Going Green is Finally Going Mainstream!
It seems no matter where in the world you are today you can’t
avoid hearing talk of going green. And to the relief of many,
going green doesn’t mean the color avocado is back in style! Instead,
green’s the color that’s come to symbolize a kinder attitude towards
Earth and “going green” simply means making choices that contribute
towards the well-being this planet.
Why is going green important?
Going green is important because as a society, many of our actions
are causing potentially irreversible damage to the environment.
Up until recently people believed that because the Earth is so
vast it could absorb whatever negative actions we chose to deliver.
And to some extent, perhaps it has. But the planet is vulnerable
and like people, there’s only so much it can tolerate.
The effects of our actions are everywhere. Our oceans are being
over-fished. Our non-renewable natural resources are being depleted.
Our “throw away” lifestyle is filling landfills to capacity at
record rates. And the issue that’s got everyone concerned right
now is our reliance on fossil fuels. The gasses they produce are
slowly depleting the ozone layer and possibly contributing to
global warming.
Where did the green home concept start?
An actual starting point for the present day green home movement
is unclear. Prior to the Industrial Revolution home building materials
came only from the Earth so up until then, green was the standard.
Using all-natural materials was a time-consuming and labor-intensive
process and the Industrial Revolution changed that. Mass-produced
synthetic materials were considered a welcome relief as the need
to build more homes more quickly became the issue that mattered
most. Up until recently, few home builders or homeowners concerned
themselves with the negative impacts these newer building techniques
would have on the environment.
History of the green home movement
The concept of the green home became popular back during the
1970’s as small pockets of people began realizing the environmental
damage our actions were causing. The individuals most vocal about
the damage being done to the Earth were the people making the
effort to turn their homes green. If you weren’t a hippy or an
environmental activist, chances were good you had more self-centered
issues on your agenda.
So while the green home movement has been around for over 30
years, it’s really been the past few years that the popularity
of the green home has grown. During that time there’s been more
media coverage and public awareness than ever before. People are
finally ready to do something about oil dependency and global
warming and they see the green movement as a potential solution
to these problems.
While green construction hasn’t yet become a profitable venture,
it’s coming close and that’s definitely helping fuel the increasing
popularity of the green home. Homeowners are beginning to understand
the long-term savings they can reap from living in sustainable,
energy efficient homes and that too is driving this trend.
All of this is great news so go ahead and jump onboard this bandwagon
because it’s definitely time to go green!
How Do I Go Green:
Green Homes and Green Construction
How Green is your Home?
What's your Carbon Footprint?
Passive Solar Heating
Active Solar Heating
Water Conservation
Low Energy Homes
Renewable Energy
Sustainable Landscaping
Using Zero Voc Latex Paints
Using Recycled or Reclaimed
Building Materials
