Background Information
The Office of the Federal Environmental Executive defines green building as "the practice of 1) increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water, and materials, and 2) reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal—the complete building life cycle."
While the phrase "green building" has entered public awareness only in the last decade, its history is almost fourty years old.
The first resource-efficient, environmentally sensitive homes began appearing in the early 1970s. Initially made only by specialized, niche home builders, these early green homes were expensive, appealing only to die-hard environmentalists who could afford them.
The phrase “green building” began to appear in the late 1980s/early 1990s. The first official green home building program began in 1991 in the city of Austin, Texas.
In 1995, the Home Builders Association of Metropolitan Denver introduced the first Home Builders Associated-owned green building program. It is still the largest program of its kind in the country. Green building is now a growing industry, making it much more affordable.
For more information contact environment @ uua.org.
Last updated on Friday, June 20, 2008.
