Green Building“The building sector contributes up to 30% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions and consumes up to 40% of all energy” (UNEP). The construction industry is a major contributor to global warming and, as a result, is a major contributor to melting ice sheets, rising sea levels, and the recent proliferation of extreme weather. However, it doesn't just contribute to global warming; the construction sector also contributes to urban pollution. In the United States alone, the construction industry generates hundreds of millions of tons of municipal solid waste each year. It is clear that the construction industry needs to change if we are to survive as a species. Ultimately, we need to convert our cities into “sustainable cities,” but a good start in this direction is a practice in the construction industry known as Green Building. A Green Building is an environmentally sustainable building designed, constructed and managed to minimize its total environmental impact. Some of the main goals behind Green Building include reducing energy consumption, conserving water, and recycling. Green builders do this by using renewable energy such as solar, wind or hydroelectric, which provides buildings with clean energy and zero carbon dioxide emissions. They manage water through efficient irrigation systems, rainwater harvesting, or on-site recycled water for site beautification. They also develop a waste management plan that diverts a significant amount of solid waste from landfills to recovery facilities. A common assumption that many people make is that Green Building is very expensive. But the cost of a building, house or apartment complex that is Green depends on how “green” you want it to be. Prices can range from a mere 1% in... middle of paper... and cities." In the sustainable city, areas of land and space will be dedicated to agriculture, thus eliminating the need to transport food from long distances. Furthermore, the only type of transportation will be public transportation that will minimize and eventually eliminate the need for fossil fuels. People will use the environment and surroundings in a useful and productive way for both themselves and the life around them Organizations like the Terreform Center for Advanced Urban Research are already developing plans to convert major American cities like New York into sustainable, self-sustaining cities can work to solve them before it's too late. Green buildings and sustainable cities are the future, because without them there is no future.