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Introduction

The short-term goal of the Green Building Initiative is to dramatically increase adoption of environmentally preferable building construction, operation and deconstruction practices throughout the state and the region. The term green building, essentially synonymous with sustainable building, appears throughout this section because it is a term that is already widely used to represent both these types of practices and the buildings that result. We have borrowed the U. S. Green Building Council definition of green design for the purpose of describing green building as: “design and construction practices that significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and occupants in (the) five broad areas (of): sustainable site planning; conservation of materials and resources; energy efficiency and renewable energy; safeguarding water and water efficiency; and indoor air quality.” The long-term goal of this initiative is for "green building" to be a mainstream and usual practice throughout the state. Increased focus on green building has been identified as one of the keys to significantly reducing wastes and reducing the use of toxic substances in our state.

This initiative was selected as one of the keys to moving Beyond Waste for four main reasons:

1. The amount of waste from buildings is significant. Construction and demolition waste made up approximately 34 percent of the solid waste generated in Washington in 2002. This represents inefficient use of valuable resources, waste management challenges and inefficient use of business capital. Reducing the amounts and negative effects of construction and demolition wastes will result in significant progress toward Beyond Waste.
2. Partnerships are already working on green building issues. Momentum is growing within industry and government to move toward green building practices. Tremendous successes have been achieved and green building practices are being embraced by companies and governmental jurisdictions across the country and in many areas of the globe. Focusing resources in this area has great potential to accelerate success.
3. Political support is strong. Green building is one of the key priorities for action from the Governor’s Sustainable Washington Advisory Panel.
4. It addresses multiple problems and yields multiple benefits. The transition to building "green" will bring many benefits to public and individual health, the economy and the environment, as well as decrease the strain on natural resources and the waste management system.

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