 In communities everywhere, government agencies, homebuilder associations, professional and environmental groups and other organizations, eco-friendly, green building programs are being developed. EnviroCitizen.org has discovered that partnerships of state government agencies, local governments and other organizations have also been formed to encourage and use sustainable building practices in government and school projects.
There are several government programs that encourage green development. The Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency and the Federal Network for Sustainability are a few of the federal departments that are getting in on green building.
There are programs even within the Air Force and paramilitary organizations to promote sustainable development. Some of the more famous ones are the ENERGY STAR, Green Communities Program, Navy Sustainable Design Criteria and many, many more. The California Integrated Waste Management Board has a wonderful website that lists many government programs and departments that are moving forward and becoming green like never before. There are probably some programs within your state or maybe even your local government as well. California and Oregon are famous for having their own strict criteria, but other states and local governments are catching up quickly. Northern Texas has several initiatives to build green for all types of buildings.A look at your state‘s website can direct you to state and local programs that are developing that you can be a part of.
There are even private industries that are teaming together to make green building possible as well. The Memorandum for Carpet Understanding is an industry-led effort for better practices in the carpet industry. This agreement establishes a ten-year schedule to increase the amount of reuse and recycling of post-consumer carpet and reduce the amount of waste carpet going to landfills. The Memorandum of Understanding is the result of a two-year negotiation process between members of the carpet industry, representatives of government agencies at the federal, state and local levels and nongovernmental organizations. The agreement is a voluntary initiative that encourages manufacturers to assume product stewardship--the responsibility for the lifecycle of carpet from point-of-sale to disposal. There are talks going on with other industries for similar measures such as concrete companies that will begin recycling their products. For homebuilders, the National Association of Homebuilders is putting together a program for green homes. Another organization, the Partnership for Advanced Technology in Housing, PATH, is endorsing green homebuilding as the technological way to a better home.
Third-party organizations are coming together as well to help develop green buildings. Some nonprofits, such as Habitat for Humanity, are taking measures so that their homes and offices are done in a green manner. The U.S. Green Building Council is an organization that has been formed by architects, engineers, and planners to with green building as its very purpose for existence. The Natural Resources Defense Council also endorses sustainable building.
No matter where you are, EnviroCitizen.org knows that it is always rewarding to build green. It helps to protect Earth’s resources and provide a better quality of life.
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