Sustainable Construction
The Call for Sustainable Construction The construction of buildings in the United States accounts for thirty percent of waste output annually. The construction of these buildings also consume seventy-one percent of the total electrical energy in the U.S. Due to the diminishing health of our planet, it is evident that sustainability in construction is a necessity. Sustainable, or green, buildings are not only beneficial to the planet, but also to the owner, the designer, and the builder. Sustainable buildings provide monetary benefits to all of these groups while also cohering with the social imperative to preserve the health of the planet. Builders in the past thought that sustainable methods and materials were too expensive to use; however, due to the technology boom in green building, sustainability is actually increasing profits for builders and saving building owners money through conservation of materials and energy. The new green technologies are also greatly reducing builders’ carbon footprint and negative environmental impact. It is being made clear that sustainability is the future of construction and that everyone involved with the construction of buildings must move towards greener buildings and building methods. Green Building in past years was much too expensive to achieve but due to the fast growing market of sustainable products and methods green building is now very profitable to builders and building owners. The rising popularity of sustainability in construction is proving that it will last and according to Michael Montoya, writer of Green Building Fundamentals, “designers and builders who do not embrace this concept in their business models will soon be left behind.” This is an eye opener for young workers and students in the designing and construction fields. They must start learning the methods of sustainability in order to compete in the new market. Sustainability and eco-friendliness is becoming more popular everyday with the younger
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