Green Building and Systems: Creating a Smarter, Healthier Home
Buildings are more than walls and windows — they shape our health, our comfort, and our planet. That’s why green building practices are gaining ground with property owners, whether remodeling or building a new home.
Key Priorities in Green Building
At its core, green building is about designing and operating homes in ways that make efficient use of resources — from water and electricity to the materials in your walls. It’s also about reducing waste, improving indoor air quality, and supporting long-term sustainability. Bonus? Many of these improvements also lower your utility bills and create a more comfortable living space.
Some eco-friendly building ideas go back centuries — like using natural ventilation, daylighting, or locally sourced materials. Others, like smart thermostats and net-zero energy systems, reflect the latest in green tech. What they all share is a goal: to create homes that are good for people and the planet.
A sustainable home typically focuses on the following:
💧 Using Water and Energy Wisely
Green buildings are designed to optimize resource efficiency, significantly reducing water and energy consumption. Implementing features in your home like low-flow fixtures, rainwater harvesting systems, and energy-efficient appliances can lead to substantial savings. For instance, green buildings can reduce energy use by up to 50% and water use by 40%, resulting in lower utility bills and decreased environmental impact. Source: gba.org
☁ Improving Air Quality and Daylighting
Enhancing indoor air quality and maximizing natural light are central to green building design. Utilizing low-emitting home building materials and ensuring proper ventilation reduces indoor pollutants, promoting healthier living environments. Moreover, incorporating daylighting strategies not only reduces reliance on artificial lighting but also improves occupants’ mood and productivity. Source: CIM
♻️ Reducing Waste and Environmental Harm
Green construction practices emphasize waste reduction through recycling, reuse, and sustainable material selection. By minimizing construction and demolition waste, these practices alleviate landfill pressures and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, adopting a circular economy approach in the built environment can significantly reduce CO₂ emissions and generate substantial economic benefits. Source: Reuters
🧱 Choosing Low-Toxicity Materials
Selecting building materials with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is crucial for maintaining healthy indoor air quality. Materials such as natural fiber insulation, low-VOC paints, and formaldehyde-free cabinetry contribute to safer indoor environments. These choices not only protect occupant health but also enhance the building’s sustainability profile. Source: PubMed Central
🔄 Supporting Long-Term Operational Efficiency
Green buildings are designed for durability and ease of maintenance, leading to long-term operational efficiency. Features like energy-efficient HVAC systems, smart building technologies, and sustainable landscaping reduce ongoing operational costs. Studies have shown that green buildings can lead to decreased operating costs and enhanced asset value. Source: Inogen+1Virginia Energy Sense+1
🏡 Enhancing Occupant Health and Comfort
A core objective of green building is to create spaces that support the well-being of occupants. By ensuring good indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and access to natural light, green buildings contribute to improved health outcomes and increased satisfaction. Research indicates that occupants of green buildings report better health and productivity levels compared to those in conventional buildings. Source: World Green Building Council+3What’s Happening Around Florida+3PubMed Central+3
By focusing on these priorities, green building practices not only contribute to environmental sustainability but also offer tangible economic and health benefits for occupants.
📐Why Ask Your Architect for a LEED Certified Home Design
A home is more than just shelter: homes are the most important places in our lives. When a home is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), it is designed to be healthier for occupants by using less energy and fewer resources, including the following key points:
“LEED-certified homes are designed to provide clean indoor air and ample natural light and to use safe building materials to ensure our comfort and good health. They help us reduce our energy and water consumption, thereby lowering utility bills each month, among other financial benefits. Using the strategies outlined in LEED, homeowners are having a net-positive impact on their communities.
LEED homes are also designed, constructed and operated to be resilient in adverse conditions and are developed with proactive design planning for potential impacts of catastrophic weather.
- Health: LEED homes are designed to maximize indoor fresh air and minimize exposure to airborne toxins and pollutants, making it healthier and more comfortable.
- Savings: LEED homes use less energy and water, which means lower utility bills. On average, certified homes use 20 to 30 percent less energy than non-green homes, with some homes saving up to 60 percent.
