Your Questions About Sustainable Energy Definition
Sandy asks…
Why is burning coal not sustainable? Do natural gas and petroleum stack up any better?
Three reasons why coal is not sustainable? And do natural gas and petroleum stack up any better in terms of sustainability?
admin answers:
One reason coal burning is unsustainable from an environmental standpoint is that is finite, and using it will deplete it’s use for future generations. In fact, that is the definition of unsustainable. Another factor is that coal burning releases sulfur, and sulfur dioxide is a component of industrial smog, a noxious fume that kills many people and produces a slew of respiratory diseases. Not to say coal is useless, but its downsides may be particularly pronounced
Each source of energy has its own issues. Natural gas is essentially limitless but is probably hard to capture. Petroleum is also finite and involves drilling. The scales may tip towards natural gas for these reasons
Ruth asks…
What does it take to call a building “green”?
Can you market your building as “green” if it has just a few green features, or does it have to meet certain minimum guidelines? I am thinking about this in the way that the word “organic” is regulated on food labels.
Also – do you think it’s redundant to call something “green” and “sustainable” in the same sentence? I am putting together a sign for my company’s real estate development, and I’m wondering if it is pointless to call the project “a green, sustainable development” or if both words really mean the same thing.
admin answers:
I don’t think there is a green certification, however, there are some things to consider.
Energy star certification.
Green building/ construction methods (hay bale, cob, cordwood, papercreate, adobe, earth shelters… )
Minimizing the use of concrete (pier or rubble trench foundations )
Passive solar design
Solar hotwater
Separate grey water systems
Sustainable certified lumbar
The list goes on and on
The term green is probably the best way to go. You are opening a big can of worms if you use the term sustainable. Sustainable has a real definition. A friend of mine sells “sustainable” clothing, woven with thread from banana leaves. That is not sustainable in and of itself. Scientists have predicted that bananas (the type we eat) will soon face a blight that we can not protect them from, ending its presence in our super markets. Although the thread may be a commendable effort at maximizing a resource that otherwise may have been left unused, bananas in general are not a sustainable resource. Every material in the house would have to be made from a sustainable resource (like wood and hay) and would exculde non sustainable materials like (metal, plastics….). Then again, there is no MARKET definition for sustainable.
If you are interested in charging more money for a “green development” and using expensive things like bamboo flooring, or salvaged lumbar from the bottoms of lakes and rivers, or anything ridiculously expensive and unpractical, then forget everything I said. Just put whatever you want on the sign, spit in thier face, and ask them for $400,000
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