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Fact Sheets from
the non-profit
organization Build
It Green
Advanced Framing Advanced framing, or Optimal Value Engineering (OVE), is a systems approach to the design, engineering and construction of wood-framed structures that reduces lumber use, minimizes wood waste and maximizes a structure’s thermal efficiency. Air Filters An air filter is an important part of a heating and cooling system intercepting particles such as dust and fibers that build up on the blower fan and the heating and cooling coils. High-quality filters can also improve a home’s indoor air quality. Bamboo Flooring Using bamboo flooring potentially contributes to obtaining credits in the US Green Building Council’s LEED certification program. Combo Water and Space Heating Systems This fact sheet presents information on the installation and use of combination water and space heating systems in multifamily residential building projects. Construction and Demolition Waste Diversion Maintaining a well-managed jobsite has its rewards: builders save money through lower materials costs and fewer tipping fees (the charge for landfills to dispose of solid waste); a cleaner site is safer to walk through, providing fewer opportunities for falls, injuries, or fire and it makes it easier and faster for workers to find smaller pieces of materials, reducing the waste of cutting large pieces into small ones. Cork Flooring Cork is a natural, renewable product that can be used anywhere a resilient floor is needed. Cork generally comes in tiles, planks, or sheets of various sizes, is extremely durable, provides acoustical and thermal insulation, cushions underfoot, is resistant to moisture damage and decay and is easy to clean and maintain. Cotton Insulation Having a well-insulated building envelope is crucial to creating an environmentally sound building. By minimizing heat transfer through the envelope, energy used to maintain the interior climate is similarly minimized, reducing both utility bills and the environmental costs of fossil fuel use. Countertops Between preparing food and drinks, cutting bread, and using the surface as a trivet, dish dryer or eating place – topped off by aggressive scrubbing – countertops take a lot of abuse and require high durability in the average kitchen.With myriad options and so many performance demands, how does one choose the greenest surface? Daylighting for Homes By reducing the need for electric light, daylighting can substantially lower home energy use. However, excessive daylighting can increase both heating and cooling loads. A balanced approach to daylighting involves whole building design starting with the location and orientation of a home and continuing with proper room location and design, window sizing and placement and selection of room finishes. Durability and Maintenance This fact sheet provides building owners, designers, and builders of affordable, multifamily housing with criteria for evaluating the durability of building materials and systems. It examines the categories of criteria for evaluating durability and its relationship with maintenance issues. It then sets out criteria for evaluating the durability of material systems for a given project. Energy Efficient Appliances Careful selection of your next appliance will not only provide you with years of reliable service and convenience but can also save you money and have fewer negative impacts on the environment. Appliances account for one-fifth of the energy consumption in a typical American household. Fly Ash Concrete Concrete, typically composed of gravel, sand, water and Portland cement, is an extremely versatile building material that is used extensively worldwide. Reinforced concrete is very strong and can be cast in nearly any desired shape. Unfortunately, significant environmental problems result from the manufacture of Portland cement. Worldwide the manufacture of Portland cement accounts for 6-7% of the total carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by humans. Fortunately, a waste product can be substituted for large portions of Portland cement, significantly improving concrete’s environmental characteristics. Fly ash, consisting mostly of silica, alumina, and iron, forms a compound similar to Portland cement when mixed with lime and water. FSC Certified Woods Wood has the potential of being an environmentally superior building material: it is created by solar power, improves local air quality, reduces global warming by sequestering carbon, creates habitat, and requires minimal energy to process. However, current industrial logging practices run roughshod over forests, creating erosion problems, damaging natural habitat and biodiversity, and reducing air and water quality. These practices make it very difficult to categorize wood as an ideal green building material. Fortunately, you can support sustainable forestry practices by purchasing FSC-certified wood. Green Building Ideas There are hundreds of green building techniques and products one can integrate into a home. Green building starts with a “whole system” approach that takes into account natural processes and the interaction and integration of various building design and material components. From this starting point, the most important consideration is to balance economic and time input costs with the economic, personal, and environmental benefits. This fact sheet outlines some basic concepts and ideas important to creating a green home. Green Carpet Carpet is the most common floor covering in homes today due to low cost, comfort and availability of multiple colors and patterns. Conventional carpets are typically made from woven materials, often petroleum-based fibers like nylon or olefin, attached to a synthetic backing with an adhesive. “Green” carpet includes natural fibers such as wool, jute, sisal, sea grass, coir or recycled PET (polyester) plastic. Nontoxic Termite Prevention Eradicating termites is often both a toxic and expensive proposition. Unfortunately for homeowners, insurance carriers consider most pest infestations to be maintenance issues, leaving the bill for treatment and repair to the homeowner. Making matters worse is the reality that conventional treatment methods use toxic chemicals. However, many termite infestations can be avoided in the first place: numerous low-cost, common sense, chemical-free design and construction measures can physically hinder termites and other pests from entering a home in their search for wood and wood-based materials to eat. |
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