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| Green new construction isn’t green enough when building renovation is an option – and this calculation isn’t built into climate action decision-making tools. | Building Conservation and Sustainability Date: October 8, 2009
Buildings contribute nearly 40 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions in the U.S. each year,1 so improving the performance of the built environment is an important sustainability strategy. But most built-environment strategies underestimate how important conservation of the built environment is to sustainability performance. Given that the energy consumption of renovated older buildings can be as low as that of new green buildings, sustainability advocates should consider the significant climate change and environmental gains that can be achieved by preserving existing buildings. And in addition to environmental effects, building conservation has economic and social sustainability impacts.2 In the U.S., the historic preservation model provides a tested set of polices and principles for the practice of conservation and reuse of the built environment. Some of these policies and principles should be integrated into climate action strategies. | |
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