• The building is oriented to the sun, using the winter sun to warm the rooms and blocking the heat from the summer sun.

• The rain falling on the roof is stored for later use to flush the toilets.

• The soapy water from the building’s sinks is saved and used to water the yard.

• All the materials used in the building are healthy, and none has that new-paint or new-carpet smell.

• The building produces more energy than it uses.

• The roof is covered with plants to filter the rainwater, clean the air, and insulate the building.

• All the walls are made from natural materials that don’t require cutting down an entire forest or release nasty chemicals into the air.

• The building checks the weather report to decide (on its own) whether the lawn watering system should be activated.

All these ideas are just some of the many examples of what constitutes the ideal green building. Most of this may sound like science fiction to you, but believe it or not, all these ideas are available today.

In the future, the term green building will, I hope, be redundant. Using the term green building would be like saying, “structurally sound building” or even “code-compliant building.” In the future, all buildings will be green buildings. Some innovations to our buildings could include:

Carpet: Carpeting will be made of healthy materials. Instead of rubbing toxins into your skin, it will feed vitamins into your children as they crawl across the carpet surface. It will be dirt repellant to reduce the need for vacuuming.

Energy: Energy-producing solar panels will integrate seamlessly into the building the same way windows and doors do. They will rotate to follow the sun throughout the day.

Flooring: Bio-based finish materials will heal when damaged and thicken like a callus where they get worn.

Roofs: Roofing materials will be able to darken in cold temperatures to absorb heat, or lighten in warm temperatures to reflect heat.

Such ideas are not impossible. In fact, as energy, water, and material use issues become more critical, such innovations will be necessary.