Going Green in the City: Building and Renovating with "Being Green" in Mind: Part 2

Collage: Going Green in the City:
Building and Renovating with "Being Green" in Mind
Credit: MS Office

Part 2: Going Green Is Becoming Mainstream

Going green often starts with an idea during the design stage. From details such as low flow toilets to more drastic measures such as green roofs or use of geothermal energy "green" design has fundamental implications on the structure, layout and materials of a project. A "green" approach can consider a home’s position to the sun, the color of its roof as a way of conserving energy or just include heat recovery technology. The applications and options are ever increasing.

Although the costs of a "green" home are typically higher, a "green" home is more durable and the extra costs will pay for themselves in savings on water and power. What else can be done? Since people worldwide have become more aware about conservation there has been an explosion of information available on how to build green.

Energy efficient and "green" building renovations are becoming much more standard and economical as we become more progressive and take responsibility for "saving our planet". As most of us are worried about global warming, the environment and rising energy costs, "going green" is no longer considered an alternative lifestyle but is becoming mainstream. To go back to the old way of living would be a total setback and a step in the wrong direction.

We will over time post articles on our forum on "green building" as new innovations come up and as we implement them in our projects. Being green is an important element at Wo-Built and we try to incorporate energy and environmental solutions where feasible.

Please stay tuned.

Lonya is the staff writer for Wo-Built Inc.

links:
Going Green in the City: Building and Renovating with "Being Green" in Mind: Part 1 - Eco-Friendly Home Improvements
Home Renovation Tip: Donate Reusable Items to Non-For-Profit Organizations
Wo-Built: Helping to Green our Province
Interesting Reading: Government Help for Going Green in Homes
Wo-Built: Help for Going Green at Work
Wo-Built Goes Greener by Planting Trees!!!