1. Green Building:
What does the Fourth Little Pig Need to Know Before Choosing a Green Home

2. What is “green building?”
“Green building is a holistic concept that starts with the understanding that the built environment can have profound effects, both positive and negative, on the natural environment, as well as the people who inhabit buildings every day. Green building is an effort to amplify the positive and mitigate the negative of these effects throughout the entire life cycle of a building.”
USGBC

3. What is “green building?”
It involves the planning, design, construction, and operations of buildings with several central considerations:
energy use
water use
indoor environmental quality
material section
the building's effects on its site

4. “Green” Phrases sustainability high-performance buildings
carbon footprint
proper siting
water and energy efficiency
materials reuse and recycle
composting

5. Why do we pursue green building?
Impact of buildings on our environment
The manufacturing, design, construction, and operation of the buildings in which we live and work are responsible for the consumption of many of our natural resources.
In the United States, buildings account for:
39% of total energy use
68% of total electricity consumption
30% of landfill waste
38% of carbon dioxide emissions
12% of total water consumption

6. Environmental Benefits
Enhance and protect biodiversity and ecosystems
Improve air and water quality
Conservation
Water
Waste water
Energy
Materials
Reducing waste streams from construction materials
Conserve and restore natural resources

7. Economic Benefits Reduce operating costs Improve occupant productivity
Enhance asset value and profits
Optimize life-cycle economic performance

8. Social Benefits Enhance occupant health and comfort
Improve indoor air quality
Minimize strain on local utility infrastructure
Improve overall quality of life
 Example: Proper design to eliminate water intrusion, adequate ventilation, and materials selection can help ensure a building's indoor environment is protective of occupant health.
Access to views, daylight, and nature, buildings can enhance worker productivity, student achievement, and even patient recovery rates.

9. Problems with green building?
“new” buildings
Remember you can retrofit an existing building and it may be more “green” than building a new one from scratch
Picking “green” items that do not work with each other
Not planning out the “green” ideas and the design of the home at the same time

10. Smart Solutions Work cooperatively with the whole “team”
Select “green” elements that work for your area
Select “green” elements that work within your plan
Avoid the “dollar menu” approach to green building

11. Bainbridge Island Home:

12. Bainbridge House: What makes this one “green”?
Renovation of an existing home
Reuse of more than 80% of the existing materials.
The new home cuts energy consumption by 70% by:
geothermal heating,
photovoltaic energy systems (aka solar)
Other key sustainable features include:
Rainwater collection (3,000 gallon rainwater collection system)
FSC and recycled wood products,
triple-glazed windows (it is Washington after all)
green roof.

13. What would you want to have in your green home and why?

14. Conclusion/Questions