Facts for Green Building

It’s an often-repeated question: What is the definition of a green building? The answer, though wordy, is not really hard to understand.

Sustainable, or “green building,” design and construction provide an opportunity to use resources more efficiently, while creating healthier and more energy-efficient homes and commercial buildings. Successful green buildings leave a lighter footprint on the environment through conservation of resources, while at the same time balancing energy-efficient, cost-effective, low-maintenance products for construction needs. In other words, green-building design involves finding the delicate balance between homebuilding and a sustainable environment.

As the green philosophy continues to grow, specifiers will increasingly face pressures to use or not to use certain products. In a handful of states, proposed regulatory language and tax incentives have already been introduced to incorporate, or not to incorporate, certain products based on “green” attributes. However, specifiers are cautioned to focus less on products, and more on a sum of the products as a whole.

The benefits of plastic, with its lightweight and airtight properties, provide specifiers an alternative to some of the hard-to-find raw materials. With a greater understanding of the variety of plastic compounds and products, specifiers will have new options for sustainable design efforts.

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