Why Green Building?

In order to understand the thinking behind green building principles it is necessary
to remember why we should be so concerned with such issues in the construction
industry. Perhaps producing more energy from renewable sources and protecting
wildlife and habitats is much more important? Indeed there are many who do not
give green building a high priority. It is surprising how many environmental
groups, for instance, appear to attach a low priority to their built environment.
Groups concerned with the natural environment, wildlife, habitats and so on,
sometimes inhabit or build dreadful buildings using toxic materials and high
embodied energy materials.
Many others see the issue purely in terms of energy efficiency or more
specifically fuel efficiency and are largely unconcerned about the environmental
impacts of the materials which they use to achieve reductions in gas, oil and
electricity bills. Government and European research and development
programmes such as Joule/Thermie, Save and Altener or the UK Clean
Technology programme seem largely designed to encourage high technology
development, leading to new and more products and systems which will expand
industry and create new markets.
When the four main principles set out above are taken into account, it becomes
clear that the building materials industry, the transport of materials and products,
their construction on site and then the pollution and energy wastage coming from
buildings collectively has a surprisingly wider impact on the environment than
most other human activities. The Vales have suggested that 66% of total UK
energy consumption is accounted for by buildings and building construction and
services.10 Thus the importance of buildings and the construction industry has to
be seen as one of the most, if not the most important user of energy and resources
in advanced society.
Major savings will not be achieved only by putting more insulation in homes
or using low energy light bulbs, a much more fundamental review of all building
materials production and construction methods, transportation etc. is required.
Thus if we are concerned about ozone depletion, wastage of limited natural
resources, such as oil, gas and minerals, the loss of forested areas, toxic chemical
manufacture and emissions, destruction of natural habitats and so on, tackling the
built environment is going to go a long way to addressing these issues.

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