It is very important that we consider our environment,when we construct our shelters/buildings .Green design was a persuasive topic some 40 years back,the building of shelter (in all its forms) consumes more than half of the world's resources—i.e. it uses 16% of the Earth's freshwater resources, 30–40% of all energy supplies, and 50% [in weight]of all the raw materials withdrawn from the Earth's surface. Architecture is also responsible for 40–50% of waste deposits and 20–30% of greenhouse gas emissions.

Architectures have long been producing buildings that were viewed as icons,luxurious,massive,and energy guzzling structures.But in the turn of the century,architects have turned to green architecture for making innovative structures that will not only be remembered for it's innovativeness but also it's uniqueness.

In late 90's groups such as Greenpeace, Environmental Action, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and the Nature Conservancy all experienced increased memberships.

For architects and builders a significant milestone was the formulation in 1994 of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards, these standards provided measurable criteria for the design and construction of environmentally friendly buildings. The basic qualifications are as follows:

• Energy- Conserve energy, for example, by orienting buildings to take full advantage of seasonal changes in the sun's position. Use a variety of sources of energy, which may, depending on geographic location, include solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, water, natural gas, and even, if necessary, petroleum and nuclear.
• Materials-Build with recycled, renewable materials that are locally sourced and free from harmful chemicals.they are evaluated on the basis of their entire production cycle—including nonpolluting raw ingredients, durability of product, and potential for recycling. Materials should be thoroughly evaluated in terms of their distance from origin, taking into account energy consumed in transport.
• Water-Conserve and monitor water usage and supplies. Gray water (i.e., previously used, as for laundry) should be cleansed and recycled, and building-by-building catchments for rainwater should be installed.
• Context-Whenever possible, reuse existing buildings and preserve the surrounding environment. Incorporate earth shelters, roof gardens, and extensive planting throughout and around buildings.

One of the prominent impacts of green architecture was from an American architect-William McDonough who rose to green-design fame in 1985 with his Environmental Defense Fund Building in New York City. That structure was one of the first civic icons for energy conservation resulting from the architect's design of all of its interior products, construction technology, and air-handling systems. Since then, McDonough's firm has established valuable planning strategies and built numerous green buildings—most significantly, the Herman Miller factory and offices (Holland, Mich., 1995), the corporate offices of Gap, Inc. (San Bruno, Calif., 1997), and Oberlin College's Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies (Oberlin, Ohio, 2001).

The following list includes the essential green-design principles for private residences in the new millennium.

• Whenever feasible, build homes and communities that supply their own power,such buildings may operate entirely off the regional power grid/stations, or they may be able to feed excess energy back onto the grid/stations. Wind and solar power are the usual alternatives.
• Weatherize buildings for maximum protection against the loss of warm or cool air. Laminated glass has also been radically improved in recent years; some windows provide the same insulation value as traditional stone, masonry, and wood construction. In regions that experience extreme heat, straw-bale or mud-brick construction—used since ancient times—is a good way to save money and energy.
• Do the research to find recycled building materials. Such products were scarce in the early 1990s, today numerous companies, which can be easily located on the Internet, specialize in salvaging refuse from demolition sites,which may be reused for constructing new ones.

There are already a lot of unique,environmentally friendly architectures coming up throughout the world,its just a question of how far are we willing to compromise small things to maintain our environment life sustainable.

To finish things up,I'd like to quote something...In the words of Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, “The ultimate test of man's conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.”