Promote Green Construction Practices that are Reasonable, Practical, and Appropriately Focused on their Intended Result
Background:
Green buildings have changed the way many people think about future development—spanning the location, design, and construction of buildings and other critical infrastructure in the United States. At the forefront of this change, construction professionals are seeking solutions to environmental challenges and educating themselves on advances in green technologies. Despite the construction industry itself not being a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions (~1 percent), contractors have led the way towards implementing greener industry practices and are building structures that use less energy, raw materials, and water. Improvements to existing and future commercial buildings and transportation-related infrastructure can reduce national greenhouse gas emissions related to those sources.
AGC Message:
Promote Green Construction Practices that are Reasonable, Practical, and Appropriately Focused On their Intended Result. The government should not endorse one green construction standard to the exclusion of other standards or adopt a sole definition for what constitutes “green” construction. Green construction programs should allow for variations in regional, local, and site-specific conditions. Private sector competition should be relied upon to encourage the creation of innovative technologies and common-sense solutions to environmental problems.
Enhance Durability of Constructed Products and the Environment by Encouraging Additional Engineering-Based Recycling of Construction Materials and Waste. AGC supports the reuse of materials in construction only where those materials have known and reliable performance thresholds. Many state and local governments require construction and demolition debris recycling through mandates or green building initiatives. The construction industry as a whole recycles more material than any other industry. In order for contractors’ recycling and reuse efforts to be effective, the infrastructure and market to recycle and reuse debris must be in place.