This section is a brief introduction to Green Building. More information is available on all these topics through books, the web, magazines and other sources. Once you are familiar with the concepts presented here you are encouraged to find more information on the issues that are relevant to your project or interest.

Site issues include land use planning, protection of environmentally sensitive sites, micro-climate control, stormwater management, transportation concerns and light pollution among others.  Issues such as land use planning and protection of sensitive sites need to be considered when selecting a site to be built upon. Managing the micro-climate and controlling stormwater runoff are design issues which are planned for during the design process. The selection of the site however determines to a great extent the complexity of dealing with these issues. Issues such as transportation to and from the site and providing services and utilities to the site need to be well thought-out when selecting a site as the mitigation measures needed to improve upon bad decisions here can be prohibitive.

Conservation of water and limiting the amount of waste water sent to treatment facilities are the main concerns here. The potential for saving water used in landscaping is considerable. Planting appropriate, drought resistant and native plants will lessen and sometimes eliminate the need for irrigation. Advanced irrigation techniques such as drip irrigation and others can provide the right amount of moisture without wasting water. In the proper climate rain water can be harvested, stored and later used to irrigate plants.

Reducing water use inside the building is a matter of using efficient appliances and fixtures. High Efficiency Toilets (low flow, ultra low flow and dual flush), and low flow faucets and shower heads can have a significant impact on the amount of water consumed inside the building. Efficient clothes washing machines can use up to 60% less water and dishwashers can save at least 25% water while not sacrificing performance. Reducing the amount of water consumed also reduces the amount of waste water which needs to be treated by municipal treatment plants (or septic systems) before being released back into the environment. Gray water (any water that has been used in the home, except water from toilets) can also be used for irrigation or toilet flushing further reducing the use of potable water and waste water.

Reducing the use of non renewable carbon based energy sources is one of the most important issues facing our planet today. Global climate change brought about by the burning of fossil fuels, the environmental impacts of fuel extraction and the economic and political consequences have an enormous effect on our little blue planet.  Reducing the amount of energy consumed in a building has probably the largest impact of all green building issues on the global environment and the personal finances of the owners and occupants of the building.

Energy reduction is usually measured as a percentage of the energy savings compared with the amount consumed by a similar building that meets the minimum energy code requirements. There are many strategies used to lower energy consumption depending on building size, type and location. Energy can be saved in heating, cooling, ventilating and lighting the building as well as services within the building such as water heating and electrical distribution.

The other most obvious subordinate of energy reduction is the use of renewable energy. Renewable energy can be created on site through the use of solar heating, or photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and hydro power which are used to create electricity. Renewable power can also be purchased through suppliers who use similar methods to create energy at an offsite location and deliver it through the national electric grid.

Another method used to reduce energy use whose benefits have recently been realized is commissioning, or making sure all building systems are operating at peak efficiency. Many studies have shown that without commissioning many of the buildings systems are not operating as intended or are conflicting with other systems and therefore wasting energy.

This topic is concerned with the materials used to construct the building. In general the issues are to reduce the amount of raw materials consumed to create buildings and to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills due to the construction process.

One strategy is to reuse existing buildings as opposed to building an entirely new building when possible. Reusing materials from a building that is deconstructed is another aspect of this strategy. The use of environmentally preferable products is the foremost component of this topic. Environmentally preferable products are materials which are made with recycled content, are easily recyclable after their useful life, are grown, harvested or extracted in an environmentally responsible manner, or rapidly replenished -that is they grow in a less than 10 year cycle such as bamboo or straw.  Today there are many certifications available to products which meet these criteria, but the buyer or specifier needs to be aware of the organization that is sponsoring the certification and their goals and criteria. Embodied energy, or the energy which goes into producing and transporting building materials is another important factor to consider when choosing construction products. Other strategies include choosing structural systems that also serve as the finish product so that additional materials are not required to cover the main building system and to use durable products which will last longer and not need to be replaced as often.

Careful planning and purchasing is an important step in reducing the amount of waste that is ultimately sent to landfills. Nowadays most construction waste can be recycled but this is still somewhat dependent on the building site and access to local recycling centers. Providing easy access to recycling during construction and building occupancy will help to be sure that it becomes standard practice at the site.

This category has long ranging effects on the building occupants and their health and comfort. The sub categories here include Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), Daylighting, Thermal Comfort and Acoustics.

Indoor air quality is all about providing clean air inside the building. Pollutants can be introduced to a building through building materials, activities inside and outside the building, and by the occupants themselves. The first step in providing better air quality is to control chemical and other pollutant sources. Building products with low formaldehyde and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions should be used whenever possible inside the building. Areas where activities that give off noxious gases occur should be separated from the rest of the spaces by physical barriers. Mold growth can be the cause of serious air quality issues and should be controlled through proper detailing and construction techniques. The next step is to provide effective ventilation that is designed to meet the needs of the occupied spaces. This ensures that pollutants in the building are removed and replaced with fresh air.

Thermal comfort ensures that a building is a comfortable place to be and that the occupants can use the building for its intended purpose. Saving energy at the expense of thermal comfort is not an option. The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) provides guidelines that should be the basis for thermal comfort design.Providing proper control so that the occupants can tailor individual spaces to the proper comfort levels is essential for meeting this goal.

Controlling sound passage into a building and between adjacent spaces is an often overlooked aspect of IEQ. Reverberation, or echo within spaces is another aspect of proper acoustical design. Mechanical systems are often significant sources of noise that can affect performance in a building. Schools especially are buildings where acoustical performance must be considered during design. The Acoustical Society of America (ASA) provides information and design guidelines to ensure proper acoustical design for all building types.