U.S. Green Building Council Facts and Figures

Thanks to the U.S. green building »”>Green Building Council, green building isn’t just a fly-by-night operation.  With the development of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), the Green Building Council created a set standard practices and the rating systems to certify that a building is, indeed, green.

Why green building?
Many companies in the sustainable building industry extol the virtues of their trade; environmentalists talk about the damage we’re doing to our world.  Some of what they say may seem unbelievable, but statistics point out the truth.

According to the Green Building Council, U.S. buildings use:
•    72% of electricity
•    39% of energy
•    38% of carbon dioxide emissions
•    40% of raw materials used
•    30% of waste output
•    14% of potable water consumption

These statistics only cover U.S. usage.  Imagine how much of each resource buildings use around the world.

Currently, the largest uses of resources are still natural, non-renewable, and environmentally damaging.  Coal and gas are two excellent examples.  Air pollution has reached an all-time high, and pollution in general is rampant.  The effects show strongly in the overall health of U.S. citizens; the number of those suffering from asthma and other breathing issues, as well as many other health issues, has risen along with the level of pollution.  Green building is one of the many ways to combat these issues.

Benefits of green building
There are some proven benefits to green building, for the environment, economy and health:

•    Environment – solid waste reduction; air and water quality improvement; natural resource conservation

•    Economic – lower operating costs; higher asset value and profits; employee productivity and satisfaction

•    Health – improvement of air, thermal and acoustic environments; higher comfort and health; lower strain on local infrastructure

Green Building Council Outlook
By 2010, the amount spent on green building products and services is expected to rise to $60 billion.  With the creation of the LEED Rating Systems, over 70 regional chapters nationwide, top quality educational programs and the Emerging Green Builders program, the U.S. Green Building Council fully expects to see the 2010 goals realized, if not exceeded.

Tagged as: Council Outlook, green building, Statistics, US Green Bldg