 
hen is Green, Green?
Good question. With a certain amount of green-washing – in other words, the overuse of the “green” label, often for marketing purposes – occurring today, it’s difficult for homeowners to distinguish between what is and is not genuinely environmentally-friendly.
For the unfamiliar, the National Association of Home Builders offers a good explanation of what sets a green home apart, citing that a truly green home incorporates at least three of five environmental considerations: energy efficiency, indoor air quality, water efficiency, resource efficiency and site management.
For now, when you desire a top-of-the-line green home, it’s best to utilize a comprehensive green building certification program. Such programs outline criteria against which potential green homes can be checked. Everything from tree preservation to building products to the home’s performance on a variety of tests is taken into consideration, and points are awarded for each component that is met. The following are the most notable programs in the Carolinas:
LEED for Homes:
The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Rating System (or LEED for short) is perhaps the most widely recognized standard for building green. A home can qualify for one of four levels of certification (Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum).
EarthCraft House™:
EarthCraft, a well-established residential green home rating system, actually served as the model for the new LEED program. It was developed by the Southface Energy Institute and the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association.
ENERGY STAR®:
In addition to rating the efficiency of individual appliances and products, Energy Star also affixes its blue star of approval on homes that meet efficiency guidelines as prescribed by the Environmental Protection Agency. Such homes provide $200 to $400 in annual savings.
NAHB National Green Building Program™:
The National Association of Home Builders launched a new green building certification program in February 2008.
NC HealthyBuilt:
Across the country there are numerous regionalized green building certification programs offered by organizations or even communities. One prominent example in the Carolinas is the North Carolina HealthyBuilt Homes Program.
Additionally, organizations such as BuildingGreen, Inc. also offer directories of green building products that may prove helpful.
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Why Go Green?
As the New York Times recently reported, a 2007 study conducted by the National Association of Realtors found that 46 percent of homebuyers would like a green home. This is due to the vast array of benefits a green home offers, whether you’re making small renovations or a total overhaul. While different people are attracted by different advantages, they tend to fall in one of the following categories:
Show Me the Money!
The continual rise of energy costs has made green homes more attractive than ever. According to an October 2007 survey conducted for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 64% of the people they surveyed cited “reduced energy costs” as their major motivation for building or remodeling a green home. Fortunately, those who make the switch in hopes of lower utility bills will not be disappointed.
For one South Carolina couple, Emil and Judith Rigg, the savings were obvious. After living in their 2,700 square foot green home in Hilton Head, they discovered that it cost an average of $50 a month in electricity bills – the same as their 750 square foot, non-green guest house on the same property. Their solar batch water heater, which incorporates solar panels to heat the water, cost them only about $20 a year to run. Additionally, they only required a half-ton heater, “whereas a normal house our size would require a seven-ton heater,” Mrs. Rigg explains.
Another important economic benefit to green homes is their sustainability – in other words, their decreased maintenance needs, which is due to constructing with durable, sustainable materials. A prime example is a metal roof, which will still be protecting from the wind and rain long after a conventional, shingled roof would have required replacement (costing thousands of dollars).
Still not convinced? Consider this: Your green home may qualify for a reduced mortgage (often called an “energy efficient” or “green mortgage”), lower insurance rates or even tax credits or incentives. Additionally, particularly as these high-performance homes become more mainstream, you will appreciate your green home’s increased value in the market.
Healthy Homes: In an age when society is focusing on healthy living, from buying organic food to exercising and eating right, creating a healthy home environment is a natural extension. Your home, where you spend so much of your day and sleep through the night, should be a healthy environment for your family.
Highly efficient HVAC systems provide drastically improved air quality and reduced exposure to mold and mildew (of great comfort to allergy sufferers). Careful selection of building products that do not omit harmful volatile organic compounds (often called VOCs) is also key. Avoid breathing in toxins that are normally released by things like paint, varnish and carpeting by opting for new and stylish “low” to “no VOC” options in the market.
