Page 42 - Occupational Health & Safety, April 2017

GREEN BUILDING
Green Building and Sustainability
Increased awareness of not only the value, but the necessity, of adopting green building initiatives in new builds and retrofits is critical.
BY JACK LAKEN
EP6 Environmental Protection | APRIL 2017
www.eponline.com
Our climate is changing. A shift in the number of wildfires, tsunamis, earth- quakes, droughts, and heavy rainfalls has been attributed to climate change. These
changes have had an impact on agriculture and wildlife, including the introduction of new pests and depleting habitats.
Humans and our current life style practices re- main the leading contributors to climate change,
with carbon being the main culprit.
The Impact of Carbon
According to Architecture 2030, nine hundred billion square feet of buildings will be newly constructed or renovated by 2030. Buildings are one of the leading contributors to carbon emission, mainly from their use of fossil fuels during operations. In fact, cities and urban areas are responsible for approximately 75 per- cent of carbon emissions. If these buildings continue to be developed and run in the traditional manner, the environmental damage will only progress.
Thankfully, with an increased focus on the hazards that buildings emit into the atmosphere, companies are starting to consider adopting greener initiatives. Cities worldwide are investing in climate action plans with the goal of reducing their environmental foot- print. This includes “Smart City” initiatives to better manage existing infrastructure, zero waste policies, alternative energy sources, and researching the poten- tial of developing net zero buildings.
Resource Efficient
Integrating sustainable resources that are long last- ing is key to ensuring that a structure is fully sus- tainable. Products such as reclaimed wood, recycled plastic or glass, as well as energy-efficient, locally sourced materials such as concrete that naturally contains a high thermal mass, will ensure that the building is resource efficient.
Net Zero as a Solution
Net zero, however, for some companies and home- owners still feels largely unattainable. Cost, restricting policies and procedures, and limited information of- ten create roadblocks for making these energy-neutral buildings a reality. To be able to create these buildings, end users and investors need to both understand and value the chosen solution. This includes investing in energy-efficient solutions and advocating for stan- dards that are environmentally responsible while be- ing cost effective at the same time.
So what does it mean to be environmentally re- sponsible? Creating an environmentally responsible building begins with an understanding of the current systems that negatively impact the environment, such as heating and cooling, and finding alternatives that will decrease the impact. This includes looking at both the site and size of the structure to reduce the amount
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