Ideal Living - Summer 2014

We all want our kids and grandkids to enjoy a better life in a better world. Traditionally, that often meant “ having more” to use or consume, but we now understand that there’s a limit to all non-renewable resources and the amount of abuse our planet can take. Today, the challenge is “being more”—more intelligent, more creative and more efficient—as we reduce our negative environmental impacts and discover or invent new ways to manage our energy and water resources, among others.

From federal government agencies to local non-profits and from builders large or small right down to each of us as individual consumers, everyone has a role to play if the goal of a greener tomorrow is to be realized.

Since 1970, the Environmental Protection Agency (epa.

gov) has been recommending policies and implementing
regulations designed to limit pollution and enhance re-
source quality. By any objective measure, we’re all breathing
a little easier, as well as drinking, bathing and fishing more
safely, since the agency began enforcing cleaner air and wa-
ter standards. But many Americans might not know that
one EPA initiative is also saving them money while reduc-
ing greenhouse gas emissions. ENERGY STAR is a voluntary
EPA program that encourages greater efficiency for products
like personal electronic devices, office equipment, home ap-
pliances and heating/air conditioning systems. New homes
and commercial buildings can also earn the ENERGY STAR
designation based on independent third-party testing. The
ENERGY STAR program has been adopted by dozens of
other countries since 1992 and a recent U.S. poll revealed
that ENERGY STAR certification is now as highly respected
by American consumers as the Good Housekeeping Seal of
Approval.

Notable among the many non-governmental organizations working to improve our lifestyle sustainability is the U.S. Green Building Council ( usgbc.org), which administers the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)