Green Building Facts
* In 2008 in the US, construction accounted for over 13.4% of the GDP or 1.77 trillion dollars
* In the US, buildings consume over 39% of the total energy usage
* Residential homes account for nearly 50% of this usage
* In the US, buildings emit over 38% of all Green house gases (CO2)
* In the US, vehicles emit 19% of all Green house gases (CO2)
* In the US, buildings consume over 72% of all electricity consumption
* Worldwide, building construction consumes for over 40% of all raw materials annually
* The EPA estimates that building related illnesses account for over 60 billion dollars in loss productivity
* In the US, 90% of the workforce is indoors and indoor air quality is typically 2 to 5 times worse
* In the US, wood products account for 47% of the raw industrial materials yet consume only 4% of the total energy costs to produce all raw industrial materials
* It takes 5 times more energy to produce a ton of concrete versus a ton of wood
* It takes 14 times more energy to produce a ton of glass versus a ton of wood
* It takes 24 times more energy to produce a ton of steel versus a ton of wood
* Reclaimed timber is without a doubt the most efficient building material available
* In the US alone, over 2 billion trees were planted last year
* 86% of the US annual energy consumption comes from the combustion of fossil fuels
* 49% of the US annual electric energy consumption comes from the combustion of coal
* Lighting accounts for over 20% of the average US home electric bill
* An Energy Star rated ceiling fan is 50% more efficient than a non-energy star fan
* If each homeowner changed their 5 highest use fixtures to Energy Star rated bulbs they would save more than 8 billion dollars annually & cut CO2 emissions by the equivalent of 10 million cars
* If commercial and industrial buildings became just 10% more efficient, that would cut greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of 30 million cars annually
* There are less than 30 million registered cars in New York, Ohio, Illinois and Texas combined
* In the US, buildings generate twice as much Greenhouse gas emissions than all vehicles combined
*The Green building product material sector is estimated to be 30-40 billion dollars in 2010
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