The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has launched a "green buildings" web site — www.michigan.gov/deqconstruction — to help promote and foster green building initiatives in Michigan.

Green buildings are designed to save money, reduce waste, water and energy usage, increase worker productivity and create healthier home and work environments for people. From the outside, green buildings may appear much like other buildings. But once inside, you may notice designs that make them operate in a much more efficient, healthy manner. Green buildings can be homes, offices, schools, hospitals or any building type. Gov. Jennifer Granholm's Executive Directive 2005-4 requires state buildings, universities and colleges to incorporate green building aspects in an energy savings effort.

Green building is important for reducing the environmental impacts of construction and operation of homes and commercial buildings. They contribute significantly to a community's land use and transportation impacts as well as the energy demand.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, buildings are responsible for:

• 65.2% of total U.S. electricity consumption
• 30% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions
• 136 million tons of construction and demolition waste in the U.S.
• 12% of potable water in the U.S.
• 40% (3 billion tons annually) of raw materials used globally

In addition, DEQ has incorporated green building commitments into its own building construction. The DEQ Southeast Michigan District Office in Warren is among Michigan's first "green" state office buildings. The building incorporates green design that will reduce potable water usage by 20% and energy usage by 35% compared to conventional construction. The purchase of renewable energy alone will reduce the building's annual related air emissions of CO2 by 597,235 pounds and 1,287 pounds of NOx. This is equivalent to taking 52 cars off the road or planting 81 trees. Plans for future offices in Bay City and Marquette call for buildings to include even more green features.