Building "Green"? Until recently, the environmental performance of a building was limited to using energy-efficient technologies and design strategies to reduce the cost of heating, cooling and lighting. And interest in these ebbed and waned with energy costs.Today, consumers are becoming much more attuned to the effect their living choices have on the environment. Green building experts are developing techniques for comparing the overall effect the manufacture, transportation, construction and in-service of building materials has on the environment. Research shows that wood products have a very small environmental footprint compared to other structural materials.         The ATHENA Sustainable Materials Institute is a complex, scientific system and software program that provides builders, architects and specifiers a comparative assessment that building material choices have on the environment. ATHENA lets professionals calculate the environmental impact of a home based on the materials used and the construction methods employed. It uses a life-cycle approach: rather than just look at one stage in the life of a product, it considers the impact on the environment from raw material (harvest or extraction) right through to disposal or recycling at the end of the material’s useful life. Recent applications of this life-cycle analysis using the ATHENA software indicates that wood materials are very easy on the environment. Environmental Effects Of Building Materials Thermal Performance Of Light-Frame Assemblies Comparing The Environmental Effects Of Building Systems Life Cycle Analysis For Residential Buildings