Green Building
Introduction: The U.S. Green Building Council is a non-profit organization that is comprised of individuals and businesses involved in the building industry. Their mission is “To transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life.” They have come up with a system for rating and certifying buildings as Green called the LEEDŽ Green Building Rating System. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. This is a voluntary national rating system designed to promote the building of “high performance, sustainable buildings.”There are 5 categories that a building must meet criterion for in order to be certified green by LEED standards. They are sustainable site, materials and resources, energy and atmosphere, indoor environmental quality and water efficiency. The 4 levels of certification in ascending order are Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum. This building is the first LEED certified building in Lee County and it is Silver-certified.
Sustainable Site
A sustainable site is one that uses natural resources without destroying the ecological balance of an area. Ways to maintain a sustainable site is to use native vegetation and xeriscape. Lee County Extension Services offers many local workshops and educational sessions on native plants, composting, mulching etc.
Materials and Resources
Green materials are ones that are rapidly renewable (Bamboo), recycled (Hardi Board, Trex) or able to be recycled. Many of the other green products we used in our building are featured at this website. Green resources are local and therefore reduce the amount of fossil fuels used or greenhouse gases produced.
Energy and Atmosphere
Conservation of energy and protection of the atmosphere are also very important. There are many choices to make which include purchasing EnergyStarŽ equipment using fluorescent instead of incandescent light bulbs and using dimmers. Other options include using alternative energies like Sunshine Energy.
Also our HVAC system reduces our carbon footprint (amount of carbon emissions produced) by reducing the amount of carbon emitted since it does not contain any CFC based refrigerants.
Indoor Environmental Quality
A key element of the Indoor Environmental Quality is VOC’s or Volatile Organic Compounds. The goal is to reduce these emissions during the building process and after. The products and adhesives we used contained low levels of VOC’s. An example is the Marmoleum flooring in the display area and multi-purpose room. Green cleaning products also help reduce these VOC’s.
Water Efficiency
Water efficiency is more than just turning the water off when brushing your teeth. It involves utilizing innovative practices and new technologies. One way to reduce your water usage is to use a rain barrel for watering your plants and lawn. A larger scale version would be a cistern. Another way is to utilize low flow sinks, toilets and shower heads.
Quick Reference:
How you can be green :
1. Landscaping (Sustainable Site)
i. Plant Native (FYN workshops) - click here for the ppt file (3.12 Mb)
ii. Mulching (FYN workshops) - click here for the ppt file (3.12 Mb)
iii. Composting (Eco Living Center Program) pdf file
2. Water Efficiency
i. Rain Barrels (FYN workshops) - click here for the ppt file (3.12 Mb)
ii. Dual flush toilets
iii. Low-flow toilets and shower heads
3. Energy and Atmosphere
i. Fluorescent vs. incandescent, Dimmers
ii. Purchase Energy StarŽ equipment
iii. Green Power (Sunshine Power)
4. Materials and Resources
i. Buy recycled products (Hardy board—Lowes/Home Depot)
ii. Recycle (Program at Eco Living Center) pdf file
iii. Use Rapidly Renewable Resources (Bamboo flooring)
5. Cleaning Products (Indoor Air Quality)
i. Buy biodegradable cleaning products (Non-antibacterial soaps)
ii. Buy concentrated products
iii. Use natural household products as cleaners (Baking Soda and Vinegar)