With all of the media and much political attention in the United States you'd think American would be the leader eco-friendly buildings and green building material. Unfortunately, green architecture abroad has become much more commonplace in foreign countries, especially in Germany, the Netherlands, and other countries throughout Europe.

In Germany, green building material are utilized so much that eco-friendly buildings are now an everyday reality. Another interesting fact is that the average building in Germany uses a third less energy than the average building in the United States. For more than a decade, European countries have been tightening down on environmental guidelines, which have resulted in green architecture abroad far outpacing that of the United States. The Netherlands has been using green architecture almost due to necessity. Much of the country is below sea level, and the decision to build green as well as one of the world’s leaders in energy efficiency and renewable energy comes hand-in-hand with their everyday existence.  Great Britain began offering tax incentives for green architecture quite some time ago and implemented all new government and educational structures under the requirements of green building.