Green building is the practice of: (1) increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water, and materials; and (2) reducing building impacts on human health and the environment through better siting, design, material selection, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal of structures – encompassing the complete building life-cycle. The many elements of green buildings include healthier indoor environments, conservation of energy, water and materials, minimization of waste and reduction of environmental impacts ranging from storm water runoff to ecological toxicity to climate change. This topic includes new technologies that can be used in LEED-rated buildings. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a voluntary green building rating system. (See www.usgbc.org/leed. )

Identifying ways to reduce negative multi-media impacts of buildings and construction on human health and the environment is one of the priorities of EPA. Buildings in the US use more than one-third of all energy, more than two-thirds of all electricity, 12 percent of all water and produce more than one-third of all carbon dioxide emissions. Their construction consumes one-fourth of all harvested wood and their construction renovation and demolition produce more than 136 million tons of waste annually. Health and productivity losses associated with indoor air pollution are estimated to cost tens of billions of dollars annually.

Examples of Green Building research needs include, but are not limited to:

• New green building materials, technologies or processes that have minimal or no negative environmental impacts from a life-cycle perspective. Examples of attributes may include recycle content, low toxicity, energy and water efficiency, biodegradability, and/or durability.
• Technologies and systems to promote reuse and recycling of building materials to reduce multimedia impacts of disposal.
• Environmentally preferable technologies that minimize the consumption of water and energy in buildings. Technologies and systems to reduce water impacts such as green roofs, pervious pavement, etc.
• Re-designing products and building materials to enhance their recyclability (e.g., recycling-friendly adhesives and better bottle coatings).
• Developing, measuring and improving performance of green building technologies with apparent multimedia benefits such as green roofs, underfloor air distribution systems, and daylighting.