Green Design Initiative

The purpose of the Green Design Initiative is to integrate the principles of green design into all Interior and Architectural Design courses, and to promote green design education within the college and the community. Green Interior and Architectural Design program brochure New Green IAD Degree Program Continuing Education courses Downloadable documents library Reading List Green Links

The basic objectives of Green Design, also called Sustainable Design and Eco-Friendly Design, is to reduce our negative impact on the earth, create healthy and comfortable environments, and to ensure that future generations can enjoy the natural resources that we leave behind.

Green IAD Program

Collin College provides courses in Green Design that are helpful to interested individuals who seek to enhance their knowledge of Green Design, as well as students seeking a degree in Interior & Architectural Design with emphasis on Green and Sustainable Design. We offer courses, degrees, and certificates in Interior & Architectural Design that equip students to enter the world of Green Interior & Architectural Design, a design specialization that is increasingly in demand.

The Interior and Architectural Design Associate's Degree program is going green in the Fall 2008 semester. New courses are being added, and existing courses are being restructured for the new curriculum. Please see the Programs page and the latest Collin College catalog for more information.

Continuing Education Courses

We have developed three new continuing education courses that will be available in Fall 2007:

• Introduction to Green Design and Sustainable Living is a general discussion that includes green philosophy, renewable energy, waste and recycling, and sustainable building.
• Green Building introduces the basics of green building design and construction.
• Green Home Remodeling covers greening the residential remodeling process: design, demolition, construction, finish materials, and maintenance.

Download the brochure for more information on these courses. Please see the Continuing Education and Workforce Development Division for registration information.

Documents Library

These downloadable documents require the Acrobat Reader.

• Green Design Initiative continuing education course brochure
• It's Easy Being Green: 100 simple things that can make you and your home greener
• Selecting Green Materials and Products
  

Reading List

• Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things; William McDonough & Michael Braungart, North Point Press, 2002
• Green Building Products: The GreenSpec Guide to Residential Building Materials; Alex Wilson & Mark Piepkorn, New Society Publishers, 2008
• The Not-So-Big House; Sarah Susanka, Taunton Press, 2001

Green Links

Green and Sustainable Design general information:

• The Guiding Principles of Sustainable Design, National Parks Service
• Sustainable Design Introduction, Green Building Pages
• Green Buildings, USEPA

Green building design and construction:

• Model Green Home Building Guidelines, NAHB publication
• Building America, U. S. Department of Energy program
• LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), U. S. Green Building Council
• ReGreen Residential Remodeling Guidelines, ASID & USGBC

Green certified building materials and products:

• EnergyStar, US Environmntal Protection Agency & US Department of Energy
• CRI Green Label program, Carpet & Rug Institute
• FSC Certified Woods program, Forest Stewardship Council
• FloorScore flooring product certification program, Resilient Floor Covering Institute
• NFRC Certified Products program, National Fenestration Rating Council
• GreenGuard, GreenGuard Environmental Institute

Green materials and products databases:

• GreenBook, Environmental Design + Construction
• Sustainable Building Sourcebook, Austin Energy
• GreenSpec, Building Green
• Sustainable Design Resource Guide, Denver AIA
• GreenSeal
• Green Products, Green Building Pages
• Recycled-Content Product Directory, Claifornia Integrated Wast Management Board

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) information:

• Indoor Air Quality, EPA
• The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality, EPA
• Addressing Indoor Environmental Concerns During Remodeling, EPA

Home care and cleaning information:

• Household Products Database
• Nontoxic Home Care, EarthEasy
• Recipes for Safer Cleaners, Children's Health Rnvironmental Coalition

Institutional and industrial care and cleaning information:

• Green Cleaning Pollution Prevention Calculator
• CleanerSolutions Database
• Toxics Use Reduction Institute
• INFORM
  • Cleaning for Health report
• Responsible Purchasing Network Product Guide
• The Quick & Easy Guide to Green Cleaning in Schools

Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP)

• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, EPA
• Responsible Purchasing Network
• Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
• King CountyEnvironmental Purchasing Program
• GreenerChoices.org

Environmental toxins information:

• The Center for Health, Environment, and Justice
• ToxFAQs, Agency for Toxic Substanced & Disease Registry
• Environmental Working Group
• Environmental Health and Toxicology, National Library of Medicine

Financial benefits information:

• Energy Star: Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency
• DSIRE: Texas Incentives for Renewables and Energy

Local recycling and waste information:

• SEE Less Trash Program, North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG)
• Time to Recycle, NCTCOG

Green educational resources:

• Teaching and Learning for a Sustainable Future, UNESCO