"Building" a Better Future
Encourage building of green buildings. We can save - and generate - a lot of energy if we think about how we design our structures before we physically create them. If designs are conscious of energy-saving techniques, the structures themselves, not just what goes on inside them, can be more sustainable.

Tax breaks for those doing the building construction/those using the building?
Simply spread awareness of environmental concerns and how buildings can be created to be more eco-friendly, and hope people will be motivated by that?
What community does this idea benefit and who are the main players?
This idea benefits any community where a structure is built (so basically, every community). The "main players" are those who design the structure and those who build it, those who will use it, and most importantly, the community that benefits from it.How does your idea specifically help your community rapidly transition to renewables?
When a community's buildings are designed with sustainability in mind, this includes making structures that would be optimally compatible with renewable energy practices and technologies. This idea is meant to facilitate and encourage the use of energy-saving and energy-harnessing ideas already available, specifically those whose main obstacle to widespread adoption is the impracticality of integrating them with structures that are not very conducive to energy-saving/harnessing measures.What early, lightweight experiment can you try out in your own community to find out if the idea will meet your expectations?
A "lightweight experiment" in my own community may be difficult, as designing and building a new structure isn't easy or cheap. I do have a previous example that comes to mind: several years ago in my community (Troy, MI) there was a designing contest for a house that would be completely self-sustaining as far as energy, and the winning design was actually built (I think Solar energy was a main part, but the house itself was meant to maximize efficiency), and used to teach the community about renewable energy and environmentally sound styles of living. That's my proof: it already was done. Since it is clearly possible, we simply need to encourage wide-spread adoption of such environmentally friendly designs.What skills, input or guidance are you keen to connect with from the OpenIDEO community to help you build out or refine your idea further?
Any suggestions on how to encourage eco-friendly designing/building practices? Any idea of specific obstacles to overcome, other than people not knowing how necessary and practical renewable energy is?Please indicate which type of energy is most relevant to this post:
- A combination of various types of renewable energy
This idea emerged from:
- An Individual
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