Green Builders

The NAHB honored 17 building industry professionals and companies who excelled in green home building practices in 2007, during the Green Building Awards ceremony at the organizationís 10th annual National Green Building Conference. More

The NAHB marked the start of its 10th National Green Building Conference by remembering the past and looking to the future. More

Bourbon Street, beignets, beads, and, now, builders. Green building pros from across the nation will descend on New Orleans this weekend for the NAHBís 10th annual Nation Green Building Conference. The association expects more than 1,500 builders to show up for this yearís conference, which will take place May 10-13, besting last yearís conference in St. Louis by about 400 attendees. More

When builder Mike Scarlett signed on to participate in the HBA of Greater Dallas Green Built Parade of Homes, which debuted in September, he had never so much as built an Energy Star house. But he rose to the challenge, hiring a consultant to help him decode such eco-measures as spray-foam insulation, dual-flush toilets, and the use of recycled materials. Scarlett, owner of Scarlett Custom Homes in Frisco, Texas, was one of seven builders who showcased Parade homes that feature key building techniques from the Green Built North Texas program. The new certification program, scheduled for rollout in early 2008, is a regional adaptation of NAHBís Model Green Home Building Guidelines and requires builders to implement a minimum of 38 components from six categories, ranging from energy and water efficiency to recycling and indoor air quality. More

Responding to growing consumer demand for green construction, companies industrywide are brandishing green credentials. Critics, however, warn of "greenwashing," the practice of claiming limited or superficial green practices as representative of a true green identity. More

Green building may not have caught on yet with remodelers, but the creators of Atlanta's EarthCraftHouse program hope to give the movement a push. "The results from our pilot projects have been much better than we expected," Hackler says. More