"Green building is no different, except most of us don't realize that we need to start doing the right thing now. Like the Chinese proverb says, 'If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed'...And at the current rate we design, build and operate our buildings, we are headed for unknown territory that could very well mean big changes for all of us.
The Department of Energy (DOE) has done studies on the impacts of buildings in our environment. Its Buildings Energy Data Book states that buildings use: 39 percent of total energy in the United States; 72 percent of all electricity; 12 percent of all potable water, which accounts for 15 trillion gallons per year; and 40 percent of raw materials globally."
