What is "Green" in construction?

Green is everywhere you turn these days from homes to cars, and clothes to furniture. Green is a new concept for the mass-market and there really is no uniform definition for what it means. This can be confusing to the consumer who is looking for green products and services.

Our program, Build Green Greater Columbia, is based on the NAHB Model Green Home Guidelines and takes seven categories into account. Each home verified as green in our program must acquire points in each of the seven areas or it will not be green. The categories are: Lot Design, Preparation and Development; Resource Efficiency; Energy Efficiency; Water Efficiency; Indoor Environmental Quality; Operation, Maintenance, and Homeowner Education; and, Global Impact.

Homes that are simply energy and water efficient are not necessarily green in our program. The builder must also properly plan the house for the best results, manage existing resources on the homesite properly (trees, green space, etc.), use building materials efficiently and recycle waste during construction, educate the consumer as to how to use the house properly, and so on.

What is your take on green in residential construction? Leave a comment here, and let us know what's important to you when looking for a green home.

Suggest a post / General comments

To start out on our new blog, we have it set up so that only the GBC staff can start a new post. If you'd like to suggest a post or just leave a general comment, please do so under this post.

Green Building Council Blog

The Green Building Council of Greater Columbia started this blog in order to help get the word out on green residential construction in the Columbia, SC area. Council members are invited to submit articles of interest to this blog by e-mailing bin@columbiabuilders.com. Questions from the public and members are also encouraged.