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Sustainable Design and Green Building

Contact Information

Pollution Prevention and Innovation Team
U.S. EPA Region 4
r4sustainability@epa.gov

Background

EPA Resources for Sustainable Design and Green Building

EPA Region 4 White Paper on Sustainable Design and Green Building for Resilient and Adaptable Communities

Case Studies

Energy Star

Lifecycle Building Challenge

Background

The process of designing, developing and inhabiting the built environment has a profound influence on a community's economy, health, environment, natural resources and quality of life

In the United States, buildings account for:

Sustainable Design and Green Building promotes environmental quality, economic vitality, and social benefit by integrating site selection, design, and construction and operation of the built environment with green practices.

The goal of sustainable design and green building is to reduce negative impacts on the environment, and the health and comfort of building occupants, while improving overall building performance. Sustainable design principles include the ability to:

Sustainable design and green building merges sound, environmentally responsible practices into one discipline that looks at the environmental, economic, and social effects of a building and the surrounding site as a whole.

How does sustainable design and green building work?

It starts with choosing a site and continues all the way through construction and eventually to demolition and recycling or deconstruction. It applies to a building's entire lifecycle. Even if you're not building a new structure, there are ways to retrofit and "green" your building or home by following these easy guidelines.

Where does it happen?

Green building is happening across the Southeast! According to a study conducted by American City Business Journals, Exit EPA Disclaimer both Georgia and Florida are ranked in the top 10 of states for green building, while Mississippi has more LEED certified homes than any other state with 651. For some examples and case studies in the Southeast, please see the links below.

The Southeast Smart Growth Network, Exit EPA Disclaimer under the management of the Southeast Watershed Forum and with funding from the US EPA Region 4, is conducting an analysis of local government green building permitting programs in Tennessee, Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Florida. The project will provide regional examples of best practices and provide a blueprint for how to implement effective green building permitting programs in other communities across the south. The results from the study will be posted when the project is complete.

EPA Resources for Sustainable Design and Green Building

EPA programs, tools, publications, and tips related to sustainable design and green building.

EPA Region 4 White Paper on Sustainable Design and Green Building for Resilient and Adaptable Communities

The EPA Region 4 White Paper on Sustainable Design and Green Building for Resilient and Adaptable Communities (PDF) (4 pp, 171KB, About PDF) addresses the interelated nature of resilience, sustainability, and climate change adaptation and how they relate to green building.

Case Studies

The southeast has many significant achievements in green building, including the case studies below. These examples show how the green building techniques can be applied to a variety of structures -- schools, churches, colleges, homes, commercial and government buildings -- throughout the region.


Georgia- Design for Disassembly House Kentucky - Liberty Green Community Center
Georgia Building Exterior Kentucky Building Exterior

South Carolina - Monastery of St. Clare

Tennessee - Green Cabins at David Crockett State Park
Monastary Garden Tennessee Cabin

Also: Florida - HGTV 2009 Green Home and South Carolina - 113 Calhoun Street, Charleston Exit EPA Disclaimer

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Energy Star

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy aimed at helping consumers save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.

Links to EPA Programs

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Lifecycle Building Challenge

The Lifecycle Building Challenge Exit EPA Disclaimer gives students, professionals, and other interested people an opportunity to design and potentially build a structure or product that exhibits easy disassembly and material reuse.

The overarching goal of the Challenge is to create functional buildings that minimize waste, energy consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions.

Awards are given to U.S. and international winners for existing and new building plans. Special achievements are recognized in categories such as Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Climate Adaptation.

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