commentNAHB Launches National Green Building Program
At the 2008 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, Florida, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) officially launched its National Green Building Program, allowing builders to have homes certified according to the point system set out in the Model Green Home Building Guidelines. The program also includes an educational component and a Green Certified Professional designation for builders.
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Developed in 2005, the Model Green Home Building Guidelines started as a voluntary, self-certifying checklist for builders looking to incorporate cost-effective green building principles into homes. Now, the checklist has become the basis for a national certification system in which builders score their homes against the checklist and verifiers, trained by NAHB, review the scoring and documentation, and inspect the home. Since the program is in its infancy, the number of verifiers is limited, but several training sessions are scheduled over the next few months. NAHB is also in the process of developing a National Green Building Standard and will incorporate that into the national certification program when it is complete.
Along with the national certification program, NAHB has announced a new Certified Green Professional program designed around a two-day course, “Green Building for Building Professionals.” Participants must have at least two years of building experience, have completed a home in the past 24 months, complete a business management course, and commit to 12 hours of continuing education every two years. The two-day course is designed around the Model Green Home Building Guidelines and introduces builders to basic green building principles, from building science to energy and water efficiency.
According to Michael Strong, vice president of remodeling firm Brothers Strong in Houston and an NAHB instructor, the course “does an excellent job of painting the outlines of the green elephant,” connecting the sometimes disparate parts of green building to create a picture of the whole. “This course is not intended to be the end-all,” he said. “It’s just the next step in education for builders.”
For more information:
National Association of Home Builders
National Green Building Program
Washington, D.C.
877-624-2476, 202-266-8200
www.nahbgreen.org
This article was produced by BuildingGreen, Inc.- www.buildinggreen.com
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