- Value: With proper planning, LEED homes can be built for the same cost as non-green homes. LEED homes can qualify for discounted homeowner’s insurance, tax breaks and other incentives. And in many markets, certified green homes are now selling quicker and for more money than comparable non-green homes.
- For better homes, accountability makes a difference. Through a carefully managed, independent, third-party verification system, LEED-certification affirms the integrity of green building commitments by ensuring project teams are delivering on design plans and goals. Third-party validation helps guarantee that each project saves energy, water and other resources, reducing overall environmental impact. No cutting corners.”
You can read more about LEED certified homes HERE.
🟢Living Buildings
The Living Building Challenge goes beyond building codes and what is “green” to what is truly sustainable, and makes positive environmental impacts. It asks
“What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?
What if every intervention gave rise to:
- Greater biodiversity and social equity;
- Additional outlets for beauty and personal expression;
- A deeper understanding of climate, culture, and place;
- A realignment of our food and transportation systems;
- Increased soil health and
- A more profound sense of what it means to be a citizen of a planet where resources and opportunities are provided fairly and equitably?”
Learn more on LivingFuture.org. Credit goes to our friend Mark Deakos, who introduced us to the Living Building Challenge. We are excited to support his success through RegenMaui.
Living Off-Grid: A Primer
More people are exploring off-grid living than ever before, but what does that really mean? Technically, “off-grid” refers to energy systems untied to the electrical grid. However, the
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Green Building and Systems: Creating a Smarter, Healthier Home
Buildings are more than walls and windows — they shape our health, our comfort, and our planet. That’s why green building practices are gaining ground with property owners, whether remodeling or building a new home.
Key Priorities in Green Building
At its core, green building is about designing and operating homes in ways that make efficient use of resources — from water and electricity to the materials in your walls. It’s also about reducing waste, improving indoor air quality, and supporting long-term sustainability. Bonus? Many of these improvements also lower your utility bills and create a more comfortable living space.
Some eco-friendly building ideas go back centuries — like using natural ventilation, daylighting, or locally sourced materials. Others, like smart thermostats and net-zero energy systems, reflect the latest in green tech. What they all share is a goal: to create homes that are good for people and the planet.
A sustainable home typically focuses on the following:
💧 Using Water and Energy Wisely
Green buildings are designed to optimize resource efficiency, significantly reducing water and energy consumption. Implementing features in your home like low-flow fixtures, rainwater harvesting systems, and energy-efficient appliances can lead to substantial savings. For instance, green buildings can reduce energy use by up to 50% and water use by 40%, resulting in lower utility bills and decreased environmental impact. Source: gba.org
☁ Improving Air Quality and Daylighting
Enhancing indoor air quality and maximizing natural light are central to green building design. Utilizing low-emitting home building materials and ensuring proper ventilation reduces indoor pollutants, promoting healthier living environments. Moreover, incorporating daylighting strategies not only reduces reliance on artificial lighting but also improves occupants’ mood and productivity. Source: CIM
♻️ Reducing Waste and Environmental Harm
Green construction practices emphasize waste reduction through recycling, reuse, and sustainable material selection. By minimizing construction and demolition waste, these practices alleviate landfill pressures and lower greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, adopting a circular economy approach in the built environment can significantly reduce CO₂ emissions and generate substantial economic benefits. Source: Reuters
🧱 Choosing Low-Toxicity Materials
Selecting building materials with low or no volatile organic compounds (VOCs) is crucial for maintaining healthy indoor air quality. Materials such as natural fiber insulation, low-VOC paints, and formaldehyde-free cabinetry contribute to safer indoor environments. These choices not only protect occupant health but also enhance the building’s sustainability profile. Source: PubMed Central
🔄 Supporting Long-Term Operational Efficiency
Green buildings are designed for durability and ease of maintenance, leading to long-term operational efficiency. Features like energy-efficient HVAC systems, smart building technologies, and sustainable landscaping reduce ongoing operational costs. Studies have shown that green buildings can lead to decreased operating costs and enhanced asset value. Source: Inogen+1Virginia Energy Sense+1
🏡 Enhancing Occupant Health and Comfort
A core objective of green building is to create spaces that support the well-being of occupants. By ensuring good indoor air quality, thermal comfort, and access to natural light, green buildings contribute to improved health outcomes and increased satisfaction. Research indicates that occupants of green buildings report better health and productivity levels compared to those in conventional buildings. Source: World Green Building Council+3What’s Happening Around Florida+3PubMed Central+3
By focusing on these priorities, green building practices not only contribute to environmental sustainability but also offer tangible economic and health benefits for occupants.
