MHN Blog

Green Building Grows In California—And The Multifamily Market

Last week, California became the first U.S. state to issue a mandatory green building code that will require energy efficiency and less water consumption. Regulations for single-family, multifamily and commercial structures are also part of the new code.

It was a big move for the golden state, and a popular one--the California Building Standards Commission voted unanimously for the green building code, which was designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

As MHN reported Monday, the new code will improve water usage in both commercial and residential plumbing fixtures and aim for a 50 percent landscape water conservation reduction.

• Builders will also be encouraged to reduce energy use by 15 percent more than today’s current standards.

• The code also emphasizes using recycled content in building materials and carpets and suggests site improvements like hybrid vehicle parking and stronger storm water plans.

• Until 2010, the code regulations are optional; after 2010, they’re mandatory.

(Other areas are embracing green building, too. In Seattle, the mayor recently suggested changes to the multifamily building code that included adding green roofs and less--or no--parking in developments that are close to mass-transit, according to the Seattle Times.)   

California Building Standards Commission Chair Rosario Marin praised the commission for uniting construction and building industry representatives, environmental groups and labor organizations. 

It’s certainly something to be proud of—by taking a decidedly sustainable stand, California is working to reduce the environmental impact of new construction.

And it’s a decision that the multifamily market can feel good about.

• It’s a strong marketing technique. It’s true, green building can produce some higher upfront costs--but it also offers long-term savings for owner/investors, and provides leasing agents with an added-value for renters.   

And--according to news on the single-home front--in a recent article about builders attempting to move unsold homes, the San Jose Mercury News pointed out that one major technique builders were using included "trying to woo customers with green building techniques and energy-saving features."

• Green urban areas—designed to negate car usage—are more popular. Energy costs are also persuading buyers to look in urban rather than suburban areas.

As gas stubbornly remains above the $4 mark—with little sign of dropping--they’re eager to avoid long commutes and trips to stores, restaurants and other locations.

"People are now saying affirmatively they want to live closer to town centers and have a shorter commute," Lawrence Yun, National Realtors Association economist, told U.S. News & World Report. "And smaller homes mean less energy consumption."

That’s more good news for the multifamily market.

It’s good news, too, for urban planners who have been trying for decades to get Americans to embrace a more compact geographical pattern, according to U.S. News & World Report.

"To be honest, I feel that rising gas prices...are going to do more for good, sustainable urban planning than the entire urban planning profession," says Thomas Campanella, an associate professor of city and regional planning at the University of North Carolina—Chapel Hill.

Space constraints in urban areas have typically meant multifamily buildings were the best, or only choice for development.

If more buyers are looking in downtown areas because high gas prices are making them reconsider long commutes and car-intensive lifestyles, it could be a huge boon for multifamily building.

(Sort of makes the hefty cost of filling your car up seem a little less painful, doesn’t it?)

Cost remains a concern, but the evidence is overwhelming: Green fever is spreading, and going green is becoming increasingly popular in the multifamily market.

And one day, apartment renters and buyers will simply expect it.

Green Building: Good For the Environment, Good for Sales

Green building has grown exponentially in the past few years. Since 2003, the number of cities with green building programs has increased 418 percent, according to the American Institute of Architects.

And green building is about to grow even more: The green home market is forecast to increase from $2 billion to possibly $20 billion over the next five years, according to a recent report that was co-sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders.

Across the U.S., the frenzy is growing in states such as:

• North Carolina: Between June 2007 and January 2008, the number of certified and completed homes built in western North Carolina as part of the NC HealthyBuilt Homes program--a voluntary, statewide green building certification program--more than doubled, according to the Western North Carolina Green Building Council. Almost 668 are currently in development.

• Indiana: About 60 members of the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis have joined its new green building committee, Indy Green Build, which is a local branch of the National Association of Home Builders' National Green Building Program.

Roughly 141 Indiana residents have attended a two-day workshop and earned the programs' new Certified Green Professional designation since February, according to the Indianapolis Star.

The Price Is Right

Feeling like the home you bought or built could help save the world is one thing. But there's another reason green building is picking up steam: People are looking to cut costs.

"Everything [green] is going through the roof and shows no sign of stopping," Stephens Farrell of Stephens Smith Farrell Architecture in Asheville, N.C. told the Ashville Citizen-Times. "The thought of owning a 4,500-square-foot, poorly conceived and insulated house 45 minutes from work send shivers down people’s spines when they think about $4.50 gas."

Green building's energy-saving advantage also has helped it gain industry approval.

• A National Association of Home Builders study found that 90 percent of homebuilders were using green ideas in 2007, according to an article in the Economist.

• Even banks are getting in on the action. As we discussed in September, lenders like Bank of America have created financing packages for green building.

Its popularity is growing in part because it is cheaper to build green these days. It used to cost 15 percent more at least, according to Christi Graham, president of West Coast Green. Now building green ads just 5 percent or less to a project, according to estimates from industry leaders like the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

A Reason To Buy

As residential building continues to slow--according to the most recent government report, single-family home starts hit a 17-year low in May--homebuilders are finding that energy efficiency can be a big selling point because it can help homeowners save on housing expenses over time.

However, it's important to distinguish between greater energy efficiency and green, says Phoenix-area remodeler Philip Beere, who owns the Ecofresh Planet cleaning business and formed eco-friendly development company Green Street Development in 2007.

"I think it's great that the big builders are getting on board to make a better home," Beere told the Arizona Republic. "However, it should be advertised for what it is, which is an efficient home, not a green home."

Some builders-like Shea Homes, headquartered in San Diego--have made sweeping efforts to go green.

The company--which is one of the largest U.S. homebuilders--kicked off an initiative in January to cut the carbon footprint of each new home by 20 to 30 percent in its Trilogy communities, which have water conservation features and use less lumber, the Republic said.

And--even though the homes don't quite meet LEED standards--it's important not to get caught up in classification and remember that they're helping the environment, right?

Shea's Area President of Shea Homes Active Lifestyle Communities Hal Looney thinks so.

"We're building a couple of thousand homes, so the [environmental] impact will be a lot greater than four or five custom homes," Looney said.

He has a point. The company predicts that its Shea Green Certified Home program will save it from using more than 8.5 million gallons of gasoline and have the same effect as planting 1.9 million trees over the next 10 years.

It's Time To Build Green

However, even with noble efforts like Shea Homes' program, we still have (green) work to do: According to a report by Bethesda, Md.-based investment company The Calvert Group that studied the 13 biggest publicly traded homebuilding companies, most still could add more green offerings, the Gazette reported earlier this month.

According to the report, "while every major homebuilder has incorporated some environmental and efficiency programs and products into some of their new homes, none has fully embraced the emerging market of sustainable building design and construction."

The economy is down, and green certification takes time and money; getting LEED certification on a project does, too.

But as new home sales continue to be rocky--the amount of signed contracts increased 6.3 percent in April, according to the National Association of Realtors, but the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo builder confidence index reached a low point for the second time in the past 12 months in June--builders need to be looking for any sales hook they can find.

And the truth is, saving homeowners money is probably sustainable building's biggest sales advantage.

Which is why, as energy costs rise, to developers, builders, real estate agents and--most importantly--buyers, green homes can look decidedly golden.

Isn't that reason enough to go green?

Focusing on Green Building Means Encouraging Green Living, Too

Last Sunday, I had brunch at my friend's somewhat-new apartment--she moved in a couple of months ago--and although the building may be older, her unit is cutting-edge green from back to front.

I've known for years that Michelle preferred locally grown, organic produce; but this place takes that mentality to a whole new level.

Although she doesn't have a car, Michelle has made two trips to recycling centers to drop off bottles and cans since moving in. And, even more amazingly, there is a worm bin on the back porch that is used to turn fruit and vegetable waste into compost, a process which I've since learned is called vermicomposting (and the EPA says is great for apartment-dwellers).

