Environmental Impact of the Building Industry, EPA and U.S. Green Building Council

Part of Sungloss Marble Restoration Company’s Green Mission Statement says “we cannot, in good conscience, promote our services without knowing our impact on the environment is as tempered and light as possible.” The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) are two titans of leadership in the promotion of environmentally friendly building practices and general environmental education. While Sungloss’ efforts may be small in the grand scheme of environmental impact, we strive every day to promote energy efficiency and green practices in our marble, granite, limestone, terrazzo, travertine, and other natural stone polishing and restoration.

The EPA is a great source for getting basic questions answered about the world of green building. Their ‘Frequent Questions’ and ‘Why Build Green’ sites contain answers that form the foundation of understanding the world of green building. One of the things that this author sometimes forgets is the equal weight between indoor and outdoor environments, and the need to preserve and improve them both. As the EPA site says, “the built environment has a vast impact on the natural environment, human health, and the economy. Potential benefits of green building can include…improving overall quality of life.”

The U.S. Green Building Council is another leader in the field. Sungloss Marble Company is a proud member of the USGBC and participates in educational opportunities provided by them. The Vice President of Sungloss Marble Restoration, Lisa Park, is currently taking LEED certification classes to eventually become credentialed in LEED (follow the link to read more about LEED). The USGBC is all about stimulating excitement, green growth, and even competition in the industry, through saturation of information.

As Sungloss continues out mission in small ways every day, these two agencies work on a grand scale inspiring us all to move to green practices. The present and future “overall quality of life” depends on it.