Beyond Waste home > Progress Report > Green Building

Green Building

The green building indicator measures the market share (by percentage) of new commercial and residential construction that is certified to meet green building standards each year.

Green buildings are designed to conserve energy and water, use environmentally preferred materials, and cost less to operate. Green building strategies significantly reduce construction waste and increase markets for environmentally-sound building materials.

Construction waste makes up about 20-25 percent of all disposed wastes.  Most of this material could be recycled, reused/salvaged, or made into new building materials.

Third-party verified green building certification programs include the U.S. Green Building Council's LEEDâ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) program, Master Builders Association's BuiltGreenâ programs, and Earth Advantageâ. These programs enable accurate tracking of growth in the industry over time and quality assurance of the buildings themselves.

Since 2004, green building practices increased significantly in Washington. The market share of new LEEDâ, BuiltGreenâ, and Earth Advantageâ residential and commercial construction projects (compared to all new construction projects) grew from 4.6 percent in 2004 to 15.7 percent in 2008. There were 2,427 new green construction projects in 2004 and 3,114 in 2008. 

From 2007 to 2008, the overall green building market share increased from 7.7 to 15.7 percent.  This is because the numbers of commercial and residential green buildings increased, while the total number of building starts declined.

Why should we be concerned about the market share of green buildings?

Growth in the green building industry will result in:

• Reduction of energy use in building operations and maintenance.
• Increased use of environmentally preferable building materials.
• Less construction waste taking up landfill space. 
• The creation of hundreds of green jobs in Washington.

What are the benefits of increasing the market share of green buildings?

• Reduced energy, water, and other resource use.
• Reduction of toxics in the environment.
• Creation of green jobs in construction, forestry, manufacturing, and building operation trades.
• Reduced construction and demolition debris.
• Reduced impacts of climate change.
• Improved indoor air quality and improved human health.

What are some Beyond Waste actions being taken to increase green building in Washington?

Ecology and other organizations are:

• Providing training for contractors working on publicly funded building projects.
• Providing technical assistance to developers and builders who use green building practices.
• Partnering with regional organizations to build demand for residential and commercial green building projects.
• Educating the general public and trades professionals on the importance of selecting green building products.
• Encouraging job development in green building.

Want more information on Green Building in Washington?

• Green Building
• Beyond Waste Plan - Increase Green Building
• US Green Building Council (LEED)
• Built Green Washington
• Earth Advantage
• Construction and Demolition (C&D) Related Materials Recycled, Diverted and Disposed in Washington