The provisions of this Standard apply to residential construction in all climate zones in the United States. The construction practices that impact lot development, resource efficiency, energy and water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, building owner maintenance, and global impact are addressed and organized into respective categories. The green building practices are presented in a prescriptive or a performance-based format. The user is provided the flexibility to select among several prescribed techniques to obtain a minimum rating level. The intent of this Standard is to establish the minimum environmental performance levels required to qualify for one of the specified tiers of green building. Everything seems to be "going green" these days- from cars, to companies, to coffee. However, sometimes it can be hard to tell what that really means, especially when it comes to your current or future home. Building green means incorporating environmental considerations and resource efficiency into every step of the home building and land development process to minimize environmental impact. During the design, construction, and operation of a home, energy and water efficiency, lot development, resource efficient building design and materials, indoor environmental quality and homeowner maintenance should all be considered. Although we cannot entirely avoid affecting the environment when a house is built, green building can work toward minimizing that environmental impact. The concept of green building isn't new—our great-grandparents built climate-appropriate homes using locally-available materials. Today's green homes incorporate not only climatic considerations, but are resource and energy efficient, safer for occupants, and often less expensive to maintain.
So have your next Green Building project administered by Cetified Green Professional.
Offered by NAHB's University of Housing, the Certified Green Professional designation is another way building professionals can become educated in, and involved with green building. The designation requires 24 hours of NAHB-approved training, and additional continuing education every two years. Upon successful completion, that individual is awarded the CGP designation, recognizing a high degree of professional competence.
