8 great reasons to go green

Published 9:00 pm Saturday, August 5, 2006

T rees and fish aren’t the only ones who benefit from environmentally friendly building practices.

Homeowners who want to aid the environment can also find practical advantages in investing in a green home, including lower energy bills and improved indoor air quality.

“Oftentimes one of the primary drives for people is that they want to be better for the environment … and then they discover all these other benefits,” said Chris Fate, chairman of the Sustainable Development Task Force of Snohomish County.

Since 2000, 7,179 homes in King and Snohomish counties have been certified as green by Built Green, a program of the Master Builders Association.

Here are eight reasons to consider installing green features on your home:

1. Reduce fuel consumption

Reducing energy use means burning less of nonrenewable resources such as coal, a major source of greenhouse gas

emissions.

This can be achieved by installing energy-efficient appliances or simply changing a light bulb.

Exchanging one compact fluorescent bulb for one incandescent bulb saves about 500 pounds of coal during the life of the bulb, according to Aaron Adelstein, director of the Built Green program.

2. Improve stream quality

To prevent storm

water runoff, builders can use gravel or pervious pavement to construct driveways. These materials allow rain-water to soak naturally into the ground instead of running off into streams, where it can create erosion and sedimentation problems.

Theres real elegance in pervious pavements logic and simplicity, said Andrew Marks, executive director of the Puget Sound

Concrete Specification Council.

3. Dump less waste

Green builders take extra efforts to recycle materials and send less waste to landfills.

On average annually, the residential construction market puts 136 million tons of waste into landfills each year, Adelstein said. The less wood youre wasting, the less wood you have to cut.

4. Improve indoor air quality

Avoiding products that release toxins creates healthier air inside your home. Using low- or

no-variable organic content paint is an easy, cost-effective way to lower indoor air pollution, said Aileen Gagney,

asthma and environmental health

program manager for the American Lung Association of Washington.

Building floors of sustainably

harvested wood instead of installing carpet can also reduce indoor

pollutants, Gagney said.

Carpets are some of the most toxic materials in the home, and where do we put babies? On the carpet, she said.

5. Increase your homes durability

Green homes try to use materials that last longer and require less

maintenance.

For example, fiber cement siding is guaranteed to last 50 years, while wood siding lasts about 30 years if well maintained.

If you have to purchase a 10-year product five times over 50 years instead of one that lasts 50 in the first place, its a big cost to the environment over time, Adelstein said.

6. Help save old-growth forests

Using green materials such as reclaimed wood or engineered wood for siding reduces the amount of lumber milled from large, old-growth forests.

For interiors, green homes tend to use wood that has a short harvest cycle, such as cork or bamboo.

While many trees may take 30 years to grow back after being

harvested, cork and bamboo take between one and 10 years.

7. Lower utility bills

Green homes usually feature energy-

efficient appliances and improved insulation that

reduces the amount of

energy needed to keep them running.

Whidbey sland resident Paul Menzel estimated his homes geothermal heating system saves him between $700 and $800 in annual heating costs. Those savings will eventually offset the systems initial cost. Installation of a geothermal system can cost twice as much as a traditional heat pump system.

Its quite a saving in terms of the amount you spend over time, Menzel said.

8. Increase resale price

Though extensive studies have yet to be conducted about the value of green homes compared to typical houses, it is likely they will be worth more down the road, Adelstein said.

The hope is they will retain a higher value over time because of the durability, but also because of the feel-good aspect of buying a home that is less harmful to the environment, he said.