Green building materials are a hot commodity in both commercial and industrial developments these days. More and more, end consumers are making it a priority to live and work in places that incorporate green building materials. The trend has affected design and construction aspects of a development as well, as developers seek to make an integrated, beautiful space that can be accurately marketed as green and sustainable. So why have these materials become so in-demand these days? Doing the right thing shouldn’t be neglected as one reason. There are many good-hearted people who are interested in using green building materials purely because they want to do something good for the earth. Protecting the environment and conserving energy also represent compassion toward our fellow human beings, helping to make life healthier for everyone collectively. These humanitarian and environmental concerns weight very much on people’s minds and, when given an equal choice, most will do the right thing and build sustainably. However, conscience alone has never been the primary driving force of an economy. There are a number of other reasons why the green building movement has finally taken off in the past ten years after decades of spinning its wheels. People were just as good-hearted in the 70s as they are now, so what’s changed? Education is a bit factor. The new homeowners of the last ten years were the first generation to receive extensive information about environmental damage during their school years. They were raised to recycle and to refrain from littering. Prior to the 1980s, the extent to which humans have harmed the environment – and the long term effects of it – were not well understood and were very controversial. But as researchers began to gather the facts and see clear trends, people began to take some of these claims more seriously. Another factor is purely financial. In earlier times, an individual had to spend a great deal of money to incorporate green building materials into their home, and the cost for large-scale developers was magnified to staggering proportions. Solar and wind power, natural design, and engineered green materials like vinyl flooring were either costly or not widely available. Some green building materials were still new, which made it riskier for businesses to invest in using them. With time, the green construction industry has evened out. Many great eco-friendly materials are now available at competitive prices, and they’ve been tested and refined over decades of use. These factors combine to mean that it is easier and more acceptable than ever to prioritize green building. Using green building materials is now seen as prudent and sensible, as well as caring. There has never been such an energy-conscious moment as now.
