By Chris Bacavis •
August 24, 2009
In a stark contrast with how construction used to be thought of, the green building movement has been a shift away from the traditional concerns about money and time. The betterment of our planet, as it turns out, is quickly becoming a bigger priority. Since March of this year, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program has seen around 20,852 new LEED registered and certified projects.
Most of this can be attributed to the fact that builders view green buildings as more economical in the long run, and recent incentives on the part of the government have added an extra encouragement. But while these positives have been talked about pretty often, there are some risks associated with going green that still leave many builders wary.
Shelby SuperCars, makers of the “World’s Fastest Supercar” the Ultimate Aero, is diversifying its lineup quite a bit. After announcing earlier this year that they would be unveiling the world’s “fastest EV” this summer, SSC is hoping to market more than just outrageously fast (and expensive) supercars.
It seems they want to get into the hybrid motorhome market and plan to offer an RV with an all-electric range of 150 miles. They also have ambitious plans of providing over a quarter of the engines needed to meet Obama’s goal of a million plug-in electric cars by 2015.
By Kristin Dispenza •
February 26, 2008
In an MSNBC article last year, it was projected that by 2010 half of all new homes will be built green, since homebuilders see a big benefit to their business from going green. In a nationwide survey conducted in 2007 by Professional Builder Magazine, builders reported that they believed energy efficiency to be somewhat or extremely important to 97 percent of homebuyers; these builders also believed that indoor air quality, sustainability, and resource conservation were important considerations for more than half of their customers.
With sustainability issues coming to the forefront in the housing market, it’s not surprising that builders and developers are scrambling to implement some radical changes in their methodology. By what means does this occur? Often builders find it easiest to enlist the help of a third party resource. Third party organizations can introduce builders to a more complete array of information than they might be able to discover on their own, and can help a builder identify his or her own best course of action.
By Philip Proefrock •
April 27, 2007
Editor's note: In Part 1 of "How to Find a Green Builder," Philip addressed some of the general concepts underlying green homebuilding; today, he discussses specific guidelines for green homes, and the professionals that can implement those ideas.
Looking for a builder may not be the best first step, either. Working with an architect, rather than having a builder try to "green up" an existing plan that they have built before, may lead to
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By Philip Proefrock •
April 25, 2007
Editor's note: Thinking about building green? Philip's two-part series (second part on Friday) explains the many variables you need to consider before signing a contract with a "green" home builder.
I recently received a message from a reader asking for help with finding a local green builder. Unfortunately, she is looking in a city two time zones away from me. And while I'm gathering resources and collecting information, the information I have
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