Along similar lines, high-performance green homes also provide protection from outside noise and air pollution and drafts, thus maintaining consistent temperatures and humidity levels throughout the home. This also means heightened comfort for the entire family.
The Right Thing to Do:
Finally, the original cause that initiated green building decades ago – far less publicized, but a movement nonetheless –continues to draw homeowners today. People are compelled to own a green home simply because it is the “right thing to do.” Conserving valuable resources, reducing your carbon footprint and recycling are undoubtedly positive actions. According to the EPA’s Energy Star program, American homes are responsible for 16 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, reducing energy use in your home reduces air pollution.
Fortunately, even the smallest actions can have big impact. Consider changing the light bulbs in your most frequently used fixtures to highly efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. According to Energy Star, these marvels of modern invention use approximately 75 percent less energy than standard incandescent bulbs and last up to 10 times longer. If in every home in America one light bulb were upgraded to a CFL, enough energy would be saved to light more than three million homes for a year, equivalent to $600 million in energy costs. Plus, with improving technology, you can now purchase CFLs compatible for three-way or dimmer switches, and in warm and soft shades.*
*Editor’s Note: Please note that these revolutionary CFL bulbs do contain a tiny bit of mercury (enough to cover the tip of a ballpoint pen, or about 100 times less than that found in an older thermometer), so, when one burns out – which isn’t often – it should be disposed of properly, and, ideally, recycled. See www.energystar.gov
for all instructions.
Another reason for the increasing popularity of green homes is likely the maturation of green building products and practices. Today, a green home can be designed to perfectly suit your style, from a modern condominium on the coast to a traditional estate home in the mountains.
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Sustainable Communities
If you are now beginning to picture yourself in a greener home, it’s vital to stop and think about the big picture, too. As important as building green is to the environment, it’s just the beginning. The real aim is sustainable development.
For some, this may still be a new term. In general, sustainable development is a comprehensive approach to community planning that views a community as a dynamic, living entity. It integrates green ideas into every aspect of the community and focuses on creating an environment where humans and nature can mutually thrive for generations to come. Therefore, in each and every decision, the interdependent relationships between the two are carefully considered.
In Developing Sustainable Planned Communities, a book published by The Urban Land Institute, a group of industry experts explore how sustainable development is the umbrella under which traditional neighborhood development (often called New Urban), conservation development, transit-oriented development, smart growth and green building converge. Another component to consider is landscaping (a viable option whether you live in a truly sustainable development or in your average neighborhood).
Fortunately, communities across the Carolinas are rising to the occasion and are creating sustainable environments. Hidden Lake, a Crescent Resources community near Raleigh, N.C., provides a wonderful example. Crescent has partnered with Audubon International, a not-for-profit environmental education organization, to help ensure the creation of highly sustainable, healthy communities.
“Our main priorities center around wildlife habitat – being as ecologically sensitive as possible – and water quality – both protecting it and managing stormwater. We want to leave enough of the site intact that natural systems can deal with stormwater,” says Sarah Anderson, the permanent natural resource manager at Hidden Lake. Ms. Anderson follows the day-to-day activities of the community, including overseeing Crescent’s own green building program – the Green Leaf Program – and is available to guide homeowners both through their home and landscaping decisions, as well as their enjoyment of the scenery and wildlife in and around the community.
To preserve the beautiful setting, the buffers around the community’s lake were expanded from 50 to 100 feet to trap sediments and provide wildlife corridors, and only man-powered or electric boats are allowed on the lake. Additionally, a 100-acre preserve has been set aside at one end of the lake, making the community just as much a home for wildlife as it is for humans.
Along community roads, impervious curbs and gutters were left off, and in places where the roads encounter wetlands, bridges were installed to minimize impact. Homeowners also have limits on impervious surfaces, and may not clear more than 28 percent of their homesites. “If a homeowner does surpass this,” explains Ms. Anderson, “they are required to compensate with rain barrels and pervious pavements.”
