Sustainability in Housing: The Introduction

Of all of the basic human necessities, as renowned psychologist Abraham Maslow stresses in his Hierarchy of Needs, the need for shelter is among the most important (Mcleod, 2007). In the past thousands of years, humans have evolved from living nomadically in caves and huts, to eventually establishing stable communities with permanent structures in which to live. Previously the main and often only concern in choosing housing was survival. Yet in today’s society, technological and social advancements mean that people now have the responsibility to not only worry about their own shelter, but how their choices in housing influence the world and environment around them. While the overall concept of creating completely sustainable housing is an almost impossibly daunting task, there is still a way to achieve it. Improving the sustainability of housing is an effort that could be carried out at many levels and has the potential to greatly impact the environment as a whole.
In order to determine what exactly sustainable housing consists of, it is first necessary to define the meaning of sustainability. In 1987, the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development defined sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (“Framing sustainable development,” 2007). Essentially, sustainability combines this definition with the use of materials and methods that won’t deplete resources to ensure the future preservation of the area (Hendrickson, Conway-Schempf, Lave & McMichael, 1999). Green Building emerged from this definition out of a desire to limit the negative impact on the environment when building homes or other developments. Specifically, Green Building seeks to promote design, energy, water, materials, and waste efficiency while constructing or renovating buildings.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the oil price increase of the 1970’s and the environmental movement of the 1960’s combined to create a desire to explore more environmentally-friendly strategies (“Green building: Basic information,” 2010). As environmentalists, builders, and consumers gradually became conscious of the need to create sustainable developments, in the 1990’s, numerous agencies were created to regulate and determine standards of building. The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), one of the forerunners in the field, seeks “to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life” (“About USGBC,” 2011). In 2000, the USGBC created the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, a certification system that provides a set of strategies and qualifications for sustainable building (“What LEED is,” 2011). By creating standards of performance in several key areas, LEED-certified buildings are not only better for the environment, but they have economic and health benefits for their occupants as well. Based on a 100 point scale, LEED works with the building developers to ensure that every step of the project is completed in the way which best affects the environment, assigning a certification level to each completed project. There are different sets of qualifications for various types of buildings, and the qualifications are updated quarterly to reflect any new technologies or changes (“LEED rating systems,” 2011). Achieving LEED certification, regardless of the level of qualification, is a success because it represents the start of awareness for Green Building measures.
In recent years, as a supplement to LEED certification, Lifestyle Cycle Analysis (LCA) has emerged as a way to assess the impact of a material or method of development from its creation to its disposal (“Life cycle assessment research,” 2011). What this means is that building materials, for example, are examined and analyzed on how efficiently they are able to be obtained, used, and either recycled or disposed of at the end of their life cycle. LCA looks at the impact of this process as a whole on the environment as well. Though still in its preliminary stages of investigation and use, LCA has the potential to categorically identify green materials to help improve sustainable building as a whole process. When LEED, LCA, and other existing technologies, such as Energy Star appliances, are combined, they have the potential to completely revolutionize the standards for Green Building.
On a large scale, there are several ways to use these standards to achieve Green Building, one of them being passive design. Passive design concepts are used by architects and designers to utilize the shape of the building and its location to reduce its ecological footprint (“Energy savers: Whole-house approach,” 2011). For example, the design of the building, its positioning on the lot, and the insulation used can cut energy costs up to 90%, which is one of the main goals of sustainable building (“What is a passive house?”, 2011). Passive design can also incorporate other areas, such as using solar-powered lighting in combination with window design to maximize lighting and eliminate energy waste (“Solar energy at home,” 2011). Additionally, passive landscaping can be implemented by selecting plants that will eliminate the need for irrigation and water waste. While passive design is typically used in new buildings, the potential for use when remodeling a building also exists, making it a viable way to achieve sustainable housing, even in older structures.
Though many of these programs seem to focus mainly on large-scale construction projects, there are many small components that can make a significant difference when considering the overall sustainability of a building. LEED’s main areas of focus are sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality, so making small changes in these areas is an important step to beginning to make a building more green. For example, materials selection is an area which is easily improved. Making a better materials selection could range from anything to using more easily renewable wood when selecting furniture or selecting carpeting that can be recycled at the end of its lifetime. One way to ensure this is to use Cradle to Cradle certified materials, which means that the material is safe, eco-friendly, and is able to be recycled for future use (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry, 2011). Additionally, indoor environmental quality can be improved by something as simple as eliminating harsh chemicals or using a fan to improve air circulation within the home (“An introduction to indoor air quality,” 2010).
Given the vast array of potential solutions or actions that are able to be taken to achieve Green Building, there is no question that it is possible to do so. The question that must be asked then, is why is sustainable building so important? As the first environmentalists noticed, everything in the environment is connected. That is why, when a building is constructed, it not only affects the area on which it is built, but the wide area around it from which materials and resources are gathered or transported. By promoting Green Building, people have the potential to control serious environmental issues, such as greenhouse gasses, soil runoff, deforestation and much more. While at the present, the cost of implementing green materials can be significant, in the long run, they will actually have an economic benefit. Green Building makes huge impacts on the environment, but is better for the consumer as well, as it promotes healthy living and helps to cut costs of heating, cooling, and more. With these benefits, it is a wonder that the effort to achieve sustainability in housing has not already become a major issue in today’s society.

Works Cited
About USGBC. (2011). Retrieved from United States Green Building Council website: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=124
An introduction to indoor air quality. (2010). Retrieved from United States Environmental Protection Agency website: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/is-imprv.html
Energy savers: Whole-house approach. (2011). Retrieved from U.S. Department of Energy website: http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/designing_remodeling/index.cfm/mytopic=10370
Framing sustainable development: The brundtland report-20 years on. (2007). Retrieved from United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development website: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd15/media/backgrounder_brundtland.pdf
Green building: Basic information. (2010). Retrieved from United States Environmental Protection Agency website: http://www.epa.gov/greenbuilding/pubs/about.htm
Hendrickson, C., Conway-Schempf, N., Lave, L., & McMichael, F. (1999). Introduction to green design. (Carnegie Mellon University) Retrieved from http://www.ce.cmu.edu/GreenDesign/gd/education/gdedintro.pdf
LEED rating systems. (2011). Retrieved from United States Green Building Council website: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=222
Life cycle assessment research. (2011). Retrieved from United States Environmental Protection Agency website: http://www.epa.gov/nrmrl/lcaccess/lca101.html
McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry. (2011). Cradle to cradle framework. Retrieved from http://www.mbdc.com/detail.aspx?linkid=1&sublink=6
Mcleod, S. A. (2007). Maslow heirarchy of needs. Simply Psychology, Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
Solar energy at home: Passive solar energy. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.solar-energy-at-home.com/passive-solar-energy.html
What is a passive house? (2011). Retrieved from http://www.passivehouse.us/passiveHouse/PassiveHouseInfo.html
What LEED is. (2011). Retrieved from United States Green Building Council website: http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=1988