National Green Building Standards

I just got back from spending three days in Washington DC at NAHB. I was fortunate enough to spend this time with some of the most knowledgeable green builders from around the country, as well as much of the staff responsible for managing NAHB's incredible green program.

By far the most talked about and celebrated topic was the recent approval of the National Green Building Standard. NAHB spearheaded the development of the standard in conjunction with the International Codes Council and in January of this year it was approved by the American National Standards Institute. The ANSI approved standard sets the green baseline for all new residential construction including multifamily, renovations and additions. Setting a quantifiable definition for what green is has been the challenge of the green building movement for a long time. This ANSI approved scoring sytem may be the real start to creating national industry concensus and get us all speaking the same language...GREEN!

Check out the standard at www.NAHBGreen.org if you haven't already.