Busted! 8 Green Building Myths

Green building is no longer viewed as a passing fad or some strange notion adopted by environmentalist on the fringe of society. In fact, the editors of Harvard Business Review dedicated a large amount of space in their June 2006 issue to explain how green building is now an established mainstream building practice. Even so, there are still some persistent myths that keep some in the residential construction industry from accepting that green building is proven effective and here to stay.

Myth 1: Green building is too expensive.

This is a very common misconception. But the simple fact is that there are plenty of strategies for inexpensive green building, from right-sizing the structure to optimal value engineering to reducing waste, among many others.”

Green building is not only about material selection

Myth 2: Green building is all about material selection.

In the past, people equated green building with using “green materials” such as those with high recycled content, low embodied energy, no VOCs, etc. While that is an important part of constructing a green building, it is still a small part of the big picture. There are many factors to be considered whether in new construction or remodeling that define green building as a systems approach to the entire construction process.

Green building products work as well as non-green materials

Myth 3: Green building products don’t work as well.

Not true. Low-flow toilets are typical products that continue to get a bad rap. People still think that 1.6 gallon-per-flush toilets don’t work, even though the fixtures were mandated for all new construction more than a decade ago. By and large, new green products work as well if not better than traditional products.

Myth 4: Green Products are hard to find.

While there is some truth to this, the continued interest in green products and systems mean that new product growth is exponential compare to the past few years. There is information on just about every green product imaginable.

Myth 5: Green homes are “weird” or “ugly.”

The fact is that many of today’s green homes are virtually indistinguishable from “typical” homes. And if you do want to go with solar power, there are many ways to integrate PV [photovoltaic] panels that both attractive and effective.

Building a green home is not too complicated

Myth 6: Building a green home is too complicated.

Green building is about common sense and following the fundamentals. It all begins with a tight building envelope; the rest of it is not rocket science.

Myth 7: To get into green building, you have to sign up for some sort of program or third-party certification.

While programs such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED and the American Lung Association’s Healthy House are terrific at garnering exposure and furthering the green movement, builders don’t have to get involved with them to build green. Green building is really about one project at a time and a builder’s and owner’s willingness to make a better choice.