Ruthann Baler

As I write this, New Englanders have experienced very little sunlight over the past two weeks. No sun during the day, no stars or moon during the night. For June, this is quite unusual. We are accustomed to dreary winters, but not early summer.

So the concept of “daylighting” has been on my mind quite a bit. Daylighting is the use of green materials to maximize natural light from strategically designed skylights and windows.  Entire buildings can keep most of their lights off during the day as natural light infiltrates even the darkest spaces. Not only can daylighting provide an energy savings of 50 to 75 percent, numerous studies over the past several years have consistently shown that employers report improved productivity in the workplace and students’ test scores are higher when learning in a brighter environment. That’s not surprising. Humans are dramatically impacted by sunlight or lack thereof.  

The good news is, green construction is expected to grow dramatically over the next few years. In fact, the green building market is expected to more than double from $49 billion today to approximately $140 billion by 2013, according to Inc. Magazine, citing McGraw-Hill Construction.  Further, the U.S. Department of Education announced this spring it will award states $48.6 billion if school repairs and renovations qualify as green construction.

With the concept of daylighting gaining the attention of corporations, government agencies, and  school administrators, let’s hope lighter, brighter, and cheerier environments will be one of the many benefits of going greener. Being less dependent on the weather forecast will give us all a better feeling of control. Especially here in New England.