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Building green is becoming increasingly popular as people become more concerned about issues surrounding global warming and greenhouse gasses. According to data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), waste from building-related construction and demolition totaled approximately 136 million tons per year in the late 1990s. This accounted for nearly 60 percent of total non-industrial waste generation in the U.S. The EPA also states that about 43 percent of that waste is from residential sources.

Recycling these materials is a great way to help protect the environment. So is incorporating a green design for any new construction, remodeling or additions to a particular building plan. Kaya Doyle is a Lake Zurich architect and resident that believes in the idea of sustainable construction. “When we remodel or build new projects, we should think about the implication of our choices,” she says. As an example, Doyle talks about selecting windows for a home. “Using a window that has a better R-value might increase the initial cost of the project, but it will lower the amount of energy required to heat and cool the house...so the extra dollars spent up front for the best window you can afford will have a lower lifecycle cost,” she says.

Doyle’s own house is a passive solar design, and she says, “The depth of the house is less than 26 feet, allowing sunlight to penetrate every corner. We also use a wood burning stove with a catalytic convertor inside that fully heats the house in the winter and burns clean so that the emissions are not contributing to poor air quality.” Other properties in the Lake Zurich area are also incorporating green design features. Doyle says, “There are two other projects currently in-design here in our zip code that are including the use of solar panels as supplemental energy sources.”

Robert Boyce is the owner of Natural Environments Inc.; a family owned landscaping business in Lake Zurich. He says that eco-friendly landscaping is another important part of green building. “Landscape plantings prevent erosion to keep waterways clean, filter toxins out of the soil and air, and cool the environment with shade and a process called evapotranspiration. As moisture is transported from the soil through the plant and evaporated from the foliage, heat energy is absorbed,” says Boyce, pointing out that on a hot day, a tree can cool the area below it by as much as 15 degrees.

Using native plants in a landscaping design is another way to go green. Boyce says, “Because native plants evolved in this area, they usually require less water, pesticides and fertilizer to stay healthy and attractive.” Boyce has done a good deal of work in the Lake Zurich area, including shoreline restoration at Paulus Park, and eco-friendly landscaping for quite a number of private residences in Lake Zurich.

Plantings are not the only way to green an outdoor area. “Patio bricks can be spaced with pea gravel in the voids to make them permeable allowing ground water to be recharged,” says Boyce. He also mentions that storing excess rain in closed containers can be a good way to have water on hand for plants when the soil gets dry.

Green building concepts continue to move forward, and there are many options to choose from when looking for ways to reduce waste and conserve energy. This has become its own specialized field, and experts such as Lake Zurich Area Chamber members Robert Boyce and Kaya Doyle are doing their part to empower homeowners so they can make building choices that are eco-friendly, and ultimately, sustainable.