Green Lighting – The Business Case For Green Buildings
I am not going to insult your intelligence. You already know that we all have moved far beyond the tree-hugging radical environmental activist. Because we all are hugging that tree now.
But besides watching Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth yet again and trying to figure out what you can do to reduce the number of drunken trees in the thawing permafrost, what evidence does anyone have that shifting how we build, tear down, and rebuild will help anyone? Don’t we first need to drag everyone out of their automobiles and get them telecommuting before talking about buildings?
And how does energy efficient lighting fit into this?
The US Green Building Council (USGBC) shares these statistics in its Green Building Facts:
construction comprises 14.2% of the $10 trillion U.S. GDP buildings use 40% of raw materials globally buildings represent 39% of U.S. primary energy use buildings account for 39% of all U.S. CO2 emissions buildings represent 70% of U.S electricity the EPA estimates that 136 million tons of building-related construction and demolition (C&D) debris was generated in the U.S. in a single year.
The CoStar Group, a leading provider of information services to commercial real estate professionals, reported in March 2008 that:
The EPA reports that as many as 500 commercial buildings that have earned its government-administered Energy Star rating use a full 50 percent less energy than average buildings. And many of those efficiency practices, such as upgrading light bulbs or office equipment, pay for themselves in energy cost savings. Property management firm Cushman and Wakefield guided software maker Adobe Systems through its $1.4 million headquarters retrofit, which earned that back in savings in less than 10 months.
Lighting affects primary energy use, CO2 emissions, and electiricity use. I hope you see that shifting toward greater energy efficiency and sustainability has a tremendous impact.
Some more interesting statistics for you to share with your friends:
Wasted lighting in the US releases 38 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually ENERGY STAR qualified Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbsUse about 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer Buildings represent 70% of U.S electricity use Light trespass: streetlights or a neighbor’s security light directs unwanted lighting onto our property or into our homes, contributing to a loss of natural darkness. $1.7 billion goes directly into the US nighttime sky /unshielded outdoor lights are directly responsible for 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide waste.
By: Cinnamon Alvarez
About the Author:
But besides watching Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth yet again and trying to figure out what you can do to reduce the number of drunken trees in the thawing permafrost, what evidence does anyone have that shifting how we build, tear down, and rebuild will help anyone? Don’t we first need to drag everyone out of their automobiles and get them telecommuting before talking about buildings?
And how does energy efficient lighting fit into this?
The US Green Building Council (USGBC) shares these statistics in its Green Building Facts:
construction comprises 14.2% of the $10 trillion U.S. GDP buildings use 40% of raw materials globally buildings represent 39% of U.S. primary energy use buildings account for 39% of all U.S. CO2 emissions buildings represent 70% of U.S electricity the EPA estimates that 136 million tons of building-related construction and demolition (C&D) debris was generated in the U.S. in a single year.
The CoStar Group, a leading provider of information services to commercial real estate professionals, reported in March 2008 that:
The EPA reports that as many as 500 commercial buildings that have earned its government-administered Energy Star rating use a full 50 percent less energy than average buildings. And many of those efficiency practices, such as upgrading light bulbs or office equipment, pay for themselves in energy cost savings. Property management firm Cushman and Wakefield guided software maker Adobe Systems through its $1.4 million headquarters retrofit, which earned that back in savings in less than 10 months.
Lighting affects primary energy use, CO2 emissions, and electiricity use. I hope you see that shifting toward greater energy efficiency and sustainability has a tremendous impact.
Some more interesting statistics for you to share with your friends:
Wasted lighting in the US releases 38 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually ENERGY STAR qualified Compact Fluorescent (CFL) bulbsUse about 75 percent less energy and last up to 10 times longer Buildings represent 70% of U.S electricity use Light trespass: streetlights or a neighbor’s security light directs unwanted lighting onto our property or into our homes, contributing to a loss of natural darkness. $1.7 billion goes directly into the US nighttime sky /unshielded outdoor lights are directly responsible for 1.2 million tons of carbon dioxide waste.
By: Cinnamon Alvarez
About the Author:
And now I would like to offer you free access to powerful info on energy efficiency that’s easy to read and cuts through all this “green” information clutter — so you can literally start making positive changes today.
You can access it now by going to: http://www.a19.com/pub/articles/
From Cinnamon Alvarez: Founder, A19 — woman-owned green manufacturer of hand-made ceramic lighting fixtures
