Building "green" is a huge concept.  It has an impact on the environment, economics, your health and the health of your family, politics, and many other areas of concern to all of us.  It begins the moment you make the decision to build and from there, proceeds to touch every aspect of the process. It continues as an on-going example of who you are and how you live. Size, style, materials, and systems all determine the degree of "greenness".

Building green means that you consider the overall impact of the materials, techniques, and systems that you choose for your building project as they relate to the natural and human-made environments.  The "greenest" construction projects produce the least amount of waste. They result in buildings that require less energy to build and less energy to operate and maintain, once they are completed.  They have features that contribute to reducing our impact on the natural world and our dependence on and consumption of finite natural resources.

Green buildings are sustainable.  Sustainable is defined as, "To keep in existence, able to keep from yielding or failing during stress. to provide with nourishment."

How green do you want to be? How much are you willing to invest and sacrifice in order to "be green"?  In general, small and simple will lead you in the direction of green much faster than large and complicated.  Small and simple means less materials, less waste and less embodied energy.  Small and simple means systems that require less technology and designs that promote energy efficiency.

Every step of the construction process can provide an opportunity to incorporate one or more green characteristics.  Excavation, foundation, framing, roofing, windows, siding, heating and ventilation, plumbing, electrical, insulation, drywall, painting and finishes, flooring, cabinets, counter tops, interior doors and millwork, and any other aspect of construction you can come up with, require decisions to be made that affect the level of green you will incorporate.

In the long run, green is the way to go.  In the long run, it will save you money, contribute to improved health, and result in a house that will perform better and last longer than a house built with conventional materials and technologies.  Eventually, today’s basic green ideas will become the standard design principles that are applied to all conventional construction.