Is Green Getting a Bad Rap
Posted by Susan Pomerantz on 2/10/10 • Categorized as Lifestyle • • 
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At the moment, most people consider green a luxury, not a necessity.
Despite the narrowing gap in cost between green building and traditional “to-code” building, most builders and home buyers still perceive the green option to be significantly more expensive. The reality is that due to more educated and motivated builders and more affordable green building products, a building can be built green within the same budget as a non-green building.
Let’s talk about the costs of not building green.
For those strictly interested in a financial reason to go green, the energy savings of a green building speak for themselves.
- Advances in energy efficiency have resulted in savings of 40 to 60% over non-green buildings because the focus is on appropriately sized HVAC systems, tight construction and ducts, effective insulation, and energy efficient windows.
- The there are the water savings from low-flow fixtures, tankless water heaters, efficient appliances, water-friendly landscaping, and rainwater collection systems
- Paints, adhesives, and caulks can all contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs,) the greatest causes of indoor air pollution in the home, which have been tied to increased asthma rates.
- Wood products in the home can contain urea-formaldehyde, a known carcinogen that is banned in Canada and Europe.
- The environmental cost of your building project. Is reduced because green builders start by significantly reducing waste on building sites.
- While building materials that are not recycled or made from renewable materials might seem less expensive, the cost to the environment is pricier
- If consumers begin to favor environmentally friendly products made from companies that have cleaned up their manufacturing process other companies will be forced to follow suit. Companies that have earned the Cradle to Cradle certification represent the height of sustainability.
- If products labeled their environmental impact, consumers would think twice about many products.
