strong background in the green building process. Ask your builder if he or she is a NAHB Certified Green Professional or AP LEED certified. Then ask to provide you with examples of a green project they have completed. This will make your, new construction or remodeling, green project a more satisfying experience.

Going Green has become a very popular topic the last few years. If you search the word Green on Google it will come up with 862 million results and growing. The Green Building topic has become just as prevalent with even more interest. If you search Green Building on Google it will come up with 870 million results. But whether you plan on building a new home or remodel, green will come up in some form.

The whole green focus was established to help conserve our natural resources, by reducing the use or waste of any natural resource. One natural resource that the whole world needs to help reducing, even if going green is not a consideration, is our water supply. Urban water usage is expected to grow by nearly 40% by the year 2020 increasing the need to help reduce what water is wasted. There are a lot of ways to help save water from just adding low flow fixtures to reusing gray water. Some may be extreme for some households, so I want to touch on ways anyone can save water.

First we need to see where our water is going. Here is a short list of the averages from DrinkTap.org

Water Use Statistics

Daily indoor per capita water use in the typical single family home is 69.3 gallons. Here is how it breaks down:

By installing more efficient water fixtures and regularly checking for leaks, households can reduce daily per capita water use by about 35% to about 45.2 gallons per day. These are very basic changes whether you are planning on going green or not.

Here’s how it breaks down for households using conservation measures:

If all U.S. households installed water-saving features, water use would decrease by 30 percent, saving an estimated 5.4 billion gallons per day. This would result in dollar-volume savings of $11.3 million per day or more than $4 billion per year.

If you review the chart you will see that toilets, showers and clothes washers are the biggest savings. Now do you really need to do a complete remodel to make these changes? NO. Changing out shower heads is a very simple project. The front loading washers are also very easy except the cost. Toilets are also not hard to change out, but some may want to hire a plumber to do this.

We can all take part in saving water and it does not have to be a huge undertaking.

It is almost July and the housing starts have not seen much improvement. This should be the peak of the season but it is just not happening. Economic forecasters are now saying that the U.S. housing market is not going to see much of a rebound in 2009 and a very slow increase over the next couple of years. This is mostly due to the lack of customer confidence in the economy turning around. Many people have worries of possibly being laid off from their job; the sense of job security is very low. Homeowners that would like to build, have little confidence that they could sell their existing home. Finally the concerns of the latest interest rate increases have knocked many out of the market.

With all of these mounding issues it is evident that the new home construction industry is going to continue to suffer for several years. Many have thought that the Green Building focus would help bring the U.S. housing market out of the slumps, but there are just too many factors that are holding it down. So it does not look like Green will save the day.

The big concern that is not talked about in the many news articles is the fact that the U.S. is going to be faced with much higher priced material in the future. This might not make sense based on the low demand but a major change is happening in the supply chain that will have a dramatic effect on the price of materials.

First we have material supply yards closing at an alarming rate because they can not afford to remain open. Stock Building Supply has just completed a chapter 11 restructure with more than two thirds of its locations closing. BMC West is just going into chapter 11 and many small family owned yards are closing or going bankrupt. This is happening in lumber, windows, doors, roofing, drywall, electrical and plumbing yards across the country.  The wholesale companies are facing the same problems. But this even goes to mills and manufacturing facilities.

The prices of many of home building products are based on supply and demand. The demand is low and the supply is getting lower. The prices of many products so low the mills or manufacturers can not make any money, so they have stopped production. When this market decides to turn around then prices will go through the roof, there will just not be enough supply to keep up with even the smallest increase in demand. This process will make it even harder for people to afford to start a home and slow the recovery of new housing starts.

So the next several years will be a difficult one for anyone in the housing industry.

June 15, 2009 – Leaders in the movement toward sustainability in housing and other industries told last month’s NAHB Green Building Conference in Dallas that the marketplace is in a period of transition and that home builders should be gearing up to fill demand for energy- and resource-efficient homes.

