Does Europe know something about green home building that the US doesnt
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by: hugatree
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Word Count: 417
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. This phrase "green home building" is talked about in such a way that people are astonished by new technologies, but really, these technologies are 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. According to GreenHomeBuilding,com, this substance is fire proof, highly insulating, and 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. The most important benefit is the fact that its production does not produce any 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.
An additional green home building material that is used widely in Europe but not in the United States is the Wood Fiber Board. These boards are made from wood chip waste produced by sawmills. According to GreenHomeBuilding.com, these boards are free of allergens and they do not emit any toxins during their manufacture. They are very inexpensive to produce, and they are totally compostable. But, we do not use those very much here in the United States. We prefer cutting more trees, I guess.. We do not like using what we already have to make something new.
Europe is by far more advanced then we are when it comes to green home building practices. They have been doing these things for about one hundred years, so for Europeans, there is nothing new or innovative about green home building; 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. Related Links Syndicate -- Green home bathroom -- Feeds -- Building a green house -- Green home design --
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