Sustainable Watersheds and Green Building
This past year, the Center for Environmental Economic Development's (CEED) local and regional work in sustainability has turned towards green building projects.
"Green building" is defined as a variety of techniques and aspects of commercial and residential construction that are environmentally sound. Please see CEED's website at www.ceedweb.org for more details about our projects, and links to more information about green building. Another good site to check out is the US Green Building Council, at www.usgbc.org.
But how does green building help to create or protect watersheds, and why would it be of interest to Trees affiliates and supporters? There are several ways:
*By encouraging smart growth and cluster community concepts, downsizing of square footage, and sustainable transportation elements, we can reduce fossil fuel usage and help to prevent global warming.
*By explaining and promoting sustainable site selection and designing-with-
nature, green building can lower impacts on local ecosystems and energy consumption.
*By specifying Forest Stewardship Council certified wood products, we help to promote sustainable forestry. By
specifying safe, non-toxic, and recycled-content products, we help the environment and watersheds in other ways as well.
*By promoting renewable energies such as solar, wind, and fuel cells, as well as energy efficiency and energy conservation, we reduce the need for expensive and dirty fossil-fuel based power,thus helping to save our climate and our planet.
*By promoting permaculture, xeriscaping, vermiculture, and water conservation, we help to build healthy soil, watersheds and communities, rather than draining, depleting, and polluting.
Overall, when people need housing, or buildings are going to be built, "green building" represents the best practices for protecting the environment.
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