Touting the benefits of building green

<p>PRESS DEMOCRAT: Green building is all the rage today. What is the Green Building Council, and what does it do?</p><p>PUGH: It is a national organization of about 10,000-plus members and member firms. The mission is to educate local governments, the public and the professional community about the many benefits of green, sustainable building practices. There are 60 chapters across the United States that assist in introducing these practices into the local building community. The Redwood Empire Chapter was formed about seven years ago with a small group and now has about 185 members.</p><p>PRESS DEMOCRAT: Educating an entire community of builders and homebuyers is a tall order. How do you go about that?</p><p>PUGH: The chapter holds regular educational workshops for the public and professional communities. Members work directly with local municipalities to assist with local green building guidelines and ordinances. Next month in Sebastopol we are hosting three workshops, ranging from the basic ideas to in-depth workshops on residential and commercial green building. The chapter also holds educational seminars for professional training.</p><p>PRESS DEMOCRAT: With so many builders touting their homes as "green," how is a consumer supposed to separate the marketing from the reality?</p><p>PUGH: Certification. Without documentation proving that a project is a qualified "Green Points Rated" or a "LEED–H" certified building, there is no proof, which is exactly the reason why the rating systems were put into place. They set the standard which builders, owners, architects, etc., can follow and which allows verification and validation that their project is a qualified green project. We all begin a project wanting to get every point possible, but in reality it is extremely difficult to achieve every single point.</p><p>In California we have both the USGBC's LEED -- Homes (Leadership in Energy &amp; Environmental Design) and "Build It Green" Green Points systems. The verification process requires inspections, plan-checking and qualified educated green raters.</p><p>PRESS DEMOCRAT: Why are there two different rating systems? Is one stricter or more reliable than the other?</p><p>PUGH: Both rating systems look at a project from slightly different perspectives. LEED started out on the commercial level and has now brought in residential building. Build It Green was developed for residential building and currently has rating programs for new construction and remodeling projects, and is currently working on adding other areas such as commercial, multi-family, etc.</p><p>In California, the two programs interact and complement each other, rather than compete.</p><p>PRESS DEMOCRAT: Are these systems mandated by local agencies, and do you think they should be?</p><p>PUGH: Currently only the cities of Sebastopol and Cotati mandate that the project must be built to green-building standards. Santa Rosa has maintained its green-building guidelines as a voluntary program, so far. This is similar to Austin, Texas' green-building program, which is completely voluntary. However, if you are building in Austin, and not building green, your product probably isn't selling as well. It not only becomes a status symbol to have a green-built home, but it's also a great way for homebuilders to show off what they do and how well they do it.</p><p>PRESS DEMOCRAT: The first development in Sonoma County built with solar panels on all units recently opened. How much more of this do you think we'll see?</p><p>PUGH: I honestly believe that soon almost all projects like this will include solar, and that it and other energy-efficient innovations will be the "standard" rather than the innovative way to build. Solar is sexy, it's hip and it also shows that you (the buyer and builder) care about saving energy.</p><p>It's kind of like the hybrid cars when they first came out. A few were bought but usually only by the very serious environmentalist or energy-conscious buyers. Now everybody wants one, especially with the cost of gas! Almost every automaker has at least one model available. Structural Insulated Panels, or SIPs, fall into this same arena. They are energy-efficient engineered walls that are equal to less expensive than the conventional framing methods. They've been around a long time and numerous projects have been built with SIPs, but as energy costs continue to rise each year, they will become the standard way to build. The reasons ($$) may not be as sexy, but they're definitely smart.</p><p>PRESS DEMOCRAT: There is nothing stopping a developer from advertising "green" homes that are 3,000, 5,000 or even 10,000 square feet. Shouldn't new homes over a certain size forfeit the right to call themselves "green" because of the amount of resources consumed by their construction?</p><p>PUGH: Good question, with many answers. A big part of the green sustainable building movement is about less -- less waste, less energy use and using less of our natural resources to build the structure. Does a person really need that 5,000-square-foot house? That is a decision each person must decide for themselves. If they do go that route, however, then they should make it as green and energy efficient as possible. You can have a large, energy-efficient, sustainably built house, but you have to work a lot harder to have it equal (in terms of waste and energy usage) to a smaller house. If you want to build a 5,000-square-foot house, go right ahead -- just don't use any more energy than a 3,500-square-foot house would. How do you do that? Build it smart, and build it green.</p><p>For more information about Redwood Empire Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council's programs, visit www.usgbc-rec.org.</p><p>This interview was conducted via e-mail by Staff Writer Kevin McCallum, who can be reached 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum</p><p>@pressdemocrat.com.</p>