No longer is it the case that green building means living in a home built out of straw and “off the grid”.

GreenisMainstream.ca “Green Building” is about setting realistic goals based on what is affordable and what will have a realistic payback. For larger institutions, payback may be measured in corporate responsibility brownie points or may be measured in dollars and years. The payback for a residential homeowner may be having the sense that you are doing less harm and the monetary payback on the financial investment is usually ensured somewhere between one and ten years, depending on the system or product that is selected. The goals are simple: use less consume less, maintain what is working, dispose of materials responsibly. It’s simple: Buy energy efficient appliances, low off gassing paint, buy an old house and renovate it, seal air penetrations, reinsulate, Consider using renewable energy sun ground heat even wind. Buy a good thermostat. Energy efficient light bulbs replace old drafty windows. In new construction limit thermal bridges and limit air flow between inside and outside. Live near transit, live in a multi-unit higher density development.