In contrast, my building--which is significantly larger--posted an announcement last week in the elevators that although the board is looking into other options, for now, all recycling can be placed in blue bags and thrown in with the rest of the trash.

The garbagemen, we're told, will take those bags to a separate site.

Riiiight.

"Do not do that," Michelle said, laughing, as she served up our omelets. "Seriously. That's a total waste of time."

I have to admit, I think she's right.

Not just because I'm a doubting person by nature--but because the city recently decided to end a similar program, introduced by Mayor Richard Daley in 1995, in which citizens were told to place recyclables in blue bags and--you guessed it--assume they'd find their way to the proper recycling centers.

Not surprisingly, many of them didn't. According to the Chicago Tribune, the city actually kept just 8 percent of waste from landfills--not the 25 percent officials claimed.

Which is why I don't believe my cans are going to end up anywhere but a dump, no matter what color bag I toss them out in.

In our recent annual condo board meeting, we were told that the reason our mid-rise building didn't have a recycling program was because there is an extra charge for a truck to come pick up the recyclables.

So am I supposed to assume that the current waste management guys, out of the goodness of their heart, will take it somewhere else for free? Probably not.

The blue bag program, in fact, was thought to be so infective that local environmentalists aren't even upset that, because of its phasing-out process, the city will be without any recycling for a few years until the new system--which involves blue bins--begins.

"It's taken 16 years," a recent post on the Chicago Recycling Coalition's homepage said, "but the City of Chicago announced on May 2nd the end of the Blue Bag program and its replacement with the Blue Cart program, just as the Chicago Recycling Coalition has been advocating."

Until I receive my blue recycling bin, I'm told I should drop my trash off at one of the city's 16 recycling drop-off centers.

And I should. But realistically, we all know that the harder you make it for people to recycle, the less likely they are to do it. Which is unfortunate, because larger buildings like mine could really have an effect if they did recycle.

But it's hard. Our building doesn't have balconies or fire escapes, so there's no outdoor space to store old cans or utilize Michelle's worm box; and that garbage chute down the hall is pretty tempting when the garbage gets stinky.

So what gives, Chicago? Everybody's green. Best Buy is now taking old computers and electronics for free.

Sam's Club is letting members exchange used digital cameras, laptops, MP3 players and printers for gift cards ranging from $1 to $1000, CNNMoney.com reported Wednesday.

And Mayor Daley--whom I feel is a generally good mayor--gets the importance of being green. This is a man who has said that he wants Chicago to be the greenest city in the U.S.--and planted 500,000 trees to prove it, according to the New York Times.

Granted, he was talking about building--the city has focused on growing green construction and wind and solar energies, according to a 2006 Time article--but still. How many cities have a City Hall with a green roof? (We do.)

For a city of this size to have such a fragmented recycling program it's a shame. OK, so the blue bag program didn't work--but why isn't the city offering financial incentives for buildings like mine to recycle? Think of the impact our multifamily structures could have!

According to the Trib, only a third of Chicago's 600,000 homes with city garbage service will have the new blue bins by the end of the year. That leaves a lot of citizens without easy recycling options.

Which is--pun intended--really a huge waste.

A Valentine from NAHB to Green Building

The long-awaited National Association of Home Builders' National Green Building Program debuted Thursday at the International Builders' Show--and although its details are still unfolding, the reaction was positive.

NAHB stressed that--in these often-negative residential building times--the marketability of green building can help builders get work. It's also a great way to boost client confidence in a project by stressing the over-time savings and general feel-good, giving-back nature of green building.

"This is a historic day for our association," said Bob Jones, an NAHB vice president and a builder in Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "This program allows all home builders to build green in a cost-effective way. Builders and consumers can select the green features that make the most sense for them."

It's not the only green system on the market--and the NAHB has said it expects its green building guidelines to be adjusted locally. We don't know what those changes are, of course--but today, we did learn more about the program, which has been in the works for three years.

• What is it? In the new system, NAHB will certify and train a national network of independent verifiers. The network members will test and score homes using a scale that gives points for different green features, rewarding each home with a bronze, silver or gold certification. The scale begins at 37 for a bronze; gold qualifications start at 100, according to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

• How is it different from LEED for Homes? To put it bluntly: The U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Homes guidelines were designed by an environmental/government organization; its goals, unlike the NAHB National Green Building Program, were not centered around builders making money. The NAHB guidelines were made to encourage cost-effective green building,  according to Bob Jones, an NAHB vice president.

In the NAHB program, builders have the choice of more green methods and materials than with the LEED guidelines, Jones said; however, he was quick to point out that it wasn't a contest, and LEED and NAHB supported each other.

• Where can I find out more? The NAHB Green Building Program Web site.

IBS Gets Green with Help From New Program, Exhibitors

This year, more than 1,900 exhibitors--product manufacturers, distributors and more--from 300 industry categories came to meet and greet builders at the International Builder's Show in Orlando, Fla.

To make that process a little more manageable, the National Association of Home Builders has both a standard and searchable exhibitor list on its Web site.

However, in honor of today's Green Day status (coined as such by NAHB, who plans to release its green building professional program--which will give builders a Certified Green Professional designation--we thought we'd highlight a few of the unique green-centric exhibitors at the show.

• Optiflame electric fireplaces--All of the cozy comfort, and none of the bad emissions: Canadian company Dimplex's Optiflame fireplace cuts installation cost and safety concerns by foregoing gas or wood and creating a fire effect with a patented flame technology. Since it doesn't use combustion, the electric fireplace produces no carbon monoxide or greenhouse gases.

• Icynene insulation/air barrier system--Used in the IBS showcase homes, the Icynene dual-performing insulation and air barrier system creates a strong air seal, reducing air leakage and offering advanced moisture control, improved air quality and energy savings of up to 50 percent.

• Forbo Flooring--Hazleton, Penn.-headquartered Farbo now offers Marmoleum, a natural floor covering made with primarily natural raw materials, in a click-together panel and square for easier installation.

• Paige Electric Company--The retail division of Paige Electric Company, based in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., provides environmentally safe, energy saving LED tube lights for fluorescent tube replacement, rechargeable work lights and more.

Today will feature a number of green events--including the certification program launch, a press conference and tutorial about the National Green Building Program and William McDonough of William McDonough + Partners speaking about cradle-to-cradle design.

Excitement is brewing about the certification details announcement--for more on getting NAHB green certified, tune in tomorrow!

You Built It Green; They'll Buy It

We all know green building is hot--according to a McGraw Hill Construction study, the volume of green real estate is going to quintuple by 2010. It's predicted to then be 10 percent of the U.S. building stock.

But just saying your multifamily complex or community of homes is green isn't enough. Today's consumers are looking for highly-efficient, economical homes, and they're more educated than ever about what that entails.

So to sell a green home, you need to think green: And that means involving the homes' ecological aspects in all your marketing and promotional materials and events.

A recent article in The Atlanta Journal Constitution offered some basic points for homeowners to ask about green homes. They're also things homebuilders should stress, via a handout or conversation, including:

• How you developed the site and how construction waste was removed.

• The air-conditioning system's SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio). Let potential owners know why you selected the unit size you used because systems that are too large won't correctly dehumidify and will short cycle, causing more wear and shortening the life of the unit.

• What the furnace's AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) rating is. Reduced energy costs are a major reasons homeowners are looking at green homes.

• Which items in the home--WaterSense  high-efficiency toilets, Energy Star appliances--conserve energy and water. Don't make prospective buyers hunt for a brand name that they could easily miss.

Be ready to answer general green building questions, and make sure all your reps, employees and any affiliated real estate agents are, too. Consider adding a green logo or verbiage to all marketing guides, direct mailing pieces, ads and signs. Have materials ready to prove what you've promised--documentation from the appliances, recommendations for the materials you used, etc.

Homeowners, just like everybody else, have been reading about the rise of green building for more than a year now. They know about water drainage, solar energy--and in today's tough market, they know they want a home that's going to give them the most ecological bang for their buck.