📐Why Ask Your Architect for a LEED Certified Home Design
A home is more than just shelter: homes are the most important places in our lives. When a home is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), it is designed to be healthier for occupants by using less energy and fewer resources, including the following key points:
“LEED-certified homes are designed to provide clean indoor air and ample natural light and to use safe building materials to ensure our comfort and good health. They help us reduce our energy and water consumption, thereby lowering utility bills each month, among other financial benefits. Using the strategies outlined in LEED, homeowners are having a net-positive impact on their communities.
LEED homes are also designed, constructed and operated to be resilient in adverse conditions and are developed with proactive design planning for potential impacts of catastrophic weather.
- Health: LEED homes are designed to maximize indoor fresh air and minimize exposure to airborne toxins and pollutants, making it healthier and more comfortable.
- Savings: LEED homes use less energy and water, which means lower utility bills. On average, certified homes use 20 to 30 percent less energy than non-green homes, with some homes saving up to 60 percent.
- Value: With proper planning, LEED homes can be built for the same cost as non-green homes. LEED homes can qualify for discounted homeowner’s insurance, tax breaks and other incentives. And in many markets, certified green homes are now selling quicker and for more money than comparable non-green homes.
- For better homes, accountability makes a difference. Through a carefully managed, independent, third-party verification system, LEED-certification affirms the integrity of green building commitments by ensuring project teams are delivering on design plans and goals. Third-party validation helps guarantee that each project saves energy, water and other resources, reducing overall environmental impact. No cutting corners.”
You can read more about LEED certified homes HERE.
🟢Living Buildings
The Living Building Challenge goes beyond building codes and what is “green” to what is truly sustainable, and makes positive environmental impacts. It asks
“What if every single act of design and construction made the world a better place?
What if every intervention gave rise to:
- Greater biodiversity and social equity;
- Additional outlets for beauty and personal expression;
- A deeper understanding of climate, culture, and place;
- A realignment of our food and transportation systems;
- Increased soil health and
- A more profound sense of what it means to be a citizen of a planet where resources and opportunities are provided fairly and equitably?”
Learn more on LivingFuture.org. Credit goes to our friend Mark Deakos, who introduced us to the Living Building Challenge. We are excited to support his success through RegenMaui.
Living Off-Grid: A Primer
More people are exploring off-grid living than ever before, but what does that really mean? Technically, “off-grid” refers to energy systems untied to the electrical grid. However, the
Where America Dumps Its Plastic Waste in Other Countries, and Why That Is a Problem
The U.S. produces massive volumes of waste—including a significant portion of plastics—which is exported to other countries. This practice dates back several decades, driven by the lower costs
Exploring the Implementation Challenges and Impact of K-12 Climate Change Education
We are facing a global climate crisis, widely recognized by the scientific community as human-caused. However, humans also have the opportunity to mitigate its effects. Educating youth is
Are You Eating Too Much Meat?
According to a report by Greenpeace, meat – or more specifically, ‘industrial meat’ – is bad for the planet. But is there a way to cut
How to Eliminate Single Use Plastics
Americans purchase about 50 billion water bottles per year but only about 23% of those get recycled. Here's an idea: Research gathering from our local Costco
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Nature-based pilot projects are growing on the island of Maui to address one of the island's dirtiest problems. A special type of deep-rooted grass, a filtration system
