This paper is aimed to find out the awareness level among the residents of Islamabad about energy-efficient buildings. Also, how other important variables such as income level, age, education background, status, price of such buildings, etc affect this awareness level. Awareness is defined as the level of alertness. For this purpose, different countries have been studied. A brief overview of the similar studies is given below. A study conducted in Sweden showed the two methods for saving energy are through investment measure and changed behavior. The first method is aimed at the fact that buyers having more accurate, complete, relevant and easily accessed information regarding energy efficient buildings, would be in a better position to make an effective purchase decision. However, in the second method, human behavior and actions regarding energy saving is targeted. They are informed in such a way that they feel motivated to use these energy efficient methods in their practical life for green environment for a longer time. Such information is provided to the users through several Swedish and European organizations and governmental authorities. One of them is “The Swedish National Energy Administration”. STEM is an energy advisor who is operating on the idea that environment friendly products such as household appliances, windows, heat pumps and control systems are only consumed if buyers have access to the right and relevant information. Availability, affordability and Energy consumption of such products must be labeled on them. The consumers must be made aware about the effective results of eco-friendly products through sources such as mass media, local exhibitions, internet such as social media, and direct communication with th... ... middle of paper ... ...indicate that this competition did increase the awareness level of the residents of the village only because of the fact that they have some prior knowledge as well. This suggests that positive and significant relationship exist between the two variables. The results showed that changes in the energy efficiency of the people can be explained more in terms of constructivist view than the behaviorist view. Whatever knowledge they have regarding the energy efficient buildings and saving the energy, it is learned mostly from their personal experiences. Friends and media are proven to be the basic sources of getting information. So in order to increase their awareness, it is important that the related information is present to them naturally. The energy efficient products should be available readily. Such products should be highly marketed to grab the buyer’s attention.
Efficiency is not always the answer, according to David Owen, in his novel The Conundrum, explains that society is headed in the wrong direction, believing that to be greener we need to make our everyday lives more efficient when in reality we need to change our behavior. As consumers, people want to be sustainable and preserve the Earth while greedily expanding our collection of trinkets. Efficiency can be beneficial, but to make the world a greener one, it is essential for people to change their behavior, not efficiency of the products.
LEED, or Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design, is a certification program for green buildings with stringent requirements for building energy efficient and environmentally responsible structures. Some requirements of this program include specific building materials, smart grid capable, gray water reclamation systems, green space minimums, high levels of insulation and low thermal transfer glass (US Green Building Council). Green buildings are a must if we are to sustain our current level of growth. Despite the higher initial cost of these buildings, the long term energy savings make these buildings a smarter choice for
Shearman, S., 2013. Consumers getting more environmentally conscious. PRWeek, [online] Available at: [Accessed 14 May 2014]
When energy was cheap and easy to come by, cities were developed with little regard for energy consumption, in terms of travel patterns, use of renewable resources and energy efficient building materials and methods. As the a...
Michael Holder, in the article “IKEA Argues for Business to Go All-In On Sustainability,” examines how businesses nowadays need to follow the footsteps of IKEA with the method of sustainability in mind. Holder mentioned that IKEA produced “...LED lighting which improved the lifespan and energy efficiency…” of the usage of this product. Normally, IKEA produces fluorescent bulbs in which it does the opposite of LEDs. This information indicates that the original business model has changed. Not only this action is tremendous for the environment, but it helps develop more business. It gets people excited to see what the company IKEA’s business model had sold when they involved innovation and growth within sustainability. IKEA is officially cutting back on the materials that tends to be unrecyclable. Also, they are attempting to reuse waste materials into actual resources, which is an highly important aspect of the sustainable lifestyle in which what IKEA is trying to achieve with their
The case study of the Frigidaire Corporation illustrates that valuable data has been collected; therefore, if applied correctly, the company has the potential to position the new front-loading washing machine in the correct market segment(s). According to Exhibit 5 in the case study, the following populations have above concern for conservation of resources: Elite urban singles between the ages of 25 and 34 and couples between the ages of 35 and 54 both of value space savings; Sophisticated townhouse White and Asian couples who are 55 years old or older have above average ecological concerns; Upscale suburban Asian and White families between the ages of 35 and 54 have determinant attributes of performance ...
