Green building construction is the design style that aims to minimize the environmental impact of your venue through a few different techniques. There is a lot of nuance to the actual achievement of that goal, and quite a few different measurements. This includes renewable energy sources (when/if possible) used to power the building or certain features, minimizing the power that the building actually uses, using recycled or low-impact materials for construction and much more. There is also an added bonus that is not often considered, but that is the positive effects on public perception, brand reputation, and media coverage. Especially for firms and organizations that offer products claiming to be environmentally friendly or targeting to audiences of that nature.
While renewable energy is great, most of them will have non-peak hours during which you cannot generate enough power to actually run your business (with the exception of nuclear). Wind is extremely effective, but most properties are not large enough to justify using a large windmill. Solar panels are cost-efficient with the current federal rebates that are offered, but normally only become revenue-neutral after a long period of time. There is an ongoing trend that does indeed suggest it has become considerably cheaper within the last few years, and will become extremely cheap in the next ten, but not now. Windmills have certain rebates as well, but once again they are only good for larger areas. But even if one were to use batteries to store the energy made during peak-hours for use during times when there is no energy production, you would still come up short. That is because the technology used for energy creation is actually far behind the technology that is used to store electricity. But nuclear, while having a largely negative public perception because of a few major accidents, is by far the cleanest form of energy that we have. As long as the reactors are kept up to code with modern safety, there is not a realistic chance of catastrophe. However, it is becoming harder to find a source for nuclear energy. There is hydroelectricity, especially in places like China, but when it comes to choosing that source, it is likely to be out of your hands. The best goal you can have is to aim for being emission neutral with your power, or at least reliant on renewables for the majority of your power.
There are a few different ways to measure success of your goal. The measurements that you eventually select will likely be dependent on the type of business you run and the public image you’d like to maintain. A common one, for those that manufacture especially, is the carbon emissions output. Another one is the materials wasted through non-recycling, mainly through using composting and recycling bins instead of landfills. Emissions can be minimized through both using renewable energy sources(covered in paragraph above), and energy conservation. Energy conservation basically entails that the situations you must use fossil fuels, you make sure you use the least amount of them as possible.
