Everything seems to be "going green" these days - from cars, to companies, to coffee. However, sometimes it can be hard to tell what that really means, especially when it comes to your current or future home.
Building green means incorporating environmental considerations and resource efficiency into every step of the home building and land development process to minimize environmental impact. During the design, construction, and operation of a home, energy and water efficiency, lot development, resource efficient building design and materials, indoor environmental quality and homeowner maintenance should all be considered. Although we cannot entirely avoid affecting the environment when a house is built, green building can work toward minimizing that environmental impact.
The concept of green building isn't new — our great-grandparents built climate-appropriate homes using locally-available materials. Today's green homes incorporate not only climatic considerations, but are resource and energy efficient, safer for occupants, and often less expensive to maintain.
Learn more about what goes into a green home, what some of the benefits are, including financial incentives. The photo gallery features green homes of all shapes, designs, and sizes.
The Certified Green Professional (CGP)™ is a designation designed to teach building industry professionals strategies for incorporating green building principles into homes, including an understanding that demonstrates enhanced environmental impact and increased performance and health benefits. Find a Certified Green Professional (CGP)™ by going to the University of Housing Designations page on NAHB.org, and select CGP from the pull-down menu. If you want to check for a particular builder or remodeler, you can type the name in the keyword field.
Also look for homes with the NAHB Research Center Green Certified Mark. Because your home is inspected and certified by the NAHB Research Center - an independent, ISO accredited, third-party inspection agency - you can be assured that it's built as green and as cost-effectively as promised. It's proof that your home is green. Many of these homes are featured on this site.