Green Building Resources
What is Green Building?
Green or sustainable building aims to use our resources more efficiently while creating healthier and more energy-efficient structures. The goal is to lessen the impact on the environment through conservation of resources, while at the same time creating energy-efficient, cost-effective, and low-maintenance buildings and building products. This is accomplished by focusing on five components of the building process:
Sustainable Sites
Water Efficiency
Energy and Atmosphere
Indoor Environmental Quality
Materials and Resources
*Photo: Tri-North Construction Headquarters, Madison. LEED Gold certified in 2006
Be a Myth Destroyer - Green Construction Doesn't Cost More
Read this article contributed by Paul Hoffman, Owner and President of Hoffman LLC in Appleton.
What Makes Building Products Green?
Read this great article from Environmental Building NewsMaking a Business Case for Green Building
The following articles show that Green Building makes common "cents"Green Building Costs and Financial Benefits, by Gregory KatsCosting Green: A Comprehensive Cost Database and Budgeting Methodology, by Davis Langdon
Funding Green Building
DSIRE: database of state and federal funding for renewables and efficiency
Organizations and Initiatives
New Zero Net Energy and Green Building Resources
A goal of zero net energy residential and commercial buidlings by 2030 was included in the final recommendations of the The Governor's Task Force on Global Warming. Zero net energy buildings are the current approach to save energy, use renewable energy, reduce carbon emissions and lower operating costs. Learn about it on the new Zero Net Energy: Policy and Projects web site of UW-Extension. There you will find policies, projects and research in the US and beyond that are moving zero net energy (ZNE) into goals and the marketplace.
Government Green Building Inventory
This is a searchable GIS database that details more than 300 green building policies and programs local governments have adopted across the US. It covers municipal, commercial, industrial, multifamily and residential buildings primarily using the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System, a third party certification program through the US Green Building Council www.usgbc.org. Learn what policy vehicles, incentives and approaches governments use and access the policy documents directly through Government Green
Wisconsin DNR Green Tier Program
Green Tier invites you to become part of an ideal state for growing the green bottom line. Together, we can provide credible, creative ways to enable your business to be a powerful, sustainable force for environmental good and enhance your productivity, cut your costs and strengthen the health of your culture and community.
The 2030 Challenge
Stabilizing emissions from the building sector, and then reversing them to acceptable levels over the next ten years, is key to keeping global warming to approximately a degree centigrade (°C) above today’s level. To accomplish this Architecture 2030 has issued The 2030 °Challenge asking the global architecture and building community to adopt their proposed targets for particular building types. Click here to enter their website
Wisconsin Resources
Alliant Energy – Second Nature Program
Focus on Energy
Greenbuilt Homes
MG& E – Wind Power Program
The Energy Center of Wisconsin
The Midwest Renewable Energy Association
WasteCap Wisconsin
We Energies - Energy for Tomorrow
Wisconsin Energy Conservation Corporation
Wisconsin Geothermal Association
Wisconsin Public Power, Inc. - Renewable Energy Program
WEB LINKS (extensive list of links maintained by USGBC)