Making a Home More Sustainable

By : Anjali Desai

What is a Green Building? Green Building- characterized by

LEED with 5 requirements:1. The home’s location must be

eco-friendly and optimize its natural resources.

2. It must be energy efficient with the least amount of HVAC loss.

3. Water use must be conserved by installing low flow water fixtures.

4. The building should supply healthy inner air.

5. Materials needed to build should be conserved and the use of recycled products increased

Did you know? Based off of Energy Stars :

A 10-minute shower can use more than 50 gallons of water.

A drop of water per second can waste up to 10 gallons of water per week.

Turning off the lights in one classroom for one hour keeps over two pounds of pollutants out of the environment.

Simple Changes: Turning off all electronics after use

Turning down the water heater a couple of degrees

Turn off the faucet while you brush your teeth

Fix leaky faucets Run the dishwasher

and clothes washer only when they are full.

Did you know ??AC typically uses the most

electricity in the entire homeUsing CFL light bulbs use two-

thirds less energy than regular incandescent bulbs and they last times longer.

Low flow water devices can be put into faucets and showerheads to cut water utilization by 50 to 70%.

Inexpensive Changes Get CFL light bulbs Install low-flow

showerheadsGet a programmable

thermostat Install window blinds

Unprotected windows are responsible for up to 50% of heat gain or loss depending on the season

Mount a Ceiling fan you can save 3-5% in

cooling cost.

Did you know?It takes a tree ten

years to grow back after it is chopped down

Paints that contain VOC paint cause you to have breathing and lung disorders

Expensive Changes Bamboo flooring

Bamboo has greater benefits than wood because it can reproduce faster.

On average, most bamboo species grow up to three feet per day.

No – VOC paint (volatile organic compound) No-VOC paint eliminates indoor air

pollution from paints and provides us with cleaner air to breathe.

Solar panels “In 1 second our sun produces

enough energy to meet the current needs of the entire earth for 500,000 years,” therefore we should install solar panels so we should utilize this natural resource.

Thank You!!