Here is somebody I know from chat lists etc. I Googled them and came across an article they wrote that is informative. Here it is verbatim:
The Many Shades of Green: Moving from Building Science to Sustainability
Joyce Coppinger, Executive Director/Member of the Board, The Green Prairie
Foundation for Sustainability, PO Box 22706, Lincoln, Nebraska 68542-2706,
402.483.5135, fax 402.483.5161 <jc10508@alltel.net> www.thelaststraw.org (click on Green Prairie)
Introduction
The term “green building” has become the umbrella for many different approaches to improving building design and construction. But what do these terms and approaches really mean and how can we begin to move from Building Science to Sustainability?
How Heat is Generated or Lost in a House
Building Science explores how heat is generated or lost in a house and how to “tighten” the building and eliminate leaks to gain energy efficiency. However, this approach often leads to a “too tight” house that can cause problems such as mold and mildew, and poor indoor air quality.
Poor indoor air quality is listed by the EPA as the top environmental threat, yet we continue to construct buildings with windows that don’t open, mechanical heating/cooling and ventilation systems that do allow enough exchange of fresh air or exhausting of stale or polluted indoor air, causing health problems for the building’s occupants.
Building codes and guidelines are often more concerned with structural issues than with the provision of healthy interior environments and indoor air quality, leading to Sick Building Syndrome or Building Related Illness.
The US Green Building Council’s and it’s LEED green building programs are a step in the right direction, but there are still major changes to be made in attitude, perception and concept of planning and siting, design and construction, selection of materials and finishes, building orientation and site considerations, interior air quality if this program is to really produce buildings that are an improvement of the indoor environment and health of its occupants, as well as the reduction of the consumption of materials and products, energy and water.
Natural building any building system places value on social and environmental sustainability, emphasizing simple, easy-to-learn techniques based on locally available, renewable resources, and leading to sustainability – any method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged using the approach of appropriate technologies: to be appropriate, technology must be connected to the place, resources, economics, culture and impacts of its use. These are the elements to keep in mind and use as our approach to sustainable building and living.
WHAT IS BUILDING SCIENCE?
Building science is the study of how buildings function under various environmental conditions. Building scientists study how heat is generated or lost in a house and how to make houses more comfortable and healthy.
Source: www.healthyindoorair.org – a partnership program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Indoor Environments Division, Montana State University Extension Service, Housing Program; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.
WHAT IS INDOOR AIR QUALITY?
Indoor Air Quality is listed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a top environmental threat. The major cause of indoor air pollution are the particles released into the air that come from a variety of sources. The key factors to “healthy air” is it must be clean, fresh and have the proper relative humidity.
Our environments fresh air is constantly mixed with pollution. We are exposed on a daily basis to organic chemicals found in the ingredients of common household products also known as volatile organic compounds. These toxins build up in our environment to unhealthy levels that stay in the air long after the activity is completed. Many building products and furnishings in our interiors “off-gas” harmful toxins over a long period of time.
Source: www.healthylivingfoundation.org and www.epa.gov/iaq
HOW DOES INDOOR AIR QUALITY DETERIORATE?
If one or more of your office or home ventilation processes is inadequate, due to poor building design, inappropriate occupant activities, or improper maintenance or operation, the quality of indoor air may deteriorate. When that happens, occupants may suffer from Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) or Building Related Illness (BRI).
WHAT IS GREEN BUILDING?
(Source: U.S. Department of Energy)
Green building practices offer an opportunity to create environmentally sound and resource-efficient buildings by using an integrated approach to design.
THE INTENT OF GREEN BUILDING PROGRAMS IS TO
• promote resource conservation, including energy efficiency, renewable energy and water conservation features;
• incorporate environmental impacts and waste minimization;
• create a healthful and comfortable environment;
• reduce operation and maintenance costs; and
• address issues such as historic preservation, access to public transportation, and other community infrastructure systems.
The entire life cycle of the building and its components is considered as well as the economic and environmental impact and performance.
Resources
U.S. Department of Energy, Smart Communities Network, www.sustainable.doe.gov
U.S. Green Building Council, www.usgbc.org
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, www.epa.gov/greenbuilding
Austin Green Building Program, www.ci.austin.tx.us/greenbuilder (An Internet search will take you to other green building programs around the country)
WHAT IS LEED?
Source: www.usgbc.org
LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), a rating system for new and existing commercial, institutional, and high-rise residential buildings, designed by the US Green Building Council using an extensive peer review process. Four levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned in each of five categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality.
WHAT IS NATURAL BUILDING?
Source: Michael G. Smith, leader in the cob and natural building community
Natural building is any building system which places the highest value on social and environmental sustainability. It assumes the need to minimize the environmental impact of our housing and other building needs while providing healthy, beautiful, comfortable and spiritually-uplifting homes for everyone.
Natural builders emphasize simple, easy-to-learn techniques based on locally-available, renewable resources. These systems rely heavily on human labor and creativity instead of on capital, high technology and specialized skills.
