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Energy Efficiency

ARCHITECTURE CAN DO MORE THAN CREATE AN ATTRACTIVE SKYLINE - IT CAN LEAD TO GREATER ENERGY EFFICIENCY.  LET’S DRAW BLUEPRINTS FOR SUSTAINABILITY ON THIS ENVIRONMINUTE.

ACCORDING TO A REPORT BY THE U-N ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME, SUSTAINABLE BUILDING COULD PLAY A KEY ROLE IN SLOWING CLIMATE CHANGE.  SPOKESPERSON NICLAS SVENNINGSEN EXPLAINS.

SVENNINGSEN "THIRTY TO FORTY PERCENT OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN SOCIETY, ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, COMES FROM BUILDINGS. PEOPLE DON’T USUALLY THINK ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THE ENERGY IS PRODUCED IN POWER PLANTS AND THEY THINK THAT IS WHERE THE PROBLEM IS, BUT THE FACT IS THAT THE ENERGY IS USED IN BUILDINGS."

THIS MEANS BETTER DESIGN AND INSULATION AND THE USE OF COMPACT FLUORESCENT LIGHTING COULD DRAMATICALLY REDUCE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS.  AND IF WORLD LEADERS PROVIDE ECONOMIC INCENTIVES, SVENNINGSEN SAYS THE EFFECTS COULD BE ENORMOUS.

THE ENVIRONMINUTE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES AND THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.  LEARN MORE BY VISITING ENVIRONMINUTE-DOT-COM.

To read more about this story, please visit the Environmental News Network.

To access the report, please visit the UNEP site.

To read more about this and other environmental health issues, go to: www.environmentalhealthnews.org, www.ourstolenfuture.org, or www.healthandenvironment.org