Building For The Environment

11/24/2008
MetroNews
Statewide

More and more businesses are going green but not just when it comes to recycling paper and buying fuel-efficient vehicles.
Some companies are building green.

West Virginia University Design Studies Professor Chris Haddox says, when it's time for new construction, businesses are building more eco-friendly offices. "One, it's the right thing to do. Two, they can differentiate themselves in a market that's beginning to demand green and it's easier to stay ahead of the curve than to try and catch up."

So what constitutes a green building?

"A green building is one that emphasizes resource efficiency whether that's energy, water, materials. It emphasizes high indoor air quality, good lighting, connectivity to goods and services. It's looking at the impacts of everything that goes into or comes out of that building."

Haddox says you don't have to spend a fortune to build green. "Doing passive solar design for example, you're not installing a lot of fancy equipment. It's orienting the building in a way to take advantage of the sunlight energy."

Why is building green so important?

"The build environment in the U.S. produces about 40% of our carbon dioxide output, which is about 3% more than the transportation industry produces."

Building green may cost a bit more in the short term, but Haddox says, in the long run, it will save a company money and help save the environment.