And real estate companies like West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Kitson & Partners, which is currently building a 17,000-acre green city for up to 45,000 residents, say savvy homeowners aren't hesitating to ask for it.

"We're finding homebuyers want green homes, are looking for them," Kitson CEO Syd Kitson told the Charlotte Sun. "From a marketing perspective, the market is already there. Price is still a driving force, but people today truly have a changing attitude--they want green."

Cities Sign On for Green Building

The number of cities with green building programs has increased 418 percent since 2003. In just four years--wow. Think about it: 418 percent.

That's an increase from 22 to 92, according to the American Institute of Architects, who recently paid for a study of areas with more than 50,000 residents to find out how effective green building policies are.

The report, Local Leaders in Sustainability, analyzed 661 communities, according to the online Dexigner publication.

We knew cities were signing on to green building -- not only have numerous cities tried to establish green building codes, the summer U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting led to a resolution urging Congress to offer funding of K-12 green school demonstration projects and to support new funding to research the  economic and health benefits of green schools.

But still ... a more than 400 percent increase? Why--is green just getting popular? Or, as some are suggesting, is green building just getting easier and less expensive?

"Technological advances now allow for the design of buildings that are efficient, modern, possess great aesthetics and are financially viable," says Paul Mendelsohn, AIA vice president, Government and Community Relations. "High premiums for green buildings are no longer the case as costs are coming more in line with traditional building practices."

What are your thoughts on cities adopting green building policies? Does it help to have green building standards at the local level, or should the industry instead rely on national codes such as LEED's system? Post your thoughts below.

Green Building: Portland Calling

The city of Portland is premiering a new green building initiative -- and it's just one phone call away.

The green building hotline was designed to give businesses, developers and residents information about green materials, indoor air quality, energy efficiency and more, according to GreenBuildings.com.

The hotline also helps by offering information about financial incentives for residential and commercial buildings, new or pre-existing.

Why did Portland set up its green hotline? A month ago, a report about green building's economic pluses commissioned by several Portland agencies was released. The report was made to kick-start conversation in the Portland building industry about going green -- no new concept to the area, which has invested more than $1.5 million in sustainable building since 2005.

What a simple, yet great idea. Part of green building's biggest challenge is the fact the information is constantly evolving. LEED certification is expensive; standardized guidelines are under development in many cities, but having one informational center for a community should help to drive up green building tremendously.

Green building has gotten way more popular in recent years, but we've still got room to grow. Communities need to educate developers, investors and other industry players about the benefits of green building --  that it isn't as expensive as you might think (a recent LEED study of 33 California buildings showed a green building can pay for itself in three years), and that benefits like improved indoor air quality have been proven to help kids be healthier, more productive and reduces absenteeism in green-designed schools, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

But you don't have to tell that to Portland, who hopes to someday add a green library, mobile workshop and larger Web site to its green building info program. Makes you wonder: What's my city doing to encourage green building?

 

LEED for Homes to be Finalized on Nov. 27

Earlier this week we discussed our heated anticipation for the LEED for Homes program release -- is it finalized? What will it entail, exactly?

Good news: The USGBC's site now includes news about the member ballot process ending Nov. 26. (You and I can't vote ... unless you're a member organization primary contact. I'm not.)

And the LA Times has some information about LEED for Homes' final OK in an article about last week's Greenbuild conference in Chicago.

According to the Times, LEED for Homes, which has been in the testing phase for two years, *was* officially announced last week at the U.S. Green Building Council-organized Greenbuild extravaganza as anticipated -- or, at least, the launch of LEED for Homes was announced.

As it turns out, the program, with the USGBC earlier said would be released in fall 2007, is still being finalized, which may explain why we're still waiting for news about the specifics. The Times article indicates those will come in a little over a week, with an approval vote scheduled for my birthday (awww.)

The article says that LEED for Homes, "if adopted by vote of council members Nov. 27 ... will become official." Which is great news! As more excitement builds about sustainability, more people are asking, what can I do to help? A home is the biggest lifetime investment most people will make -- and the impact of a paradigm shift in construction and maintenance techniques could be huge.

I know what I'll be using my blowing-out-the-cake-candle wish for ...

The Case of the Mysterious Missing LEED for Homes Guidelines

We waited and we watched ... we heard progress reports about the pilot program and whisperings that a final set of guidelines would be announced in fall ... and finally, our LEED for Homes wish was supposed to be granted last Friday when the U.S. Green Building Council was set to unveil the official LEED for Homes program at the Greenbuild conference.

But did they?

The USGBC has launched a new LEED for Homes Web site -- that I can confirm.

And while it appears the site still needs a bit of work -- I had problems downloading the program guidelines (my Mac is still trying to convert the metafile as I write this, not sure why the USGBC didn't put it in a PDF format) and the link back to the USGBC site for more information is pretty outdated (both sites just have an old FAQ), we can answer a few questions about what the LEED for Homes program might entail for you:

• Who is LEED for Homes designed for?

New home types such as affordable housing, mass-production homes, custom designs, stand-alone single-family homes, duplexes and townhouses, suburban low-rise apartments, urban high-rise apartments and condominiums and lofts in historic buildings (so pretty much everybody).

• What benefits can designing a home with LEED for Homes provide?

According to the USGBC, "lower energy and water bills, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and fewer problems with mold, mildew and other indoor toxins." Plus, the USGBC is touting the LEED for Homes rating as a sign of quality planning and construction.

• OK, so how the heck do I get a LEED home?

Check out the list of LEED for Homes providers in your area.

(Note they aren't everywhere yet -- current states with LEED providers include Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Canada and areas of the Northeast including Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.)

• What if I'm not building a new house? Can I make my current home green?

LEED also offers retrofit guidelines to green up your living space if it isn't new.

But as I can't download the guidelines, and the site's press releases and news updates don't include anything about the new LEED for Homes release, I'm not sure if it was launched or not.

I had hoped to include links to the plethora of articles the media wrote about LEED for Homes -- but I have, as of yet, been unable to find any of those, either. That's likely due in part to the fact the USGBC doesn't have a press release up on its site yet -- which to be honest, seems odd that the site would launch without it. Has LEED for Homes been delayed?

I'm checking in with LEED; we'll keep you updated as the story unfolds...

Report Finds Things Looking Greener Than Ever for Green Building

McGraw-Hill Construction, in conjunction with the National Association of Home Builders, recently released a report on residential green building trends.

And it seems green building may be one of the most successful word-of-mouth marketing campaigns of the past few years, according to the CNNMoney.com article talking points.

The major findings of the report include:

• The green homes market is expected to rise from $2 billion to possibly $20 billion over the next five years(!)

• Pre-existing home remodeling jobs are including 40% green products.

• Green homeowners are recommending their sustainable home offerings much more than other industries are being recommended.

• Operating costs, energy reduction and family health are all driving factors in investing in a green home.

Another key report finding? Education and awareness was ranked more important than any other obstacle to green building. Previous surveys showed cost perception was most important. That's interesting, given the growth the study found would indicate green building is more widely known than it's ever been -- but as previous surveys have found, cost perception is often an issue, with industry experts sometimes overestimating the true cost of building green.

Yet more good green news is on the way: The NAHB is launching a National Green Building Program and green building residential standards, which National Association of Homebuilders CEO Jerry Howard said in a speech this week would be available by year's end.

And the USGBC's residential LEED for Homes standards are still due out this fall, according to its Web site -- in development since 2000, the guidelines are expected to further influence green building in the residential community. (Although it's unclear yet what the associated certification costs may be because they will be based on factors like home size and numbers of homes being built, which may deter some small builders.)

But do we still need to spread the green word? Absolutely. The over-time energy and other savings that can offset initial building expenses are a valid point; more builders, homeowners and developers need to know that.

Green homes are popular with homebuyers -- and are selling: More industry players need to know that, too.

The bottom line: Green is going strong -- but we've still got a lot of room to grow.

