Green Building Industry Articles & News

Articles and news about what is going on in the green building industry. Check back often for more!

Recovery Through Retrofit(White House, 10/2009)
This report out of the White House calls on the Council on Environmental Quality to expand green jobs opportunities and energy savings for the middle class by building on the strong foundation established by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. The report identifies significant barriers to expanding the energy efficiency retrofit market and green jobs creation, and lays out a strategic pathway to a green economy through commercial building retrofits, making residential homes more efficient, and developing better tools to help people access green jobs.

Some Buildings Not Living Up to Green Label(New York Times, 08/30/2009)
Achieving LEED certification is generally considered an impressive and worthy accomplishment; green building are good for the environment, good for building occupants, and good for the economy. A recent study shows, however, that LEED certification does not necessarily denote an energy efficient building. Many LEED buildings are earning the certification through means other than energy efficiency and performance (like natural landscaping, public transportation options, indoor air quality - all of which are important, but not directly tied to carbon reductions in the way that building performance is). Furthermore, many of these buildings are not tracking and monitoring energy consumption once they earn the certification and therefore, may not part of the climate change solution.

Efficiency Drive Could Cut Energy Use 23% by 2020, Study Finds(New York Times, 07/29/2009)
The biggest opportunity to improve the nation’s energy situation is a major investment program to make homes and businesses more efficient, according to a study released Wednesday by the consulting firm McKinsey. An investment of $520 billion in improvements like sealing ducts and replacing inefficient appliances could produce $1.2 trillion in savings on energy bills through 2020, the study found.