Green building hard to define

“Out of 450 surveys we received, we had 126 distinct answers to what green building means,” said Matt Morrow, Springfield HBA executive officer. “And the most popular answer, by far, was ‘I don’t know.’ That was pretty remarkable.”

Confusion about the issue is one reason the HBA’s green building committee is considering a set of criteria for homebuyers to better judge the environmental impact of building products used in a new home, according to committee chairman Sam Bradley.

“The research showed in Springfield that people were most worried about heating and air conditioning, windows and insulation,” Bradley said. “Those were the three areas that they felt they could afford to spend some money and get some return. So we’re looking at a rating system for those products that could be standardized areawide.”

HBA also adopted the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Guidelines, which will help the building community define green building for its clients.

“As builders, we have to guide our clients through the process to help them understand what financial benefits can be obtained through this new technology,” said home builder Brett Godfrey. “A lot of people think green is just high-efficiency appliances or using recycled materials. Both are right, but green encompasses all of that. It’s more of an attitude.”

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