Green Florida: No Greenwashing

Is eco-friendly building has become more popular, a new term has emerged. "Greenwashing" is what happens when companies—builders included—use their supposed environmental sensitivity strictly as a marketing ploy.

Certainly, everyone is jumping aboard the bandwagon. In 2005 green homes fetched about $2 billion nationally. But by 2010 that number is expected to jump to $20 billion, or more than 10 percent of the market, according to the 2007 McGraw Hill SmartMarket Construction Report on Attitudes and Preferences for Remodeling and Buying Green Homes.

No wonder this year’s International Builders’ Show, held in Orlando, featured an emphasis on green construction.

The event, sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), featured a showcase home dubbed The New American Home ‘08. The home, which showcased all the latest green technology and construction techniques, was certified through a voluntary green building program created by NAHB.

But what does green really mean?

Here are some of the major organizations involved in green certification for builders, homes and communities. If you’re looking to buy green, then you should make certain one or more of these independent entities are involved.

The Florida Green Building Coalition
The Florida Green Building Coalition (FGBC), a nonprofit organization, offers certification for homes, developments and commercial buildings as well as governmental entities.

Homes are scored in categor-ies such as energy, water, site, health, materials and disaster mitigation with minimum scores in each category. A score of 100 or more is needed for certification.

Categories for green development certification include resource protection, circulation, utilities, amenities, covenant and deed restrictions and education. A score of 200 or more is needed and no single category can fall below a given threshold.

In 2006, FGBC partnered with the Florida Home Builders Association (FHBA) to promote affordable green building.

>>ONLINE www.floridagreenbuilding.org

The National Green Building Program
As previously mentioned, NAHB launched this national certification program at the recent International Builders Show. The voluntary program encompasses not only single-family and multifamily housing but also residential remodeling and site development.

To qualify, homes are inspected by local green building experts. Documentation is then reviewed by experts at the NAHB Research Center in Washington, D.C.

>>ONLINE www.nahbgreen.org

Energy Star
Energy Star, which was established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1992, is a voluntary labeling program that promotes energy-efficient homes, commercial buildings and products ranging from appliances to computers.

The program is less aggressive than most green building programs because it focuses mainly on energy efficiency.

To earn the Energy Star label, homes must be at least 15 percent more energy efficient than homes built to the 2004 International Residential Code and include additional energy-saving features that typically make them 20 to 30 percent more efficient than standard homes.

>>ONLINE www.energystar.gov

The Certified Green Professional
NAHB announced another green initiative during the International Builders Show: the Certified Green Professional (CGP) designation.

To achieve the designation, contractors must have a minimum of two years of building industry experience and must take classes that teach green building methods, among other requirements.

>>ONLINE www.nahbgreen.org

LEED for Homes
The U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for Homes is a voluntary rating system that promotes the design and construction of high-performance green homes.

The residential rating system, which was launched in 2007, uses eight different categories to measure the overall performance of a home.

Here’s how it works: Each category contains a specific number of credits and each credit is worth one or more possible points. Homes are given a certification rating based upon the total number of points scored.

Basic LEED certification is awarded to homes scoring between 45 and 59 total points. Silver certification is granted to homes scoring between 60 and 74 total points; Gold certification is granted to homes scoring between 75 and 89 total points and Platinum certification is awarded to homes scoring between 90 and 128 total points.

So far, more than 540 homes have been LEED-certified, including 25 in Florida. An additional 12,940 have registered under the program and are currently under development.

Builders who demonstrate a thorough understanding of green building and the LEED rating system can become a Designated LEED Professional.

>>ONLINE: www.usgbc.org.