What is Green?

RE 5318 Sustainability Textbook

The following blog posts outline my voyage through the Sustainable Development 5318 course at UTA.  This course meets for two weeks at UTA's downtown Ft. Worth campus and is taught by Dr. Peterson.  The primary topic of our first meeting revolved around the question 'What does GREEN really mean?'  Interestingly, I discovered that it means very different things to different people but there seems to be a consensus that building GREEN is important for our future.

Green building and sustainable development are relatively new concepts in the US, and we talked about whether it is here to stay or simply a passing fad.  From our discussion, I got the impression that the US is a little behind the curve when it comes to green building, but currently the US is making strides through programs such as USGBC's LEED designation system.  The general consensus was that green building concepts are here to stay and I agree.  If for no other reason than there is a pressing need to embrace green concepts and smart growth to preserve our environment over the long-run. 

Overall, it's clear that green building and sustainability are having a major impact on the real estate industry, and those who embrace green building concepts now will emerge as the leaders within their segment of the industry.