Resources
www.thelaststraw.org
www.econest.com (light straw/clay)
www.cobcottage.com
www.livingpaper.com
www.ecocomposite.com
WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?
sus•tain•abil•i•ty /-”stA-n&-’bi-l&-tE/ noun
1 : capable of being sustained
2 a : of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged b : of or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods
Defining sustainability is difficult. It seems to have many interpretations in different aspects of society, many applications in various settings. And, it’s become an overworked term in recent years.
Sustainability in our day-to-day lives means reducing our consumption–sensible quantities, good quality and healthy choices; recycling and reuse of everything possible; less use of all chemicals in all forms and uses as well as gas-and-oil-based products, converting to ag-based and natural products. It means getting off the grid and converting to solar and wind energy, using rainwater catchment and grey water methods to conserve this precious resource, and turning to permaculture approaches and xeriscape plantings in our surroundings. It means using what we have at hand as basic materials for building–as the prairie pioneers and many others did long ago. It means approaches for farming that are sustainable and natural rather than overuse of the land, chemical fertilization, weed control and pesticides, and irrigation levels that deplete the available resources; improved methods of forestry (coppicing, for example), less high energy use manufacturing and a movement toward small cottage industries creating products from local resources distributed to regional outlets; control of packaging–one of the highest sources of waste.
Sustainability requires lifestyle changes. There is an element of drawing from the past to study what worked and what didn’t or won’t. Accepting the existence of an industrialized world while attempting to apply agrarian and pre-industrial ways to manufacturing needed goods and products. And accepting that we probably will not see a sustainable society in our lifetime yet dedicating ourselves to moving in that direction.
WHAT IS APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY?
To be appropriate, technology must be connected to the place, resources, economics, culture and impacts of its use.
Source: Development Center for Appropriate Technologies, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Appropriate technology is small-scale technology. It is simple enough that people can manage it directly and on a local level. Appropriate technology makes use of skills and technology that are available in a local community to supply basic human needs, such as gas and electricity, water, food, and waste disposal.
Source: http://lsa.colorado.edu/essence/texts/appropriate.htm
Appropriate technology is decentralized.
Today, many of our basic needs are handled by huge, complex systems. These systems are managed centrally by large private corporations or the government. For example, our electricity typically comes from utility companies that operate across many states. Similarly, many of the fruits and vegetables we consume come from large-scale agricultural corporations in California or other states. In contrast, with appropriate technology, the person who produces a service or a product also becomes the consumer–the person who uses it. This has several advantages. For one, consumer/producers are more likely to care about their work. As a result, service and goods are more reliable and of higher quality. Secondly, centralized systems must invest a lot of money to purchase large, complex machinery and to employ thousands of workers. Often these systems are disrupted due to breakdowns in the technology, problems getting needed supplies, or labor strikes. When this happens, a great many people are affected. Breakdowns such as a power outage may also occur in communities that use small-scale, appropriate technology. But these local breakdowns are not nearly as difficult and time consuming to track down and repair as those that cover a broad geographic area. Thus, a simpler technology tends to be more reliable, and the effects of breakdowns do not disrupt as many lives.
Technologically sophisticated, though simple in design.
It is important to realize that use of appropriate technology does not mean turning the clock back to the 18th or 19th century. Although the technology involves simple, easy-to use and repair designs, it is based on sophisticated, 20th-century technologies. One example is the invention of photovoltaic or solar cells that convert solar energy, a renewable energy source, into electricity.
Environmentally friendly.
Appropriate technology emphasizes the use of renewable resources, like the energy from the sun, wind, or water. These energy sources are available almost everywhere and need only the right technology to capture them. Unlike burning coal and oil, these local energy sources do not contribute to air and water pollution and they do not need to be transported over long distances. Food, energy, water, and waste disposal are also handled locally by ecological systems. These are systems that conserve resources by recycling organic nutrients back into the soil and reusing manufactured goods in innovative ways. Thus, appropriate technology makes it possible to satisfy our basic human needs while minimizing our impact on the environment.
Social problems.
Many people are beginning to realize that neither our economy nor our population can continue to grow forever. We are running out of the natural resources necessary to sustain ourselves. In addition we are limited in our ability to deal with the social and environmental problems that result from continuous growth. There seems to be a growing dissatisfaction with the complexity and hectic lifestyle of 20th-century society. Many people would prefer to return to a simpler way of life. Appropriate technology is attractive because it makes households and industries more self-sufficient, and most things can be managed at a local level. We may have to do more hand labor instead of depending on automation to satisfy our basic needs. However, there are many advantages to simplifying our lives. By growing more of our own food and producing and buying goods in our own communities, we spend less time and money on transportation, produce less waste and consume fewer environmental resources.
Resources
Development Center for Appropriate Technologies, Tucson, Arizona. www.dcat.net
The Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, Austin, Texas. www.cmpbs.org
Ecological Building Network, Sausalito, California. www.ecobuildnetwork.org