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Green Building
Learn about green building practices in your area. Green buildings are designed to
last longer, use healthier materials, and be less expensive to operate. Green building
efforts can help to eliminate waste generated by building construction, and grow markets
for healthy, sustainable building materials.
We all depend on buildings to live, learn, and work in. As our state's population
grows, we will need more homes, schools, and offices. This ongoing opportunity for
Washington's building industry provides living-wage jobs in our communities and plays
an important role in a healthy economy.
But buildings can have negative impacts on our health, our wallets, and the
environment. For example:
- Residential and commercial buildings used nearly two-thirds of all
electricity consumed in the U.S. in 2003.
- Construction and demolition waste made up 34 percent of the solid waste
generated in Washington in 2002.
- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that most adults now spend
an average of 90 percent of their time indoors, which means that ensuring
quality indoor environments is critical for our health.
Green buildings will be a big part of creating sustainable communities and moving
Washington toward a sustainable future
