Green Building - Environmental Impact of Buildings
Green Building | Environmental Impact of Buildings | U.S. Green Building Council | Legislation
Environmental Impact of Buildings
Buildings of the world consume:
40% of the world's energy & materials
25% of the wood harvested
17% of our water
In the US, buildings account for:
39% of total energy consumption
68% of total electricity use
38% of carbon dioxide emissions
136 million tons of construction and demolition waste in the U.S.
12% of water use
[2] (http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/whybuild.htm)
Our buildings, and how we use them, have an impact on the Earth's resources.
They also influence our own health: Most of us spend at least 90% of our time indoors, where the air is often twice -- and sometimes as much as a hundred times -- more polluted than outside air. [3] (http://www.epa.gov/iaq)
From Wikipedia.