Once upon a time I was preparing an extended report on sustainable construction market in Poland. As far as I can remember, I came to the conclusion that… virtually, there is no such market in my country. We have only several zero-energy buildings, mainly for exposition, not for living. No company is able to construct an energy efficient house from A to Z. Those which have already been built, had been erected by “fanatic” individuals, sustainable construction freaks. Finally, there is no well thought-out public scheme able to improve it.

Fortunately, there are many NGOs and even international organizations willing to raise this topic in public debate. I realized this after googling “sustainable construction”. This is one of several interesting articles I have found:
http://www.europeanconcrete.eu/press

Why am I initiating this topic? My line of reasoning is quite simple. We should think much about ecology, but we also should keep our thoughts down-to-earth. Instead of disseminating vain ideas of reducing cars usage or carbon emission, we should promote sustainable construction. I am deeply convinced that it is a task for our governments to initiate an appropriate scheme and provide best practices. I am not sure if it is UK, but as far as I remember, each government-owned building in this country has to meet very strict requirements in the area of environmental efficiency. I believe it brings profits, as UK’s sustainable construction market is quite developed and it is probably one of few European countries having a detailed long-term strategy in this area:

http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46535.pdf

Some of you will probably say that such buildings are much more expensive. And you are right. Payback period is significantly longer than in the case of traditional construction. That is why I find governments’ engagement in facilitating the creation of the market essential. Nowadays, prices of sustainable materials e.g. in Poland are obviously high, since there is no supply, no demand, no market at all. I am afraid I have to say it (being a liberal), but without some state-led animation the situation is likely to remain like this.