The Greening Challenge

Whether commercial or residential, buildings are responsible for extensive energy consumption and often inefficient use of raw materials. Buildings negatively affect our environment because they contribute to the production of greenhouse gases and deplete natural resources. How can we make our homes and workplaces more sustainable?

There are many important steps to be taken in the design, construction, and destruction stages of a building can reduce the negative environmental impact. For example:

• To reduce energy consumption and costs, buildings can be designed to passively cool and heat by using certain materials and the positioning of windows.

• In the demolition phase, fixtures such as doors, windows, mirrors, and sinks can be preserved and reused in another home.

• Sustainably-harvested or recycled lumber can be used for the construction and flooring.

Overall, green building is an effort to create buildings that are efficient in consumption of energy, water, and materials.

Here in Philadelphia and throughout Pennsylvania, there are a growing number of businesses, organizations and grant opportunities that encourage environmentally-sound building practices. For more information on green building throughout Pennsylvania, visit:

PA Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Building link http://www.gggc.state.pa.us/gggc/cwp/view.asp?a=515&q=156859

Delaware Valley Green Building Council http://www.dvgbc.org/

Green Building Alliance http://www.gbapgh.org/

Green Building Association of Central Pennsylvania http://www.gbacpa.org/