Features of green buildings include the consideration of the environment during every stage of the construction process; planning a green building focuses on the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the building. Green buildings not only offer widespread benefits to various stakeholders and society, they also provide better air quality, natural light, and view and noise control, which makes them ideal for living and working.
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Since not all structures can be replaced with newer green buildings, retrofitting existing buildings to improve sustainability and energy performance should be considered. To improve the sustainability of a building there are numerous steps to consider, such as renewable energy suppliers and sources, e.g. solar panels or wind turbines. Other initiatives could be to develop a more efficient waste and water management plan, or install other features like eco-friendly insulation.
More details on greening buildings and other sustainability tips can be found here.
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standard, offers a leading benchmarking service to certify the resource efficiency of buildings.
USGBC also provides some useful facts on green buildings and ways to save.