Getting the most from research analysis

Green Measure does not influence the project cost significantly; rather it helps in reducing operation cost.Sustainable design can and should be analyzed holistically, including operations and maintenance implications, user productivity and health, design and documentation fees, among other financial measurements. However, it is our experience that it is the construction cost implications that drive decisions about sustainable design. By assisting teams to understand the actual construction costs on real projects of achieving green, and by providing a methodology that will allow teams to manage construction costs, we hope to enable teams to get past the question of whether to go green, or go straight to working on how. Research paper uses extensive data on building costs to compare the cost of green buildings with buildings housing comparable programs, which do not have sustainable goals. The foundations are also laid to analyze incremental costs over starting budgets, and to compare the costs for different specific measures and technologies. Additionally, we present a budgeting methodology that provides guidelines for developing appropriate budgets to meet the building program goals, including sustainability goals. Various reports look only at construction costs. The first question often asked about sustainable design is: what does 'green' cost, typically meaning does it cost more? This raises the question: more than what? More than comparable buildings, more than the available funds, or more than the building would have cost without the sustainable design features? The answers to these questions have been thus far elusive, because of the lack of hard data.

Sustainable Living Approach

Sustainable living is a lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual's or society's use of the Earth's natural resource and his/her own resources. It is fundamentally the application of sustainability to lifestyle choice and decisions. Sustainability itself is expressed as meeting present ecological, societal, and economical needs without compromising these factors for future generations. Sustainable living can therefore be described as living within the innate carrying capacities defined by these factors.

Though the concept certainly sounds good in theory, you may wonder what the real benefits are to living in a green home.

•    Savings in the long-term due to lower utility bills
•    Less toxic substances and cleaner air help promote healthy living.
•    Help the environment by utilizing recycled products and renewable resources
•    An energy efficient, well designed green home will command a high market value in the real estate market.

In essence sustainable living is a recipe for "win win win"

Save energy & costs
•    Grey-water
•    Efficient home water use
•    Rainwater
•    Water restrictions

Reduce waste & recycle
•    Building materials
•    Household hazardous waste
•    Kitchen and food waste
•    Recycling

Travel smarter
•    Cycling
•    Motor transport
•    Public transport
•    Walking