Benefits of green home building and sustainable transportation

In United States, buildings account for atleast 2/3rd of the total electricity consumption and around 40% of carbon dioxide emissions. Local governments are however trying to improve the energy and resource efficiency of their environment by incorporating green building methods in the construction of buildings.

Green home building – Resource efficiency

We as human beings should take into consideration the impact that we have on the earth’s ecosystem. Green homes help us conserve energy as these are built according to the standards of energy and resource efficiency and reduce the negative impact on the environment that other modes of construction create. The guidelines for building a green home has been outlined by ANSI approved ICC 700-2008 National Green Building Standard.

Green home buildings are designed keeping in mind the issues like water and renewable energy, resource efficiency, sustainable transportation systems, etc.

Resource efficiency can be accomplished with the usage of fewer and more durable materials and by reducing wastes and making use of used materials.

• Recyclable contents – Recyclable materials are those products which have identifiable recyclable content, including postindustrial contents.
• Natural renewable materials – Materials which are produced from sustainably managed sources and have an independent certification are natural and renewable materials.
• Resource efficient manufacturing process – Materials which are resource efficient for the purposes like reduction of energy consumption, minimizing wastes and reducing the production of greenhouse gases.
• Locally available – Materials which are found locally or regionally and helps in saving energy and resources for transportation purposes to the project site.
• Salvaged or remanufactured items – Remanufactured items are those which are made from materials which are saved from disposal. Such items are renovated, repaired and restored to be used later. As a result the performance and functionality of the product increases.

Sustainable transport – Green transport

Sustainable transports are those which use alternative fuels that don’t have any negative impact or have low impact on the environment. Sustainable transportation includes walking or using cycles or green vehicles which are fuel efficient.

The modern world is more automobile centric. Automobiles are great for certain things but the impact of the automobiles that we mostly use, negatively affects our environment. Transport system has a significant impact on our environment, accounting for about 20 to 25% of the world’s energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. Greenhouse gas emissions from transports are increasing at such a faster rate that it has surpassed the energy usage of any other sector.

So, in order to save our earth we need to lower the usage of ordinary automobiles. This can be done if you talk a walk rather than using cars while going travelling to nearby places. We can also use bicycles and high speed rails, or low emission cars for transportation purposes. We can even try to share cars and bikes for transportation purposes as this can reduce the number of automobile and thus will reduce the negative impact on the environment.

Some of the most common forms of green transit are the hybrid vehicles, biofuel powered vehicles. Hybrid vehicles use both internal combustion engines and electric engines in combination. On the other hand biofuel powered vehicles generally use fuels derived from plant sources, biodiesel, vegetable oils or bioalcoholic products. Some of the green cars are Blue will plug-in hybrid, NCC Coupe hybrid, and other electric cars. Green transports are affordable and operates well. It supports well a competitive economy and also developed countries.

Electric vehicles are designed such that it reduces the emission of carbon dioxide and hybrid cars generally have more fuel efficiency as compared to the other ordinary cars.

Benefits of using green home building and sustainable transport

Green homes are fitter and comfortable to live in. Other than this, green homes help you save money. The mortgages available for building green homes have low interest rates. Green buildings control the temperature inside your rooms with the usage of solar panels, air pipe ventilation, geothermal heat exchangers, etc. The solar panels can be used to make rooftops and can also help you light up rooms, help you to cook, etc. Green vehicles too are cost efficient. You will be able to save atleast 50-70% of your money from green buildings. You can then use this money to pay off your debts so that you do not need to take the help of consolidation or settlement.