Wind turbines can be very useful in bringing energy into your home. They are especially useful when solar panels aren't working. They take the wind speed from oceans, lakes, dugouts, or rivers and turn it into energy. To use the wind turbines most efficiently you should set up a wind power system.
Pedersen, Esben Rahbek and Peter Neergaard. "Caveat Emptor- Let the Buyer Beware! Environmental Labelling and the Limitations of 'Green' Consumerism." Business Strategy and the Environment 15 (2006): 15-19.
From research I have learned that consumers attitudes towards environmental protection is increasing. I have discovered that having a green image does matter to consumers. They are aggressively trying to change the way they have impacted our world (Green Marketing, 1 of 7). Some of the reasons that consumers are changing their attitudes are because of their gain in knowledge.
Fourthly, Ecover should offer more education and information with long-term objectives to facilitate and promote new values and behaviours. Finally, Ecover should encourage environmentalists to recommend its products. 9.Appendix Appendix 1:. Survey of consumer attitudes. Australia Canada Germany Italy Japan Holland Spain Switzerland Pay 10-15% more for green products 69 72 68 79 42 87 85 80.
Household energy conservation is a very practical and realistic approach to conserving energy within our society. US households consume a tremendous amount of natural gas as well as electric energy. It has been calculated that the amount of energy consumed within the US increased exponentially from about 1850 to 1975. If energy continued to increase at this rate, we would be experiencing severe energy shortages in our current society. Luckily, steps towards conservation, including various energy regulations, have curbed that growth somewhat, brining the predicted 160 Qbtu/yr for the year 2000 down to around 93.8 Qbtu/yr by the year 1996. However, household energy usage is still a major issue as households consume about 38% of the total consumed energy and contribute greatly to natural gas consumption and issues such as global warming. Therefore, it is important that people understand how we use energy in the household and what steps can be taken to conserve that energy.
Despite the fact that novel technologies are continuously under development to complement existing practices in coming up with greener buildings, the universal intent is that such structures are designed to diminish the general effect on the built environment on health of the humans in addition to the natural environment via: Diminishing environmental degradation, pollution and waste, improving productivity of the employee and guarding occupant health, efficient usage of water, energy, in addition to other resources.
As more and more people are being educated about the environmental issues that have progressively arisen in recent years, more people are looking for ways to live a sustainable lifestyle. With human population growth continually to increase, carbon emissions will continue to have a larger impact in a limited carrying capacity that the Earth holds. Conscious efforts to save natural resources need to be made, luckily there are numerous ways people can reduce their carbon footprint. This essay will demonstrate how the developed world can reduce the pressure being placed on the state of the environment and how simple contributions individuals can partake in can lead to a sustainable development. If we produce awareness about environmental issues then people will realize how important it is to give back to the earth, not only for ourselves during this present moment, but also for future generations (our children). Many people do not realize how big of an impact they actually have on a daily basis, we individually have a greater contribution of carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere than we think. The more energy that is produced through human activity the more likely it is to develop sicknesses, destroy precious environments, endanger species, and deplete the atmosphere which will create insufficient living for every living creature in the future. The paper will entail four ways in which we can create a significantly more sustainable lifestyle. The first section is about alternative energies, such as wind turbines and solar energy, and how individuals can support the transformation from fossil fuels to these green energies. Following that, the second section explains the importance of unplugging wasteful powe...
The use of green materials is better for the environment because they have a positive impact on the planet. Looking at our environment today we see a place that has been facing a massive climate change. Scientists have been concerned over global warming for decades. The ongoing increase of the earth’s temperature is believed to be caused by the greenhouse effect (“Global Warming” 27). Building with green materials produces significantly lower greenhouse gas emission. Specifically, wood as a material for building products, requires considerably less energy than other building products such as steel and concrete. Wood product manufacture results in fewer greenhouse gas and other air-polluting emissions (“Green Building Benefits”). Green building also results in waste reduction. In the United States, construction and demolition creates a huge amount of solid waste. Green building limits the waste prod...
Green architecture is an approach to building which has become more popular in the last 25 to 30 years. Also known as sustainable design, green architecture is a method of design that minimizes the impact of building on the environment. Once thought of as unconventional and nonstandard, both regulatory agencies and the public alike are quickly accepting green architecture as a socially responsible and logical means of construction.