It’s a question a lot of custom builders and home buyers are asking. Not that long ago, green building simply meant energy-efficient building. Over time, though, the term has expanded its scope to include the use of sustainable materials and construction practices; healthy indoor environments; and techniques that account for the embodied energy of materials (including their transport), life cycle costs of the building, and the ultimate recycling of used materials back into the building stream (green streaming). We’ve come a long way … I think.
Actually, this is all pretty confusing, even overwhelming, to anyone who doesn’t have a Ph.D. in green. Recently a survey came across my desk that asked builders about their attitudes and experiences with green building. Half the custom builders who participated in the survey said they didn’t have enough information about green building products and practices. I can only assume that home buyers are even more confused.
Fortunately, help is already here. First, there’s a growing cadre of organizations that certify products for greenness and that certify that houses have been built to their green guidelines. With the rollout of Energy Star Homes this year, the Energy Star program is moving beyond household appliances and certifying energy-efficient houses. The U.S. Green Building Council has extended LEED to the home, with its LEED Home program. NAHB has announced a National Green Building Program that will be an online clearinghouse for dozens of state and local green building programs and a new Certified Green Professional designation, both to commence in February 2008. Other sources of information include Environmental Building News and the GreenSpec Directory. And look for Hanley Wood’s new GREEN PRODUCTS AND TECHNOLOGY magazine that will debut in February. This is just a sampling of what is available to help you step up to the challenge of building greener houses. And more resources are on the way.
Just in time, too, because the market appears to be catching up with the vanguard of builders and architects who have been leading the charge for houses that use less and perform better. We’re happy to be able to introduce three of those custom builders to you in this issue. They’ve delved into the science of green building; they continually research the products and practices that will enable them to build high-performance, low-impact houses; and they’ve taken advantage of green building certification programs that offer a learning experience for the builder and an assurance to the buyer. They’ve also learned that green is no longer an obscure niche. It’s a very marketable offering because more home buyers are beginning to understand that green is the gold standard for high-quality, durable, and healthy homes.
