Publisher's Synopsis
Why is our weather now so severe? Pollution, greenhouse gases, carbon emissions; how bad is it? When will the world run out of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas etc.) to burn for heat and electricity? And how do you "green" a building? These questions prompted the author to write this book. We will explore today's technology which has given us many ways to harness renewable energy; new methods and materials to build more efficiently with less waste; ways to reduce carbon emissions and improve the air that we breath. The concept of making our homes, schools and commercial buildings more energy efficient is now reality, we will explore the new "tools" used in lighting, energy and water conservation, heating and cooling systems, and managing indoor air quality. We now have the ability to benchmark (measure) the environmental performance of our buildings. Rating systems tell us, how we are doing and what we can do to improve. From a business perspective if energy efficiencies are considered what is the economic impact. What are Green Leases and Smart Growth? Today's world; the climate changes results, global efforts for renewable energy production and round the world efforts to reduce carbon emissions will be discussed. The final chapter outlines what each of us can do to make the world better for tomorrow.
