Sustainable Housing: Reducing the Carbon Footprint of the Residential Sector

Abstract

Sustainability is a term that refers to the use of resources by the current generation that does not reduce their availability for future generations and does not contribute to climate change. Thus, a community or society that practices sustainability can continue to do what it has been doing forever. However, current practices in many countries, including the U.S., are not sustainable. Given the increasing global population, the currently expanding global economy, and thus the increasing global demand for resources, ways to imitate natural systems are optimally implemented when all resources are used in a process, there is no waste material, and the carbon footprint is minimized. In such a system, materials are constantly recycled, and they serve as inputs to the human economy or nourishment to the ecosystem, thus ending the linear process currently used for material acquisition and use. The goal of this presentation is to cover various aspects of sustainable housing, including waste management at the construction site, energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy, and green building.

Author(s): Joseph Laquatra

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