Green Building is the New Push This Year

“Green building is the United States Green building Council’s annual exposition to showcase the latest and greatest in green building. The spotlight at this years conference held recently in Philadelphia was on health, a cornerstone of the original green building mandate the one that so far has received relatively little attention.” This according to a new post by the Washington Post.com. Focus has been made on indoor air quality and healthy building materials and there’s been a big push for this type of construction over the next few years. Discussion is centered on creating building environments that encourage residents to incorporate exercise into their daily routine. Because of this many new-home developers are creating master-planned communities with shops, restaurants and basic necessities within walking distance of their front door. If you put the necessities to far away people are more likely to jump in their car and drive rather than walk around the corner.

“As buildings become tighter to save energy, mechanized ventilation is needed to bring in fresh air; for houses, continuously operating bathroom fan will often suffice.” But supplying these healthy building materials may be more complicated because manufacturers have failed to disclose what is used to make their products. However, this is designed to get much easier because with a big push from the green building community there’s a new Health Product Declaration Collaborative which is an organization that has been developed to standardize disclosure forms so consumers can easily make comparisons on building products. But, until this is in full swing homeowners can start by making their own building materials safer for the environment and themselves.

Here are some of the ways homeowners and home builders can provide green materials now.

Use plumbing pipes made of polypropylene or PP. This plastic piping has been used in Europe for over 30 years and does not leach into the water. It has a long life and can be recycled for new pipes.

 Use low VOC or now VOC paints which means volatile organic compounds. These can leach into the air even after they’ve dried.

Avoid using building materials with asthma-causing chemicals such as asbestos, carpeting and flooring, insulation glaze and installation itself. If you’re unsure ask especially about allergens in materials. Linoleum and final can have asthmagens in their top coasting but what flooring is commonly finished with polyurethane which is an alternative to traditional oil wood finishes.

For more information on green building materials and construction in the Southwest Florida real estate area called our offices today.