Sustainable Building – Worth the Extra Dough?

Sustainable building, also known as ‘green’ building, is a structure designed, built and operated in an ecologically friendly manner. Whether you are building new, adding on or just renovating, there are many products and practices you can use to reduce your carbon footprint. The savings are not only ecologic, but economic as well.

Building ‘green’ may cost more up front to build, but brings continuous savings throughout the life of the structure. This approach uses a life-cycle cost analysis determining the manageable up front costs and compares that to the useful life of the building.

There are many benefits. Not just for the environment and your wallet. But, improvements in your health, the well-being of the wildlife surrounding the structure and a reduction in landfill wastes. Reducing pollution ranks up there on the top level of the benefit chart, but a healthy living environment is just as attractive to most as well.

With all the alternative energies, green building products, geothermal heating systems and indoor-air-pollution control systems, one can build a 500 year, healthy home for very reasonable costs. All the alternative energies will eventually begin paying you. The expected longevity of the structure will retain value. So…

By sticking with the three “r”s, your sustainable building is cost effective, ecologically effective and you will be more proud of your home than you can imagine. There is no feeling quite like living off-the-grid. To know, when the lights go out in town, yours are the only ones on. While everyone is complaining about their utility bills rising, you care not. What could be better?

So, when building, remodeling, or adding on, do yourself and your environment a favor….go ‘green’!

Written by R. D. Ratliff

Author: Roland Ratliff
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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