The part of the environmental movement that draws my firm’s attention is the design of cities, buildings and products. When we designed America’s first so-called “green” office building in New York two decades 71 , we felt very alone. But today, thousands of people come to green building conferences, and the 72 that buildings can be good for people and the environment will be increasingly influential in years to 73 .
Back in 1984 we discovered that most manufactured products for decoration weren’t designed for 74 use. The “energy-efficient” sealed commercial buildings constructed after the 1970s energy crisis 75 indoor air quality problems caused by materials such as paint, wall covering and carpet. So for 20 years, we’ve been focusing on these materials 76 to the molecules, looking for ways to make them 77 for people and the planet.
Home builders can now use materials----such as paints that release significantly 78 amounts of organic compounds ----that don’t 79 the quality of the air, water, or soil. Ultimately, 80 , our basic design strategy is focused not simply on being “less bad” but on creating 81 healthful materials that can be either safely returned to the soil 82 reused by industry again and again. As a matter of 83 , the world’s largest carpet manufacturer has already 84 a carpet that is fully and safely recyclable (可循环利用的).
Look at it this way: No one 85 out to create a building that destroys the planet. But our current industrial systems are 86 causing these conditions, whether we like it or not. So 87 of simply trying to reduce the damage, we are 88 a positive approach. We’re giving people high-quality, healthful products and an opportunity to make choices that have a 89 effect on the world.
It’s not just the building industry, either, 90 cities are taking these environmentally positive approaches to design, planning and building. Portland, Seattle and Boston have said they want to be green cities. Chicago wants to be the greenest city in the world.
