Major Green Design Components:

1). Energy Conservation
    a. Daylighting/passive solar heating
    b. Renewable resources
2) Green Construction Materials
    a. nontoxic building materials
    b. recycled/ locally produced materials
3) Conserve Water and Waste
    a. low flow faucets/shower heads
    b. waterless urinals

Energy Conservation
    Energy conservation is an essential component of green buildings.  In America buildings use over 42% of the annual energy.  In the production of this energy they create over 40% of all the atmospheric emissions (EPA, 2001).  Daylighting and passive solar heating are two of the most commonly used energy saving techniques in green architecture.  Daylighting drastically reduces energy needs by limiting the amount and intensity of lights needed within a building throughout the day.  Many green buildings have electronic devices that control how intense interior lights are based off of the natural daylight which enters the building.  Generally, green buildings are oriented towards the equator so that they are able to capture the largest amounts of the sun's rays.  Passive solar heating utilizes the same concepts as daylighting, however it utilizes the suns radiation to heat the building during the winter months (Graham, 2003). 
    The use of renewable resources to power green buildings cuts much of the needs for power which would normally be generated from fossil fuels.  Renewable resources reduce the impacts of a building on the natural environment by limiting CO2 emissions.  Many green buildings utilize a combination of solar cells and wind energy.  Each of these energy sources are extremely environmentally friendly and as the name implies are renewable. 
Green Construction Materials
    Green buildings use as few toxic materials in the construction as possible.  They also utilize recycled and locally produced materials.  In America, buildings consume 30% of all raw materials (EPA, 2001).  Utilizing recycled materials in a new building creates less of a demand for building materials, which in turn puts less of a demand on the environment (Kennedy, 2003).  It also decrease the amount of waste that occurs when buildings are no longer in use.  Locally produced goods reduces the transportation cost and also promotes local industry.  Green buildings are also designed to be easily recycled or modified so that a building can serve multiple purposes throughout its life cycle. 
Conserve Water and Waste
    Green buildings help to reduce the demand for water and also reduce the amounts of wastes that leave the facility.  Buildings in American create over 30% of all solid wastes and also use over 24% of water (EPA, 2001).  With the use of low flow faucets and shower heads green buildings are able to eliminate much of its water usage.