The Growth of Green

Articles and personal interviews have affirmed that despite the tight economy, green building continues to grow in strength and value.

In a May 20 e-release titled “Green Building Growing at a Surprising Rate,” the National Association of Home Builders acknowledged this: “We’ve said for a while that green building is a bright spot in a down market,” said NAHB Chairman Joe Robson, a home builder and developer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “However, the growth of the NAHB National Green Building Program exceeds even our most optimistic expectations.”

The article notes that more than 3,100 builders, remodelers, designers and others in the home building business have earned the NAHB Certified Green Professional educational designation. In addition, 40 states now have state and local home builders associations affiliated with the NAHB National Green Building Program. These programs team national certification with professional education and consumer awareness initiatives. The release mentions that various tax credits for energy-efficient products, like Energy Star-rated windows, and a growing number of state and local incentives for buying green are also encouraging consumers to choose energy- and resource-efficient products and homes.

For more information, see the Newsroom on the NAHB Web site.

The May 2009 Residential Design and Build online magazine featured an article by John D. Wagner, “Green Seeds Must Bear Green Fruit,” that even goes so far as stating that green building is “generating unprecedented levels of excitement and acceptance in today's design and build trades.” Wagner has been reviewing data from McGraw Hill, which is cause for attention. McGraw Hill, in Construction's Green Outlook 2009: Trends Driving Change report, (released November 2008) estimates that green building could triple by 2013 from its current level of $39 to $45 billion.

Wagner points out the importance of going beyond the “feel-good” message of green building to demonstrate the return on investment that results. McGraw-Hill Construction attributes green building's rapid expansion to growing public awareness, an increase in government regulations, and recognition of bottom-line advantages. So while homeowners and business owners are more aware and willing to incorporate green features in buildings, they certainly want to see the economic benefit to going green. Show them the money...

For more information, see Residential Design and Build.

And view the press release for the McGraw Hill Construction report.