Which Green Certification is Right for You?

Homebuilders and developers who embrace green building may not be sure how to market it -- but as sustainability becomes more and more popular, there's reason to.

But where do you begin? Is it worth the expense of seeking a seal of approval from an official green building organization? Are there guidelines you can find to follow without having to use any that don't apply to your project?

All valid questions -- which are nicely addressed in a recent article on HGTVpro.com, a Web site for professional homebuilders.

The article offers some focus about what things to consider before building and what different organizations offer guidelines -- it's an Out and About recommended read.

In addition, you might find the following helpful:

• Although the official LEED for Homes guidelines won't be out until later this year, in February, LEED released some guidelines, which can be found here.

• The state of California offers an extensive amount of green building case studies, facts, training info and guidelines for builders for residential and nonresidential building.

• The National Institute of Standards and Technology has developed BEES software (Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability) to help you select and use green building products.

Have any other great green sites? Let us know!

Three Ways To Build Green

For communities interested in green building, a little push may be all it takes to incorporate sustainability into future building and expansion plans.

Supporting green building is one thing -- encouraging it, entirely another. Aside from passing an all-construction mandate or instituting a fine, how can towns -- and builders -- inspire sustainability?

Take a look at ways some communities are promoting green building:

• Test-Driving a Green Program. Los Altos, Calif. recently approved a 12-month green building program, which requires require new single-family homes to meet Build It Green's standards, according to the Palo Alto Daily News.

• Increasing Home Sales By Offering Lower Operating Costs. Shea Homes in Arizona is including green options like solar attic fans, electrical car charger-equipped garages and energy-efficient air conditioners in a new subdivision it's building. The additions will tack $5,000 to $8,000 on to each house, but the company is absorbing the cost and not upping home prices. "It's an investment for us," Hal Looney, Shea's area president, told the Arizona Republic. "We're counting on the investment to help increase our sales as well as continuing our commitment in providing a quality product to our customers."

Richard Zimmerman,  a founding member of Scottsdale's green building program, agrees. "The builders can differentiate themselves from their competitors by embracing these programs, at the same time, homeowners are demanding green strategies and are shopping online aggressively," he said.

• Adding Jobs to the Area. The U.S. unemployment rate rose slightly to 4.7 percent in September --  and although employment is looking sunnier, many people are still looking for work, especially in the Midwest, which Reuters reported had the highest regional unemployment rate in September. Looking to create jobs for your local economy? The U.S. Green Building Council has said that the size of the green building market grew from essentially zero to $12 billion from 2001 to 2007, according to the San Jose Mercury News, who noted that its mayor's "green vision" plan, announced in early October, includes plans to create clean-tech jobs, use renewable energy to build green buildings and recycle more wastewater.

Green building starts at the local level -- at least for now -- and requires company and political initiative. There are many reasons to build green: It can reduce energy costs over time, improve the economy through job creation and -- of course -- help the environment.

And really, isn't that reason enough?

LEED for Homes: Almost Ready to Move In

In just over a month, the U.S. Green Building Council will roll out its LEED for Homes standards.

Since August 2005, 6,000 home projects have been part of the LEED pilot program, ranging from large -- like the 44-home development in Walker, Mich., to small -- such as the 1960s-era home in Phoenix being remodeled with environmentally-friendly paint, carpet and other materials.

(A complete list of certified projects can be found on the LEED site.) We've been talking about this for ages. But what does LEED for Homes mean for the industry?

What to Expect from LEED for Homes

The final standards will include efficient use of energy, water and natural resources; waste reduction and take into consideration homeowners' health and comfort.

We've gotten glimpses of the program as it progressed in recent months. In late August, LEED published the first comments from its pilot program participants (and responses). Questions varied from expanding the accepted types of forest product certification to more clearly defining certain terms.

And we know the LEED goals: LEED says its new standards will help create living spaces with lower energy and water bills, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and less exposure to indoor toxins like mold and mildew. The net cost of a LEED home will be close to that of owning a conventional home, according to LEED's Web site.

Who Will Use It?

Is there a need for LEED to create residential building green standards? Sure. There are more than 70 local green building standards in the U.S. -- having one national standard and the option for assessment and certification isn't a bad idea.

However, the new LEED for Homes system will (of course) be voluntary -- and it will cost you. Documentation and verification fees will vary based on home size and certification level, but LEED estimates that the initial verification tasks will cost $500 to $2,000 per home.

In today's tough real estate market -- let's not forget that on Friday the Commerce Department announced residential building had hit its lowest spending level since 2003 -- adding $2,000 to new home construction costs may not be something homeowners are too happy about, even if they will see savings down the line.

Challenges the Plan Faces

Cities and developers have accepted and embraced LEED's commercial green standards; it remains to be seen if they will frequently use LEED's residential set.

Will cities offer green building incentives that will help out both large-project developers and homeowners building their own house? Will local and state governments consider legislature requiring developers -- who have a greater overall impact than small builders and contractors -- to include some green practices in their new developments?

Jay Hall, the acting program manager of LEED for Homes, told industry professionals at the West Coast Green conference that smaller projects would be harder to certify, USA Today reports. However, the USGBC is creating guidelines for green home renovations.

We'll see if the residential industry wants to build green -- or if it's more concerned with saving some.

Brad Pitt To Aid New Orleans' Rebuilding Effort with Sustainable Housing

New Orleans has been struggling to rebuild since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005, but more help is on the way -- from Hollywood.

Brad Pitt, speaking Wednesday at the Clinton Global Initiative, announced plans for a new community of homes in New Orleans' Lower 9th Ward, the area hardest hit by Katrina.

The plan is to:

• Form a core team of local, national and international architects to construct 150 sustainable homes.

• Involve the Lower 9th Ward in the rebuilding.

• Create an affordable, green-designed, sustainable community to serve as a model for future rebuilding efforts.

The new homes are part of Pitt's "Make It Right" project. Pitt, who owns a home in New Orleans and worked last year with Global Green to develop green multi-family housing in the Lower 9th Ward, and partner Steve Bing, a film producer, pledged to each match $5 million in contributions.

"The heart and soul of New Orleans, specifically the people of the Lower 9th Ward, are paramount to this project," Pitt said. "The words of one elderly man who is determined to return to New Orleans led to the name of our organization: He asked us -- directly, simply and profoundly -- to help make it right. So that's what we're doing."

Rebuilding, Recycling

William McDonough + Partners will lead the effort. McDonough + Partners are practitioners of "cradle to cradle" thinking, which was developed by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in the book "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things" (North Point Press, 2002).

Using natural systems as inspiration, the cradle to cradle philosophy involves trying to build using only recycled products and to reuse all products in biological or technical systems, essentially creating waste-free building. The philosophy will be applied to material selection and design for the new Lower 9th Ward homes.

Make It Right is a noble plan -- but even more admirable given its commitment to green building.

Using sustainable design to create the 150 new single-family homes will help keep residents' cost-of-living down once they do move back to the ward, where houses were flooded and swept off their foundations during the storm. Homes will be designed to reduce energy costs -- which is important, since before the storm, the Lower 9th Ward was considered a low-income area of the city, and its residents must now rebuild the neighborhood from scratch.

The recovering city will also benefit from the Make It Right project's efforts to reduce environmental impact.

Brad Pitt couldn't agree more. "We're going to help to make it right with 150 sustainable, affordable houses," he said. "Houses that stand out for their design both aesthetically  and structurally, so that these people can live in beautiful safe structures that respect their spirit and provide a good quality of life."

The Make It Right team also includes the architecture firm Graft, which Pitt has worked with previously on international projects; the Cherokee Gives Back Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Cherokee specializing in sustainable redevelopment of environmentally-impaired properties; and Trevor Neilson and Nina Killeen, advisors to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.

Green Building Gets Nods from the Residential Market

When making an argument for green building, one of the first things green proponents will bring up is the over-time savings -- which can balance out the initial extra sustainable building costs.