If builders don’t change on their own, they said, it is likely that the government will come in and force them to build sustainably.
To read the complete article visit NAHB or Click Here
Green Building Signals Big Changes Ahead for Housing

You go to the store several times a week and you are usually asked “paper or plastic” or you may even be the devout green, environmentally conscious person that brings your own, but what is the greenest grocery bag solution? Well depending on who is talking they all are green, but let’s look a little deeper and just see who is the greenest of them all.

First we need to establish that life cycle plays a big role in determining green in any product. Normally the longer the life cycle the greener the product, but not if that life cycle is being counted in the land fill. That life-cycle analysis follows each bag from raw material through production and distribution and to the consumer’s hands. It also takes into account whether it’s reused, recycled or thrown in the garbage.

Let’s first look at the manufacturing of each bag and learn more about this process.

Reusable fabrics are normally made from cotton, to most this is a renewable product, but what are the environmental issue in cotton farming. The farming process uses large quantities of fossil fuels in the machinery. Cotton growers use more than 10 percent of the world’s pesticides and nearly 25 percent of the world’s insecticides. Cotton is normally woven outside the U.S. because of labor rates, so again more fossil fuel in shipping.

Paper also uses significant fossil fuels in their process, from logging, hauling and pulping the trees. The paper industry has come miles in trying to be more environmentally focused. From 1975 to 2006 American Forest and Paper Association members decreased the volume of discharged water by 53 percent. During the same period they reduced their emissions by 62 percent. But many argue that paper is biodegradable and plastic is not, we will get to that in a moment.

Plastic bags are made from ethane gas pulled out of abundant and clean natural gas. Many claim this may be cleaner than paper. The EPA reports that making paper bags generates 70 percent more air pollution and 50 times more water pollution than making plastic bags. Paper also uses more energy and generates more solid waste. Two thousand plastic bags weigh 30 pounds. Two thousand paper bags weigh 280 pounds. Now take the storage space, shipping and handling into account and it looks like plastic has the upper hand.

Now let’s add in the waste and recycle factor. The argument is that plastic never biodegrades and paper does. This is a true statement in some respect but our land fills are not designed to biodegrade. There’s no oxygen and no light which is needed to create the biodegrading process. There’s no degradation of materials in a landfill, it only takes up space. People don’t want the stink from things rotting in land fills; they are designed so that nothing rots.

As far as recycling, according to the American Chemistry Council, it takes 91 percent less energy to recycle a pound of plastic than it does to recycle a pound of paper. But what most people get stuck on is the mount of litter. If a paper bag is thrown by the side of the road it biodegrades fairly quickly compared to the plastic bag that hangs around for a long time. So to many environmentalists it is difficult to think that plastic may be a greener product.

So who is really the winner in this debate?

Well it really comes down to life cycles and the recycle mentality. If every person on this planet would recycle every plastic bag then plastic would be the winner. But we know this is not going to happen. Many agree that the reusable cotton grocery bag is the right way to go, if it’s reused over and over, and not left in the trunk of your car.

But one of the greenest approaches not mentioned very often is to buy in bulk and make fewer trips to the store. Go to Costco and you will not be asked “paper or plastic”, you just get it loaded back into your cart. This may be the greenest approach of all.

But in the debate between the three contenders, most would still agree that the reusable bag is the best for the environment, because of its life cycle. Many options are available in reusable bags, do don’t just settle for the drab eco bag. You can find designer grocery bags from Tucker Bags.

The housing market is in the worst condition it has been in for decades. What is going to turn this back around? From subcontractors, general contractors, laborers, suppliers, manufacturing companies to real estate, every part of this industry is suffering. 100 year old companies going bankrupt and so far no end in site. But many believe the green movement in the housing industry may turn the market around.

Here is an article posted in EcoHome called Green Home Builders Facing New Economic Reality

Home Builders are moving to Green with hopes to capture a small piece of this growing business. This is helping some but will it really help the overall situation and get this housing market out of this terrible spot.

The future of residential building is uncertain for now, but most green pros say they are confident that once the market bottoms out, eco-friendly home building will help lead the industry out of its economic doldrums.

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From National Home Builder Association website
Green Building Growing At A Surprising Rate, NAHB Says

Consumers can find a Certified Green Professional, a local green building program and a gallery of certified green homes at www.nahbgreen.org.