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How Green Buildings are helping to fight Climate Change
Green buildings have the potential to make a big change on the environment. Keep reading to find out how.
So, what defines a green building? The basic brief for a Green Building is a building that cares for the health and well-being of its occupants and the surrounding environment.
The one basic but fundamental fact is that Green Buildings generate less greenhouse gases than a conventional build. Along with that, they also limit the amount of land fill waste generated both during the build and during the life of the building. The four main benefits of green buildings are:
- Reducing carbon emissions, energy and waste
- Conserving water
- Prioritising safer materials
- Lowering our exposure to toxins
Green buildings function to slow down the effects of climate change in many ways.
The first way is because they are more energy efficient. Energy efficiency can be accomplished by retrofitting an existing building, optimizing operations, loT connectivity (an enhanced and extensive platform that multiple items such as Wifi and mobile networks can use, therefore reducing energy by using one source), adding solar or renewable energy to the building, or taking advantage of existing landscaping, such as shading. In fact, by zoning in on energy efficiency measures, new buildings can often reduce their energy consumption by up to 25%, and old buildings by up to 16%. Furthermore, by 2040, changes to space heating and cooling and water heating and cooling could see buildings become nearly 40% more efficient than they are currently.
So how are Green Buildings saving the environment?
Green Buildings minimize the negative impacts on the natural environment by using less energy and other natural resources, using sources of energy that can be renewed, and using eco-friendly materials.
How does a Green Building become certified as a green building?
Green buildings can be certified using LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the most commonly used green building rating system in the world. There are several different levels of LEED certification, but regardless of the level it reaches, LEED-certified buildings are widely recognized as buildings that save energy, water and resources, generate less waste, and support human health.
