The USA needs to learn green home building
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by: hugatree
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Word Count: 418
Green home building is very popular in the United States today, but many people do not know that Europeans have been building green homes for decades. We have many technologies that are just emerging in the United States that seem to be new and innovate...they are not. Green home building is usually discussed in such a way that people marvel about these new technologies, but they are really only new to us.
In Europe, for example, there is a building material called Autoclave Aerated Concentrate, or AAC, which has been used in new construction for years. GreenHomeBuilding.com says that this substance is popular in Europe because it is completely fire proof, highly insulating, and very lightweight. This means that it can be easily transported in larger quantities, which will consume less fuel. Also, the AAC is made of very simple ingredients: water, sand, cement, lime, and aluminum powder. The main ingredient in AAC is air, which makes up over eighty percent of it composition. An important factor in the greenness of this substance is the fact that its production causes no byproducts. Builders have been using this building material in Germany for almost a century; however, it was introduced in the United States in 1996 and still is not widely accepted.
Another example of a green home building technology that is widely used in Europe, but is not very well known in the United States is the Wood Fiber Board. This type of board is created from the wood chip waste which is a byproduct of sawmills. According to GreenHomeBuilding.com, these boards are free of allergens and they do not emit any toxins during their manufacture. They are cheap to make, durable, and totally compostable. They are not used much in the United States. We prefer cutting more trees, I guess.. It seems as though we prefer not using something we already have, but rather wasting to create new products.
Europe is by far more advanced then we are when it comes to green home building practices. People in Europe have been using such construction methods for about a century, so it is nothing new for them...it is a way of life. We have a long way to go, but we are finally in the right frame of mind here in the United States to begin conserving resources... I just hope it is not too late. See more Go here --
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