Creating Green Buildings

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to talk about remodeling a home.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR:Some would say that we are facing a global environmental crisis. We are using our earth's resources faster than nature can replace them. Coal, petroleum, natural gas ... These resources take millions of years to form naturally. We just can't replace them at the rate we are consuming them. But there is something we can do.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR1:Buildings account for forty percent of our energy use. Heating them, cooling them, lighting them... the water they use... the electricity. Even carpet-cleaning. All of this uses energy. And the way our buildings are designed now, they're using this energy very inefficiently.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR2:But there is a way to construct buildings which would save energy and even help the environment. It's called "green building" and it's based on a model for sustainable design. A sustainable design model is one that aims to design things so that they are more similar to the natural environment; they use natural resources efficiently and they produce less waste. Green buildings are less dependent on non-renewable resources such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas. They use renewable energy like water and wind as power sources.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR3:Some of these buildings even have a green roof! A green roof isn't just a roof that's painted green; it's a roof which is designed so that it is covered with soil and grass. It can reduce heat loss and energy consumption in winter. It can soak up rainwater to be used for gardening and washing. It can even serve as a home for animals such as birds and insects.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR4:You see, a green building doesn't just exist in the environment ... it becomes a part of the environment. The BedZed, or Beddington Zero Energy Development, is a housing development in England which was built using green design principles. The ninety-nine homes in BedZed are zero energy buildings, which means they have a net energy consumption of zero over a year. They get their energy from solar panels and tree waste. Tree waste!

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR5:Can you believe it? That's the discarded bits of trees—twigs, branches, bark—that would usually fall to the ground and rot. The tree waste is used to fuel their power plant. Additionally, rain water is collected and reused. Residents of BedZed can even participate in a car sharing program.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR6:It's a housing community which is very friendly to the environment. You see, that's what sustainable design aims to be... design which is environmentally sensitive. It's the idea that human civilization is a part of the natural world and that nature must be preserved if the human community is to survive.