However, the green building focus thus far has largely been on commercial green building. That's partially because of the scope of commercial construction -- larger building projects use more materials and create more waste, so building green buildings will make a greater impact on the environment than building smaller home structures would.

But that's not to say the residential market has totally ignored the green trend. It's become more popular in recent years, and although it's still gaining support, there are signs that residential green building is becoming a business:

• Banks such as Bank of America are adding green financing packages. In March, it announced its Green Mortgage Program, offering  a reduced interest rate or $1,000 back for each home-purchase mortgage meeting ENERGY STAR specifications.

• In 2006, almost 9,000 people attended the West Coast Green residential builder show in San Francisco; this year, more than 10,000 attended (4,000 more expected), according to the San Jose Mercury News.

• And the U.S. Green Building Council has expanded its energy-efficiency rating system to include homes. So far, 7,500 homes and 330 builders are taking part in the pilot program. Home- and building-owners get credits for using green materials used, which can help them get lower mortgage rates and tax incentives from state and local governments.

• Green furniture is also on the upswing: Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Home Furnishing Alliance, told the Arizona Daily Star that "A wide variety of eco-friendly furnishings will be available to consumers this summer and early fall."

It's also likely green building first took off in the commercial sector because of the centralized planning it requires -- large developers fund several projects at a time and many cities have passed legislation encouraging or requiring green building practices.

In neighborhoods and small towns, aside from entire planned divisions, you're dealing with individual builders, small building companies, contractors -- even people building their own homes. The highly individualized system makes it harder to encourage green construction.

And of course, large developers are likely more able to absorb any extra green building costs, as opposed to small suburban building companies or individual homeowners.

But the residential market is showing interest in green building. And the incentives banks are offering, coupled with increased industry research and promotion, just may turn the green trend around -- and bring it right home.

The Global Green Argument: Who Will Voice the Debate -- and How?

Yesterday, we talked Dubai: Big growth, some Michael Jackson sightings and the fact it's considering going green.

But Dubai isn't the only global power looking to add some green to its geography. Several growing countries are making efforts to incorporate sustainability in their construction plans, including:

• India -- The real estate sector in India is growing 30 percent by 2010, to a $50 billion industry, according to Al Bawaba -- prompting green building talk. The savings and environmental impact are starting to register with the country, who in 2003 had only 20,000 square feet of green new construction.

• Australia -- In Australia, The Property Council of Australia and the Australian Conservation Foundation, made up of developers and conservationalists, are lobbying the government to add a nationwide program with financial incentives to improve energy efficiency in all new construction and pre-existing buildings.

Those are just two examples -- but a positive sign, since green building didn't exactly seem to be a global priority a few years back. Just ask Hewitt Associates' Bill Hewitt, an environmental advocate with an M.S. in international affairs.

"In 2005, there was an estimated $6 trillion in the value of new construction around the world," Hewitt wrote in a column for the Foreign Policy Association. "A relatively small proportion of that is in green building now, but projects and plans are mushrooming at a rapid pace"

The news has been dominated -- this week especially -- with news of the slowing U.S. construction market.

But in countries where growth is still strong, due to booming population or other factors, housing construction continues. And those countries, like Dubai, have a real chance to make an ecological impact by practicing green building principles.

Construction that involves responsible waste management and recycled building materials to create green buildings makes an immediate impact -- and the buildings, over time, will cause less of an impact on the environment. From water conservation aspects to using solar energy, the sustainable options are endless -- but who will encourage these emerging markets to build green?

Some international green organizations do exist -- notably the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, a CEO-led, global association of 200 companies from 35 countries that has support from corporations like Toyota, Royal Dutch Shell and Nokia.

The WBCSD's “Energy Efficiency in Buildings” (EEB) project is designed to make sure that by 2050, new buildings will consume zero net energy from external power supplies and will also produce zero net carbon dioxide emissions.

It's an ambitious goal. But, then again, consider that buildings use about a third of the world's energy -- and will use even more as the global population increases. If we continue along the current course, buildings will be the main users of energy by 2025, according to the WBCSD.

The group also reports that buildings account for 40 percent of energy consumption in developed countries -- as some of these companies develop more, that's a real concern.

To read more about the EEB project, click here -- and tell us what you think. How can an international organization -- the WBCSD or one like it -- convince a number of disconnected nations, with their own government and goals, that building green is a viable cost and ecological option? Or is it just too large a task to attack on a global scale? We want to hear your theories.

Going Green: A Good Idea Because People Do Buy in Dubai

Yesterday's MHN news included an item about Dubai, which is mulling over a green building policy that could significantly increase its amount of sustainable buildings (the area currently has three.)

What you have heard about Dubai may vary -- but you've likely heard that it's in the Middle East (true -- it's in the United Arab Emirates), has many wealthy residents (also true) and is somewhere Michael Jackson has been known to live (oddly enough, once again, true.)

Oil was discovered in 1966, and following the first exports three years later, Dubai began to economically expand -- fast.

That growth is still ongoing. Dubai is a key trade center for the Gulf region. And, according to Arabic News, its growth rate reached a new high of almost 17 percent in 2005.

• According to Dubai's Ministry of Planning, in 2001, Dubai's population was approximately 1,029,000. Last year, the population increased to 1.422 million from 1.130 million in 2005, according to the National Media Council.

That's 292,000 more residents -- 24,333 a month.

• It's no surprise that with all those new residents, real estate has been booming for the past few years. Some estimates place the total value of Dubai real estate projects over the next decade at $230 billion.

A booming economy and rapidly growing real estate market -- sound familiar? But don't look at the properties on your street that have sported "for sale" signs for the past six months and start saying "Dubai, I told you so" just yet. It doesn't look like Dubai's market is anywhere near a decline.

In fact, as population increases, the need for housing has been so strong for the past two decades, it has led to an unusual property market. 

Although some industry analysts expect that situation to change, many feel value and sales will remain strong -- including Simon Azzam, chief executive of Union Properties (UP), which was launched more than 20 years ago.

"Dubai's housing market is still at its infancy and it is very early to predict 'a bubble burst,'" Azzam told Gulf News. "The phenomenon of overpricing and overpromising will vanish soon. It will become difficult for a developer to sell his property at a price higher than its actual value. Certain areas in Dubai - based on location, culture and services -- will be appreciated better in the market and properties in such areas will get extra points by customers."

Right now, he says, the housing demand is so great, location is the only determining factor in sales.

"What is happening now is more of a mismatch," says Azzam. "All apartments on offer are going out at the same price regardless of specifications other than their area. This is wrong, and it is not going to last."

It's good news for sustainability fans that Azzam feels construction -- and UP's involvement in construction -- will remain high, considering his company is committed to building green.

Yet not every builder -- foreign or domestic -- is. Which brings us back to Dubai's Executive Council. If Dubai's Executive Council does decide to take on a green building policy, it could -- given Dubai's huge expected growth -- have an enormous impact on the area's environment.

And the area desperately needs it.

The Emirates may not be big, but the average Emirates citizen puts more demand on the global ecosystem than any other in the world -- in the world -- according to the World Wildlife Fund.

According to the WWF, using a scale that measures the amount of land needed to generate resources for one person, the UAE's ecological footprint measured 11.9 global hectares per person.

To compare, the U.S. has a measurement of 9.6 hectares per person and a global average of 2.2 hectares a person.

(By the way, I stumbled across this factoid in an article about Dubai receiving an ice lounge -- which is totally frozen, and located in a mall. Yeah, there's some money going on in that city.)

Not only can an emerging market like Dubai, leading by example, influence other similar markets to go green, a decision to adopt a green building policy -- given the area's high construction rates and upcoming housing need, as well as its global ecosystem impact -- seems like a must. Making the decision now to build sustainable structures can set Dubai on track for a financially and environmentally sound future. And given the amount of rapid growth in the area, that future seems to be coming faster than Dubai may have anticipated.

