The buildings in which we live, work, and play protect us from Nature's extremes: cold, heat, wind, rain, and snow. But these structures affect and shape our environment too. Constructing and operating buildings requires enormous amounts of energy, water, and materials and creates large amounts of waste. Where and how they are built affects the ecosystems around us in countless ways. And the buildings themselves create new indoor environments that present new environmental problems and challenges.

As the environmental impact of buildings becomes more apparent, a new field called green building is arising to reduce that impact at the source. Green or sustainable building is the practice of creating healthier and more resource-efficient models of construction, renovation, operation, maintenance, and demolition. The many elements of green building include:

Energy: Designing and operating buildings to use energy efficiently and to use renewable sources of energy, including solar, wind, and biomass.

Water: Designing and operating buildings to use water efficiently.

Materials: Using building materials that, in comparison to competing brands, have a reduced effect on the environment throughout their life cycle (e.g. recycled content, low toxicity, energy efficiency, biodegradability, and/or durability).

Waste: Reducing the waste from construction, remodeling, and demolition.

Indoor Environment: Designing and operating buildings that are healthy for their occupants.

To find out what EPA is doing to make its own buildings greener, see the EPA's Green Buildings page.

Pollution Prevention Home | OPPT Home

EPA Home | Privacy and Security Notice | Contact Us