Does Europe know something about green home building that the US doesnt
View PDF | Print View
by: hugatree | Total views: 87 | Word Count: 392
Green home building is very popular in the United States today, but many people do not know that Europeans have been building green homes for decades. We now have many technologies here in the United States that we consider to be new or innovative, but they really are not. Green home building is usually discussed in such a way that people marvel about these new technologies, but they are really only new to us.
For example, in Europe, a substance called Autoclave Aerated Concentrate, or AAC for short, has been used in constructing buildings for over two decades. According to GreenHomeBuilding,com, this substance is fire proof, highly insulating, and lightweight. This means that it can be easily transported in larger quantities, which will consume less fuel. Also, the AAC is made of very simple ingredients: water, sand, cement, lime, and aluminum powder. Eighty percent of the AAC is made up of air, which is the main ingredient. An important factor in the greenness of this substance is the fact that its production causes no byproducts. Builders have been using this building material in Germany for almost a century; however, it was introduced in the United States in 1996 and still is not widely accepted.
Another example of a green home building technology that is widely used in Europe, but is not very well known in the United States is the Wood Fiber Board. These boards are made from wood chip waste produced by sawmills. According to GreenHomeBuilding.com, these boards are free of allergens and they do not emit any toxins during their manufacture. They are cheap to make, durable, and totally compostable. They are not used much in the United States. We like to cut down new trees to make new boards. It seems as though we prefer not using something we already have, but rather wasting to create new products.
Europe is way ahead of us when it comes to green home building practices. They have been doing these things for about one hundred years, so for Europeans, there is nothing new or innovative about green home building; it is a way of life. We are in the right mind set to become equal in greenness to Europe, but I just hope it is not too late.
About the Author
Research about general, click learn.greatreads4.com.
Rating: Not yet rated
Login to vote
