Help Us Make Canada's Buildings Greener!
Greening Canada's Buildings REPORT CARD 2 (4mb pdf)
Buildings typically consume a lot of resources. The buildings where we live, work and play can have an effect on the environment in many ways.
- Buildings Alter Natural Landscapes - Buildings are often constructed on cleared agricultural lands, wetlands and species habitat. This reduces biodiversity, contributes to global warming and reduces our ability to grow food to eat. Some neighbourhoods are also built to consume more land than others, resulting in urban sprawl.
- Buildings Use Too Much Energy - Residential and commercial buildings in Canada use up to one third of all energy consumed, contributing to global warming, the release of pollutants into the air and consumption of valuable resources.
- Buildings Use Too Much Water - Most of the water we use throughout the day is used in or around our homes. Each Canadian uses on average 350 litres per day in their homes, well over the European average (200 litres) and those of other countries.
- Buildings Consume Resources and Produce Waste - The construction of buildings uses up large amounts of wood, cement, steel and other materials and after a building is demolished, a significant amount of these valuable resources end up in landfills.
- Buildings Can Be Unhealthy Indoors - Indoor air quality can sometimes have a significant impact on our health. Paints, adhesives, and other surfaces in our homes and other buildings often contain toxic substances that can have adverse health effects.
Where and how we live can have a considerable impact on our health and the natural environment. Environmental Defence has developed a list of benchmarks that can help the public, governments and builders reduce the impact that buildings have on the environment.
Download the Green Building Benchmarks »