Green building in North America [[electronic resource] ] : opportunities and challenges : Secretariat report to council under Article 13 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910694485203321
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Montreal [Quebec], : Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 2008; Montréal, Québec : , : Commission for Environmental Cooperation, , [2008]; ©2008
• Descrizione fisica: 1 electronic text (75 p.) : ill., digital file
• Disciplina: 720/.47
• Soggetti: Sustainable development - North America; Buildings - Environmental aspects - North America; Buildings - Energy conservation - North America; Environmental law - North America; Green movement - North America; Air pollution; Carbon neutrality; City; Climate change mitigation; Construction; Energy conservation; Green building; Greenhouse gas; Hvac; Intergovernmental panel on climate change
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Issued as part of the Canadian Electronic Library, Documents collection, and Canadian public policy collection.
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references.
• Nota di contenuto: Introduction -- Green building in North America -- Features of green building -- How widespread is green building? -- Rating systems -- Process of continual improvement -- Foundational driver for change -- ; Negative environmental impacts of current building practices -- Benefits of green building -- Climate change crisis and buildings -- Green building and GHG emissions -- Calling for aggressive improvement in North America -- Green building energy scenarios for 2030 -- Modeling aggressive energy-saving scenarios -- Country-specific results -- General conclusions -- Drivers and barriers to improvement -- Momentum toward green building in the United States and Canada -- Momentum toward green building in Mexico -- Barriers to green buildings -- Promoting mutually beneficial cooperation -- Recommendations for North America -- Secretariat's recommendations on making green building standard practice in North America.
• Sommario/riassunto: "In this report, the Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) recommends that North American leaders make green building a foundational driver for environmental, social, and economic improvement in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Green building refers to the use of environmentally preferable practices and materials in the design, location, construction, operation and disposal of buildings. It applies to both renovation and retrofitting of existing buildings and construction of new buildings, whether residential or commercial public or private. By continually improving how we locate, design, build, operate, and retrofit buildings, North American leaders can significantly improve the well-being of North America. Advanced energy-saving technologies applied in buildings can result in enormous reductions in demand for fossil fuels and emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). Better design and building practices can also help address environmental challenges such as natural resource depletion, waste disposal, and air, water, and soil pollution. Green building can also help achieve gains in human health and prosperity."