Six Myths about Green Building Debunked
 Like any new innovation, green building has been subject to myths that halt people from doing what are very positive efforts as well as the way of the future. EnviroCitizen.org has found that there are six myths that are commonly used to discourage green building. We have discussed them as well as why they are false below.
The first and most popular myth is that sustainable building is expensive. Although it has been debunked many times in the past, it still lingers. The reason why it has stuck around is because the high-end, new technology projects are what get noticed and thus they carry a special price tag for what they are. In reality, however, green building can be done to suit any budget. There are plenty of strategies for inexpensive green building, from choosing the size of the structure to reducing waste.
Another persistent myth is that green materials don’t work as well. Alex Wilson, president of Green Building Inc., is an expert at proving this false, having given expert advice on HGTV and other major media. Wilson points to low-flow toilets and fiberglass insulation as typical products that continue to get a bad rap. People still think that 1.6 gallon-per-flush toilets don't work, even though the fixtures were changed for all new construction more than a decade ago!
A third myth is that it is hard to find materials that are eco-friendly. While it may be true that some green products are not manufactured in the country and can be hard to purchase in some parts of the country, the number of green products and systems that are available have grown exponentially over the past few years to the point where there are literally hundreds of mainstream green products. BuildingGreen Inc. publishes two comprehensive directories (GreenSpec and Green Building Products) with performance data and contact information on just about every green product imaginable. You can also look online for many of these materials and see if there are dealers nearby.
A fourth misconception is that building green is complicated. This has been proven to be false as many projects are as simple as a change of window choice. A lot of what incorporates green building is very fundumental and uncomplicated. It simply just requires a little planning ahead of time.
The fifth misconception about green building is that building green looks weird or ugly. This couldn’t be further from the truth. The fact is that many of today's green homes are virtually indistinguishable from "typical" homes. This is even true of solar panels.
The last untruth is that building green is all about the materials used. There is more to sustainable building than that. While using certain materials are an important part of constructing a green building, it is still a small part of it. Other factors such as site selection and energy performance are very important as well.
Hopefully EnviroCitizen.org hopes that this has cleared up some of the common misconceptions regarding green buildling!
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