By Lena Babaeva Coradini

There are a LOT of predictions for 2011 and the green building movement floating out there. I've listed a few, and you can decide if you want to read more:

·        Jerry Yudelson Associates have announced their Top Ten Green Building Trends for 2011 – most notably stating that the worldwide green building movement will continue to accelerate and grow.  That green building will rebound in 2011, the focus of the green building industry will switch to existing buildings, and that fresh water supply will be in important issue along with the rising trend of solar power use.  Additionally, the greening of the executive branch of the U.S. Government will continue, zero-net-energy designs will be more commonplace, performance disclosure will be the fastest emerging trend, certified green schools will grow as well, and local and state governments will step up mandates for green buildings.   Finally, Yudelson adds two bonus items to the list: growing use of software and the Internet in the green building design, construction, and operation, and continuing revolution of sustainable building materials. Jetson Green also summarizes Yudelson predictions, and also reorganizes them a bit, and provides a helpful summary.  

·        Another set of predicted Green Trends in 2011 focuses more on the individual changes in the green movement.  In particular, the predictions state that: Americans may see more accurate and detailed green claims in 2011, deforestation awareness will be on the rise, green luxury cars will be more frequently noted, home energy monitors will be coming to the market with more consumer friendly designs, sharing of cars will become more frequent, self-powered devices will be seen on the market, and as a large sector of the population will age, automakers will experiment with new models focused on moving people to their destination in easier methods.  Additionally, smart-infrastructure investment will gain focus, as well as stricter green building standards.  Perhaps the strangest item on the list will be that of toilet paper undergoing its biggest change in the century, as Kimberly-Clark’s design of tube-free version will come out!

·        Green Building Pro also had a list of Green Trends in 2011, which include such topics as: improved air quality remaining in focus, green building information modeling (BIM) becoming a major player, lean construction practices being more widely used, aggressive energy codes continuing to be passed, green financing options to appear, smart connected buildings experiencing a big push, and fuel cells gaining widespread attention.