Sarah Hurtado 1

16 October 2020

Turning Green

Perruzzi, Daniel P., Jr. "Green design: new construction vs. renovation." ​Buildings​, vol. 102, no.

4, Apr. 2008, p. 84+. ​Gale In Context: High School​,

https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A178758497/GPS?u=j043905005&sid=GPS&xid=33f45c

7c. Accessed 20 Oct. 2020.

What does turning green mean? In terms of design, turning green means to turn towards

sustainable design techniques and practices by using renewable resources and reducing the use of

those that are not. The lack of sustainable products and practices has proven to cause an impact

within our environments on a global scale. Through the years, many have witnessed the planet's

environmental crisis and the vast amount of damage that has resulted from our lack of turning

this planet into a green and healthy place. Not only does turning to environmentally friendly

products bring the planet back to a healthier, safe, and stable state, but it also provides us with

many benefits for our health.

Furthermore, ​Green design: new construction vs. renovation ​is an article that explains the

effectiveness of green design and the rating systems within the U.S. Green Building Council’s

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, along with its importance. As

time passes and green design is proven to be effective, many new businesses and agencies across

the states are implementing these practices and hiring designers to help them convert to a more

environmentally friendly place. While it is an issue for some that green products and converting

to a green building is more costly than using those products that are not, it is proven that turning

green provides us with many benefits. When in a green environment, less energy is consumed
 Sarah Hurtado 2

and individuals are provided with many health benefits by being in a healthier space. Not only

does it benefit the individual health of many, but for companies it increases job satisfaction

resulting in greater productivity and less sick days.

In addition, the article emphasizes the importance of the LEED point system and what

each rating signifies. The LEED system was created to determine the level of sustainability

within a structure and are built around six categories. These categories include sustainable sites,

water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, Indoor environmental quality,

and innovation and design process. These categories were established to see what resources the

structure used, if it was saving energy, reducing consumption of resources, containing

low-emitting materials, and using technologies not recognized within the other various

categories. This system was not only brought to determine the sustainability within the structure

but to protect the environment by displaying what characteristics the building lacked in

protecting the environment.

While I reviewed this article I realized that the emphasis on sustainable design was not

well displayed within the communities in our nation. While there has been an increase of

sustainable products and use of practises, there has been a low level of increase actually shown.

Through this project I hope to help increase the use of sustainable products by emphasizing the

importance of converting to sustainable materials. Sustainable design is truly important to our

planet to help make it a healthier place not only for the environment but for each and every

individual. My goal as I continue researching is to find products that people can use and display

the impact sustainable design has on the environment.