What Does Green Really Mean?

Rising energy costs, climate change, and a new social conscience are complicating the way we build

Green building is a wide-ranging, complex topic, and "green" is one of the key buzzwords in the building field today. Contributing editor Scott Gibson takes a look at the complicated definition of what building green means now. A big variety of local and regional programs make green building hard to standardize, but green has some key goals, including a tight building envelope, low energy consumption, minimal site disturbance, water conservation, solar orientation, water and energy efficiency, the use of recycled materials, and healthful indoor-air quality. Gibson also discusses the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, which requires third-party verification for a building to achieve green status. The article includes five case studies for houses in a variety of locations (such as urban, rural, mountain) and highlights the qualities that make each house green.