As bloggers, I think it’s safe to say that the consensus among us all is to stay “cutting edge” with trends that are going on in our communities, our countries, and worldwide. One of the “hotter” topics among the national media for the past few years has been how we can better serve our global environment and stabilize the ecosystem. Liberals and conservatives fight and banter over the true effects of global warming like a holy war. Western states suffer severely from logistical nightmares of how to efficiently and consistently deliver enough water to satisfy a demand that is constantly rising though watersheds are shrinking. Every year national outrage burns anew as energy, gasoline, and copper (yes, I said copper) prices get higher than a Rastafari cover band of Nirvana. No matter what your feelings are on any of these issues the facts are that there are things we can do and be aware of to preserve our world just a little bit longer for future generations.

Water conservation is either a topic you hear about everyday on your local news or something you’ve never heard of all depending on what part of the country you live. Be aware that it’s about to go nationwide. The United States Green Build Council (USGBC) is a non-profit organization formed with the intentions of finding a better way to build the buildings where we live, work, and play. Their core purpose is to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated, enabling an environmentally and socially responsible, healthy, and prosperous environment that improves the quality of life. The standard with which they lead with is called Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design or LEED. LEED has different categories, specification standards, and a rating system that a building must meet in order to be LEED-certified. A building can potentially apply to be certified or attain different levels from “silver” all the way up to “platinum” and those involved in the buildings design must utilize innovative systems and standards to attain LEED points to achieve those different levels. Different types of buildings can apply for status like LEED-NC (new construction), LEED-EB (existing buildings), LEED-CI (commercial interiors), and coming soon LEED for Homes and Neighborhood Developments. The various benefits of LEED include improved air and water quality, but ultimately the all mighty dollar rules. Studies prove that employee productivity increases as much as 10% and employees report to work sick less which means building owners have higher building value and higher tenant occupancy to go along with the tax incentives and rebates they can receive in certain municipalities on the front end of qualifying projects. Even manufacturers who produce materials that may go into a given building must prove that the “manufacturing footprint” of a given product must follow certain guidelines so as not to be counterproductive to the true spirit of what LEED is all about. Even in situations where a LEED-certified building may not make sense many building owners and facilities management companies are following the standards just to reduce the overall operating costs of the buildings they manage including the majority of college campuses.

Obviously, the USGBC and LEED is a very small piece of the much larger puzzle the government infrastructure is attempting to make our current social structure more friendly on the environment but changing individual behavior is not being left out. Stream Energy suggests keys that will conserve energy and lower your bills such as 1) cutting off lights in unused rooms, 2) setting your thermostat comfortably high in the summer and comfortably low in the winter along w/ utilizing a programmable thermostat to save energy while you’re not home, 3) look for the ENERGY STAR label on appliances and products purchased, 4) take short showers instead of baths, and 5) wash only full loads of clothes and dishes. Other things include driving around 65-70 mph and avoiding speeding particularly during long road trips, keeping your oil changed and disposing of used oil properly along with using fuel injector cleaner after every oil change, and buying vehicles that have a higher miles per gallon rating. Finally, be on the look out for the WaterSense rating on faucets, toilets, and fixtures shipping later this year. The WaterSense is the EPA’s answer to water conservation for what ENERGY STAR did to energy conservation. WaterSense will help consumers identify products that have the same style, function, and performance of products on the market now but these new products will utilize less water.