Green home building is all the rage in America today, and many people do not realize that green home building practices have been in play for decades in Europe. We have many technologies that are just emerging in the United States that seem to be new and innovate…they are not. Green home building is usually discussed in such a way that people marvel about these new technologies, but they are really only new to us.
For example, in Europe, a substance called Autoclave Aerated Concentrate, or AAC for short, has been used in constructing buildings for over two decades. GreenHomeBuilding.com says that this substance is popular in Europe because it is completely fire proof, highly insulating, and very lightweight. This means that it can be easily transported in larger quantities, which will consume less fuel. Also, the AAC is made of very simple ingredients: water, sand, cement, lime, and aluminum powder. The main ingredient in AAC is air, which makes up over eighty percent of it composition. The most important benefit is the fact that its production does not produce any byproducts. This material has been used by builders in Germany for almost one hundred years, but was only introduced in the United States in 1996, and it is not yet widely accepted.
Another example of a green home building technology that is widely used in Europe, but is not very well known in the United States is the Wood Fiber Board. These boards are made from wood chip waste produced by sawmills. According to GreenHomeBuilding.com, these boards are free of allergens and they do not emit any toxins during their manufacture. They are very inexpensive to produce, and they are totally compostable. They are not used much in the United States. We like to cut down new trees to make new boards. We do not like using what we already have to make something new.
Europe is way ahead of us when it comes to green home building practices. People in Europe have been using such construction methods for about a century, so it is nothing new for them…it is a way of life. We have a long way to go, but we are finally in the right frame of mind here in the United States to begin conserving resources… I just hope it is not too late.