“After seeing Hidden Lake, I understand why Crescent chose to plan it this way,” attests LaVare Leith, a Hidden Lake homeowner. “The land is so beautiful, you feel like you are someplace else. Of course, the lake is beautiful, but it’s also the rolling hills and trees. I’ve never seen a place this beautiful.”
Preserving these picturesque, serene environments is at the forefront of sustainable development. “This community is so calm and relaxing,” continues Ms. Leith. “I love the wildlife – every night I see deer in my yard.”
Ms. Anderson has found that Crescent homeowners, like Ms. Leith, have embraced the lifestyle more than she ever thought they would. “A lot of people want to do the right thing,” she says, “but they just don’t know how. And once you explain it to them, they absolutely buy into it.”
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Sustainable Revitalization
Some of the most admirable sustainable communities, however, not only honor the environment, but also breathe life into older, less notable areas.
Noisette Company is working tirelessly to accomplish that worthy goal in North Charleston, S.C. This forward-thinking community planner has set out to revitalize the 3,000-acre historic center of North Charleston, which was formerly the site of a naval base. In revitalizing this abandoned urban core, the Noisette community focuses on sustainable development, taking responsibility for the community’s environment, social needs and economic vitality.
One of the Noisette communities is Oak Terrace Preserve. In February 2007, J.R. Kramer, his wife, Holly, and their infant son became the very first family to move into a home in the neighborhood.
Like all of the homes in the community, the Kramers’ is EarthCraft certified. By purchasing the home during the construction process, they were able to customize it to their liking. “We had lots of flexibility,” remembers J.R., who did not feel confined by the home’s green design. He also appreciates the extensive certification process that qualified his home for its EarthCraft seal. “As a landscape architect, I’m accustomed to working with contractors, and so I know that sometimes, due to no one’s fault, little things can get missed, and sometimes those little things can be very important down the road. It was great to have that outside, third party to ensure that every ‘i’ was dotted and ‘t’ was crossed.”
This scrupulous process pays off, literally. In their previous home in West Ashley, a suburb of Charleston, the Kramers’ utility bills were regularly between $180 and $250. Now, in their larger (approximately 1,600 square-feet) EarthCraft home, their utility bills have been under $100 nearly every month, despite the fact that both Mr. and Mrs. Kramer work from home and Mrs. Kramer is a stay-at-home mom. “There is always someone in the house using electricity, running the dishwasher, or washing baby clothes in the washing machine,” says Mr. Kramer.
His favorite green features of the home include a tankless hot water heater, which provides constant hot water, and their bamboo and cork flooring. The couple also appreciated using no-VOC paints, particularly in light of having a baby in the house.
The home’s durability is another great feature. In particular, the home is protected by Hardiboard siding and a metal roof, which came with a 40-year warranty. “It was painted a natural aluminum color to reflect heat, whereas a shingled roof would absorb heat,” explains Mr. Kramer. Their deck is also sustainable – rather than traditional decking, theirs is stain and rot resistant.
As much as they appreciate their home, it is, however, their new community that makes their new, green lifestyle so truly special. The whole neighborhood is extremely pedestrian friendly. The Kramers live on a main road, which is lined with seven-foot wide sidewalks made from recycled rubber. This inventive trait is kind -- not only kind to the environment, but to joggers’ feet as well. Traditional sidewalks also meander through the rest of the neighborhood. Mrs. Kramer walks in the neighborhood daily, and the family enjoys bike rides to the park at the Navy Yard.
The revitalization of this formerly depressed area is inspiring. “It has affected Park Circle in such a great way,” says Mr. Kramer. “Young professionals and children are moving in; there has been a decrease in crime; property values are increasing … the Navy Yard is really a capital improvement project. It’s not your typical development where a company just comes in and builds homes in two years and then disappears. This is making a place for future generations, and like a city, it evolves over time.”
Mr. Kramer thinks that the industry will eventually evolve to the point that sustainable communities and green building will become the norm. “It makes too much sense – environmentally, economically – not to.”
Editorial Board
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