The council seemed receptive to the suggestion; we'll see if it passes. But Dubai isn't the only rapidly booming area to consider a green policy. More news on those growth hotspots to come later this week.

A+ In Green Learning

Yesterday's Out and About blog touched on why universities are embracing green building. They aren't the only ones.

For some of the same -- and other unique -- reasons, many public grade schools throughout the country are also incorporating sustainability into their new construction plans.

Thus far, roughly 60 U.S. schools have been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Another 370 are on the way. The USGBC has also launched the "Green Schools Advocate" Program, which will train volunteers to urge state education and local school boards to make schools green.

As more U.S. cities and states encourage sustainability by either supporting or requiring green building, it makes sense that their education systems would follow suit.

But whereas green building often is encouraged primarily on the basis of its long-term financial benefits, green schools -- who also can benefit from a sustainability savings reduction over time -- are offering some additional positive effects of going green.

Take, for example, the program introduced in June at the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a 1,100-strong group. All conference attendees -- every last one -- voted to support a green schools resolution.

The resolution urges Congress to provide funding for K-12 green school demonstration projects and support new research funding to support the various benefits of making schools green. The proposal, sponsored by T.M. Franklin Cownie, Mayor of Des Moines, Iowa, lays out some clear green school benefits, including:

• Improved indoor air quality -- Studies have shown children are healthier and more productive as a result.

• Better health -- “Cleaner indoor air quality ... [has] been linked to lower asthma rates, fewer allergies, reduced absenteeism and increased teacher retention rates,” Cownie said.

• Cost reduction -- A recent study by Capital E researchers found that a typical green school costs two percent more to build, but would save $100,000 per year in energy costs alone -- enough to hire two new teachers, buy 500 new computers, or purchase 5,000 new textbooks, according to the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Less expensive green schools can, by reducing operational costs, ease the financial burden on taxpayers, who fund local school systems via property taxes. That burden can be heavy: In New York state, which has the highest combined state and local tax in the nation -- 26 percent higher than the national average -- local property taxes were 49 percent over the national average in 2002, according to the Office of the New York State Comptroller.

Primary residential homeowners paid $9.5 billion in school property taxes in 2005. And yet, because school needs are growing, budgets proposed in May suggested increasing per-student spending by 6 percent -- twice the annual rate of inflation -- raising total property taxes in local districts by almost $700 million, according to the Business Council of New York State.

Schools embracing sustainability truly is good news for the economy -- and for the  construction industry: They are its largest sector. About $53 billion will be spent on school construction this year. (And, in a time when commercial construction is helping to offset the weak residential market, that's a good thing.)

Green building is expected to be 5 to 10 percent of that new building, according to the Council of Educational Facility Planners International.

The commitment to reducing energy, water and other costs is one shared by schools catering to older and younger students. And for similar reasons, couldn't green design improve productivity and reduce illness in office buildings? Couldn't it produce big savings in energy operating costs in 24-hour buildings, like police stations and hospitals?

Reducing energy costs isn't just an environmental argument -- it's a financial one, too. And that's important to remember, because while some may not support sustainability's conservational effects, every taxpayer wants to pay less on April 15.

Once Upon a Green Time

Energy costs were always my mother's main concern about owning a castle.

Not that my family ever really considered moving into one. Nevertheless, when reading stories to my sister and I about knights, damsels -- and everything that threatens knights and damsels -- she would always pause mid fairy tale and say, "Can you imagine how much it would cost to heat that thing?"

It added a somewhat practical element to bedtime story hour: But the woman had a point. Castles are drafty, and big.

Yet amazingly, my mother apparently was not the only one concerned with royal power costs. Behold the design for Castle House, a London skyscraper that includes a unique energy saving feature estimated to reduce residents' energy bills by up to 40 percent.

When built, it will have more than 300 apartments (less drafty than a stone castle, but still, large). The 43-story building will be targeted to young professionals and contains a combined heat and power plant, according to its developers.

But Castle House's most unique feature is its wind energy turbines. The structure is aerodynamically designed to channel wind to three nine-meter turbines on top of the building.

The turbines, sitting on the top 20 meters, will be able to produce enough electricity to light the whole building. All of it.

Castle House's developers -- Castle House Developments Limited, a joint venture involving the London developer Multiplex -- told London SE1 the roof would be a "highly visible representation of the building's green credentials."

And those turbines are indeed very visible: Some have criticized the building's design as a result (posts on one Web site called it a Norelco Razor).

Yet that's not likely to deter the developer, who from the start wanted the design to target getting an EcoHomes assessment rating of “excellent.” The design firm, after all, hired a green-minded architect -- Hamilton's, a 40-year-old, 200 strong firm. Its architects have designed schools, homes, offices and more.

"We have created a pioneering, landmark building of the highest quality, that will be the first of a cluster of towers that marks the new Elephant & Castle [neighborhood]," Multiplex director Richard Banks told London SE1. "The team has produced a striking building which will set the benchmark in design, quality and energy reduction for the future regeneration of the area. Hamilton's design is outstanding."

According to their company brochure, Hamilton considers sustainable building methods at "every opportunity."

"In addition to energy use, other significant aspects of sustainable design addressed in our work include water management, pollution, embodied energy, material specification, ecology, health and wellbeing, waste and construction impacts," the brochure says. "We believe the architect’s role is to understand these issues as fully as possible, and to develop a strategy that enables them to be integrated harmoniously into the overall project at all levels, from concept to detail."

Now true, the developer asked for green design -- but it takes a truly brave architect to design a structure that will alter the skyline with giant wind turbines.

As more and more green design features are becoming mainstream, society is bound to see -- and accept -- non-traditional design. But for those expecting a home with a white picket fence, a home with a plant-covered roof may still look out of place.

And that's just as true for UK citizens who expect their newest skyscraper to have an angular, shiny peak -- not a roof made of giant wind energy converters. One of green design's main challenges has always been its unusual appearance; what's good for the environment isn't always what's expected by the eye.

Still, the project has been called a catalyst for change and overhaul in the area. But it may do more than just encourage new development.

"Hamilton's has designed the building from the outside in and inside out to ensure [the sustainable] requirements were met," Banks said.

That's a system that makes sense. And when you put it that way, it's really kind of hard to compare Castle House a giant shaving device, isn't it?

Home Sweet Dirt and Straw Home

We all know what people in glass houses shouldn't throw -- stones. (Actually, it's probably not a good idea to throw anything if you live in an all-glass house.)

But what should people who live in straw houses abstain from doing?

Absolutely nothing, according to a new green building trend that is encouraging use of materials like straw, compressed dirt/rammed earth, an adobe straw mixture and aerated concrete blocks. (Lists of such materials can be found here, along with straw construction information.) Builders had in the past shied away from such materials because of fears they were highly flammable, not durable or just outdated.

Straw was a somewhat common building material in the late 1800s and early 1900s when Midwestern and other pioneers couldn't find timber, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

But the industry is now learning that some ancient building sources and techniques have very modern applications, for the following reasons:

• They're reasonable. Materials such as rammed earth are low-cost material alternatives with low embodied energy, according to Sustainable Sources' Sourcebook for Green  and Sustainable Building.

• They're energy savers. Architect Ben Obregon built his Austin, Texas home using rectangular straw bales for walls, which were covered with stucco outside the home and adobe plaster inside. He's reduced his monthly utility bill for the 2,135-foot home to $55, the Austin Statesman reported.

• They're actually quite safe. Scientific studies have proved that straw bale construction is actually very resistant to fire because of its tight packing, according to the Daily Green.

• They're in supply. One five-acre pit could supply earth walls for 5,000 homes, according to the Terra Firma Rammed Earth Builders company. However, suppliers and builders must be careful not to overharvest an area's rammed earth capabilities, or they'll be causing the same problem they're trying to solve.

So why aren't we all living in dirt- and straw-constructed houses? Permits can be hard to get because building codes rarely mention alternative building materials.

