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BUILDING
GREEN in TEXAS - INTRODUCTION
You're
considering building a new home? Why not make it "green"?
A green home is comfortable, efficient, durable, low maintenance and healthy. All this while being easier on the environment we all must live in.
When you think of the environment, you probably think about the natural environment-mountains, rivers, and forests. But our buildings are part of the environment too. The fact is, a huge portion of our natural resources are used for building, and a large part of our pollution and health-related problems result from building.
Fortunately, it's possible to reduce the negative effects of building by doing it a different way. But what is this "different way" like? Would it be attractive? Convenient and pleasant to live in? Would it be hard to do? Could you afford it?
Actually, you can't tell if a home is green just by looking at it, because green is more than skin deep. That's lucky, because it means your green home can be just about any style you like. Even when you know what's under the skin, you still can't be sure. That's because what's green in one part of the country may not be green somewhere else.
You can't tell a green home by the price either. You could spend huge sums being an "eco-consumer", purchasing every high-efficiency gadget on the market, or you could make your house green using simple, economical materials and good design alone. We can't stop building homes--we all need them. But with careful planning, we can make buildings that enhance our lives and lessen the impact on our planet.
The following Seven Steps to Green Building will provide you with a guide to make your home Green By Design.