Difference between Green and Sustainable
People very often use the terms Green and Sustainable interchangeably. We see the terms everywhere, from corporate advertising to government policies. But in fact, they do not mean the same thing. Understanding the difference is important for anyone who wants to be an informed consumer.
Both terms aim to reduce humanity impact on the natural environment. There is considerable overlap between the two ideas, but they have each have a different focus. The term Green focuses on the short term to reduce human impact, examples include the use of renewable energy and recycling. Sustainable however takes the long view and has a broader, more holistic focus: how can we reduce our impact, not just for tomorrow, but for generations into the future?
Deep dive into “green” design
The central focus of “green” is to protect or improve the natural environment. The natural environment is not just a goal, it’s the raison d’être. Green can apply to all sectors of our economy: manufacturing, agriculture, energy production, and our homes.
Green initiatives typically have a short-term payback, that is immediate changes that result in quick benefits. Classic examples include reducing tailpipe emissions from our cars, installing solar panels on our roofs, or switching from single-use plastic bags to reusable cloth bags.
Resource efficiency plays a significant role in green practices. The operative word here is efficiency. It doesn’t mean doing without, it means doing more with less.
Deep dive into “sustainable” design
As mentioned above, sustainable has a longer-term view and has a broader, more holistic approach. Sustainability tries to balance environmental, social, and economic needs, sometimes referred as the “triple bottom line”. In the real world these three needs are not isolated, although some people would like to think they are, they are in fact intertwined in highly complex ways.
Sustainability looks at the entire lifecycle of a product. Starting from the beginning, how are raw materials mined or harvested? How is that raw material processed? How is the finished material transported to where it’s needed? At the end of the product’s life, how is the product disposed of? How are the inevitable waste products created through this entire process handled? We could write entire blog posts on each of the questions, and many more.
What about our social responsibility to other parties involved? Is it “right” to ship our waste products to poor countries to deal with? Are we paying the fair wages to the people who mine, grow, or process the materials we need? Is our drive for profits overriding our ethics?
Can a green practice by unsustainable?
The short answer is “yes”. Consider adding ethanol to gasoline. The practice of adding ethanol to gasoline was sold to the pubic as being “greener” that burning straight gasoline. It also would reduce the demand for gasoline at a time of national shortage. There are some environmental benefits from adding ethanol to gasoline. Buring the ethanol does reduce the emission of carbon monoxide (highly toxic), carbon dioxide (global warming), and nitrogen oxides (causes smog). But there are considerable downsides, increased ozone production (a major urban pollutant), encourages farmers to monoculture corn (which consumes large quantities of fertilizer, herbicides, pesticides, and leads to soil decline). Another thing not considered originally, while ethanol did decrease the demand for gasoline, it increased the demand of diesel fuel – farm tractors run on diesel. So, while ethanol in gasoline may be “green” is some sense, it is most definitely not sustainable.
Which is more important Green or Sustainable
Both are important. Green is often easier and has immediate payback. Sustainable is a more difficult goal, and the payback is in future generations. But the two can work together amazing well, when properly thought through.
Let’s consider an example for building a house which is both green and sustainable. We can easily add some solar panels to the roof and be greener. But a better approach would be to build a high efficiency house, which also has solar panels, but fewer of them. We can take it to the next level by using ICCF (see blog on ICCF construction) blocks to build the house, the house is energy efficient plus we have the added benefit of putting a waste product (Styrofoam) to good use.
At Delta Energy Solutions, we strive to design homes that are both green in the short term and sustainable for the long haul.