To be “green” refers to lessening the environmental impact from society. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is a perfect example.
So in essence a “green home” is a home that increases the efficiency with sustainable resources such as energy, water and materials while reducing building impacts on human health and the environment. Green building incorporates environmental considerations and resource efficiency into the development and home building process to minimize the environmental impact.
If you live in an older home it’s a good idea to have a third party rating service perform an assessment of the home’s performance to know which area to focus on first. The areas of interest to improve are Energy Efficiency, Water Management & Conservation, Composting Organics, Improving Indoor Air Quality and Waste Management including Recycling.
There are 120 million residential buildings in the US. We all live, work and play in real estate. If we all did our part as citizens to cut waste, improve efficiency, use less energy and reduce environmental impact it would make our buildings cheaper to run, safer, healthier and more comfortable, at the same time improving the energy security as our Nation. It just takes a little curiosity and effort to begin making better decisions for ourselves and our planet.
“It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.” ― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax