Our Planet is facing dramatic changes owing to the accelerated rate of human development and indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources. A warning sign that our delicate global ecosystem is very near the ‘tipping scale is characterized by Global warming. Therefore, it is incumbent on humanity to find solutions to harmonize their needs in consonance with nature. One such solution would be to build ‘Green houses.

What is a ‘Green House building? It encompasses cost effective and eco-friendly use of resources to build houses, institutions, markets, malls, and other similar structures.

The methods used in ‘Green House building are diverse. Use of architectural designs, which maximize the availability of natural sunlight and wind, help reduce consumption of electricity and polluting air conditioners. Another method is to use solar heaters and photovoltaic cells to save electricity. Conservation, an important facet of ‘green design is helped by using locally available natural materials. Rationalizing ones needs also helps the green initiative; for example, building a house only as large as you actually need. Installation of smaller cisterns for flushing toilets, recycled water for gardening and rain water harvesting are important principles in building ‘green houses.

The advantages of building ‘green are many. Experts have estimated that a well-planned ‘green building consumes upto 30% less energy than a normal building. Because ‘green buildings use more natural air and sunlight, they are likely to be healthier to live in and thus improve human productivity with the added advantage of lower incidental medical bills.

There is a general misconception that ‘green house building is significantly costlier than building normal houses. Such a perception is not true. A well-conceived ‘green house project might cost in the range of 0.5% to 6.5% over a normal building in the initial costing. In the long term, those initial costs are recovered.

A sustainable ‘green house model involves incorporation of ‘green features in the design stage leading to reduction of costs. Suggested measures include pooling or sharing of resources such as a common swimming pool or investing on a rainwater harvesting plant for the community at large.

‘Green is here to stay. In fact more and more people will be opting to live in ‘green buildings in the future. Building ‘green houses will help in ensuring a bright future to our children and also help in protecting the Earth.