Green Building

What is Green Building?

• Use latex paints only so as to prevent using solvents that will infiltrate our watersources
• Use low VOC (volatile organic compounds) so as to provide a safer work environment for painters and others in the building industry
• Use building materials that are regional or local so as to not have had to transport them and therefore have used more fuel to get to the site

Promote a healthy environment in the house to create a HEALTHY HOME

• Use oriented strand board (OSB) and other substrata wood products free of formaldahyde that will leach into your interior air for years to come
• Seal the house well to reduce infiltration of humidity (particularly in humid climates) to prevent mold and dust mites and therefore asthma and respiratory diseases
• install air extractors in wet areas such as kitchen, bathrooms and laundry rooms to remove excess humidity
• incorporate a layer of air space in the exterior wall sandwich ( outside of the sheathing) to let the walls breathe
• Use all cleanable, hard surfaces for floors, so as to be able to remove dust and particles from the house
• change A/C filters once a month

Promote a healthy environment outside your home

• Select pest control treatments for the outside that are specific to the immediate problem and the least toxic
• Have an engineered drainage design for the entire exterior of your house
  
•  Select exterior materials that don't promote infestation and deterioration   
• Use water collection systems for landscape usage 

• Use awnings, arbours, or trees to protect western exposure windows from the outside
• Use UV film on Western and eastern exposure windows
• Install window coverings on windows due west, with black-out lining preferably, to control the west sun and the heat gain of the afternoon sun
• Use deep overhangs in the design of the house to protect the shell from rain and sun
• Use thermal break windows, double paned, to prevent transmission of heat and cold
• If you have a choice, orient the house north/south so as to be able to open views away from the sun
• Insure that  window and door openings provide for cross ventilation wherever possible
• Use operable windows to take advantage of low humidity and cool temperature days
• Use tubular skylites for better natural light and no heat gain
• Use/install task lighting for purposes of reading and working, using compact fluorescent lamps
• Install motion control mechanisms for lights in closets and pantries and put an end to lights being left on for days at a time
• Install dimmers on all/frequently used lights; the difference betwwen lights at 100% and 90% is bareley noticeble to the human eye, but the energy savings are real

How can I join the GREEN movement and start now?

• Remind your roomates/ housemates/family to turn off all lights before leaving home
• Do laundry at night when the heat gain from the sun has dissipated
• Grill or cook outside during the hottest hours of the day to keep from adding heat to your home
• Remember to close your drapes or blinds on the windows that have southwestern and western exposure after noon, and if not home to do so, leave them closed in the morning
• Bake at night or don't bake much in the summer season
• Collect and use rainwater, principally during the summer, when plants need more irrigation
• Use celiling fans to cool off to refrain from lowering the thermostat
• Don't use your automatic dryer setting in your dishwasher during the hot months
• Don't leave stereos or TVs on when you are not engaged in them
• Replace key lightbulbs with compact fluorescent ones (they are 8 to 15  times more expensive than the regular bulbs or lamps in the design industry). Key lights would be the hall bath light if you leave it on during the night, entry fixtures, accent fixtures that you turn on regularly.
• Turn OFF your computer when you know you will not be using it for a day or more
• Grow some vegetables in pots or beds during the summer, it could save you a trip to the supermarket
• Compost simple things like your daily coffee grounds or tea leaves- just throw them into a pot and mix once in a while
• take shorter and cooler showers during the hot months- save some water and keep the humidity level inside your home or apartment low
• Use the air extractor in your bathroom when taking a shower to extract some of the humid air
• Air dry as much of your laundry as you can OUTSIDE- buy an old fashioned clothes drying rack and keep it handy
• Don't leave hair appliances plugged in longer than you need them