BACKGROUND INFORMATION
GREEN IDEALS:
Green building and LEED criteria are briefly encapsulated in the “Green Ideals” outlined below.
In general, green building is a far reaching process and methodology that encompasses the location, construction, and functioning of the building. While there are many topics designers, manufacturers and construction professionals of green buildings must consider (listed below), for the purpose of the essay requirement, students are asked to focus on Materials and Resources as outlined in Part C above.
- Sustainable sites
- Access to public transportation
- Carpooling resources
- Reuse of existing buildings or developed land
- Water
- Water use reduction features
- Water-efficient landscaping
- Innovative waste water technologies
- Storm-water management
- Materials and resources
- Collection and storage of recyclables
- Reuse and recycling of previously used materials for construction
- Use of local materials
- Use of rapidly renewable materials
- Certified wood
- Zero- or low-VOC (volatile organic compound) paints, resins, glues and other materials
- Construction waste management
- Environmentally preferable material
- Energy and pollution
- Use of renewable energy
- Hot water
- High performance windows and insulation
- Lighting, heating, and cooling
- High-efficiency appliances
- Daylight views
- Reduce heat islands
- Light pollution reduction
Resources that may be used include:
- National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) model green home building guidelines (www.nahbgreen.org)
- Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) from the U.S. Green Building Council (www.usgbc.org)
- World Business Council for Sustainable Development (www.wbcsd.org)
Essay Tips and Examples:
For information and tips about researching and writing the essay, view the Future City Competition Tutorial CD-ROM. You can also review winning essays from previous years on the Future City Web site (www.futurecity.org).
Students should use a variety of sources of information, such as interviews, reference books, periodicals, and the Internet. Primary research would include interviewing people directly involved on a first-hand basis. Secondary research would include reading books, articles, and papers authored by experts. Students must attach to their essay a list of at least three sources upon which the students relied. (Wikipedia should not be used as a source of research.)
Documentation Details
List the name of your Future City on each page of the Research Essay (NOTE: The name of the city must match the name that was scored on the Computer Design form). DO NOT INCLUDE THE SCHOOL NAME OR TEAM NAMES ON THE ESSAY. Place the word count at the end of the essay. Word count does not include the Title and reference list, but does include captions of graphics and illustrations. Be sure to keep a copy of the Essay Form, Research Essay, and Reference List.
The teacher or engineer-mentor must complete the Research Essay Form attesting that the essay was written entirely by the students. This form must and submit it with the students’ essay and reference list as directed by the Regional Coordinator.
The form can be found in Chapter 6 of this handbook.
"Future City brings students together to work in teams, it creates group
dynamics and it is cross-curricular touching math, science, engineering,
language arts, art, social studies, economics, government, reading, writing and arithmetic. It's great to be number one but just giving the students this experience causes them to grow and mature in so many ways." –
Richard Flickinger, teacher at Leo Jr./Sr. High School in Leo, Indiana, the winning school in the 2008-09 Indiana Regional Competition.
