What Are Some Specific Green Design Elements?
The following identifies some specific design and construction elements that can help make a building ‘Green:” Control site pollution during construction • Select a building site that is environmentally friendly, close to public transportation or within walking distance of other related uses • Provide for alternative means of transportation, such as bicycling and fuel-efficient vehicles • Protect and restore natural habitat • Reduce the quantity and contorl the quality of stormwater runoff • Minimize the heat-island effect • Reduce light pollution • Use water-efficient landscaping • Capture rainwater for irrigation and/or grey-water use • Minimize building water use • Have the building systems Commissioned by an independent agency • Optimize the buiding’s energy performance • Use on-site renewable energy such as solar heating, photovoltaics or wind-generated power • Use only optimized environmentally-friendly refrigerants • Purchase a Green Power energy contract with your local utility
