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Green Building Information
What Is Green Building?
Green building is a “Whole-Systems” approach for designing and constructing buildings that conserve energy, water, and material resources and are healthier, safer, and more comfortable.
- In practical terms, green building includes:
- Using sun & wind to the building's advantage for natural heating, cooling, & daylighting
- Landscaping with native plants & using water efficiently
- Building quality, durable structures
- Insulating well & ventilating appropriately
- Incorporating salvaged, recycled, & sustainably harvested materials
- Maintaining healthy indoor air quality with appropriate building techniques & materials
- Using energy-efficient & water-saving appliances & fixtures
- Reducing & recycling construction waste
Learn More about Green Building
Ask An Expert is a free hotline providing customized responses to a variety of green building questions.
- Serves the general public, building professionals, local governments, & building suppliers in the 9-county bay area
- Provides trusted, unbiased, quality green building info
- Staffed by the Green Resource Center
Submit a Green Building Question online (click on box above) or call 1-888-40 GREEN.
Green Resource Center www.greenresourcecenter.org
- Fact sheets, referrals, case studies, events listings, other green building links, & in-depth info about green building materials & strategies
- Workshops & presentations
- Continuing education & networking for public agencies, non-profits, & building professionals
- Listing of certified green architects & building contractors
- Materials Database: extensive listing of green products, materials, & technologies available in the Bay Area.
- Green Home Tours, workshops, & presentations
Build Green Now www.buildgreennow.org
- Green building resources for the general public, design & building professionals, & public agencies
- Green Building Guidelines for renovations & new construction that have been adopted by or serve as the basis for many green building programs in the San Francisco Bay Area
- Extensive collection of green building resources: market research, publications, presentations, & links to additional resources
- LEED® Rating System info: case studies, training, certification, workshops
Flex Your Power www.fypower.org
- Energy efficiency & conservation info for California residents, business, industry, local governments, schools, & agriculture
- Incentives/rebates, technical assistance, retailers, product guides, case studies & more
- Support for R&D activities to improve the energy efficiency of buildings
- Tools, guidelines, training, & access to technical & financial resources
Water Wiser www.waterwiser.org
- News, info, research results, discussion forums, references, calendar of events, & searchable databases
- Targeted to water conservation professionals, but freely accessible to the general public
- Links to Water Saver Home (www.h2ouse.net), a virtual encyclopedia of water saving tips for indoor & outdoor uses
EPA Water Efficiency Program www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency
- Extensive info & resources on how to use water more efficiently
- Applicable to all water users from homeowners to governments EPA Indoor Air Quality www.epa.gov/iaq
- Extensive info & resources on indoor air quality
- IAQ INFO: hotline to help locate the appropriate info, 800-438-4318
- For Consumers: info on IAQ concerns & tip sheets to help identify & reduce pollutants in the home
- For Builders: guidelines & Registered House Builder training for building homes with better IAQ
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