A Brief History of the Green Building Industry
Last updated January 26, 2010
The concept of green building goes as far back as ancient times. Even cavemen and women used eco-friendly materials and lived in their dwellings in tune with the landscape, a philosophy which Bill Gates (the retired co-founder of Microsoft) also used when he had his house built into the side of a hill in Seattle, Washington. The idea of building a house into the hill is similar to a cave dwelling concept, in that you can save energy by having a pile of dirt above your ceiling serving as natural insulation, while your home blends nicely into the local landscape. But Bill Gates certainly doesn't have any shortage of money, thus his passion for green building most likely centers around doing something generous for the health and longevity of the planet.
The green building industry sprung to life in the mid to late 1980's as oil prices started to rise and more and more oil producers got fatter and richer by applying the logic 'what's another few dollars per barrel?" Then as the price of oil dropped as demand reduced because people just couldn't afford to buy the stuff, the green building industry sort of went a little brown, shriveled up a little, withered a bit and almost disappeared. But fortunately in the current decade, the focus on green building and sustainable living has made a comeback, and "green is in".
Unfortunately, the governments of many developed countries could do alot more to help green building flourish and grow. There needs to be more tax breaks and incentives available for developers and private individuals, so if you want to build a green building there are rewards available to encourage your endeavours. In the United States of America, there is a grant system in place to retrofit green building products such as ultra efficient windows and of course insulation to multifamily housing. This funding comes with expert advice and a time limit of two years to spent the grant funds.
Is green building just a fad that will fade out over time? No, of course it isn't and although it is a reasonably new name for a concept, 'green building' is not a temporary craze or something that is likely to fade away in fact it is almost as old as mankind itself. Green building is here for the long term.