Green Buildings are a Start, but How do we Get There?

Here’s a really great article on BuildingGreen.com about the environmental externalities involved with transportation. That in an of itself isn’t anything super new, but the reason it’s worth re-visiting is this: When we talk about “building green”, one of the most important “green features” we often over look is quite simply whether or not the people who use that building can get there in a “green” way.
The idea is that constructing your factory or corporate headquarters in a traditional manner with few architecturally “green” considerations might be a “greener” choice than building a high-level LEED certified building which is sited in a manner that forces their occupants to use cars. Simply by choosing an urban setting in a walkable or transit friendly neighborhood, a builder has automatically chosen a very environmentally (and socially) sound building practice regardless of what the building is actually made of.
If you are remodeling or reusing an existing building, then you’ve done even better.