Environmental Advocacy through Affordable Sustainability Practices & Building
The Foundation For Building takes great pride in creating and collaborating on programs that will widen your eyes with excitement, inspire you to learn more about what we do and why we do it, and get you to say, "Wow, what a phenomenal idea! Tell me more."
Build Green New Mexico
This statewide program certifies green residential building and is housed under the Foundation For Building, which, in addition to its other goals, supports and encourages affordable housing and builder education. Build Green New Mexico is a voluntary program, the purpose of which is to encourage homebuilders to use technologies that support higher performing, more sustainable homes. These include products and practices that will provide greater energy efficiency and reduce pollution; healthier indoor air; reduce water usage; preserve natural resources; and improve durability and reduce maintenance.
The Foundation For Building adopted the Build Green New Mexico program in 2007 after spending nearly 15 years developing a successful and nationally-recognized residential green building program. The basis of the program was the National Association of Home Builders Model Green Home Building Guidelines. Build Green New Mexico has certified thousands of homes in the state and is recognized in several local and state codes. For more, visit BuildGreenNM.com
- The Build Green New Mexico program has proven to be so successful that it has been used as a model nationwide.
- In the past as many as 72% of the homes permitted and built in the City of Albuquerque were built using Build Green New Mexico standards.
- BGNM was the certifying basis for the highly successful New Mexico State Sustainable Building Tax Credit, which resulted in thousands of energy-efficient homes being built across the state that otherwise could not have been constructed.
- In the process, BGNM builders employed thousands of New Mexicans and generated significant tax revenues to the state and municipalities.
The Build Green New Mexico program is a voluntary program adopted by builders and homeowners.
“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is now.” – An Ancient Asian Proverb
The benefits of trees and their contributions to our environment are significant and surprisingly varied:
- Aside from releasing huge amounts of oxygen back into our skies, an acre of trees absorbs enough CO2 to off-set 26,000 miles travelled in your car.
- Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases, including nitrogen, oxides, ammonia, sulphur dioxide and ozone and traps them in their leaves and bark.
- Trees cool our streets and the city by at least 10 degrees to help mitigate the Heat Island Effects we are all exposed to. In addition it releases water vapor into the air through their leaves.
- Three trees placed strategically around your home can cut summer air conditioning needs by up to 50%. By reducing the energy demand for cooling our houses we reduce carbon dioxide and other pollution emissions from power plants.
- Shade from trees slows water evaporation from thirsty lawns saving us millions of gallons each year.
- Trees reduce runoff by breaking rainfall, allowing the water to flow down the trunk and into the earth below the tree. This prevents storm water from carrying pollutants to our rivers.
- On hillsides and slopes, trees slow runoff and hold soil in place thereby reducing soil erosion.
- Trees can reduce our exposure to UV-B by about 50% which ultimately might save us from skin cancer, the most common form of cancer in the United States.
- Trees are a signifiant source of food. A single apple tree can yield up to 15-20 bushels of fruit per year and can be planted on the smallest urban lot.
- Studies have shown that patients with views of trees heal faster and have fewer complications. Children with ADHD show fewer symptoms when they have access to nature. Trees and nature have been shown to improve our ability to concentrate and increase our overall happiness.
- Neighborhoods and homes that are barren have shown to have greater incidence of violence in and out of the home than their greener counterparts. Trees and landscaping can help reduce the level of fear.
- Trees mark, and help us celebrate, the seasons.
- Fruit from community orchards can be sold, thereby providing income for the less-fortunate. Planting, caring for, and harvesting trees represent opportunities for good-paying jobs.
- Tree plantings provide an opportunity for community involvement that improves the quality of life in our neighborhoods. Tree plantings can be unifying and rewarding experiences for everyone, and help establish a neighborhood’s identity and encourage civic pride.
- Trees are great buffers of hard surfaces like block walls or parking lots. They muffle sound from nearby streets and freeways, and soften the overall look of an area. Additionally, they absorb dust and wind and reduce high-altitude sun glare.
- The beauty of a well-planted property along with its surrounding area can raise property values by as much as 15%, and it’s been shown that business areas with landscaping and trees do substantially better than those without.
“We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can’t speak for themselves…the birds, the animals and the trees themselves.” – Qwatsinas of the Nuxalk Nation