Skip to main content

Green buildings: Quick facts

Decrease font Decrease font
Enlarge font Enlarge font

(CNN) -- Buildings in the United States are responsible for around 40 percent of all energy consumption. The commercial sector accounts for nearly half of all this. (Source: Commercial Buildings Initiative)

During the next 25 years, the U.S. building sector's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will grow "faster than any other sector", with commercial buildings' emissions growing the fastest of the lot. (Source: U.S. Green Building Council)

Including industrial buildings, the entire non-residential building sector in the U.S. represents 45 percent of the country's entire greenhouse gas emissions tally. (Source: EnergyStar)

U.S. buildings use more energy than those in other parts of the world, but that is changing. If trends continue on the same path, China's building energy consumption will be as high as Europe's by 2030, its commercial building energy use doubling during the same time. (Source: World Business Council For Sustainable Development)

The gas savings of just 3.9 million telecommuters in the U.S. result in CO2 reductions equal to taking 2 million cars from the road a year. (Source: Consumer Electronics Association)

  • E-mail
  • Save
  • Print