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Green Building
Green building programs provide guidelines and incentives to correct many of the negative environmental, human health, and financial impacts of construction and occupancy of a traditional building. Green building projects typically involve integrated design processes where environmental, social, and economic issues are considered collectively to address a number of design and construction elements, including:
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Ecological sensitivity in site selection, |
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Consideration of future water use, |
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Incorporation of energy efficiency systems that anticipate future energy demands, |
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Systems and materials that enhance indoor air quality, and
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Use of materials that not only enhance indoor air quality, but limit harm to the environment or humans during the raw material extraction and manufacturing process. |
Green building programs are intended to transform markets and industries by creating incentives for using leading edge products and technologies with environmentally friendly components. Typically, these programs work by awarding credits for each green product or technology that a builder chooses to use. As more credits are accrued, higher levels of achievement are awarded to the project.
Wood-related credits in most green building programs generally address the quality of forest management behind specific wood products as well as the reduction of waste by reusing and recycling existing wood.
As the green building market has grown, demand for products from certified well-managed forests has also increased. In response to this demand, many suppliers are now selling certified wood products for green building projects.
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