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Sustainable building can reduce the tremendous impact that building design, construction and maintenance has on both people and nature. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Center for Sustainable Development, buildings consume 40% of the world's total energy, 25% of its wood harvest and 16% of its water. The building industry is the nation's largest manufacturing activity, representing more than 50% of the nation's wealth and 13% of its Gross Domestic Product. Energy and material consumption in buildings can contribute significantly to global climate change.
Sustainable building goes beyond energy and water conservation to incorporate environmentally sensitive site planning, resource efficient building materials and superior indoor environmental quality. Some of the key benefits are:
- lower electric and water utility costs
- environmentally effective use of building materials
- enhanced health and productivity
- long term economic returns
- reduced environmental impact
Sustainability does not require advanced training in esoteric applications nor is it a technology limited to highly-specific market niches. Sustainability combines three components -- economy, environment and social equity -- and implies global stewardship of the earth's resources. For more definitive information, please visit the U.S. Department of Energy's Smart Communities Network website  on sustainability.
Seattle City Light (SCL) encourages building owners and developers to incorporate meaningful sustainable building goals early in building design process. By using the United States Green Building Council's LEED™ (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) scoring system to document those sustainable building features, project teams may qualify for financial incentives. For more information, contact City Light's Sustainable Building Coordinator, Peter Dobrovolny at 206.615.1094.
Excerpted from Councilmember Richard Conlin's January 18, 2000 Seattle Times editorial:
The City of Seattle's new "sustainable building" policy is designed to use daylighting and other strategies to save taxpayers money while providing healthy buildings for workers and visitors. Common sense tells us children and adults alike thrive on more daylight, fresh air and the use of nontoxic building materials. Research backs this up. Sustainable building practices are healthy for people, and for profits.
City of Seattle Sustainable Building Policy
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Sustainable Building Advisor Program
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Designed to enable graduates to advise employers or clients on strategies and tools for implementing sustainable building. Class size is limited to 30. The registration deadline is September 1, 2004.
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BUILT GREEN™ Incentive Program
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An effective way to incorporate sustainability into multi-family projects.
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Sustainable Building Action Plan
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Strategies to mainstream sustainable design and construction practices in the Pacific Northwest.
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Sustainable Building Links
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Resources, partners, allies, collaborators. |
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Sustainable Building, Case Study 05, Bottom Line
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High performance buildings deliver on the bottom line.
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Sustainable Building, Case Study 07, Schools
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High performance buildings deliver better learning environments.
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Sustainable Demand Project
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To find if communicating the productivity benefits of sustainable design would encourage key decision makers in the Seattle development community to select sustainable design and construction methods for their own projects.
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Sustainable Resource Guide
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The resources necessary for sustainable building - materials, methods, techniques, technical assistance and incentive programs.
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Sustainable Demand Project Productivity Case Studies
High Performance Buildings deliver in some ways that may surprise you. Check out these case studies:
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Business Conservation |
Global Warming |
Residential Conservation
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