"Unfortunately, by not addressing specific earthen materials and construction techniques, codes restrict the use of these materials and types of construction, even those that may have a long history of success," Fred Webster, Ph.D., P.E., of Fred Webster Associates, known for its adobe building, wrote in an article on green building materials.

Insurance, as a result, can be hard to obtain for a rammed earth or adobe homeowner.

"Because of their standardizing Influence,   building codes are viewed by lending institutions as a rational and consistent   basis for judging the risk in lending mortgage or construction dollars," Webster says. 

And there are some viable insurance concerns. Water is a huge issue. A World Housing Encyclopedia report cited potential issues like roof leaks, which can cause major expenses if the soil crumbles.

Extra care must also be taken to waterproof the exterior walls, create roof overhangs and seal the doors and windows, the American-Statesman said.

But all homes pose risks, which is why insurance exists -- and the risk factor doesn't mean homes made with earthen materials are unrealistic housing options.

Are you hoping to reduce sound? Energy costs? Cut material costs? Examine the different building materials and determine which will work best for your construction. 

Also take note of where you live. If there are heavy rains, you may need to build on higher ground and/or add design elements that will keep the house as dry as possible.

And always, if you're considering building using rammed earth, straw or another sustainable material outside of the norm, talk to your local building department about the current codes and how you might obtain a permit.

This process might require educating them a bit, and may take some time, but always remember, communities are not averse to making building code changes. After all, if it's good enough for the Great Wall of China -- parts of it are made of rammed earth -- shouldn't it be good enough for your community?

Knowing the Cost and Effect of Green Building is Key

News last week that a recent study by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) had found the industry perception of green building's costs and benefits was way off base was disheartening news to green enthusiasts.

The survey found that real estate and construction industry officials often misjudge the costs and benefits of building green. Their general estimations of what green building added to a project budget hovered around 17 percent (the true cost is just 5 percent); industry members also thought greenhouse gas emissions from construction were 19 percent of the world's total when they truly are 40 percent.

Yikes. It seemed like a setback for green building, which has enjoyed considerable positive press and word-of-mouth promotion this year.

But are things really all that bleak? There are a number of positive things going on in the green building world that would imply the construction industry is supporting green building:

• Green building is gaining political attention. NAHB testified in front of Congress in July to encourage green construction tax incentives and other programs that would encourage sustainable building. According to NAHB, more than 100,000 homes have been built and certified by voluntary, builder-supported green building programs around the U.S. since the mid-1990s.

• Home buyers are buying in to green building. A survey of more than 250 residential builders sponsored by Green Builder® Media and imrecommunications.com showed that buyers will to pay 11 to 25 percent for green building in new home construction, the Realty Times reported.

• Green construction is a healthy business. Industry expert Jerry Yudelson, principal at the green building consulting firm Yudelson Associates, said in March he expects the value of green building construction starts to exceed $30 billion this year, according to FM Link.

• And its future seems bright. LEED has begun creating several new programs to customize green building for different industries. Its core and shell accreditation program became available in July 2006; LEED for homes and LEED for neighborhood development are currently in the testing phase.

It's unclear how the industry perception of sustainable building's costs and effectiveness got so warped when there has been plenty of news to the contrary in 2007 -- but the WBCSD report, and others like it, should help to turn around any incorrect public perception.

Green building does add some cost to a project -- but it's dangerous to have industry experts overstating what that cost is.

Green building's perhaps biggest task is either bringing the cost of green construction down further or publicizing the over-time projected energy and other savings so widely that developers, architects and, ultimately, buyers will always weigh that factor in their decision to build green or not build green.

As David Duchovny, one of the celebrities mentioned in yesterday's green star supporters blog entry, told ecorazzi.com, "Unfortunately, you have to have the means to be green. That’s what has to change in this world. It should be cheaper to be green. I can afford to put solar energy in and I can afford to drive an electric car because I can also have a gas car if I need to drive more than eighty miles in a day. So that’s too bad.”

Wise words from a man who spent the greater part of the last decade saving the world from aliens. Maybe this time, Duchovny's insight will help save the world from itself.

The First Rule About Green Building is that We Always Talk About Green Building

BRAD PITT IS IN NEW ORLEANS! BRAD PITT IS IN NEW ORLEANS!

OMG! BRAD!!! PITT!!! NEW! ORLEANS!!!!!!

Such was the breathless, teenage girl-cadenced cry of the tabloids this week, as the Bran half of Brangelina rolled down south into the Big Easy. Numerous media outlets -- from People to the Associated Press -- covered the trip, publishing articles and photos of the "Fight Club" and Oceans Thirteen" star in New Orleans.

Was he partying in the French Quarter? Hanging out in the home he owns there? Reading Anne Rice books?

Nope. Pitt was in New Orleans on Tuesday touring a newly constructed green home (along with the "Today Show") in the city's Lower Ninth Ward.

The home was based on a winning design from a contest Pitt and the environmental organization Global Green USA created to encourage post Hurricane Katrina construction, AP reported.

The house features sustainable elements such as walls treated with a nontoxic mold and termite repellant, solar panels and energy-saving appliances, which were added in part to lower residents' electric and water bills. (Electric bills will be reduced by 75 percent and water will be cut 50 percent, according to Brad.)

It may not sound like the most wild New Orleans vacation, but Pitt's passion for architecture and building is well documented -- he's a fan of Frank Gehry in particular (photographers caught him shooting photos of the Gehry-designed Guggenheim museum in Spain earlier this summer on a trip the media wasn't invited to.).

In March 2005, Pitt appeared with Gehry at a forum in which it was announced he would be involved with Gehry's downtown LA revamp group, the Guardian reported. Pitt is also rumored to be involved in Gehry's UK redevelopment of the Hove seafront.

So perhaps Pitt's recent contest, tour and general green design support doesn't come as a huge surprise -- but lending some star power to the effort is undoubtedly appreciated. His trip to the construction site last week generated dozens of media articles about his presence -- and, in turn, the green design elements the new home features. Clever.

Celebs are often criticized for jumping on the cause bandwagon for press or other questionable reasons, but Pitt's green passion seems to run much deeper. (There's some "A River Runs Through It" joke in there, but we can't find it.)

And he isn't the only member of the Hollywood elite to say yes to going green.

Other high-power stars are finding that promoting green principles -- either through practice, in media projects or through other platforms -- is helping to bring widespread recognition of the benefits and need for sustainability.

And the list of sustainable stars might surprise you. Other celebs who are green fans include:

•    Former X-Files star David Duchovny has a solar-energy powered home, according to ecorazzi.com.

•    Robert Redford, a long-time environmental and outdoor conservation supporter, in April committed three hours a week of eco-programming on his Sundance channel, Grist reports.

•    Julia Louis-Dreyfus owns a green home; she and her husband renovated their Santa Barbara bungalow into a green design showroom, featuring rooftop solar panels, a natural ventilation system and insulation made of recycled newspaper, Grist reported.

•    Alanis Morissette heats her pool with solar panels, GreenBuilding.com reports.

•    And forget the Malibu beach house or designer sunglasses: The current Hollywood must-have is the electric car. Both Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz are just two of the celebs who have had them for years. (Leonardo is, of course, a very vocal supporter of all environmental causes, and recently finished a documentary about the subject.)

People may groan when Oscar acceptance speeches turn into social diatribes (and often, I'm one of them -- I want tears, many tears, maybe with a touch of joyful hysteria), and there is reason to question why any public figure -- actor, musician or otherwise -- without background in a subject suddenly becomes any cause's biggest fan.

But we're looking at a society (Hollywood) in which money abounds and needs are constantly catered to (how many people do you see daily who have one or two personal assistants to help them organize their life -- especially when that life involves months off at a time?).

In that crazy, decadent, fun society, sacrifice usually isn't a word that comes into play often. (Which is why we love to read those gossip mags so much.) It's LA -- I've lived there. People will drive a block in their car because it's easier than walking. Almost every commercial building has valet parking as a result; and heat lamps, so you don't have to suffer a moment of discomfort should the temperature dip below 70 degrees while you wait for the valet to bring you your car back. (Because NOBODY should have to suffer that kind of indignity!)

