Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Green building is the fastest-growing trend to hit since the Internet, bringing with it an enormous range of new products, systems, and technologies. Green Building A to Z is an informative, technically accurate, and highly visual guide to green building, for both decision-makers and interested citizens. It begins with an introduction to the importance of green buildings and a brief history of the green building movement, outlines the benefits and costs of green buildings, and shows how you can influence the spread of green buildings. The book touches on key issues, such as enhancing water conservation, reducing energy use, and creating a conservation economy.

The book examines all aspects of green buildings, including:

More than just a reference, this book emphasizes the importance of green buildings and green developments for a sustainable future. It will be an invaluable resource for businesspeople, homeowners, product manufacturers, developers, building industry professionals, and government officials.

Jerry Yudelson is a professional engineer with an MBA. He has trained three thousand people in the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System, and has chaired Greenbuild, the world's largest green building conference, for the past four years. The founder of a green building consulting firm, he is the author of three books on green building marketing and an advisor to manufacturers, venture capital firms, design firms, and developers.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Preface (p. xiii)
• Foreword (p. xvii)
• Part I Green Buildings Today
• 1 Green Buildings in a Global Context (p. 3)
• Resource Depletion and Carbon Dioxide Emissions (p. 7)
• 2 Green Building History (p. 9)
• Current Situation (p. 10)
• Understanding Green Buildings (p. 10)
• Who Is Using LEED? (p. 12)
• 3 What is a Green Building? (p. 15)
• 4 Becoming a Green Building Advocate (p. 19)
• In Your Office or Workplace (p. 19)
• In Your Home or Apartment (p. 21)
• Your Town City or State: The Power of Local Initiatives (p. 22)
• Your College or University (p. 24)
• Part II Green Building: A to Z
• 5 Green Building Terms (p. 28)
• Architecture 2030 (p. 29)
• Access to Transit (p. 30)
• Bicycle Commuting (p. 32)
• Big Picture (p. 33)
• Biodiesel (p. 34)
• Biophilia (p. 35)
• Brownfields (p. 36)
• Building Codes (p. 38)
• Carbon Dioxide Monitoring (p. 40)
• Carbon Neutral (p. 41)
• Carpet (p. 42)
• Certification (p. 43)
• Certified Wood Products (p. 44)
• Charrettes and Eco-charrettes (p. 46)
• Comfort (p. 47)
• Commissioning (p. 49)
• Controllability of Systems (p. 50)
• Construction Practices (p. 51)
• Cool Roofs (p. 53)
• Costs of Green Buildings (p. 54)
• Cradle-to-cradle Design (p. 57)
• Daylighting (p. 59)
• Density (p. 60)
• Design (p. 61)
• Displacement Ventilation (p. 63)
• Eco-efficiency and Eco-effectiveness (p. 65)
• Ecological Footprint (p. 66)
• Education (p. 67)
• Energy Conservation (p. 69)
• Engineering (a Sustainable World) (p. 70)
• Feng Shui (p. 72)
• Furniture and Finishes (p. 73)
• Global Warming (p. 75)
• Green Globes (p. 76)
• Green Guide for Healthcare (p. 77)
• Green Home Building Guidelines (p. 78)
• Green Power (p. 80)
• Green Products (p. 81)
• Green Roofs (p. 82)
• High-performance Buildings (p. 85)
• Historic Preservation (p. 86)
• Homes, Green (p. 87)
• Hybrid Vehicles (p. 90)
• Incentives (p. 92)
• Integrated Design (p. 93)
• Interior Design (p. 95)
• Investing in Green Buildings (p. 97)
• Justice, Social (p. 99)
• Knowledge (p. 101)
• LEDs (Light-emitting Diodes) (p. 103)
• LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) (p. 104)
• Life-cycle Assessment (LCA) (p. 108)
• Life-cycle Cost (p. 109)
• Light Pollution Reduction (p. 111)
• Lighting Design (p. 112)
• Living Buildings (p. 113)
• Locally Sourced Materials (p. 115)
• Low-flush Toilets (p. 116)
• Microturbines (p. 118)
• Measurement and Verification Systems (p. 119)
• Native American and Native Canadian Ways of Living (p. 121)
• Nature, Design with (p. 122)
• New Urbanism (p. 123)
• Onsite Sewage Treatment (p. 126)
• Operations and Maintenance Practices (p. 127)
• Ozone-layer Protection (p. 128)
• Paints, Low-VOC (p. 130)
• Paradigm Shift (p. 131)
• Passive Solar Design (p. 132)
• Permeable Pavement (p. 133)
• Photovoltaics (p. 135)
• Platinum Buildings (p. 133)
• Post-occupancy Evaluation (p. 140)
• Productivity (p. 142)
• Question Authority (p. 144)
• Radiant Heating and Cooling (p. 146)
• Rainwater Reclamation/Reuse (p. 147)
• Rapidly Renewable Materials (p. 148)
• Recycled-content Materials (p. 150)
• Renewable Energy (p. 151)
• Renovation, Building (p. 152)
• Restoration of Sites (p. 154)
• Return on Investment (p. 155)
• Right-sizing Systems (p. 156)
• Salvage Materials (p. 158)
• Schools, Green (p. 159)
• Solar Thermal Systems (p. 162)
• Stormwater Management (p. 163)
• Sustainable Design (p. 164)
• Sustainable Sites (p. 166)
• Technology, Green (p. 168)
• Thermal Energy Storage (p. 169)
• Triple Bottom Line (p. 170)
• US Green Building Council (p. 172)
• Unbridled Enthusiasm! (p. 173)
• Urban Heat-island Effect (p. 174)
• Vastu Shastra (p. 176)
• Ventilation (p. 177)
• Views of the Outdoors (p. 178)
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) (p. 180)
• Water Conservation (p. 182)
• Water-free Urinals (p. 183)
• Wetlands, Constructed (p. 184)
• Wind Power (p. 186)
• Xeriscaping (p. 188)
• Zen (p. 190)
• Zero-net-energy Buildings (p. 191)
• Part III
• Resources (p. 197)
• Endnotes (p. 203)
• Index (p. 213)
• About the Author (p. 219)

Author notes provided by Syndetics