COMMUNITY QUESTION ~ Should We Go Green ?

Bob Miller's comments last night at our Maitland City Council Meeting prompted me to ask myself the following questions:

What is "green" ? Why go green ? Are other cities going green ? Should we go green ?

An online article by the city of Seattle, Washington entitled, "Why Build Green?" states the following potential benefits:


* Increased property value - a "green" designation can increase a building's market value as assessed by appraisers and investors.

* Increased return on investment - green designs and technology can yield financial paybacks over the life of the building in the form of lower utility bills and reduced operating and maintenance costs.

* Enhanced occupant health and well-being - because occupants have access to daylight and fresh air in an environment free of toxins and irritants.

* Boost occupant productivity - studies show the productivity benefits of fresh air and natural light in buildings, and conversely, the negative impact of poor indoor environmental quality.

* Increased sales and leasing potential - can be leased out more quickly and at an enhanced rate per square foot than comparable non-green space.

* Enhanced community and local economy

* Protect threatened and endangered species

* Support sustainable resource use

Green building requires an integrated, multi-disciplinary design process and a "whole-building" systems approach that considers the building's entire life-cycle (from planning, design, and construction to operation and maintenance, renovation, and demolition or building reuse). Together, these provide the means to create solutions that optimize building cost and performance.


Additional information can be learned by familiarizing ourselves with information gleaned from the "Declaration of Interdependence for a Sustainable Future" adopted by the UIA/AIA World Congress of Architects in 1993 which recognizes the following:


* A sustainable society restores, preserves, and enhances nature and culture for the benefit of all life, present and future; a diverse and healthy environment is intrinsically valuable and essential to a healthy society; today's society is seriously degrading the environment and is not sustainable;

* We are ecologically interdependent with the whole natural environment; we are socially, culturally, and economically interdependent with all of humanity; sustainability, in the context of this interdependence, requires partnership, equity, and balance among all parties;

* Buildings and the built environment play a major role in the human impact on the natural environment and on the quality of life; sustainable design integrates consideration of resource and energy efficiency, healthy buildings and materials, ecologically and socially sensitive land-use, and an aesthetic sensitivity that inspires, affirms, and ennobles; sustainable design can significantly reduce adverse human impacts on the natural environment while simultaneously improving quality of life and economic well being;


What can we learn from others ? Who in our community has a passion for and belief in building green ? Will one of us step up in order to help the rest of our neighbors learn this part of how to build a model community ?


The Central Florida Chapter of the United States Green Building Council meets the 1st Tuesday of every month. There stated mission is as follows.

To have a positive impact on Central Florida's environment, economy, and social well being by:
* Promoting green and sustainable design, construction, and operation of buildings.
* Developing green and sustainable building standards, design practices, and technologies.
* Outreach and education to our members and communities.


Our city is busy making decisions each and every day as to our environmental future. How can we help our city officials make the best choices for our community's tomorrow's ? It's really up to you and me to educate ourselves and others NOW.

Ann Lanier

"Things alter for the worse spontaneously, if they be not altered for the better designedly." ~ Francis Bacon

Resources:

http://www.seattle.gov/dpd/GreenBuilding/OurProgram/WhyBuildGreen/default.asp#design

http://www.uia-architectes.org/texte/england/2aaf1.html

http://www.worldchanging.com/cities/

http://chapters.usgbc.org/centralflorida/