What is the difference between green building, eco-friendly, and sustainable design?

Green has become the trendy word for design that is environmentally minded.  Often time people will call a product or building “green” when it really isn’t or when it actually has very little environmental features; we call this green washing.  Sustainable design is the word we like to use for our design as it expresses the full meaning of the concept; a closed loop design system that could support itself endlessly over and over again without needed new resources or creating unneeded waste.  When we think about it, sustainable design is the way everything from our clothes to our homes to our finances should be structured.

What is green washing?

Green washing is when a claim is being made that a product is green but the product actually isn’t.  It’s related to false advertising, marketing, and misrepresentation of a product trying to attract clientele interested in a green product when their product isn’t really green.   Luckily for you, box has many tools and talents at their disposal to ensure the products selected for you are the level of green you want.

What can I expect from a green designer that I wouldn’t get from a conventional designer?

Besides the straight-forward services a green designer can provide like selecting eco-friendly materials or light bulbs that will save you energy there are more specialized services they can provide that have even longer lasting effects.  One of the services we provide for all our green building projects is climate and environmental analysis.  From the analysis, which evaluates everything from where winds blow into the site to where the best sunlight is coming from, we’ll be able to present you with the best green design solutions suited to the unique conditions of your site and project.  We also have a proven record of getting development projects LEED certified.

Why would I want a green building?

Green building projects have greater market value greater than their non-green counterparts.  Studies have shown that the lease rates of green building projects are 3% higher, while their vacancy rates are 3% lower than their non-green counterparts.  Green building projects have been found to use 26% less energy and 30% less water which will save you money, emit 33% carbon dioxide which is better for your health and our environment, improve worker productivity by as much as 16% and student test scores by as much as 12%. 

How do I select the right green building certification for my project?

If you’re interested in pursuing green building certification we’ll show you the options such as LEED, Energy Star, or Green Globes showing you which rating system would be best for your unique project and be there to support you and your team through the certification process.  The LEED green building rating system, created by U.S. Green Building Council is currently the most reputable green building program and the one we work with the closest.  Amy Green, the owner and founder of box was even given status as a USGBC Fellow and given a desk in their Research and Development Department to help USGBC create new LEED products and credits.  Learn more about LEED certification by reading our “LEED Certification Explained” article in the Portland Green Building Examiner