So it is admirable to see that some major Hollywood stars have forgone Bentleys for a Prius, opted to emphasize homes with solar panels over infinity pools and, most of all, put their schedule where their mouth is and dedicated time to promoting green design. It's a trend that will, with luck, continue.

Now, if we could only get more of them to scrap the personal jets ...

Habitat for Humanity, Indeed

An interesting program designed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory -- inspired by the goal of reaching zero energy, where a home would produce what it uses -- has outfitted five Habitat for Humanity homes in Tennessee with new renewable energy producing and energy-efficient technologies.

The homes, RenewableEnergyAccess.com reports, feature solar panels, geothermal heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, airtight walls and roofing panels and mechanical ventilation systems. They are co-funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

Jeff Christian, a buildings technology researcher at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and coordinator of the Habitat for Humanity project, told the ORNL Review that he approached the Tennessee Valley Authority and Habitat for Humanity about creating something zero-energy and affordable -- and first suggested something small, like a carport.

"It was the Habitat coordinators themselves who said, 'The people we serve don't need carports—they need groceries and they need a decent house. Why don't we just make it part of one of the houses we build?'" he told the ORNL Review. "By June, we had a house."

More followed. According to Christian, Habitat homes are perfect for the program.

"You build something, you test and when you are done testing the home is turned over to a family in need, who gets an upgraded, affordable home out of the deal," he says. "The houses are small, they are simple, and they can be fairly easily replicated. The community, in essence, gives us a laboratory facility."

That's a clever idea, considering the project combines the needs of an organization who will be creating new construction homes (Habitat for Humanity) and allows the ORNL to test out new methods, while also testing out their affordability -- which will ultimately be a key factor in getting them into new homes outside of the test program. Everybody wins!

Christian hopes to bleed some of the findings into the private construction sector; the program is also hoping to reach zero-energy soon.

He also suggested to the ORNL Review that the following changes will help the mainstream zero energy cause:
•    Christian hopes the Tennessee Valley Authority will up its solar power buy-back rates to 20 to 25 cents per kilowatt hour. (It currently pays 15 cents kilowatt hour).

•    The cost of solar panels must come down.

•    Electrical appliance use must be managed somehow. Christian says appliances aren't the huge problem. It's cell phones, chargers, VCRs, plasma TVs and more that can add a 2,500 kilowatt hour demand per year to your household -- and it's growing at 3.5 percent a year.

This example is so mindblowing because of all developers, one could argue that sustainability is probably least important to Habitat. Their clients -- who help build the homes -- require housing. That's a basic need.

But Habitat for Humanity has taken the time to consider the impact green design could have on a homeowner and a community and added it to their construction "to do" list. In the midst of coordinating an all-volunteer construction crew and building deadlines, Habitat took the extra time to say, 'You know what, this can save the homeowner energy costs down the road and has a real benefit long-term to the environment.' Bravo.

Which begs the question: If Habitat for Humanity can adapt a program like this, why can't larger, for-profit builders?

Chicago Hopes Life Imitates Art

I watched Chicago's Cool Globes exhibit rise slowly over the past few months -- from its installation to being surrounded by gawking tourists -- because I run almost daily along the lakefront area where they're on display.

And, for weeks, I was confused. I didn't see any signs; I didn't see any articles about it; all I saw? Giant globes (whose bases I tripped over on a regular basis.)

Summer outdoor displays are a rich tradition in Chicago. Since the 1999 cow show, in which more than 300 life-sized decorated cow statues were placed downtown, we've had other giant art structures, including sofas. So when I saw the globes, I just assumed that was this a new summer public art display that was in a different part of the city.

But when I one day passed the composting globe, I started to put things together. This was no beautified bovine.

The Cool Globes exhibit is an extension of Mayor Daley's commitment to making Chicago as green as possible. Mayor Daley has already agreed to building “green” libraries, public schools and police stations; his green building agenda includes supporting the Chicago Center for Green Technology, which offers tours, workshops and other opportunities for people to learn about green building, and the creation of the GreenWorks Awards, a bi-annual award program that recognizes outstanding green buildings in Chicago.

But Cool Globes, on display from June to September, is the city's first public art project designed to inspire citizens to take action against global warming.

There are more than 100 globes in all, near the museums, Navy Pier and the lakefront. The globes were created by artists including Tom Van Sant and Jim Dine, using different materials to express concerns or solutions for global warming.

Take, for example, the first globe that I saw, which is actually enclosed in a giant white box. Tiny shutters can be lifted to see worms turning food waste into a rich soil nutrient--a little gross, but effective.

Others include the residential solar globe, which displays the variance in energy use around the world, and a sustainable building design globe, which includes green building materials.

To further the learning experience, the Cool Globes Web site offers a number of home improvement green tips for Chicagoans, including:

• Installing programmable thermostats to automatically adjust the heat or air conditioning can save you $100 a year on your energy bill.

• If each household in the U.S. replaced its existing appliances with the most efficient models available, we'd eliminate 175 million tons of carbon dioxide annually.

• A variety of environmentally friendly building materials are available for home improvements, including reclaimed wood, natural fiber cotton insulation and energy efficient ventilation.

But what is particularly admirable -- in addition to the undertaking a project of this size presents -- is that Cool Globes project organizers, recognizing that the globes' creation would have some effect on the environment, took things an extra step and attempted to be a carbon neutral project. They developed a "green tag" strategy of renewable energy certificates, investments to plant trees and plans to foster environmentally-friendly agricultural practices.

The more I researched, the more surprised I was. True, Chicago's commitment to green design has been traditionally strong. But there's a big difference between supporting new building initiatives and installing 100 giant educational orbs outside to educate citizens about the issue. (And by the way, there is another public art installation this summer on Michigan Avenue -- this was truly an extra effort.)

Hopefully the globes will serve as an important visual for those who pass by. And even if they don't, the globes will help increase environmental programming: They're set to be auctioned off on October 5 to benefit environmental education programs, including the expansion of Chicago Conservation Clubs in Chicago Public Schools.

The Cool Globes project is a unique endeavor, placed in one of the highest-volume tourist traffic areas in the city. And I'm curious to see what effect it will have. We can cry green design's benefits from the green rooftops, publish guidelines and start programs to encourage new green construction, but sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words, isn't it?

Construction Waste: Everyone's Problem Needs a Solution for Everyone

Wednesday's blog discussed construction site waste management issues -- and on the heels of that post comes news of an exemplary program in Canada that unites builders and local government to encourage responsible debris removal.

The need for reducing construction waste is not a new topic -- but it's one cities have faced repeatedly as construction boomed in recent years. Recycling can help. But how does a city encourage the private building sector to put forth the added time and effort to categorize and drop off materials in the midst of construction?

Several Canadian towns have a clever, yet simple idea -- make it easy for them.

In 1998, the towns of Banff and Canmore and the Municpal District of Bighorn formed a regional commission to deal with waste management issues within the Bow Valley region. It proved to be a match made in recycling heaven.

The Bow Valley Waste Management Commission (BVWMC), governed by a board of directors that includes an elected official from each of the three municipalities, set fairly simple original goals -- organizing and expanding regional programs and reducing duplication of services to save costs.

The commission has since been involved in a number of initiatives, including recycling education, school recycling programs and a demonstration composting program.

But the commission knew public education was only part of solving the problem. In an ambitious move, the committed actually purchased a local 80-acre landfill, which is continues to run. In addition, the committee created a location for collecting dry waste management that includes recycling capabilities for asphalt, concrete, scrap metal, kiln dried lumber and refrigerators.

Through its hands-on efforts, the committee has increased construction recycling from less than 14 percent to whopping more than 60 percent diversion. That's key for an area in which dry waste accounts for almost half of the total waste stream, the